Attractions of Kyiv region

The Znoba-Holembiyevsky creative dynasty museum-workshop was created in 2006 in the house on Pechersk in Kyiv, where since 1965 the Ukrainian sculptor, People's Artist of Ukraine Valentyn Znoba lived with his wife, the artist Tetyana Holembiyevska.

The exhibition presents a large collection of author's sculptures of three generations of artists - Ivan Znoba, Valentin Znoba, Mykola Znoba and their creative families.

Mykola Znoba continues to live and work in the house, supporting the creative atmosphere of the workshop. There is a garden of sculptures in the courtyard, the main one of which is the figure of the Cossack Mamay in front of the entrance to the house, the original of which was installed on Maydan Nezalezhnosti.

The museum-workshop of the Znoba-Holembiyevsky creative dynasty often serves as an artistic venue for meeting cultural figures, artists of various directions and styles.

Happy Animal Park "12 Months" (Zoo "XII Months") is located 40 kilometers from the center of Kyiv on the highway to Dymer, between Demydiv and Lytvynivka.

On the territory of 16 hectares, there are aviaries built according to modern technologies. You can see more than 100 species of animals in the zoo. Among its inhabitants are a white lion and a lioness, a white tiger, giraffes, a black jaguar, a red wolf, cheetahs, puma, hyenas, Kamchatka bears, various monkeys, a rhinoceros, antelope kanna, bison, alpacas and others. Indian elephants are expected to arrive.

For children, there is a petting zoo in "12 Months", where you can interact with donkeys, lambs, mini-cows and other domestic animals. A large playground and a pirate ship have been prepared for active children's recreation.

In the center of the complex, next to the pond, there is a restaurant in the style of a fairy-tale castle, similar to the Bavarian castle Noyshvanshtayn - the prototype of Snow White's castle from Disney cartoons. Many animals can be hand-fed.

Russian-Ukrainian war

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, in February 2022, the "!2 months" zoo immediately found itself under Russian occupation, at the epicenter of hostilities, and was actually cut off from the outside world. For more than a month, in extremely difficult conditions without light, gas and fodder, under constant enemy fire, seven employees of the park cared for the animals and saved most of them. Unfortunately, several animals died due to the stress of the explosions - they could not withstand the sounds of shells flying over the park and exploding.

Currently, the Happy Animal Park "!2 Months" has resumed its work and welcomes visitors.

Archangel Michael Zvirynets cave monastery is an ancient Rus underground abode founded in the 10th-11th centuries on the territory of Zvirynets - the country hunting grounds of Prince Vsevolod of Kyiv.

The monastery was destroyed by the Polovtsy in 1096-1097. The caves were opened in 1888 by the Ukrainian artist Dmytro Zaychenko.

The internal arrangement of the complex is similar to the caves of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. A small cell was discovered near the entrance to the caves, to the left of it - a straight underground corridor with 40 burial niches. A cave church was also discovered. In the caves, cypress boards from tombs, slate slabs and plinths, remains of felt and leather shoes, ceramics and other things were found. Old Rus drawings and inscriptions have been preserved on the walls, including the famous Zvirynets Cross, which became the most popular Orthodox symbol of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kyiv.

At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was partially restored as a hermitage of the Saint Jonas Monastery with the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. Today it is an independent Archangel Michael monastery in Zvirynets.