Attractions of Buchach

The sculptural composition, crowned with the figure of Saint John Nepomuk, was installed in Buchach at the crossroads of the roads to Ternopil and Chortkiv in 1750.

It was one of the early works of the outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel. Prague priest John Nepomuk was martyred in 1393, refusing to reveal the secret of the confession of the wife of Emperor Wenceslas IV of Luxembourg. The cult of the saint was widespread in the 18th century. Ian Nepomuk's roadside sculpture was ordered by Count Mykola Pototskyi to Pinzel, as evidenced by Pototskyi's "Pilyava" coat of arms on the pedestal.

During the Soviet era, the sculpture was destroyed. Restored in 2007 in the former place (now the road fork is located a little higher), the author of the copy is Roman Vilhushynskyi.

The Buchach Local Lore Museum is located in the center of city, near the town hall.

The archeological exposition presents objects from the times of Trypillya culture.

The ethnographic exhibition tells about the life of peasants of the end of the XIX century.

In addition to the history of the city and the district, there is an exposition dedicated to the work of the outstanding sculptor Ivan Heorh Pinzel, who lived and worked in Buchach for a long time.

The model of Buchach Castle is also of interest.

The majestic monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord rises on the opposite hill from Buchach Castle, in the Fedir tract.

It was built for the parents of the Basilians, who were invited to the city by Stefan Potoski in the 18th century to found a theological school.

The central building of the complex is the Baroque Church of the Ascension of the Holy Cross with a bell tower (architect Yohan Shiltser). It is adjoined on two sides by the buildings of the cells and the Basilian gymnasium (now the Saint Yosafat Buchach Collegium).

During the Soviet era, the monastery was closed and fell into disrepair, but after 1991, a complete restoration was carried out. All buildings, including the hydroelectric power plant on the Strypa River, have been restored and are being used as intended.

The ruins of the defensive Buchach Castle, which protected Buchach from the Tatars and Turks since the 14th century, stand on a hill in the center of the city.

The fortress was founded in 1379 by the local magnates Buchachskyi, and three centuries later it was fortified by the new owners Potocki. In 1648, the Cossack army tried to capture it, and in 1665 and 1667 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the Tatars. Only in 1672, the Turkish army was able to capture the city and the fortress was destroyed.

The Potocki tried to restore Buchach Castle, but in the 19th century it finally lost its significance and was almost completely dismantled for building materials.

Fragments of walls and towers have been preserved.

Buchach Town Hall is a wonderful baroque creation of the Lviv architect Bernard Meretin, and is a hallmark of the city.

The 37-meter-high town hall was built in Buchach at the expense of Mykola Vasyl Potoski. The two-story tower rests on a two-story cubic base. Initially, the town hall was crowned with an 18-meter spire (replaced by the current dome after the fire of 1811) and decorated with 17 sculptures by the outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel on the theme of the struggle between good and evil. Most of the sculptures were destroyed by a fire in 1865, four of them survived only in fragments.

Thanks to the sophisticated synthesis of architecture and sculpture, the Buchach Town Hall is considered an outstanding work of world architecture of the late Baroque era.

Restoration is currently underway, and the creation of the Ivan Pinzel Museum is planned. The lost sculptures are planned to be replaced with copies. The restored clock on the top tier strikes every quarter of an hour, and every hour plays the melodies of Ukrainian songs.

In 2014, a monument to Pinzel was erected in front of the town hall.

The Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built in Buchach under the castle hill near the town hall at the expense of the owner of the town, Kaniv mayor Mykola Vasyl Potoski, as evidenced by his Pylyava family coat of arms on the pediment. The inscription on the portal says: "Out of a desire to have three crosses in Pylyava Potocki, the House of the Cross was built for the glory of God."

The outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel worked on the interior design for several years. The monumental composition of five altars includes the image of the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus, the figures of Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Yoakhim, Saint Anna, Saint Zazarius, Archangel Michael, Saint Yan Nepomuk, angels, allegorical figures of Swiftness and Love, and the composition of the Glory of God.

After the destruction of the Soviet Union, the church was restored and again welcomes believers.

The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God in Buchach was built in 1764 in the late Baroque style according to the project of the architect Bernard Meretin (according to other sources - Yohan Shiltser).

The temple has a defensive character. The impression of "femininity" of the interior is created by the rounded corners and harmonious lines of the portal. The Deacon Gate, the work of the outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel, has been preserved.

During the revival of the Intercession Church after the Soviet period, the burials of dozens of repressed residents of the city were discovered in the basements.

A 400-year-old linden tree growing near the road to the Zolotyi Potik is a witness to a historical event - the signing of the Buchach Peace Treaty with Turkey in 1672, which was humiliating for Poland.

The day before, the Turkish army captured Buchach and began to threaten the central regions of Poland from here. According to the peace treaty, the eastern part of Ukraine with Podillya was declared an independent state under the protectorate of Turkey.

A monument to Ivan Heorhiy (Yohan-Heorh) Pinzel was erected in 2014 near Buchach Town Hall on the initiative and at the expense of local businessman Vasyl Balabala.

Ivan Heorhiy Pinzel, a prominent sculptor of the mid-18th century, a representative of the late Baroque and Rococo, is the founder of the Lviv School of Sculptors. He lived and worked in Buchach at the invitation of the owner of the city, Mykola Potoski, creating many outstanding works here in collaboration with the architect Bernard Meretyn: the altars of the Church of the Assumption and the Church of the Intercession, the facades of the Buchach Town Hall, roadside figures, etc.

The monument to the sculptor was created by Roman Vilhushynsky in an expressive manner, characteristic of the Pinzel school. The brush is shown with a cutter in hand while working on a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. The height of the monument reaches 3 meters.

The hard-to-reach Monastyrok tract is located in the valley of the Strypa River south of Buchach.

The ruins of an ancient monastery built in 1600-1606 at the expense of Stefan Potoski's wife, Mariya Mohylyanka (daughter of the Moldavian landlord Yeremiy Mohyla, cousin of Kyiv Metropolitan Petro Mohyla) have been preserved in the forest on Mount Fedir.

The tributary flowing into Strypa forms a picturesque waterfall cascade in this place.

The roadside figure of the Mother of God was installed in Buchach in 1751 by order of the owner of the town, Mykola Potoski. It was one of the early works of the outstanding sculptor Ivan Heorhiy Pinzel and the architect Bernard Meretyn. The coat of arms of the Potocki family "Pilyava" is depicted on the pedestal.

During Soviet times, the figure of the Virgin Mary was destroyed, but part of the pedestal was preserved. It was restored in 2006 in its former place, the author of the copy is Roman Vilhushynskyi.

The Museum of Political Prisoners "Memorial" named after Vasyl Stus was opened in Buchach in 1990 in the basement of the former KGB building, where the pre-trial detention center was located in Soviet times.

The exhibition presents documents, photographs and personal belongings related to the events of the OUN-UPA liberation struggle and Stalinist repressions. It was established that more than 1,500 residents of the district died at the hands of Stalin's executioners in those years. Some of the dead were buried in the basements of the Intercession Church.

The defensive church in honor of Saint Nicholas was built at the expense of Mariya Mohylyanka, the wife of Count Stefan Pototsky, a cousin of Metropolitan of Kyiv Petro Mohyla.

The fortification nature of the harsh building located on the hill can be guessed from the loopholes on the second tier. Inside there is a richly decorated iconostasis.

The Saint Nicholas Church is the oldest preserved brick church in Buchach. It is currently an active church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.