Attractions of Mykolaiv region

The National Nature Park "Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav" (Biloberezhzhya Svyatoslava) protects the protected nature of the Kinburn spit, as well as the adjacent water areas of the Dnipro-Buh estuary and the Yahorlytsky Bay.

The Slavs called the sand spits at the mouth of the Dnipro the Ivory Coast. It was here during the return from the Bulgarian campaign (972) that Prince Svyatoslav the Brave of Kyiv and Novhorod spent the winter with his wife.

The special microclimate here is due to the fact that on one side the Kinburn spit is washed by sea water, on the other by Dnipro water, and the land is covered with pine forest and various herbs (more than 620 species). We managed to preserve one of the largest areas of wild orchids in Europe, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine - 60 hectares (bloom in May). Volyzhyn forest (203 hectares) is more than 40 species of ancient shrubs, alder and aspen groves, mighty 300-year-old oaks.

Kinburn has about 150 lakes, some with healing mud. About 50 species of animals live on the peninsula: raccoon dog, spotted deer, fox, beaver. Large turtles live with a shell diameter of 40 centimeters.

Russian-Ukrainian war

The National Nature Park "Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav" is mostly located on the Kinburn Peninsula, which has been occupied by the Russians since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russians are shelling the town of Ochakiv from the occupied Kinburn Peninsula. In addition, only in the first year of the full-scale invasion of the peninsula, 131 fires occurred due to the actions of the Russian occupiers. The fire affected more than 5 thousand hectares of the park. Two employees of the park were in Russian captivity as of March 2023.

The children's town "Kazka" in Mykolaiv is called the Ukrainian "Disneyland". Each building of the cultural and game complex located in the center of the city is associated with some famous fairy tale or folklore character.

There used to be a city market on this place, and when it was moved in 1982, they decided to open a children's amusement park on the former place. First, a large concert pavilion with a golden rooster on the roof was opened, then a wooden fortress and a medieval stone castle were built, as well as a sea harbor with a sailboat "Buyan", which is a model of the first ship built in Mykolaiv. In addition, there are two lighthouses, a real steam locomotive, a carousel with a learned cat and a mermaid from Pushkin's fairy tales. Two new carousels of different types, a ferris wheel, and an autodrome have now been added.

The sundial is the central figure of the "Kazka" children's town.

The Kinburn Spit is the western edge of the Kinburn Peninsula, which separates the Dnipro estuary from the Black Sea. The length of the spit is about 40 kilometers, the width is 8-10 kilometers.

Described by Herodotus as Hileya (forested land), later the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed here. Many myths and legends are associated with the spit: about the temple of Demeter, about the sacred grove of Hecate, about Scythian gold and about athletic games in honor of Achilles' victory in the sea battle, after which the Greeks nicknamed the spit Achilles' Run (according to another version, it is the island of Dzharylhach) .

In the 15th-18th centuries, there was a Turkish fortress of Kinburn here, opposite Ochakiv, in the area of which Oleksandr Suvorov defeated a large Turkish landing force in 1787 (the ramparts of the fortress have been preserved, a memorial has been opened).

In 1790, between Ochakiv and the Kinburn spit in the middle of the estuary, an artificial Maiskyi island was built with a block fort that controlled the entrance of ships to the estuary (still under the control of the military).

In 1992, the regional landscape park "Kinburn Spit" was created on the spit, which is part of the Black Sea Nature Reserve. About 60 species of animals listed in the Red Book of Ukraine have been recorded on the territory. About 240 species of birds nest here: swans, pink pelicans, geese, pheasants, herons, white-tailed eagles and others.

Kinburn spit attracts tourists with empty and clean beaches.

Excursions to historical and protected places are organized by the administration of the National Nature Park "Ivory Coast of Sviatoslav" (Biloberezhzhya Svyatoslava).

Russian-Ukrainian war

During the Russian-Ukrainian war, in March 2022, Russian troops occupied the spit to block traffic from the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv, and shelled Ochakiv. During the counteroffensive of the armed forces of Ukraine in November 2022, the Kinburn spit remained the only Russian-occupied part of the Mykolaiv region.

The Old Fleet Barracks in Mykolaiv is part of the complex of buildings of the Admiralty, which was built in the middle of the 19th century for the Maritime Department.

The barracks were built in 1850 according to the project of the architect Karl Akroyd in the style of classicism. The premises were intended for sailors of naval crews. Each of the three buildings of the Old Fleet Barracks accommodated 1,200 to 2,000 people. In 1863, the complex was handed over to the Oleksandrivska male Gymnasium, which was located here before the revolution. After the Second World War, the western building housed a construction technical school, and the other two were transferred to the military.

