Attractions of Ternopil region

The Shumsk Museum of Local Lore was founded in 1985 on the initiative of a local history teacher, Ivan Babiy. It was originally housed in the former house of the baker Stefaniak, built in 1930, when the city was part of Poland. In 2022, the museum moved to the premises of the former lyceum.

On the first floor, guests are greeted by a stone cross, which is the hallmark of Shumsk. It stands on the background of a panoramic photo of the city center. Also on the first floor there is an ethnographic exhibition designed in the form of an old Ukrainian house with a light room and a pantry.

The nature department introduces visitors to the geographical and natural conditions of the region, its flora and fauna. The ancient history department presents materials about the founding of the city in princely times, the participation of residents in the Liberation War, and the creation of the Church of the Transfiguration. A significant part of the exposition of the new history department is devoted to the period of the Second World War and the national liberation struggle of the UPA against the Nazis and Soviet invaders: weapons, photographs, documents, models.

The exhibition "Fight for Independence" tells about the modern Russian-Ukrainian war. Artifacts from the front are presented here: flags of combat brigades, photos of defenders, military formations, casings from spent shells, military trophies. A memorial corner "Heavenly Guardians of our Land" has been decorated.

The ruins of the medieval castle in Skala-Podilska are located on a high rock on the right bank of the Zbruch River.

The construction of the castle began in 1331 by princes Koriatovych (Koryatovych), who owned Podillya at that time, on the site of an old wooden fortification. In 1516, the Kamyanets chief Stanislav Lyantskoronsky restored the castle destroyed by the Tatars, supplementing it with powerful walls and bastions. In 1648, it was captured by Cossack troops, then it repeatedly changed hands during the Polish-Turkish wars.

In the first half of the 18th century, the headman of Skala, Adam Tarlo, rebuilt a palace in the baroque style with magnificent decor on the ruins, but only a few years later the building burned down due to a lightning strike. Since then, the castle has not been rebuilt. In Soviet times, the ruins were preserved.

Access is free.

Skalat Castle is a rare example of a defense complex of the Late Middle Ages and early modern times in Ukraine, which has the correct geometric shapes.

The first mention of the fortification of Skalat dates back to 1503. Probably then it was a wooden fortress with earthen ramparts. The current stone castle in Skalat was founded in 1630 by the Galician swordsman Kshyshtof Vikhrovsky. He built a regular castle, almost square in plan, surrounded by a moat. At its corners are pentagonal four-tiered towers with loopholes in the form of keyholes. The basements of the towers can be reached through tunnels.

Skalat Castle was damaged during the Liberation War led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky and during the Polish-Turkish War of 1672-1675, as a result of which it lost its defensive significance. It was not until the end of the 18th century that it was rebuilt by the new mistress Mariya Shynionova of the Vodzitsky family. She ordered a two-storey palace building to be added to the eastern wall and the entrance gate to be magnificently decorated (not preserved).

At the end of the 19th century, at the expense of Count Morits Rozenshtok (Rostotsky), the architect Teodor Marian Talovsky from Lviv reconstructed the tower and the castle church in the neo-Gothic style. The buildings were badly damaged during the two world wars. In 1960, the ruins were preserved. Only after Skalat Castle became part of the Ternopillya Castles National Reserve, its restoration began.

Now the territory and the preserved buildings of the castle have been cleared, tents have been erected over the towers, a wooden bridge has been thrown over the defensive moat, the central part of the courtyard is paved with cobblestones. In two towers there is an art gallery and a historical exposition, where you can see the firearms of the fortress of the XV-XVII centuries. In the basement there is an exposition of the castle prison. On the defensive walls there are pedestrian detours to see the panorama of the castle and the town. Thematic festivals with knightly battles are held.

The old synagogue was built in Skalat in the 18th century. A special feature of the architecture is the T-shaped layout.

In Soviet times, the building was used as an electrical substation. The building is currently in a state of disrepair.

The memorial museum-estate of Solomiya Krushelnytska was opened in 1963 in one of the houses of the Krushelnytsky estate in the village of Bila near Ternopil (now the territory of Biletska Secondary School).

The outstanding Ukrainian opera singer and teacher Solomiya Krushelnytska spent her childhood and adolescence here, and she visited her parents and sisters many times.

The museum exposition tells in chronological order about the life and work of the actress. The personal documents of the singer, posters, programs, invitations, letters, manuscripts of memoirs of contemporaries, stage decorations, clothes, household items and furniture are presented. In particular, you can see the original record of Columbia (USA) with a recording of Ukrainian folk songs performed by Solomiya Krushelnytska, as well as hear the voice of the singer on the first recording, made electrically using a microphone.

The world's first monument to the outstanding opera singer Solomiya Krushelnytska was erected in Ternopil in 2010.

A full-length bronze cast figure of the prim. The monument is 3.8 meters high and weighs 3.5 tons.

