Attractions of Rivne region

The deer farm in the village of Kostiantynivka near Sarny has been welcoming tourists since 2019. About 50 red deer, over 30 fallow deer and other wild animals live in a large enclosure. They are joined by domestic animals, including sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, ornamental chicken breeds, etc.

Visitors are free to walk around the farm, take pictures with the animals and feed them special food purchased on site. Almost all the animals on the farm are accustomed to people and willingly eat food straight from their hands.

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.

The family castle of the princes Ostrozky was built in Dubno in the 15th century, then it belonged to several more aristocratic families: Zaslavsky, Sanhushsko, Lyubomyrsky, Baryatynsky.

For centuries, the Dubno Castle remained impregnable - the fortress walls withstood repeated sieges by the Crimean Tatars in the 16th century, the Cossack units of Maksym Kryvonos, and the Russian army in the 17th century. During various wars of the 18th and 19th centuries, hetman Ivan Mazepa, the Swedish king Karl XII, tsar Peter I, generals Suvorov and Kutuzov visited here.

The Dubno castle is surrounded by a defensive moat, over which a bridge leading to the gate and the gatehouse is overturned. On the right is the Ostrozky Palace (XVI century), and on the left - the Lyubomyrsky Palace (XVIII century), in which the stucco work of the Italian master Domeniko Merlini has been preserved. In the 17th century, the castle was fortified with two bastions with towers designed by the engineer Voban. The "Maiden's Tower" is associated with the legend of Princess Beata and her successful shot from a cannon at the tent of the Tatar Khan, who was besieging the castle.

There is a whole system of basements and underground passages. They are, in particular, described by Mykola Hohol in the novel "Taras Bulba", the main action of which unfolds around the Dubno Castle. In one of the basements, there is an exposition of the museum of torture. Theatrical tours are held.

In 2024, the museum room "Reviver of Ukrainian Castles" was opened, dedicated to the outstanding Ukrainian art critic, long-time director of the Lviv National Art Gallery Borys Voznytsky, who at one time contributed to the restoration of the Dubo Castle.

There is a souvenir shop and a cafeteria.

The Eco Farm AlpacaHome (Fluffy Farm) in Horodyshche near Rivne opened for visitors in 2024. It is located on the banks of a large pond 10 kilometers from the city center.

About three dozen South American alpacas now live on the farm. They are accompanied by pygmy goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs and peacocks.

During a visit to the farm, visitors are in the same territory with alpacas, which are completely non-aggressive. You can directly contact the animals, feed them with special food, take pictures with them.

On the territory there are places for relaxation with gazebos, tables, hammocks, canopies, deckchairs.

The price of the visit includes an excursion and a portion of feed for the animals. Pre-registration is required to visit.

The Ethnographic Museum of Embroidery and Weaving of the Village of Mutvytsia, located in a local school, was founded in 2022 on the initiative of Svitlana Sarych.

Embroidered and woven items from all over the district are collected here. The first exhibits were collected by the principals of secondary schools in the district.

The total number of exhibits is over 1 thousand. Some of the exhibits are copies - they were made to display various embroidery ornaments and ceremonial symbols. The collection of towels is divided into separate expositions by embroidery: geometric themes, plant-geometric, plant, ornithomorphic and anthropomorphic. The museum also has many embroidered paintings.

The School Ethnographic Museum "Berehynya" was created at the Bila Krynytsia lyceum in 1991. Since 1995, the museum has had the status of "People's Museum".

In the center of the exposition is a panorama of the village with picturesque landscapes. The interior of a traditional Ukrainian home has been recreated: a stove, benches, a table, a chest, a icons, a cradle, a shrine, shelves, basins with dishes, towels, samples of Ukrainian national clothing.

A prominent place among the museum's expositions is occupied by tools used by peasants.

The museum's funds number over 400 exhibits.

The school ethnographic museum “Svitlytsya” operates in the village of Volodymyrets on the basis of the Volodymyrets Lyceum.

It has two exhibition halls. The first hall, "Life and Way of Life of Polishchuk Peasants," recreates the layout of a traditional Polissya hut.

The second hall is dedicated to the history of the educational institution.

The firefighting museum opened in 2020 in the restored premises of the old fire station in the village of Dibrivka in the Rivne region.

The fire station in Dibrivka was built by Czech colonists, who in 1923 founded the first volunteer fire brigade here, which was part of the Association of Voluntary Fire Protection. The number of team members was 22 people. The team went to the fire in a radius of 5 kilometers.

During Soviet times, the building was adapted for economic purposes, and for a long time it stood empty. It was restored by the joint efforts of the Emergency Department of the Rivne region and local patron Roman Stasyuk.

Now the fire station in Dibrivka has an authentic appearance. It houses a museum exposition, which presents firefighting equipment from the beginning of the 20s of the 20th century. There is an information stand nearby.

The Forest Museum near Kostopil was opened in 2011 on the basis of the Kostopil Forestry.

The exposition covers the work of each of the 16 forestries of the region. In particular, one of the stands tells about the 250-year-old Kostopil oak.

Among the exhibits of the forest museum are a stuffed animal of 50 species of birds, wild boars, martens, badgers and bison. Another exposition tells about the peculiarities of wooden architecture and life of Polishchuks.

Around the museum is the creation of a forest park with a cascade of ponds and labyrinths of forests. Lawn and flower beds were laid out, paths were equipped, gazebos for recreation and a playground with wooden figures of fairy-tale heroes were installed, a chapel was built.

There is a souvenir shop at the forest museum.

Built in Ostroh in the 16th century, the defensive Great Synagogue was at one time one of the largest centers of Jewish culture in Europe, with a higher school of rabbis.

It was destroyed during the War of Liberation.

After the Second World War, the Jewish community of the city was never restored, the synagogue building was used as a warehouse.

Until 2016, it was in a state of disrepair, gradually collapsing. In 2016, the restoration of the synagogue began at the expense of patrons.

The Dubno Great Synagogue was built in the 16th century.

It underwent reconstruction in the 18th century after destruction during the Liberation War of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

Until the middle of the 19th century, Dubno had the largest Jewish community in Lutsk County, which flourished thanks to the "Dubno Contracts" fairs that were regularly held in the city. There were 15 synagogues and prayer houses, as well as a Jewish printing house.

The Dubno Great Synagogue was badly damaged during the First World War, but has survived to this day.

The building of the main Great Synagogue in Rivne was built at the end of the 19th century.

Before the Bolshevik coup of 1917, a Jewish school operated there.

Since Soviet times, the building of the Great Synagogue has housed the children's and youth sports school "Avangard".

The Historical and Ethnographic Museum "Berehynya" of the Velyki Mezhyrichi Lyceum was established in 1992 on the initiative of the school director Sava Chumak. In 2004, it received the status of "People's Museum".

The museum collection consists of 450 storage units, of which the main collection is 400.

The exhibition is presented in three thematic sections: "History of the village of Velyki Mezhyrichi", "Main occupations and crafts of the villagers" and "Ukrainian embroidery - the soul of the people, its history".

The Historical and Ethnographic Museum "Rokytne Antiques" (Rokytnivska Starovyna) in the Rivne region opened in 2024 in the premises of Rokytne Lyceum No. 3 on the initiative of the school club "Young Ethnographers" at the expense of the Public Budget.

The 62 square meter building presents about 700 exhibits collected by the club members over 12 years. Among them are embroidered towels, clay plates and jugs, antique irons and lamps, other household items and tools.

The Church of the Holy Ascension in the village of Verkhiv was built in 1875 on the site of an old wooden church known since 1785 that burned down.