Attractions of Kovel district

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Liuboml is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Volyn.

According to legend, it was built by the Polish king Vladyslav II Yahaylo in gratitude for the victory he won in these regions over the Tatars, returning after the Battle of Grunwald.

The Gothic Trinity Church was built on a hill in the northern part of Ljuboml and was included in the system of city fortifications. In addition to religious functions, it also performed defensive functions.

As a result of the reconstruction of the 17th century, the building acquired Baroque features, but the Renaissance portal was partially preserved.

The church acquired its current appearance after the reconstruction of the 19th century.

After 1945, the building was used as a fertilizer warehouse, a shop, a sawmill, a sports hall and, finally, a museum.

Today, the church belongs to the Catholic community of Liuboml.

The picturesque Hryada tract on Lake Svityaz was built up with many recreation centers in Soviet times.

Legally, it belongs to the city of Shatsk, but in fact it is already an independent settlement.

The bulk of modern hotels and high-level recreation complexes are concentrated here, and a large area is reserved for car camping.

Lake Svitiaz is the largest of the three dozen lakes of the Shatsky National Nature Park. This is the deepest karst lake in Ukraine (maximum depth - 58.4 meters).

Lake Svitiaz is fed by artesian springs. Its water is crystal clear and soft, which is due to the natural self-cleaning system. It contains silver, glycerin and some minerals, thanks to which it is considered healing.

In the middle of the lake there is an extremely picturesque wooded island, which is connected with the legend of the castle that disappeared under the waters of the lake.

Along the shores of the lake there are many mini-hotels, recreation centers and car camping sites. In the windless season, the water warms up quickly, so parents and children like to relax here. Active recreation is organized on site: horseback riding and hiking, excursions to the island with fishing and soup cooking.

The main delicacy of Svitiaz is local eel, which is especially recommended to be tasted in smoked form.

The Literary and Memorial Manor-Museum of Lesya Ukrayinka (Larysa Kosach) was opened on the territory of the Kosach family manor in the village of Kolodiazhne near Kovel.

The future poetess spent her childhood and youth here, from 1882 to 1897. Her talent was formed under the influence of the legends of the Volyn region, which were told to her by her mother - the writer Olena Pchilka (Olha Kosach). Here Lesya Ukrayinka began her creative career, writing about 80 works: "Lily of water", "Safo", "Mermaid", "Singer", "Prisoner" and others.

The "White House" with a solarium on the roof of the veranda, built especially for Lesya by her father - Petro Kosach, as well as the "Grey House" of the father himself have been preserved. In the houses, the authentic atmosphere is recreated, and personal belongings of the Kosach are presented.

The Lesya Ukrayinka Literary and Memorial Museum is now located on the site of the large manor house.

The Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin in Shatsk was built in 1830-1839 on the site of a wooden Orthodox church founded in 1510.

Count Vladyslav Branytsky allocated the funds for the construction.

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin has characteristic features of classicism. At the same time, it is distinguished by two symmetrically located towers and the gradual increase of the mass in the western direction, which makes it similar to the two-towered churches of the Baroque era.

The Catholic parish of Saint Anna was founded in Kovel in the 16th century with the help of Queen Bona. She was supported by King Yan Kazymyr, many local magnates.

Initially, the wooden church was located next to the Church of the Annunciation. The temple was destroyed during the War of Liberation, in 1710 it was rebuilt by Volyn voivode Stanislav Leshchynskyi, then it burned down in a fire, but was revived again and lasted until 1945, when it was dismantled by order of the Soviet authorities.

In 1996, a new Roman Catholic church appeared on the site of the former car park - the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1771, moved from the village of Vyshenki. This is the only two-tower wooden Catholic church in Volyn. Consecration took place in 1996.

Currently, the church of Saint Anna is under the care of the Catholic order of the Friars Minor of Saint Francis of Assisi in Kovel.

The Shatsky National Natural Park is included in the list of UNESCO biosphere reserves, which is part of the transboundary reserve "Western Polissya" as the Shatsky Biosphere Reserve.

It covers a large protected area in the north-west of Ukraine, on the border with Poland and Belarus. There are more than 30 lakes with a total area of about 70 square kilometers. The largest of them are Svityaz, Pulemetske, Lyutsymer, Krymne. Between them are forests and swamps where rare birds nest. Of the 789 species of plants growing on the territory of the park, 32 are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Many boarding houses and recreation centers are located along the shores of the lakes, there are many convenient places for car camping. Popular horseback riding and hiking along ecological routes, fishing on lakes, mushroom hunting.

The administration of the Shatsky National Nature Park is located in the village of Svitiaz, and the visitor center operates.

The only wing of the palace built in Liuboml by Count Frantsysk Ksaveriy Branytsky after he received these lands in 1768 as a reward for his service from the Polish king Stanislav Avhust Ponyatovsky remains.

In 1782, he completed the construction of his residence in Liuboml, next to Castle Hill. It was a large palace complex consisting of the main palace building, a pair of two-story outbuildings, and a one-story gallery with a winter garden. A large garden surrounded by a stone fence was laid to the north of the palace.

At the end of the 18th century, after the Kostyushko uprising, Branytsky and his wife Oleksandra moved to Bila Tserkva, where they built the famous Oleksandria Park.

The last owner of the palace in Liuboml was the family of landowners Kappioni.

