Attractions of Khmelnytskyi region

Sokil Mountain rises above the village of Karachkivtsi to the south of the village of Smotrych. This is the highest point of the Dunaivtsi region (348 meters) and one of the highest peaks of the Podilski Tovtry ridge.

In 1989, on the territory of 42.9 hectares, a landscape reserve of national significance "Sokil" was created here, which is part of the National Nature Park "Podilski Tovtry". Among the rare species of plants here grow dogwood, hawthorn, rosehip, juniper, thorn, Podilsk onion, white sedge, hairy hemlock, which is included in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Sokil Mountain is a nesting place for eagles.

Halfway to the top of the mountain are ancient caves. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, the length of their passages exceeded 150 meters. Small rooms are formed inside the caves. According to legend, the robber Boyan hid treasures in these caves, the prototype for which was most likely the Polovtsian Khan Bunyak (Solodyvy Bunyo).

The concrete embankment at the mouth of the Ikopot River in Starokostiantyniv was built at the end of the 20th century.

The embankment is decorated with a bright group of sculptures made of metal and various parts of machines and mechanisms, depicting fairy-tale heroes: Neptune in a cart, a mermaid, a mosquito, and others.

They were created by the Khmelnytskyi sculptor Mykola Mazur, the author of similar sculptural compositions in Taras Shevchenko Park and in many other places in Khmelnytskyi. His whimsical works are reminiscent of the avant-garde sculptures of the Stravinsky fountain near the Pompidu Center in Paris.

The stone tower-quarry and earth ramparts of the Starozaslavsky (Staromisky) castle are located on a hill in the old part of Iziaslav, on the left bank of the Horyn river.

It is possible that the construction was started by Prince Vasyl Ostrozky back in the 15th century, although the "official" biography of the Starozaslavsky castle dates back to 1539. At that time, the city was owned by Prince Yuriy's son, from whom the princely family of Zaslavsky descended.

A common version is that the fortified building with a complex system of cellars, which has survived, was the princely treasury.

The second floor was built in the 18th century under the Sangushko princes.

Later, the premises were used as a warehouse, and during the Soviet era it began to collapse. Now the ruins are in a neglected state, access is free.

The State Bank building is the first architectural structure of the Novy Plan, built at the entrance to the new part of Kamyanets-Podilskyi immediately after the opening of the Novoplanivsky bridge.

It consists of two buildings: the first is built almost above the canyon of the Smotrych River, the second is a little higher. Both buildings were built in 1896-1901 by the architect Ivan Kalashnikov under the supervision of the Kanakotn provincial architect. The central building, in the plan of the letter "Г", was directly occupied by the State Bank itself, the second building, a rectangular building in plan, was the bank's employees' house. The main building is decorated with risalites and rustication, reminiscent of stone masonry. The front entrance is decorated with columns and a triangular pediment. For the construction of reliable bank vaults, basements more than 10 meters deep were cut into the rock.

The wonderful palace and park complex in Samchyky is one of the best-preserved landlord estates of the 18th and 19th centuries in Ukraine, a brilliant work of architecture and garden and park art.

The manor was founded in 1725 by the nobleman Yan Khoyetsky, and in its present form was rebuilt in 1790-1805 by the headman of Haisyn, colonel Petro Chechel.

The Empire-style palace was built by the Polish architect Yakub Kubycky, the landscape park was created by the Irishman Dionisiy Makkler, and the interiors were designed by the Italian sculptor Zhan-Batist Tsahlyano.

An enfilade of parade halls is available for viewing: Big (Red), Round (Blue), Roman (Green), and others. The unique painting of the Japanese cabinet in the oriental style was made by an unknown author (according to legend, Mykhaylo Vrubel).

The grand facade of the palace with white columns and lions (sad and laughing) at the entrance faces the picturesque lake.

The manor complex also includes the Count's gate, the old Khoiecki palace (1725), a Chinese house (used as a refrigerator, now a gallery of Samchyky painting), outbuildings with cellars, and a fountain.

160 species of shrubs and trees grow in the park (including the rare Enhelmann spruce), the Gothic alley with a gazebo, and the ruins of a greenhouse have been preserved.

In Soviet times, the complex was used as an agricultural research station. In 1972, thanks to the efforts of the local artist and local historian Oleksandr Pazhymskyi, the estate was recognized as an architectural monument and taken under state protection. For many years, Pazhymskyi and his son Bohdan have been engaged in the restoration and preservation of the complex.

Today it is the State Historical and Cultural Reserve "Samchyky", a museum exposition has been opened in the palace.

Stefan Batory's seven-story tower is the largest defensive structure of the Kamyanets-Podilskyi fortification system.

It is the upper part of the Polish Gate complex - one of the three entrances to the Old Town. It had great fortification value, as the gentle bank of the Smotrych River made it easier for enemies to attack here.

The tower was built on the site of the ancient city gate in 1564-1585 at the expense of the Polish king Stefan Batory, which is why it got his name. After the repair of the tower in the 17th century by the artisan workshop of furriers, it was also called Kushnirska.

According to legend, in 1711, during the visit of Kamyanets-Podilskyi to the Russian Tsar Peter I, who was passing through the gate of the tower, his hat was blown off his head by the wind, after which the tower began to be called the Wind Gate.

In the 1780s, during the reign of King Stanislav Avhust, the commandant of the Kamyanets-Podilskyi fortress, Yan de Vitte, completed the tower to seven levels and added a rectangular building. Many decorative elements have been preserved.

The summer residence of the landowner Ihnatsiy Stsybor-Markhotsky in Otrokiv was built in the 18th century on the basis of the buildings of the Otrokiv Castle known from the 17th century (perhaps the castle was built in the 13th-14th centuries).