The authors of the composition are sculptor Volodymyr Stasyuk (Rivne) and architect Isabella Tkachuk, who worked together with Ternopil artists Danylo Chepil and Anatoliy Vodopyan.

Until now, the memory of the Ukrainian singer, who was born in Ternopil, was immortalized only by busts in Lviv and Milan, where she performed at the La Scala theater.

Sorotsky Source on the western outskirts of the village of Sorotske is a hydrological monument of nature.

According to legend, the Mother of God appeared here in 1949. Back then, a small chapel was built near the spring. And in 2011, the consecration of the new chapel of the Mother of God took place.

The remains of the oldest defensive structure of Zbarazh are located on the southwestern outskirts of the city, on the banks of the Hnizna River.

On the opposite bank, on Babina Hill, there was an ancient Rus settlement of the 9th-12th centuries. The stone fortification was built on the site of the wooden fortress by the Siversky prince Dmytro Korybut. The new owners became the princes of Nesvytsky, who were called Zbarazky after that. In 1477, the castle was destroyed by the Mongols, but was soon restored, and in the 16th century it withstood 4 Tatar sieges. Only the fifth siege in 1598 was fatal for the castle - the fortress was completely destroyed and was never rebuilt, and the princely residence was moved to a place in Zbarazh.

Fragments of foundations have been preserved, a memorial sign has been installed.

A monument to the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), the leader of Ukrainian nationalists, Stepan Bandera, was erected in Ternopil in 2008 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.

It is located in Tarasa Shevchenko Park, opposite the building of the Ternopil Regional State Administration.

The author of the monument to Stepan Bandera in Ternopil is the Ternopil sculptor Roman Vilhushynsky.

Stupkyvske spring is a hydrological natural landmark of local importance.

The source of drinking water in the village of Stupky near Ternopil has been known since ancient times, as it was located on a busy trade route. And now the E-50 (M-12) highway "Ternopil - Khmelnytskyi" passes next to it.

The water in the spring is clean and cold, pleasant to the taste.

In 2009, the chapel of the Holy Mother of God was built over the spring, and the area around it was improved. Local residents willingly use the water of the Stupkyvske Source for drinking and cooking.

The synagogue in Strusiv was built in the 19th century. It is located near the castle.

The building of the Jewish prayer house has quite large dimensions, which indicates the size of the Jewish community at that time. It has two floors and arched windows. To the right of the main entrance to the synagogue, the remains of the annex for women's prayers, which was dismantled during Soviet times, have been preserved. The same external extension was on the left - for men.

The main entrance is decorated with a white stone portal. There is a plaque with an inscription in Hebrew. The north-western corner of the temple has a rounded shape, and the south and south-eastern corners are made in the form of columns decorated with white stone.

Now it is used as a utility room, but it is gradually falling into disrepair. An architectural monument of local importance.

The ruins of the synagogue in Hrymailiv are located in the center of the village, a little off the main road.

The defense temple with walls up to 1 meter thick, built in the 17th century, was part of the system of city fortifications of Hrymailiv.

An aron a-kodesh (an ark for scrolls) has been preserved inside, and in some of the windows there are bars with stars of David.

A monument to Taras Shevchenko by sculptor Mykola Neveselyi was erected in Ternopil in 1982 near the regional drama theater named after the poet.

It is located in the square to the right of the drama theater.

The ruins of the Terebovlia Castle are located on a hard-to-reach mountain in the northwestern part of Terebovlia.

Fortifications existed here even in princely times, when the settlement was owned by Prince Vasylko Rostyslavych. By building a new royal castle in 1366, the Polish king Kazymyr III approved Terebovlia as a border fortress of the Polish state.

The last rebuilding of the fortress was carried out in 1631 by the city mayor Oleksandr Balaban. It had an irregular shape, consisted of three towers, defensive walls, ditches and ramparts on the most vulnerable northern side.

The castle survived several Tatar raids. It became famous during the heroic defense in 1675, when the commandant's wife Zofiya Khshanovska managed to raise the fighting spirit of the city defenders who were preparing to surrender, and the castle withstood the Turkish siege (in the 18th century, grateful residents erected a monument to Khshanovska, which was later lost and restored in 2012 year).

The last Tatar siege in 1687 turned out to be fatal - the castle was burned and was not rebuilt after that. In the 1930s, the ruins were preserved, a park was laid out on the defensive ramparts (commemorative plaques with the names of patrons were mounted in the castle wall). The best-preserved oval tower (bastei) "Rondel", from which a wonderful panorama of the city opens.

The two-story City Hall in Terebovlia was built in the 18th century.

In addition to the governor's residence, a Polish school was located here until 1890.

During the First World War, the building was destroyed, then rebuilt with a slightly modified bell tower. A weathervane in the form of the city's coat of arms is installed on the top, and a core found in the fortress is on the front wall. In 1970, the tower clock was restored.

Currently, the town hall is used for its intended purpose - it houses the Terebovlia City Council.

There is an observation deck on the third floor of the town hall tower.