During the Soviet rule, the building was in the hands of the military and was partially dismantled. A children's and youth sports school is located in the wing.

The picturesque Nechymne tract with a lake in the middle of a protected forest is described by Lesya Ukrayinka in the poem "Forest Song".

There was a forest estate in which the young Lesya spent the summer months visiting Uncle Lev - the prototype of one of the characters in the famous extravaganza drama. It was from him that the future poetess heard many fairy tales about monkeys, mermaids, foresters and other characters of folk folklore.

Today, there is a small "Forest Song" museum, Uncle Lev's well, and a gallery of wooden sculptures on the territory. The lake itself is almost completely overgrown, cleaning work is not carried out.

The Peter and Paul Church on the banks of the Svitiaz was founded in 1531 under the Sangushko princes.

From 1596 to 1796, the church was Greek Catholic.

After the fire of 1834, it was decided to build a new stone temple. Count Vladyslav Branytsky allocated the funds for the construction. In 1846, the Peter and Paul Church was consecrated.

The temple is based on a three-part scheme traditional for Ukraine, transformed under the influence of classicism into a central rotunda composition. The developed monumental dome subordinates all parts of the building, forming a silhouette characteristic of Volyn.

To the south of the church is an arched belfry topped by a triangular pediment.

During the Soviet rule, the Svitiaz church was not closed.

In 2001, the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God was installed in the church, the number of pilgrims increased, and in 2002, the Svitiaz Saint Peter and Paul Monastery was founded.

Saint George's Church in Holoby is a monument of the transitional type from baroque to classicism with a traditional wooden bell tower in the forms of folk architecture of Volyn.

The church was built as a Greek-Catholic church in 1783 at the expense of magnate Lyudvik Vilha. In 1885, the tiled roof was replaced with an iron one. The church is brick, plastered, single nave, with a pentagonal apse and two towers on the western facade. The towers are two-story, finished with onion domes. Covered with a wooden ceiling in the 19th century, which replaced the original vaults.

To the southwest of Ssint. George's Church, there is a two-story wooden bell tower. The first tier is chopped, the second is frame, in the form of an open circular arcade. Shingle roof. The composition of the belfry is typical of the Volyn wooden architecture of the XVII-XVIII centuries.

The park of the Vilha tycoons manor in Holoby is located right along the Kovel - Lutsk highway.

In the 18th century, Chernihiv voivode Lyudvik Vilha built his stately residence with a park, a menagerie and a brick fence here. In the depths of the park there is a complex-shaped palace, built at the beginning of the 20th century on the site of a burned-down manor house. Only the manor gate has survived from the original buildings of the manor.

During the reconstruction of the village, the park area was cut through by a street, and the entrance gate lost its direct purpose. The gate is brick, plastered, rectangular in plan, with an archway on the first floor (laid). They are covered with a hipped roof.

Not far from the estate, on the other side of the street, there are two park sculptures of the 18th century, which are a clear example of Volyn's monumental sculpture.

The Holy Resurrection Cathedral is the fifth Kovel cathedral that has survived to this day.

The mention of the first Resurrection Cathedral is found in the deed of Queen Bona in 1549. After that, the wooden temple burned down several times, but was restored.

The five-domed stone cathedral was built in 1877. On the pediment there is a painting - the meeting of Jesus Christ with Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection.

Amila Ecopark with a Deer Farm opened in 2018 in the village of Radovychi, Turiia district, 60 kilometers from Lutsk. In addition to the red deer farm, the entertainment complex includes a Volyn Forest Fauna Museum, a horse farm with a carriage yard, and a museum of retro equipment.

On 122 hectares, more than 700 red deer live here, represented by four crown lines: English, Eastern European, Hungarian and Latvian. Along with them, mouflons, fallow deer, wild boars, roe deer, and kulans also live in spacious enclosures. Bears, lynxes and raccoon dogs will soon "settle".

At the horse farm, visitors can meet Tory horses, friendly ponies and donkeys. The Volyn Forest Fauna Museum also operates, where you can learn more about local animals, as well as get acquainted with the collection of horns.

The museum of retro cars and replicas is located in the old village airfield. More than 20 units of military and civilian equipment of the mid-20th century and even a sports planes are presented.

Visitors to Amila ecopark are offered excursions, horse rental, carriage or sleigh rides, retro car rental, kayaking, bicycle rental, etc.

Another project of the Amila ecopark is the Radovychi Village Museum, located in the center of the village.

The Church of Archangel Michael in Holoby was founded in 1711 (according to other sources - in 1700) by Podillya sub-starost Stefan Yaruzelskyi, completed at the expense of Yuzef Yaruzelskyi.

In 1783, Chernihiv voivode Lyudvik Vilha added two chapels to the church. 3 years later, Saint Michael's Church burned down due to a lightning strike. The same Lyudvik Vilha rebuilt it in 1793.

Initially, the one-nave building in the Baroque style received the plan of a cross after the completion of the chapels. The tempera painting of the walls and vaults was made in the 18th century by the famous artist Yuzef Prechtl.

During the First World War, the church was damaged, but in 1929-1930 of the 20th century, it was restored by the parishioners. In 1945, the Soviet authorities arranged a salt warehouse in the temple.

In 1997, the Church of Archangel Michael was returned to the Roman Catholics.