It was the most luxurious manor of the four owned by the magnate Stsybor-Markhotsky, the founder of the self-proclaimed Mynkovetska state, which existed in 1793-1831. Fragments of walls and a tower have been preserved from the medieval castle. The complex also includes a landlord's house, a forum, a triumphal arch, and an arboretum.

In Soviet times, the manor house housed a school, and other buildings of the manor were used for economic purposes.

Currently, the Stsybor-Markhotsky manor belongs to a private person. Restoration is underway. The annual festival of laser shows "Otrokiv" takes place here.

The rock monastery in Subich has been known since the 16th century, although some researchers attribute its foundation to the 10th-13th centuries, when many Orthodox cave hermitages appeared in Podillya.

The Subich monastery is called the "younger brother" of the Bakota monastery. Revived thanks to the efforts of local resident Mykola Semenyuk. Three small caves have been preserved in the Monastyryshche tract at a 40-meter height above the Dniester, one of which is rather a niche for an icon. In front of the caves is a platform about 2 meters wide. An 800-meter steep descent along a narrow path leads to the caves from the chapel on the edge of Subich village. There are several sources along the way.

A breathtaking panorama of the Dniester opens from Mount Monastyryshche.

Taras Shevchenko Square is a favorite recreation spot for residents of Khmelnytskyi.

Until the 19th century, there was an oak grove on the outskirts of old Proskuriv. In 1824, a shopping area was created on the site of the grove, and part of the trees were cut down. For some time, the square was used as a military parade ground of the 46th Dnipro Infantry Regiment. At the end of the 19th century, they decided to create a city garden at this place, and the square was planted with trees.

Decorative shrubs were planted in 1960-1980, at the same time a cinema was built. The park zone with an area of 5 hectares has a regular layout. The main compositional node is the square with the monument to Taras Shevchenko (1992).

The square is decorated with whimsical metal sculptures created by the modern artist Mykola Mazur.

The estate house of the Tokarzhevsky-Karashevychs family in the village of Hrushka was built at the end of the 19th century. The two-story manor palace with small towers and a side balustrade is located in the old park at the entrance to the village from Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

The owner of the estate in Hrushka at the beginning of the 20th century was the Ukrainian political and diplomatic figure, historian, honorary knight of the Order of Malta, Yan Tokarzhevskyi-Karashevych. During the First World War, he was the head of the Hrushka Volost Committee for Aid to Military Families, the chief controller of the Podillya Zemstvo Committee for Aid to the Wounded. In 1917-1919, he served as an adviser to the Ukrainian embassy in Vienna, then worked in the UNR government in exile.

During the Soviet rule, the palace of the Tokarzhevsky-Karashevychs was used as the premises of the village council and the board of the local collective farm. Currently, part of the premises is occupied by the Hrushka Starostat of the Staroushytska hromada and post office. In other premises, a museum space with a gallery of antiquities, an exhibition hall and a photo area was arranged.

The main architectural monument of Staryi Ostropil is the Transfiguration Church - an architectural monument of national significance.

The stone church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a rotunda with a rectangular vestibule covered by a complex system of vaults resting on four pylons and walls.

Elements of classicism are used in the decorative design of facades and interiors. The upper part has been changed as a result of unscrupulous reconstruction.

Since May 2022, it belongs to the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Turkish bastion is part of the fortification system of the Old City of Kamyanets-Podilskyi. It was part of the system of north-western fortifications, the main element of which was the Polish Gate.

The Turkish bastion got its name after this part of the fortress, which is most suitable for shelling the road leading to the castle, was improved by the Turks during the occupation of Kamyanets in 1672-1699.

The bastion is a large four-story structure with casemate rooms, wood-earth parapets and gun embrasures. In 1753, the commandant of the fortress, military engineer Krystian Dalke, repaired it with the installation of stone parapets on the high, multi-lane arcade.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the stone vaults of the casemates were completely translated and began to be used as warehouses.

A stone column erected during the stay of the Turkish garrison in Medzhibizh (1672-1699) is called a "Turkish Pillar" in the village of Trebukhivtsi.

It is an obelisk pillar, square in plan, gradually narrowing upwards, with a three-slope end. It is located southwest of the Medzhibizh castle, on the opposite bank of the Pivdenniy Buh, near the bridge. At first it stood over the grave of a Turkish military commander, later it served as a chapel.

Another column-chapel is located in the upper part of the Old Town, near the Saint Nicolas Church (turn left after the church).

The defense ramparts of the chronicled ancient Rus city of Tykhomel (Tykhoml) are located on the banks of the Horyn River on the outskirts of Yampil near the modern village of Tykhomel.

According to one of the versions, the fortification was built by order of the Kyiv Prince Volodymyr the Great at the end of the 10th century. The city was first mentioned in 1152 during the war between the Kyiv prince Izyaslav Mstyslavych and the Galician prince Volodymyrko Volodarevych. In 1214, the city was captured by the troops of the Hungarian king, but soon it was repulsed by the Galicia-Volyn prince Danylo Romanovych. Subsequent internecine wars devastated the city, and it soon lost its importance.

In the 16th century, these lands became the property of Vilnius bishop Yanush, who founded the nearby town of Yampil, and the ancient Tykhomel has since disappeared from the maps.

A panorama of the valley of the Horyn river opens from the walls of the fortified settlement. Nearby are the ruins of the only Arian chapel of the 16th century in Ukraine.

The bench on the embankment of the pond on the Utka River in Slavuta, along the Third Dam, has had the title of the longest bench in Ukraine since 2012.

Its length is 213 meters and 12 centimeters. 1,000 schoolchildren were able to sit on it at the same time. They painted part of it with different patterns.

Previously, the "Family Bench" on the Dnipro embankment was considered the longest in Ukraine.