In 2012, the creation of a museum town began on the territory of the Old Fleet Barracks. The Mykolaiv Museum of Local Lore, which used to be located on the territory of Saint Joseph's Church, moved to the main building. The museum was created in 1913 on the basis of the office of rare things at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, where various finds from the territory of the Black Sea were collected. They formed the basis of the collection, which now has more than 160,000 exhibits.

In particular, the exposition of the local lore museum presents objects found during archaeological research in Olbia, objects from Kyivan Rus, Cossack weapons.

The Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul in the village of Stepove was built in 1881-1885 by German settlers.

The first Catholic church built in Stepove in 1820-1830 was made of limestone and straw. The new Peter and Paul Church in the neo-Gothic style was built of solid shell.

Currently, the dilapidated church belongs to the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, but restoration work is not being carried out. Deprived of ceilings, the church building is gradually collapsing.

The building of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Mykolaiv was built in 1794 in the style of classicism, designed by architect Illya Neyolov.

For some time, the residence of the Black Sea Fleet Commander-in-Chief was located here.

Since 1978, the premises have been occupied by the Museum of Shipbuilding and the Navy. The exposition demonstrates the development of shipbuilding in the Northern Black Sea region from ancient times to the present - more than 100 models of ships of the XVIII-XX centuries. In particular, models of the first ship of the Mykolayiv shipyard - the 44-gun frigate "Saint Nicholas", the legendary 20-gun brig "Mercury", the rebellious battleship "Potemkin", the aircraft carrier "Kyiv", the research ship "Academic" are presented. Also presented are fragments of ancient ships, navigation devices, rare maps and documents.

One of the most interesting exhibits - a diorama "Construction of the first sailing ships on the Mykolaiv Admiralty".

In front of the house is the Alley of Fleet Commanders (busts of Ushakov, Lazarev, Bellingshausen, Nakhimov, etc.).

Regional landscape park "Pryinhulskyi" is located in the section of the valley of the Inhul River from the village of Rozanivka to the village of Sofiivka.

Precambrian granites come to the surface here, forming a picturesque landscape. Some of the most visible or colorful outcrops of crystalline rocks have their own names. There are several legends about some of them, such as the "Pugach", "Stovp" (or "Rock of the Stone Heroes"), "Sleeping Beauty", "Stina" or simply "Ustia" rocks near the mouth of the Berezovka River. at the confluence with the Inhul River.

South of the village of Rozanivka there is also "Stina" or "Crow's Rock", on which a pair of crows have been nesting since ancient times.

There are fantastically attractive granite outcrops - the "Stone Chimera Coast", a granite plateau at the confluence of the Stoupova River and the Inhul River, which is called the "Devil's City" and others.

Near the village of Sofiivka, an artificial canyon and a waterfall have been created - the spillway of the Sofiivka hydraulic system for rainwater and snowmelt.

Regional landscape park "Tylihulskyi" is located on the eastern coast of Tylihulskyi estuary.

It was created in 1995 with the aim of preserving valuable natural complexes and historical and cultural objects of Tylihul, creating conditions for organized tourism and recreation, conducting scientific research, and promoting ecological knowledge.

The Tylihul estuary is considered the cleanest on the Northwest Black Sea coast. In the area of the Tashin Bay and the mouth of the Tsarega River, there is one of the largest virgin steppe massifs in the south of Ukraine. 350 species of plants and 384 species of vertebrates. From the species of birds listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, the following can be found here: cormorant, stilt, sea plover, magpie wader, sandpiper, red heron, yellow heron and others. The estuary has large reserves of healing hydrogen sulfide mud.

There is practically no tourist infrastructure in the protected area, even in the high season the number of tourists is small.

The administration of the Tylihulskyi landscape park is located in the village of Berezanka, 20 kilometers east of the Tylihul estuary.

The complex of buildings of the Maritime Department (Admiralty) in Mykolaiv began to be created in 1788 during the construction of the Mykolaiv Shipyard.

According to the instructions of the Governor-General of Katerynoslav, Hrihoriy Potemkin, the complex had a closed structure and was a small fortress. After the reconstruction carried out in the 1840s by order of Vice-Admiral Mykhaylo Lazarev, the Admiralty included a shipyard with a stone fence and main gate, a foundry and a rope factory, various workshops, three-story barracks in the classicist style, as well as a male gymnasium building, which now houses the Mykolaiv Construction College.

Most of the original buildings of the Mykolaiv Admiralty were destroyed during World War II. Nowadays, the admiralty refers to the main administrative building of the Shipyard (1951), which is distinguished by a tall spire. It plays a significant urban planning role, closing the wide and well-planted Sadova Street, serving as the compositional center of the square formed at its intersection with Admyralska Street. Only the foundations and the main gate to the right of the house with the spire remain of the old buildings.

