Attractions of Khmelnytskyi region

The national landscape reserve "Karmalyukova Hill" is located above the Muksha River to the north of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, near the village of Makiv.

The total area of ​​the reserve is 42 hectares. The area is a remnant of a coastal reef of Neogene age and is of interest from a geomorphological point of view.

According to legends, Ustym Karmalyuk, the hero of the peasant uprising, hid from persecution in a cave on the top of the mountain.

In addition to the caves, there is a rampart at the top of the mountain, which is the remains of an ancient Scythian settlement. During the period of Kyivan Rus, this fortification could be used as a pledge, as evidenced by the finds of weapons and monetary treasures of that time.

In 1846, Taras Shevchenko visited Karmalyukova Hill.

Apart from the history, tourists are also attracted to the observation deck, which is a great place to relax.

The elegant round toothed tower rising above the Vinnytsia-Khmelnytskyi highway is a fragment of the Letychiv castle, built in the 16th century by the Kamyanets chief Yan Potocki at the request of the Polish king.

Previously, there was a wooden fortress in Letychiv, which was repeatedly burned by the Tatars. After Potocki converted from Protestantism to Catholicism in 1606, the castle came under the control of Dominican monks. They brought with them the icon of the Mother of God from the Vatican (a copy of the icon from Saint Peter's Cathedral in Rome) and began rebuilding the castle into a monastery.

The Church of the Assumption (XVI-XVII centuries) has since that time been the sanctuary (holy repository) of the icon of the Virgin of Letychiv - the patroness of Podillya (now the icon is in Lublin, Poland, and a copy is in Letychiv).

During the Liberation War of 1648-1652, the monastery was destroyed, but was soon restored.

During the Second World War, a concentration camp was located here, during Soviet times - warehouses.

In 1989, the church was returned to the Roman Catholic parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the restoration is ongoing.

In front of the tower there is a monument to the national hero Ustim Karmalyuk, who is buried here.

"Lower Grotto" (Nyzhniy hrot) in Prytulivka near Otrokiv is the longest park cave in Europe, created in the form of a two-story structure.

The upper tier is made in the form of an arched gazebo, previously decorated with frescoes, and the lower tier is carved from solid rock.

This artificial labyrinth was created by order of the landowner Ihnatiy Stsibor-Markhotsʹkoho, viknown for his eccentricity. The structure is part of the park cave complex "Tears Grotto", which consists of the "Upper Grotto" ("Old Monk"), located higher on the slopes of the hill closer to the village of Otrokiv, and the "Lower Grotto", located directly on the outskirts of the village of Prytulivka. In ancient times, there was a cave hermitage here, and the valley of the Ushytsia River, where the lower part of the complex is located, is still called Chernetska Valley.

The palace in Udriivtsi was founded in 1841 by the landowner Lozinskyi. On the hill in the center of the village, he built a two-story building in the Neo-Gothic style. During the construction, local stone and brick were used, for the production of which a small factory was opened.

In 1860, the next owner of the manor, Dmochowski, added two towers to the palace. According to legend, the tower was erected in honor of the birth of a long-awaited son to the Dmochowskis (before that, they had 6 daughters). Next to the palace, Dmochowski planted an orchard and planted a chestnut avenue.

The last owner of the estate in Udriivtsi was the landlady Orlowska.

In Soviet times, the building of the Lozinski-Dmochowski palace housed a secondary school. Recently, the monument stood empty and gradually fell into disrepair.

Since 2022, the public organization "Udriivtsi - the historical heritage of Podillia" has been in charge of the fate of the palace, created by a group of enthusiasts with the aim of reviving the historical and cultural heritage of the Podillia village. The territory of the manor has been cleared, and further restoration of the palace is planned.

The Marusyn Stone (Marusyn kamin) tract is located on the top of a hill near the villages of Hamarnia and Velikiy Oleksandriv on the left bank of the Ushytsia River.

The appearance of this geological formation dates back to the 10th century BC. Originally, there was a pagan temple in the caves of the rock, as evidenced by the presence of a sacrificial stone. Over time, the place was consecrated and an Orthodox cross was carved on the walls. In one of the niches of the stone, the remains of age-old soot from the fires have been preserved, which confirms the assumptions that the caves served as a shelter for people in different periods of history.

Thus, according to legends, during the peasant uprisings, a band of robbers led by Otaman Marusya operated on these lands. Robbers attacked landowners, and the loot was usually distributed among poor peasants, which helped them survive. After one of these raids, a certain landowner Volodymyr announced a raid on the Marusya gang. Having lost all her people, Marusya disappeared into the local caves, but she was caught and killed. The local residents kept the name of the national heroine, calling the rock where it happened "Marusyn Stone".

The international memorial complex "Field of Memory" was created in 1997-2007 near Slavuta, where the German camp for prisoners of war "Stalag 301/Z" was located during the Second World War.

