Attractions of Bakhmut district

The Museum of the Salt Industry "Salt Mine" has been opened in Soledar for tourists to visit in the complex of salt mines produced by the "Artemsil" enterprise.

This is the largest salt mining enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe. More than a million tons of table salt are mined here every year. Many types of packaged and bulk ground salt, salt briquettes and blocks, iodized salt and bath salt are delivered from here throughout Ukraine and to 15 other countries of the world.

The first salt mine in Soledar was put into operation in 1881. As a result of more than a hundred years of underground work, a system of workings with a length of more than 200 kilometers was formed in the earth's crust. Their sizes are impressive, the height sometimes reaches 30 meters.

The excursion to the salt mine begins with a rapid descent in the elevator cage to a depth of approximately 300 meters. The labyrinth of the underground city spreads out from the main shaft. Loose salt crackles just under your feet. Salt laces cover the illuminated walls of the tunnels. Everywhere there are bas-reliefs and sculptures carved by folk craftsmen in a layer of salt. In particular, you can see a salt analogue of the famous Donetsk Mertsalov palm tree.

During the excursion, tourists are told about the origin of the salt deposits of Donbas, the history of local salt extraction, about unique mine technologies and machines, about the working conditions of local miners, about the current assortment of the company's products and many other interesting facts, you can even visit the salt church.

The main attraction is the "Camera 41-bis" salt chamber. In 2003, a Guinness record was set here - the first underground hot air balloon flight, sometimes symphony concerts are held here. At a depth of 300 meters, the "Salt Symphony" speleosanatorium operates for 110 places, where respiratory diseases are treated. There is even an underground cafe and a football field for those who rest in the underground sanatorium.

A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Soledar became one of the hottest spots on the front. Heavy shelling of the city by the Russian army began in May. The Artemsil salt mining enterprise, whose administrative building was hit by a Russian missile in May, stopped working due to shelling. There were also hits in salt mines and material composition.

The "Artwinery" Champagne Wine Factory is the largest enterprise in Eastern Europe for the production of sparkling wines by the classical bottling method.

The history of the plant dates back to the middle of the 18th century, when the development of gypsum deposits began in Bakhmut. In 1950, a wine cellar was created on the basis of plaster tunnels, and the construction of the factory of champagne wines with a capacity of 5 million bottles per year began. In 2005, production reached 300 million bottles.

The plant's products received 12 Grand Prix, 62 gold, 39 silver and 4 bronze medals. At the same time, 30 million bottles of wine are aged for at least three years in underground tunnels at a depth of more than 72 meters.

Excursions are conducted with visits to alabaster tunnels and tasting of 5-7 types of champagne.

Russian-Ukrainian war

Due to the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Artwinery Champagne Factory was forced to relocate. Before the war, the factory employed 500 people. Almost everyone was evacuated. They also took out all the products. Now the plant works at the production facilities of partners in Odesa.

During the siege of Bakhmut, battles took place on the territory of the champagne wine factory. All the buildings of the factory were destroyed.

The Bakhmut state museum of local lore originates from the district historical and local history museum, founded in 1924 by the doctor and naturalist Borys Valkh.

It is located in a building built in 1911 by Bakhmut industrialist Veniamin Frantsuzov.

In twelve halls there are expositions of the departments of nature, archeology, folk life, history of the 19th century, the Ukrainian revolution, 1920-1930 years, the Second World War, post-war five-year plans, literature of the native land. The most valuable exhibits: a late Paleolithic silicon ax, a collection of Bronze Age weapons, a unique collection of items from the workshops of ancient metallurgists, a Scythian statue of the 6th century BC.

The Bakhmut Museum of Local Lore was completely destroyed by Russian troops during the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The first historical and local history museum was founded in the city of Chasiv Yar in 1966 by the decision of the Chasiv Yar Refractory Combine as a public museum located in 4 rooms. In the early 1970s, the museum received the status of a "People's Museum" museum.

The new life of the museum began in July 2001, when the Industrial History and Local Lore Museum was opened in the building of the city's Palace of Culture. Famous artists contributed their work to the creation of the new museum. Some of the exhibits were "inherited" from the People's Museum, some were collected anew by citizens who care about their history. In December 2021, the museum became a Communal Cultural Institution.

The museum had an area of ​​more than 500 square meters, consisted of 9 halls: archeology, nature and geology, history of the 19th-early 20th centuries, 1920-1930s, the period of the Second World War, the post-war period, the hall of famous countrymen, conference halls. More than nine thousand exhibits were stored in the museum's collections. At the museum, there was an Exhibition Hall, where art exhibitions were held. Regional and all-Ukrainian conferences, seminars, round tables and other events were held on the basis of the museum. Excursions were held annually for thousands of citizens and guests of the city.

On July 23, 2023, occupying Russian troops destroyed the Palace of Culture in Chasiv Yar, on the territory of which the museum was located. Recently, this building was used as the city's humanitarian headquarters and a place for providing medical assistance.

In October 2023, the Chasiv Yar Historical and Local Lore Museum resumed its work in an online format. Work has begun on the creation of an electronic archive for future museum research and expositions, the development of the museum website, which will detail the history of the city and its inhabitants.

The wooden two-throne Saint Nicholas Church in Bakhmut is one of the oldest churches in Donbas.

It was built in 1797 over the Bakhmutka River on the territory of the Pokrovska sloboda. It is made in the style of Slobojan architectural traditions.

Along in 1861. the stone John the Baptist church-bell tower was built.

In September 2022, during a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russians shelled the Saint Nicholas Church with mortars. Shelling damaged the dome of the bell tower. In the wooden temple itself, the windows were blown out, the facade was cut.

In July 2023, during the temporary Russian occupation, the Saint Nicholas Church burned to the ground.

The mesh hyperboloid water pressure tower was built in Chasiv Yar in 1927 according to the project of engineer Volodymyr Shukhov for the needs of the refractory plant. It is the last surviving tower of this type in eastern Ukraine.

The peculiarity of Shukhov's towers is that they are many times lighter than other water-pressure structures and contain more water than they weigh.

In 2019, the owner of the refractories plant, on whose territory the tower is located, decided to clean up the territory of the enterprise and put it up for sale at the price of scrap metal. Local activists and local historians drew attention to this problem, as a result of which on November 5, 2019, the tower was included in the List of objects of science and technology of national importance. In this way, the public managed to save a unique avant-garde architectural monument of engineering architecture after many years of neglect and oblivion.

Historians have already given Shukhov's tower in Chasiv Yar the unofficial title of "the last hyperboloid tower of eastern Ukraine."