Attractions of Ternopil district

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ternopil is an architectural monument of the late European Baroque.

A large Roman Catholic church with two elegant towers was built in 1749-1779 in the historic center of the city according to the project of the architect Avhusta Moschynskyi (according to other sources - Yan de Vitte) on the site of an ancient Rus Orthodox church. At the same time, a two-story cell block of the Dominican monastery was built. Between them is the so-called "Italian courtyard", currently not accessible to tourists.

The Dominican church was badly damaged during the Second World War and was restored in 1953. It was used as a picture gallery of the Ternopil Regional Local Lore Museum, and the archive is still located in the monastery building.

In 1992, the building was restored and handed over to the Greek Catholic community. The interiors were not preserved.

Next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a monument to Metropolitan Yosyp Slipiy has been erected, and in the square opposite the church - a monument to Prince Danylo Halytsky.

The Roman Catholic Church of Mother of God of Perpetual Help in Sorotske was built in 1937. A very interesting example of Neo-Gothic architecture of the early 20th century.

On the wall of the church, a double Polish family coat of arms has been preserved, combining the coats of arms "Prus" and "Swan" (probably the coat of arms of the founders of the church). Stained glass windows have been partially preserved.

Currently, the church is closed and abandoned.

The Historical and Memorial Museum of Political Prisoners opened in Ternopil in the basement cells of the temporary detention center of the former Ternopil Department of the NKVD-KGB on October 14, 1996.

The museum's exposition tells about the struggle of Ukrainian patriots against the communist regime, the repressive methods of the Soviet special services and the life of convicts in the Gulag camps, and recreates the regime of detention of political prisoners and interrogation methods. Among the museum's exhibits are a map of the USSR indicating the locations of special camps, stands with biographies of armed underground leaders, belongings of political prisoners, photographs and biographies of OUN and UPA leaders, postcards from 1940-1950, photographs from the unique UPA photo archive found in 1999 in Ivano-Frankivsk region, materials about the repressions of 1939-1941 in Western Ukraine.

The prison environment has been recreated in 28 pre-trial detention cells. Visitors can see the punishment cell, torture instruments, clothing and household items of prisoners. Models of a Siberian concentration camp and a "calf barn" wagon are also on display.

The Berezhany Castle of Sieniawski is one of the best examples of Renaissance defensive architecture in Ukraine, which the Poles called the "Eastern Wawel". Monument of architecture and urban planning of national importance.

The magnificent defensive residence in Berezhany was built in 1534-1554 by the Rus (Ukrainian) voivode, Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Sieniawski (Mykola Syniavsky). The impregnable fortification with four towers was built by Italian craftsmen according to the New Dutch system by French engineer Hiyom de Boplan using an artificial water barrier in the floodplain of the Zolota Lypa River. The facades of the palace buildings in the castle courtyard were crowned by two-story arcades-galleries like the Italian palazzo, which surrounded the buildings around the perimeter, and the windows were decorated with Renaissance carvings. The interiors of 14 ceremonial halls were decorated with paintings with battle scenes, on the third floor of the palace was a rich art gallery.

The Trinity Church was located on the territory of the castle, the former splendor of which can be judged even in its current dilapidated condition. In the 17th century, the Sieniawski tomb with marble tombstones by Yan Pfister was added to the church. Mikołaj Sieniawski and his sons Hieronim and Jan, as well as Hieronim's wife Anna, were buried here.

In the XIX century the castle began to decline, suffered severe damage during the two world wars. In Soviet times, it was abandoned and turned into a landfill.

In 2002, the Berezhany Castle of Sieniawski became part of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Berezhany, and its restoration began. A small museum exposition has been opened on the territory of the castle, excursions are organized, souvenirs can be bought.

The strict complex of defensive monastic buildings of the Bernardine order rises above Berezhany on Storozhisko hill.

The monastery was built in the 17th century in the Baroque style at the expense of the great crown hetman Mykola Synyavsky. The central building is the Saint Nicholas church with a stone fence, which gives it a pronounced defensive appearance. Being near the city walls, the temple was part of the system of city fortifications.

During the Soviet era, the monastery cells were used as cells in a penal colony for minors.

After the independence of Ukraine, services were resumed in the Saint Nicholas church - the monastery church became the church of the Pratulin Martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, whose activities were prohibited in Soviet times. At the expense of parishioners, the dome with the cross was restored in the church, works on the restoration of the church are ongoing.

A picturesque panorama of the old city opens from the height of the monastery hill.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the late Gothic-Renaissance style has a pronounced fortification character, as it was part of the system of city fortifications of Berezhany.

It was built in the years 1600-1620 on the initiative of the then owner of Berezhany, Adam Yeronim Synyavsky, according to the project of the architect Pavlo Rymlyanin, as the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. The bell tower was rebuilt from a defensive tower in 1741.

In Soviet times, a gym was placed here.

Now the church again belongs to the Catholic community of the city, consecrated in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

The Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity in the late Baroque style is located opposite the Potocki Palace in Mykulyntsi and is connected to it by a maple avenue.

It was built in 1761-1779 according to the project of architect Avgust Moshynsky at the expense of Countess Lyudvika Potocka. The church of the Hofkirche royal palace in Dresden, Germany, where the architect studied, served as a model.

The decor of the temple and its elegant forms perfectly harmonize with the central facade of the palace and organically close the perspectives of the regular part of the park.

The original interior has not been preserved, because during the Soviet times the premises were used for economic purposes.

Today, the Trinity Church is active and belongs to the Mykulyntsi Catholic community. Next to the church is an old Polish cemetery with the graves of members of the Count family of Ray.

The Marian spiritual center in Zarvanytsia is the main shrine of the Greek Catholics of Ukraine.

