Attractions of Derman Druha

The National Museum of Ukrainian Translator and Poet Borys Ten (Mykola Khomychevsky) has been operating on a non-profit basis on the basis of the Derman Gymnasium since 2008.

The museum's exposition contains materials and photographs that tell about the Khomychevsky family, in which Borys Ten was born in 1897, about the years of study at the Derman Gymnasium, about the three higher educations of the famous translator (theological, pedagogical and musical), the rectorship in the Peter and Paul Church in Podil, 10 years of camps in the Far East, about his only son Vasylko, about participation in World War II and captivity, about the difficult path to fame and recognition.

The Khomychevsky family house has been preserved in Derman to this day (a memorial plaque has been installed).

The Derman Gymnasium building was built in 1912-1913 for the Saint Fedir Teacher's Seminary, which was transferred to Derman in 1906 from Zhytomyr under the care of the Derman Monastery.

The gymnasium was opened here during the Polish period, and during the Soviet times it was a secondary school. In 1917-1920, the famous Ukrainian writer Ulas Samchuk studied in a four-grade school at the Derman Seminary. The gymnasium now houses a museum of Samchuk, in which, in particular, some of his personal belongings are presented: glasses, a cane, and a pen.

In addition, there is a room-museum of the poet Borys Ten, who was also born in Derman.

Trinity Derman Monastery is an ancient Orthodox monastery with a pronounced defensive character.

The Derman Monastery was founded on the spurs of the Mizoch Range at the end of the 15th century by Prince Vasyl Ostrozky. It served as the country residence of the prince, in connection with which fortifications were erected - a stone castle surrounded by walls with loopholes and a moat with water. The entrance was guarded by a massive gate tower, later transformed into the bell tower of the monastery.

Later, the Trinity Church and monastery cells were built by Vasyl-Kostyantyn Ostrozky.

In 1575-1576, the Derman monastery was managed by the first printer Ivan Fedorov, in 1602 a printing house and a religious school were opened.

In 1627-1633, the abbot of the monastery, which became Greek-Catholic, was Meletiy Smotrytskyi, the author of "Slavic Grammar".

In the 19th century, the Russian government took the monastery from the Greek Catholics and handed it over to the Orthodox monks from Ostroh.

Currently, the Derman Monastery is active and belongs to the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate. The complex includes the Trinity Cathedral, the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Church of Fedir Ostrozky. A residential building with a church in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk is under construction.

The Literary and Memorial Museum of the outstanding Ukrainian writer and public figure Ulas Samchuk opened in Derman in 1995 with the financial support of the Toronto Society "Volyn" (Canada).

The museum is located in the building of the Derman Gymnasium (former teacher's seminary), where Samchuk once studied.

The museum exposition tells about the childhood of Ulas Samchuk, his family, studies, you can see icons from the writer's house, and later
his uncle. Among the valuable exhibits of the museum are photographs of the writer from different years, books published by Ulas Samchuk in Munich, several personal belongings (a walking stick, glasses, business cards). Separate expositions are dedicated to researchers of Ulas Samchuk's work and honoring his memory.

Over the past few years, the museum has collected a significant amount of additional materials that expand and complement the exhibition: these are photo documents, materials from the press of the past and current publications, memoirs of Ulas Samchuk's contemporaries. A significant number of books of the writer's creative output came from the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, where Ulas Samchuk spent his last years, and the USA (not yet published in Ukraine).

A memorial plaque in honor of Ulas Samchuk is installed on the facade of the gymnasium.