In terrible conditions, wounded and sick officers and soldiers of the Red Army were kept there, who, in fact, were doomed to death from exhaustion and disease. The number of dead is estimated at 150,000 people.

Currently, the cemetery of the dead prisoners of war has been cleared and arranged, a mound has been filled on it and a monument has been erected. A monument to the victims of the Jewish concentration camp is located near the complex.

Milk Stone is a cave located in the gorge of the rock of the same name. It is located in the northwest of the "Sovyniy Yar" nature reserve in the canyon of the Studenytsia River.

According to a local legend, old Ivan lived in the nearby village of Vykhvatnivtsi, who was warned in a dream by a saint about a Tatar raid and ordered to save himself in a cave. Those who believed Ivan went to the cave and waited out the attack, feeding on the milk that flowed from the stone. Since then, the rock and the cave in it have been called "Milk stone".

The Prytulivka grain-rolling mill on the Ushytsia River was built in 1846.

Was active until recently.

Currently, the three-story building of the mill houses a small museum exhibition.

The Museum of Miniatures "Castles of Ukraine" presents miniature models of 21 most famous architectural monuments of Ukraine, including medieval fortresses and aristocratic palaces located in different regions of Ukraine.

The open-air museum gives an opportunity to get acquainted with all at once, learn the details of their history, interesting facts, secrets and legends, as well as appreciate the work of Kyiv masters who accurately conveyed the smallest details of buildings.

Museum of Miniatures "Castles of Ukraine" is a great place for family vacations and spending time with friends.

The monument to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in the city of Khmelnytskyi is one of the most extravagant monuments to the Ukrainian hetman in the country, the fourth and largest in Khmelnytskyi.

A bronze equestrian monument by sculptor Valentyn Borysenko and architect Mykola Kopyl was erected in 1993 in front of the philharmonic hall, next to the Khmelnytskyi regional administration building.

Despite the fact that the sculpture turned out to be very expressive and pompous, the monument caused many complaints from the people of Khmelnytskyi due to the unnatural posture of the horse and the general disproportion of the figures.

Mount Hrabyna is located in the southwest of the village of Kryvchyk. Within its summit there are small caves, which in local folklore are closely related to the activities of the leader of the peasant uprising, Ustym Karmalyuk.

As a result of archaeological research, the remains of a Scythian settlement and household items of those times were discovered on the mountain.

Among tourists, Hrabyna is famous for its stunning panoramic view of the surroundings and the village of Kryvchyk, located in the valley of the Ternava River.

The Department of Antiquities (Archeology) of the Kamyanets-Podilskyi State Historical Museum-Reserve is located in the former palace of the Armenian bishop, which was founded in the 15th century as a trading house.

After the Turkish invasion, the commandant of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, Yan de Vitte, settled in the house.

The archeological exposition is based on a collection of antiquities, which began to be collected in the XIX century. The halls of the museum recreate the dwellings of ancient man, exhibit ancient tools, household items of the people who inhabited Podillya from ancient times to the baptism of Rus.

In the courtyard is a lapidary of pagan idols.

The Historical Museum of the Central Railway (formerly South-West) named after Borys Oliynyk was opened in 2001 at the "Derazhnia" railway station.

The station building in Derazhnia was built in 1896.

The exhibition of the Central Railway Museum tells about the development of railway transport from the moment of its inception to the present.

A separate exhibition is dedicated to one of the managers of the Central Railway, Borys Oliynyk, who was born in 1934 in the village of Bozhykivtsi near the city of Derazhnia. Personal things, photos and documents tell about his life and work path.

Interesting models of locomotives and armored trains.

The Museum of Proskuriv underground was opened in 1994 in a century-old building in Khmelnytskyi, where a secret apartment was located during World War II.

The museum exposition tells about the beginning of the German-Soviet war, the occupation of the city, concentration camps in Proskurov, the activities of the Proskuriv district underground guerrilla organization in 1941-1944, members of the underground, guerrilla movement, liberation of the city from the Germans and the return of Soviet occupiers.

The museum's funds contain personal belongings of the undergrounders, photographs, memoirs, letters from the front, correspondence of the undergrounders, characteristics of the leading core of the Proskuriv underground and their awards.

The Museum of Proskuriv underground is a branch of the Khmelnytskyi City History Museum.

The Museum-Kryivka "Stinka" (Wall) in Khmelnytskyi opened in 2022 in the premises of the former shooting range of the "Ploskyriv" sports and cultural center on the territory of the "Lokomotiv" stadium.

The museum reproduces the typical situation of the UPA rebel kryivka (hideout) during the liberation struggle of the middle of the 20th century. The exposition contains contemporary household items that could have been used by the underground.

During the tour, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history of UPA activities in Khmelnytskyi region and about the different types of hideouts used by Ukrainian rebels. Shooting in a shooting range with pneumatic weapons is also offered.