In front of the entrance, there is a monument to the founder of Mykolaiv and the Admiralty, Prince Hrihoriy Potemkin.

On the night of April 27, 2023, during the large-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia attacked Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles. One of the missiles hit the Admiralty building. As a result of the rocket attack, the right wing of the historical Admiralty building was destroyed and the left wing was significantly damaged.

Agrotourism complex "Kremenivsky Ostrich" invites you to get acquainted not only with ostriches, but also with other animals in the "contact zoo", where you can feed and pet them.

During the tour, visitors are told about the life and breeding of ostriches in captivity. At the ostrich farm, you can see how the incubation process takes place, see funny ostriches that look like hedgehogs and, of course, observe an adult bird.

A fenced recreation area is located separately from the ostrich enclosures. It is a landscaped area with an artificial pond. In the recreation area there are gazebos, a barbecue, children's playgrounds, as well as a guest house with a bathhouse.

Visitors are also offered a tasting lunch: borscht on ostrich broth, ostrich meat roast with salad, ostrich egg omelet, uzvar, homemade pastries.

Other services of the "Kremenivsky Ostrich" ostrich farm: working forge, paintball, buggy rental, shooting with air rifles, bows, crossbows.

The Aktove Canyon on the Mertvovod River, also known as the "Devil's Valley" or Little Crimea, stretches 3 kilometers from the village of Aktove to the village of Petropavlivka.

The depth of the canyon reaches 40-50 meters, the area is more than 250 hectares.

Aktove Canyon is a unique complex of forest and water ecosystems with an ensemble of rocks and granite boulders. The only one in Europe, which, according to its geological and landscape indicators, resembles the famous canyons of North America in miniature with great accuracy in the time of formation.

The whimsical ornateness of the Mertvovod channel (due to the high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the water), steep walls, the magnificent beauty of granite-basalt rocks (up to 100 meters high) and unique natural beauty attract tourists from all over Europe. The difficult topography of the area does not allow river rafting, but the canyon is attractive for fans of extreme sports, rock climbers and climbers.

The natural complex of the Aktove Canyon, like all the banks of the Mertvovod, is a part of the National Nature Park "Buzky Gard".

Nearby, between Aktove and Trykraty, at the confluence of the Arbuzynka River with the Mertvovod, is the equally picturesque Arbuzyn (Maly Aktove) canyon.

The Church of All Saints is one of the oldest churches in Mykolaiv. City planner and founder of Mykolaiv Shipyard Mykhaylo Falyeyev is buried in the crypt of the church.

Nearby, in the Old Cemetery, is the crypt of Kharkiv University founder Vasyl Karazin.

Aquapark "Attika" in the resort village of Chornomorka near Ochakiv is designed in the Greek style.

Landscape design and architecture are inspired by the myths of Ancient Greece. Leave a note in the "Amphora of Desires", throw a coin in the "Fountain of Prosperity", retire to the "Lovers' Bench".

6 water slides for adults ("Bodyslide", "Aquatube" tunnel, "Multislide", "Kamikaze", "Freefall" tunnel, "Space Hole"), 4 children's slides, 5 pools with different depths, sunbeds and awnings, cozy gazebos with soft pillows, a chain of restaurants with a diverse menu of Greek cuisine, a water bar, billiards, a children's play area with animation.

Aquapark "Attika" can accommodate up to 700 people at the same time.

A modern outdoor water park in the center of the Kobleve resort on an area of 4 hectares. Positioned as the largest water park in southwestern Ukraine.

Main pool area of 4000 square meters with hydromassage, swimming pools and children's pool. 10 slides for adults: "Family rafting", "Kamikaze", "Multi-slide", "Flying boat", "Serpentine", "Black hole", "Kosychka", "Wide slide", "Space gap". There are also 9 children's slides.

There is a fast food cafe and a children's cafe on the territory.

The water park is equipped with a modern water purification system, which comes from its own artesian well.

Aquapark Vodoliy is one of the first water parks in the country, opened in 1997 on the basis of a water sports complex.

In the hall with stands there is a sports bath measuring 50 by 21 meters, designed for swimming competitions on eight lanes. The 5.5-meter-deep jumping pool is equipped with springboards and towers up to 10 meters high. The 16.5-by-8.5-meter attraction bath has a 26-meter-long speed slide, fountains, water flow, waterfalls, hydromassage. For the youngest visitors, there is a children's bath with fountains and a water umbrella (water temperature +32°С).

There is a cafe-bar, a sauna, a gym. Individual swimming lessons are held.