Attractions of Ternopil region

The Yaroslav and Slava Stetsko People's Historical and Memorial Museum was opened in 2002 in the village of Velykyi Hlybochok in the oldest (1773) building of the village - the former parish house, in which in 1912 the future ideologist of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, leader of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Peoples, Prime Minister of the Ukrainian State Government Yaroslav Stetsko was born.

The organizer and founder of the museum is Myron Sahaidak, who became interested in Stetsko's biography after meeting his uncle Vasyl when he returned from Siberia, and after meeting Slava Stetsko in 1991, when she came to visit her husband's native village.

The museum's exposition reflects the life and struggle of Yaroslav Stetsko himself, as well as his wife and long-time associate - Slava Stetsko. The museum exhibits paint a detailed picture of Yaroslav Stetsko's childhood - photographs of the Stetsko family home, Yaroslav's father-priest and mother, his first nanny, brother and sister, and high school friends. The exhibition includes more than a hundred original exhibits related to the life and activities of the Stetskos, in particular - personal belongings of Mr. Yaroslav, which were transferred by Slava Stetsko from Munich, and those that Myron Sahaidak himself collected from everywhere, many interesting photographs, letters, and documents.

The main exhibit of the museum is Yaroslav Stetsko's embroidered shirt, which his wife Slava Stetsko embroidered for him in 1944 in Munich in order to support his wounded husband.

In 2018, the Yaroslav and Slava Stetsko People's Historical and Memorial Museum in the village of Velykyi Hlybochok became part of the museum complex "Museum of the National Liberation Struggle of the Ternopil Region".

Zaliztsi Museum of Local Lore was founded in 2020 at the initiative of local historians. The museum is located in the assembly hall and library of Zaliztsi polyclinic.

The exposition tells about the nature of the region and the history of the village from the earliest times. In particular, the exhibition presents a sculpture of Saint Francis of the XIX century from the ruins of the monastery of the Order of the Sisters of Mercy in Zaliztsi.

In 2023, the archaeological exposition of the Zaliztsi Museum of Local Lore was opened. Here you can see the fossilized remains of mollusks of the Sarmatian Sea, silicon products of the Mesolithic era, ceramics of the Vysotska culture, body crosses of the XII-XIII centuries, Cossack pipes and silver coins of the XVII century, and other finds from archaeological excavations on the territory of Zaliztsi.

An exposition in memory of the victims of political repressions is being set up in the former NKVD torture chamber.

In the museum, you can buy souvenirs, book an excursion, and get background information about tourist attractions in the area.

The architectural complex of Zbarazh Castle is one of the best-preserved ancient defensive structures of the Ternopil region, an architectural monument of national importance. For centuries, the castle in Zbarazh served as a residence for Lithuanian princes and Polish nobles, and is now the center of the National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Region".

The construction of a new fortress instead of the fortress in Stary Zbarazh destroyed by the Tatars was started in 1620 by Princes Hristofor and Yuriy Zbarazkyi, who commissioned a project in Venice from the famous architect and engineer Vinchentso Skamotstsi. His work embodied the advanced achievements of the art of fortification of that time.

The castle consists of a Renaissance-style palace, casemate ramparts surrounding it, an entrance tower and a moat. In the courtyard there is a siege well 70 m deep, connected by underground passages with the Bernardine monastery at the other end of Zbarazh.

In the 17th century, the new owners of Zbarazh Castle, Princes Vyshnevetskyi, fortified it with four bastions. In 1649 the castle withstood a seven-week siege of Bohdan Khmelnytsky's Cossack army, and in 1734 it was captured by the Haydamaks.

Potocki magnates in the XVIII century turned the military fortress into an ordinary palace estate.

During the first half of the 20th century, the building was severely damaged during the wars, and restoration was completed only in 1985. On the basis of Zbarazh Castle, in 1994, the State Historical and Architectural Reserve was created, which later became the National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Region".

Over the past decade, the White Fireplace Hall, the Arched Gallery, the Upper and Lower Vestibules, the Lord's Living Room and the Mirror Hall have been restored in Zbarazh Castle. The medieval interiors feature exhibitions of antiquities, paintings, icons, and antique furniture, as well as exhibitions of works of art by modern masters. An archaeological and ethnographic exhibition has been set up, a collection of weapons is exhibited in the casemates, unique works by woodcarver Viktor Lupiychuk are on display, and the creation of the diorama "Siege of 1649" is underway.

