Attractions of Busha

The State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha" was created in 2000 on the territory of the ancient Podillya village of Busha, located between Yampil and Mohyliv-Podilskyi. The reserve unites a whole complex of natural, archaeological, historical and cultural monuments of Eastern Podillya.

The reserve welcomes its guests with the largest open-air museum of historical sculptures in Europe, where international plein-air exhibitions of stonemason sculptors are held annually. In total, on the territory of the village, you can see about two hundred works of stone and granite on various subjects.

The key object of the reserve is Zamkova hill with the remains of the Busha Castle from Cossack times and underground passages of the 16th-17th centuries, which is a monument of cultural heritage of national importance. Remains of the settlement of the Trypllia culture were also found on the castle - a protective pavilion was built over the excavation, and the archaeological museum operates. On the slope of the mountain above the fortress there is a medieval cemetery where Cossack crosses from the 18th century have been preserved. An archaeological monument of national importance is also a cave temple of the V-XVII centuries with relief images.

The reserve includes the Ethnographic Museum, the Art Museum and the Weaving Museum. An interesting natural location is the "Haidamatsky ravine" with huge sandstone rocks in the forest massif.

The administration of the "Busha" reserve is located opposite the castle. Here you can buy tickets to the museum and order tours of the territory of the reserve. Also, in the premises of the administration, exhibitions are constantly held, master classes on baking ceremonial bread are held.

The border Busha Castle on the south-eastern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was built in the second half of the 16th century by crown hetman Jan Zamoyski. But it went down in history as a heroic Cossack fortress.

The castle was located on a promontory formed by the rivers Murafa and Bushanka. 4 corner castle towers were connected by underground passages. Each of the towers had its own powder cellar. Two more stone towers were part of the system of external wooden fortifications.

The castle was often attacked by Tatars. In 1617, Hetman Stanislav Zholkevskyi signed a peace treaty with the Turkish general Iskander Pasha, suspending the Polish-Turkish war for several years. In 1648 Bohdan Khmelnytsky subordinated the city to the Bratslav Regiment, the fortress was occupied by Cossack troops.

In 1654 the castle was besieged by Polish troops. According to legend, the last stage of the defense was led by the widow of Captain Dependent Maryana. When enemies stormed the city, she set fire to gunpowder cellars, destroying the fortress with an explosion along with enemies who captured it.

Only one of the fortress towers has survived, which was rebuilt in 1756 on the bell tower of the nearby Saint Michael's Church (destroyed in Soviet times). The tower has been restored, for the period of reconstruction of the church it is used as a temple.

In 2000, the Busha State Historical and Cultural Reserve was established, and archaeological research is being conducted. The Busha Defense Museum is located on the upper tier of the tower, a pavilion of Trypillya culture was opened on the territory of the castle, and an exhibition of modern sculpture was organized.

On the site of the upper settlement there is a Cossack cemetery of the XVIII-XIX centuries with massive stone crosses of various shapes.

The pre-Christian cave church in Bushа was opened by Professor Antonovych in 1883.

He discovered here a unique rock relief depicting the Peace Tree, a rooster, a deer, and a kneeling man. A mysterious rectangle is carved above these figures, which previously contained the inscription "Azm esm Miroboh priest Olhov" (now the inscription is not visible).

Various researchers date the Bushan relief to different historical periods - from the II to the XII century, and some date it to the XVI century. Perhaps the cave was used as a Christian temple. Medieval inscriptions indicate that Catholic monks lived in the cave.

In 1824, local nobleman Romuald Ovsyanyi found and explored the cave, making an inscription: "In memory of 1524. June 3. R. O." (on this day Busha was destroyed by the Tatars).

Currently, the Cave Church is part of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha". To visit, it is necessary to contact the administration of the reserve.

The old Cossack cemetery in Bushа is located on a mountain that rises above the Busha castle, on the territory of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha". In the lower part of the cemetery there are graves from the 19th century, in the upper part there are more ancient ones, probably up to the 17th century.

Here you can see many massive stone Cossack crosses of various shapes. They are made from local sandstone, large deposits of which exist in the surrounding area. Among the tombstones there are Cossack crosses of the Maltese type with a circle in the middle, crosses in the form of “clubs”, even more complex in shape - with additional crossbars on the crossbars.

The best panorama of Busha opens from the Cossack cemetery, which is especially expressive in the light of sunset.

The "Podillya Hut" Ethnography Museum is housed in an ancient 130-year-old house in the center of the village of Busha, next to Castle Hill. The museum was opened in 2004.

Tools, dishes, clothes, towels, a chest, a baby cradle, paintings, icons and other items of rural life, collected in the surrounding villages, are presented.

A model of a medieval castle and city fortifications is displayed in the yard.

To visit, you need to contact the administration of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha".

The forest massif in the canyon of the Bushanka River on the north-western outskirts of Busha has long been called the "Haydamatsky Yar".

Here, sandstone rocks form picturesque landscapes in the middle of a hornbeam forest. The most impressive are the "Mushroom", "Baran", and "Vysiachka" rocks.

After crossing the wooden bridge to the right bank of the Bushanka and climbing a steep path, you can reach the Haydamac rock with a cave, in which, according to legend, in 1768 there was one of the camps of the rebels who fought here.

Entrance to the territory of the "Haydamatsky Yar" nature reserve is paid.

The "Art-Drabyna" Gallery in Busha was opened in 2009 by Vinnytsia artist Svitlana Telets. Her painted house in the center of the village attracts the attention of tourists from afar.

In an ordinary peasant yard, the artist has arranged an exhibition hall, a covered veranda for master classes and a residential house with a fireplace, where rooms can be rented.

The gallery exhibits the artist's paintings and her personal collection of Podillya antiquities. Classes in art therapy, master classes in painting, exterior and interior decoration are held to order.

The Art Museum of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha" was opened in 2018 during the International Art and Cultural Festival "Painted House". The museum building was painted with ornaments traditional for Eastern Podillya by the artist Serhiy Buhay.

The exposition of the Art Museum presents not only painting, but also other types of art from Podillya and other regions. In particular, there is an exhibition of Ukrainian antiquities under the name "Thorn Handkerchief - Mother's Tongue".

Exhibitions of famous artists are held regularly.

The interactive museum of weaving in Busha opened in 2019 as part of the artistic project "Ways of Woven Busha". The project involves reproducing the full process of making a woven product using traditional methods and training in various weaving techniques for everyone.

The exposition presents a variety of looms and other equipment for the production of fabrics, ancient carpets, paths, sackcloths, towels and many other products of Podillya folk art masters.

The Busha Museum of Weaving offers visitors to try to work at the looms on their own, in order to experience all the intricacies of the weaving craft and the fabric production process.

The Weaving Museum is a branch of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Busha".