Attractions of Mariupol district

The "Stone Graves" tract is a small mountainous country among the steppes of the Azov region.

Volcanic rocks about 2 billion years old formed a series of peaks here, which as a result of weathering turned into many expressive natural sculptures.

The rocky island was a cult place of ancient peoples and gave rise to many interesting legends. The ancient name of the area "Beshtash" is translated from the Turkic "five mountains". Today, these peaks are called Panorama, Vityaz, Hostra, Zhaba and Pivdenna. Their height is 200 and a little meters, in the past they rose up to 3 kilometers.

Picturesque landscapes, a combination of steppe and alpine vegetation, historical events of these places inspired many artists and poets.

The Karatysh River – the left tributary of Berda – washes the ridge of rocks on the eastern side. According to Academician Kudryashov's version, during the battle of Kalka, the fortified camp of Prince Mstyslav of Kyiv was located near the Stone Graves (a chapel and a large stone cross were built).

The Mariupol Art Museum named after Arkhyp Kuyindzhi opened in 2010 in the former mansion of the Heotsyntov family, built at the beginning of the 20th century in the Northern Art Nouveau style.

The exposition in 10 halls told about the life and work of the outstanding Ukrainian landscape artist, master of light Arkhyp Kuyindzhi, who was born in 1842 near Mariupol. In particular, three originals of Kuyindzhi's works and numerous copies were presented in the exhibition.

The collection also included works of painting, graphics and decorative and applied arts, among which were the works of Ivan Ayvazovsky, Tetyana Yablonska, Mykola Hlushchenko, Serhiy Shyshko, Ivan Marchuk, etc.

During the large-scale Russian invasion in March 2022, the Arkhyp Kuyindzhi Art Museum was destroyed by an airstrike. The occupiers stole the original paintings by Kuyindzhi and Ayvazovsky, two works by Mykola Dubovsky, a work by Hryhoriy Kalmykov – a posthumous portrait of Kuindzhi from 1910, a bust of Arkhyp Kuyindzhi by the sculptor Volodymyr Beklemyshev, three unique icons from the end of the 19th century, the Greek Gospel of 1811 and objects of decorative and applied art.

The Maritime Museum of Azov Maritime Institute named after Volodymyr Pavliy bears the name of its creator, the first assistant captain of the ships of the Azov Sea Shipping.

It is located in the premises of the Azov Maritime Institute.

The exposition of the first hall tells about the history of shipping in the Sea of Azov from the earliest times to 1890, the creation and operation of the regular fleet, the development of seaports.

The other three halls highlight the history of Azov shipping from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Models of ships, picturesque canvases, as well as artifacts raised from the bottom of the sea are presented.

The white stone lighthouse in the middle of the Bilosaraiska Spit was built in 1835 to ensure the safety of navigation in the Tahanroh Bay. Before that, a wooden lighthouse on the territory of the current village of Melekine served to guide ships on the approach to Mariupol.

The octagonal tower of the Bilosaraisky lighthouse is about 23 meters high, and it was clearly visible from the sea. The lighthouse equipment was repeatedly updated. It remains valid until now. The lighthouse is serviced by four employees who live right on the territory.

At the foot of the tower is an anchor-cat, raised from a sunken Turkish galley, about 400 years old.

The Mariupol extreme recreation park is located in the Kalmius district, bordering the park named after Hurov. It is part of the Illicha plant.

In the "Extreme Park" there are 14 attractions, including extreme ones: "Falling Tower", "Wild Train", "Ferris wheel", chain carousel, "Wasp" swing, "Looping", etc. The most popular attraction is "Autodrome".

There is also a children's playground, a cafe, and shopping pavilions.

The Museum of the History and Ethnography of the Greeks of the Azov region is located in the center of the village of Sartana (a suburb of Mariupol).

The museum has a very rich exposition about the culture and lifestyle of the Greeks from the time of their resettlement from the Crimea in 1778-1780, about the founding of new settlements by them, the development of local lands, and the development of the diaspora.

The exposition is located in 6 halls, on two floors.

Museum employees also pay a lot of attention to the cuisine of the Greeks of the Azov region, collect recipes and publish collections of them.

During the Russian occupation in 2002, the management of the museum went to collaborate with the enemy.

Katerynivski hillocks (Granite Hills) is the popular name of a local natural monument.

Very unusual granite formations are located near the village of Katerynivka on both banks of the Kalchyk River (chronological Kalka). The oldest granites, polished over millions of years, have the appearance of frozen waves.

A very beautiful and majestic sight, which is impressive with its scale.

The Mariupol Museum of Local Lore is the oldest museum in the Donetsk region.

It was founded in 1920 in a three-story building in the historical part of the city of Mariupol, built at the beginning of the 20th century according to the project of the city architect Viktor Nilsen.

Before the large-scale Russian invasion of 2022, the museum's holdings included more than 53,000 exhibits. The exposition highlighted the nature and history of the southern part of the Donetsk region. In particular, a diorama of the Bilosaraiska Spit was presented. Documents and household objects illustrated the process of the founding of the city of Mariupol in 1778 as a district city of Pavlovsk, the settlement of the region by Greeks and representatives of other nations. The Section of the History of the Soviet Period demonstrated the transformation of Mariupol into an industrial center on various household items, models, and original exhibits. A collection of Polovtsian stone babas was presented in front of the entrance.

During the siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, the building of the Mariupol Local History Museum burned down. The occupiers took the surviving exhibits to Donetsk, their further fate is unknown.

The Museum of Folk Life in Mariupol has been operating as a branch of the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore since 1989.

The exposition tells about the ethnic culture and traditional life of the inhabitants of the Azov region.

The Museum of Folk Life in Mariupol was destroyed by Russian occupiers during a large-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

Nikolske Museum of Local Lore occupies a separate one-story building in the center of Nikolske village.

It has a large exposition about the history of the resettlement of Greeks in these regions, and about what happened during the entire 180-year history of this settlement.

The collection includes more than 8,000 items. The decoration of the nature hall is a diorama of the "Stone Graves" reserve.

On the territory of the museum, open-air expositions have been arranged for the demonstration of large-sized stone tools of agricultural work and monuments of the Polovtsian tribes - the so-called "Polovtsian women".

The observation deck with a view of the Sea of Azov is located in the Primorsky Park near the Square of the Liberation Warriors.

The site offers a classic industrial panorama of Mariupol. At the same time, one of the largest enterprises of the city of Azovstal and the Mariupol Sea Trade Port are visible.

The Polovtsian Steppe Regional Landscape Park was created in 2000 to preserve areas of pristine steppes of the Northern Azov region.

The landscape park is located on the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions between the village of Starchenkove and the village of Zakharivka. Territorially, the park covers the backwaters of the middle course of the Berda River and its tributaries (Karatyuk and Temryuk rivers), pristine steppe areas.

This territory is a place of growth of medicinal, rare and listed in the Red Book of Ukraine species of plants, as well as a place of residence of various representatives of the fauna.

Over the centuries, a landscape cut by river valleys was formed with unique vegetation and animal life. The "Polovtsian Steppe" preserved rock-loving and drought-resistant vegetation. Currently, the territory of the park is a typical area of various grass-sedge-sedge steppe with artificial plantations of forest crops.

Reservoirs located on the territory of the park attract fishermen. The ichthyofauna is represented by such species as pike, crucian carp, crucian carp, bream, perch and others.

In 2010, the Polovtsian Steppe Regional Landscape Park became part of the Meotida National Nature Park.