In one of the casemates there is a restaurant "Legend", in the manor house (XIX century) on the outskirts of the park opened the hotel "Hetman".

The small and very simple castle church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Kryvche was built in the 17th century - at the same time as the Kryvche Castle.

According to other sources, the church was rebuilt from the castle powder tower in 1723. It served as a burial place for the Holiyovsky magnates.

The church is located in a spruce grove on the edge of the castle hill. Partially restored.

The mountain "Maiden's Rocks" in Kremenets is a natural monument of state importance.

The picturesque rock spur with a height of 376 meters is located in the north-eastern part of the city, within the National Park "Kremenetsky Mountains".

The mountain is associated with a legend about girls captured by the Tatars - residents of Kremenets ravaged by the Krymchaks. Not wanting to be enslaved, the girls threw themselves into the abyss from the rock, which has since been called "Maiden's".

Broken blocks piled up in primordial chaos, steep cliffs and amazing stone compositions, black abysses of grottoes and caves encircle the mountain with a long ribbon 2.6 kilometers long. Shell-like, dense limestones that rise to the surface in steep cornices create a kind of uniqueness and beauty.

Ternopil Castle was founded in 1540 by the Grand Crown Hetman Yan Tarnovskyi on the site of the ancient Rus settlement of Sopilche (Topilche) to defend the Polish borders from the Tatars.

In the 17th century, the Grand Crown Chancellor Tomash Zamoyskyi significantly expanded the fortifications, but in the following years they were repeatedly destroyed. In particular, the Ternopil castle was almost completely dismantled by the Turks after the capture of the city in 1672.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Count Frantsishek Korytovskyi built a palace in its place, for which the surviving fortifications, towers and gates were demolished, and the building was surrounded by an ordinary fence. Some castle elements have been preserved.

During the First World War, the palace was burned and was in ruins for a long time. Renovated in 1951, it houses exhibition halls and a training and sports center.

From the street the Ternopil castle building looks inconspicuous, but from the side of the lake its fortification character is well visible.

The "Museum of the City of Ternopil" was opened in the dungeons of the castle.

Twin Houses in Kremenets are unusual in terms of architecture, a residential building in the Baroque style.

It consists of two symmetrical parts, which are covered with separate gable roofs and differ slightly from each other in design details.

According to legend, twin brothers once lived here.

Restoration is planned.

The castle in Zaliztsi was founded in 1516 by the crown hetman Martyn Kamyanetsky, who received these lands from the Polish king Syhizmund I.

It was from here in 1604 that Lzhedmytriy I, the husband of Maryna Mnishek and the son-in-law of Yuri Mnishek, who at that time owned Zaliztsi Castle, started his march to Moscow. After the overthrow of Lzhedmytriy, the castle passed into the hands of the Vyshnevetskys, who turned it into a magnate's residence.

The castle was quadrangular, with four corners and a gate tower. There was a two-story palace in the northern part.

In the 18th century, Zaliztsi Castle was converted into a cloth factory. It has reached our days in ruins. Fragments of the northern and western walls have been preserved, as well as a semi-basement floor with a narrow corridor.

The Empire-style palace with an original colonnade and wing was built in Zalishchyky in 1831 by Baron Ignatius Brunytskyi on the site of the Ponyatovsky hunting castle.

Austrian Emperor Franz II stayed here during his trip to Galicia. A 5-hectare park was also laid out, where more than 400 trees of 40 species and forms are growing.

The Brunytsky Palace has been preserved to this day, until recently it housed the department of the district hospital.

Zalishchyky Park is part of the protected zone of the regional landscape park "Dniester Canyon"

The Buchach Local Lore Museum is located in the center of city, near the town hall.

The archeological vuseum`s exposition presents objects from the times of Trypillya culture.

The ethnographic exhibition tells about the life of peasants of the end of the XIX century.

In addition to the history of the city and the district, there is an exposition dedicated to the work of the outstanding sculptor Ivan Heorh Pinzel, who lived and worked in Buchach for a long time.

The model of Buchach Castle is also of interest.