A folk tale tells about a Kyiv monk to whom the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream and ordered him to found a monastery. At this place, a healing spring flowed and an icon of the Mother of God appeared, which was named Zarvanytsia. At the same time, a cave monastery was founded.

It is believed that the first church in Zarvanytsia was built in the 13th century by Prince Vasylko Terebovlyansky after his miraculous healing.

The written mention of the monastery dates back to 1458. In the 17th century, the Tatars destroyed the monastery several times, but the miraculous icon was preserved.

In 1754, Count Myonchynskyi rebuilt the Holy Trinity Church, which has survived to this day (it now houses the icon of the Mother of God of Zarvanytska). In 1867, Pope Pius IX crowned the Zarvanytsia icon, after which the monastery became a major center of pilgrimage.

During the Soviet rule, the monastery was razed to the ground, but local residents managed to save the icon. Until 1988, religious services were conducted secretly. Only in 1991 did the revival of the shrine begin.

On the slope of the mountain near the Strypa River, the majestic Cathedral of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia with a four-tiered bell tower 75 meters high was built. Nearby - the gate church, the chapel above the spring and the singing field.

The castle in Mykulyntsi is known as the only residential medieval castle in Ukraine. People still officially live on the territory of this 16th-century fortification.

The first wooden fortifications on the hill near the Seret River existed here even in princely times. The stone castle was built in 1550-1555 by the mistress of the Mykulyntsi, Anna Yordan (Yordanova) from the Senyavsky family, the wife of Spytko Yordan, the castellan of Kraków. Later, the Mykulyntsi Castle belonged to the Zborovsky and Konetspolsky magnates.

After being damaged during the Liberation War of 1648-1657, the castle was improved and expanded. In 1672, the fortress was taken by the Turks after a 15-day siege. Then they destroyed the entire male population of Mykulyntsi.

Later, the fortress belonged to the Lyubomyrsky, Mnishek, and Potocki. It was then that it lost its defensive significance, and the palace built next to it began to perform representative functions. In the 19th century, Baron Yan Konopka converted it into a cloth factory.

The building is quadrangular in plan, two of the four corner towers have been preserved. Around the perimeter of the inner yard were built residential and commercial buildings, some of which have also been preserved.

At the beginning of the 20th century, when Mykulyntsi belonged to Countess Yuzefa Rey, her beloved servant Anna settled in the castle. She continued to live there even after the arrival of Soviet power, when the countess died and her son died. Currently, the housekeeper's daughter Stefaniya Baloy remains the owner of the residential premises of the architectural monument.

Mykulyntsi Castle is part of the National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Region", but access to the territory is closed.

The Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Ternopil is a surprisingly beautiful temple, one of the best examples of the Podillya architectural school of the 17th century.

The church was built in 1602-1608 by a craftsman named Leontiy near the eastern city gate. It acquired a modern appearance as a result of further reconstruction and restoration in 1937.

Currently, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The main shrine is the icon of the Mother of God of Ternopil.

The Plebanivka Railway  bridge-viaduct, also known as the Terebovlian bridge, attracts attention with its high arches at the entrance to Terebovlia from the Chernivtsi side.

The nine-arch stone railway bridge was built in 1896 during the construction of the Ternopil - Kopychyntsi railway.

The bridge, constructed by Austrian engineers, has been well preserved to this day and continues to be used for its intended purpose.

The small country palace of the Potocki magnates, who in the 19th century owned the neighboring Berezhany, was built on the site of the Synyavskys' old hunting lodge.

At different times, guests of the estate were Prince Ferents Rakotsi, Hetman Ivan Mazepa, Tsar Peter I.

The current palace building in Rai, rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century, is located on the territory of an abandoned landscape park.

For a long time, the premises were occupied by a children's sanatorium.

In 2022, the Potocki Palace became a shelter for people affected by Russian military aggression in Ukraine.

The huge church of Saint Anthony, which is the central building of the Bernardine monastery, is clearly visible from the castle hill.

The monastery was founded by Prince Yuriy Zbarazky in 1627, the construction of the original complex was completed in the 1650s by the efforts of Yanush Korybut-Vyshnivetskyi and his wife Yevheniya. In its current Renaissance-baroque form, the church was rebuilt in 1723-1755 at the expense of the Kyiv voivode Yuzef Potoski (architect Yan Hants). A philosophical school, then a gymnasium, and a hospital worked at the monastery.

During Soviet times, the complex was abandoned, but in 1990 it was returned to the Bernardine family. Restoration is underway, services are held.

The interior contains altars with sculptures by Anton Osinsky (18th century), fragments of frescoes from the 18th-19th centuries.

The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Charbel was built in Baikivtsi in 1936 at the expense of the wealthy Fredberg and Nesolovsky families.

The temple in the Art Nouveau style is built of stone in the shape of a cross. An elegant belfry with a tented roof rises above the bevel. The entrance to the church is decorated with a portico with columns.

The Church of Saint Charbel is an architectural monument of local importance.

The courtyard of a large building on the corner of Taras Shevchenko and Stefan Kachala streets is called the "Venetian (Italian) courtyard" in Ternopil.

In 1893, the Polish stock exchange and library "People's School Society" (Towarzystwa szkoly ludowej) opened here. In 1913, the Podillya Museum was opened with four departments: ethnographic, historical-numismatic, natural history and archeology (its exposition formed the basis of the current local lore museum). Later, the building housed a women's gymnasium, and now it houses the Ternopil City Council Education Department.

The inner courtyard of the building was nicknamed "Venetian" ("Italian") for its characteristic design with an arcade and a portal with columns.

Until recently, the Municipal Police Department was located there, the object was in a very bad condition. Currently, the partially restored "Italian Courtyard" is the summer patio-terrace of the conceptual restaurant-gallery "Bunkermuz".