The castle in Zolotyi Potik was built in the 17th century by Bratslav voivode Stefan Potoski and his wife Mariya Mohylyanka (relative of the founder of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Petro Mohyla).

The fortress controlled one of the trade routes from Halychyna and Volhynia to Moldova and Pokuttia. The castle, regular square in plan, is located on a low hill in the valley of the Tatarka River. Of the four corner hexagonal two-story towers with loopholes, only three have survived, and even then with significant changes. The height of the walls is about 5 meters, the thickness is up to 2 meters. In the center of the north-eastern facade of the castle is a three-tier entry tower. Outside, the castle was surrounded by a rampart and a deep moat with water. There was a one-story palace on the territory, and in the middle of the yard - a well, which is associated with the legend of the origin of the name of the Zolotyi Potik (allegedly, during a long siege, the defenders of the castle, tired of thirst, found a spring, which they called "golden").

The Zolotyi Potik Castle was captured several times by the Turks and Cossacks, but each time it was rebuilt, and it has survived to this day in good condition. Now it is one of the objects of the National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Region".

"Crystal cave" ("Kryvchanska") is the most famous and most suitable for tourists to visit the Podillya cave.

The entrance is located in the spurs of the mountain on the southwestern outskirts of the village of Kryvche. This is one of the largest gypsum caves in Europe - the length of its investigated part is almost 23 kilometers.

The Kryvchanska Cave was first mentioned in 1721 and was rediscovered in 1908. It is a branched gypsum system of passages washed by underground waters 20 million years ago.

The excursion route through the cleaned and illuminated part of the "Crystal Cave" is about 2.5 kilometers, of which 500 meters is the entrance corridor. The walls of the cave galleries are covered with white or various colored gypsum crystals, hence the name. Many crystals resemble silhouettes of animals: buffalo, lizard, elephant, eagle, etc.

Constant temperature +11 degrees. Open to the public all year round, the tour is possible only with a guide.

The interactive museum of musical instruments "Camerton" was created in the village of Ishkiv by a local resident, hereditary musician Petro Katola, together with members of his family. In the premises of the former collective farm office, he collected about 250 musical instruments of various types: wind, percussion, bowed, etc.

The collection presents a variety of instruments from over 80 countries of the world - from the Ukrainian trembita to the Australian didgeridoo, from the Vietnamese drymba to the Zimbabwean kalimba. There is an ancient harpsichord, a 150-year-old Czech grand piano, an Indian harmonium, a Brazilian berembao, and a German bandoneon.

During the tours, the collector talks about the history of the origin of each exhibit, the role of music and musical instruments in different cultures of the world, and the legends associated with them.

All the instruments presented are working, and the owner can play a melody on each of them. Visitors are also offered to try playing some of the instruments.

Brewery "Mykulinetsky Brovar" in Mykulyntsi is considered one of the oldest breweries in Ukraine.

The date "1457" is indicated on the labels of the signature beer "Mykulyn", to which the first mention of the brewery in Mykulyntsi is attributed - in the description of the military campaign of the Polish king Yan Olbracht to the Moldavian principality, but in fact this campaign took place 40 years later.

The first documentary mention of Mykulyntsi beer is found in Austrian sources in 1698. Industrial production of beer was organized in Mykulyntsi by Count Mechyslav Rey in 1885, establishing the production of three varieties: "Lezhak", "Firmove" and "Bik".

In 1939, the plant was nationalized, during Soviet times they produced "Zhygulyvske", "Ukrainian" and "Ryzhke" beers, then "Double Golden" and "Berezneve" appeared.

In 1995, "Mykulinetsky Brovar" LLC was established on the basis of the plant. Currently, the assortment includes about a dozen varieties of live unpasteurized beer, including premium-class ones.

Excursions and tastings are held.

The first museum of retro cars "Retro-Cortege" in Western Ukraine was opened in Ternopil in 2016 on the initiative of entrepreneur Taras Demkur.

More than 20 vintage cars are presented, some of which have an interesting history. In particular, the collection includes a Jaguar car that belonged to US President Richard Nixon, as well as a Maybach from Hitler's Werewolf stake. The oldest car dates back to 1933.

Also presented are restored motorcycles, old radio equipment, a collection of mini cars from different parts of the world, military equipment.