Attractions of Chernihiv region

The Ascension Church in Kozelets is considered a unique example of a cross-shaped five-bay church in the general features of Baroque with signs of architectural historicism. The side tops resemble defensive towers.

Since Soviet times, the Kozelet Museum of the History of Weaving of Chernihiv Region has been housed in the church.

In 2017 the church was returned to the Orthodox Church, currently owned by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Pryluky City Cultural House is one of the most prominent buildings in the city.

As the first professional theater stage, Pryluky began to build it in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by the burgher Brodskyi together with the owner of the brick factory Shtonda, but they did not have enough funds to complete the construction. The central two-story part was completed only in 1930.

Currently, the People's Amateur Theater "Rampa" and several other creative groups perform on the stage of the House of Culture. Theater festivals are held here every year, gathering amateur groups from all over Ukraine.

In 2008, a monument to the famous Ukrainian theater and film actor Mykola Yakovchenko, a native of Pryluky, was erected on the square in front of the Brodsky Theater building.

The Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine solemnly greets everyone who enters Chernihiv from the Kyiv side, it is considered a symbol of the city.

It is located on the opposite hill from Dytynets, on the Alley of Heroes. The temple in the Ukrainian Baroque style was built on the site of an ancient temple from the period of Kyivan Rus at the expense of the brothers Semen and Yakiv Lyzohub, according to the will of their father Yukhym Lyzohub in memory of the heroism of their grandfather Yakiv Lyzohub and the Cossacks of the Chernihiv regiment, shown by them during the storming of the Turkish fortress of Azov.

During Soviet times, the Catherine Church was closed. In 1975-1980, the church was restored, and an exhibition of the Museum of Folk and Decorative Art of Chernihiv Region was placed inside.

In 2004-2005, the temple was restored. In 2006, the Catherine Church was handed over to the Cossack Orthodox community. In 2008, the church became the Cossack cathedral of the Chernihiv Diocese. Currently, it is an active church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In 2009, the monument "Fighters for freedom and independence of Ukraine" was opened near the Catherine's Church.

The Chernihiv Literary and Memorial Museum-Reserve of Mykhaylo Kotsyubynsky was opened in 1934 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the writer's birthday at the initiative of his family - the younger brother of Mykhaylo Khoma Kotsyubynsky became the first director of the institution.

The memorial part of the exposition is located in the one-story wooden house in which Mykhaylo Kotsyubynsky lived from 1898 to 1913. Here he wrote the stories "Fata morgana", "Intermezzo", "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" and others, hosted many famous representatives of the creative intelligentsia, including composer Mykola Lysenko and writer Borys Hrynchenko.

In the house, the environment that existed during the writer's life is recreated, including a desk with writing utensils and other furniture. The writer's memorial library has more than 1,500 books, including the first editions of his works. Photographs, manuscripts, notebooks, and letters are also presented.

The literary part of the exposition is located in a separate three-story building designed by the outstanding Ukrainian monumentalist artist Anatoly Haydamaka. The decoration of the exposition is the wooden composition "Tree of Life" or "Krynytsia Kotsyubynsky", which permeates all three floors of the building. It has the appearance of a four-sided pillar, on each face of which are carved illustrations of Kotsyubynskyi's works.

Part of the manor is the memorial garden of the Kotsyubynsky family, where more than 200 types of plants are grown, including trees that the writer personally planted. The garden beds are decorated with the writer's favorite flowers: roses, mallows, and poppies. There are also exotic subtropical plants - agaves, which the writer admired in Italy. In the summer, tea parties are held on the veranda of the Kotsyubynsky family's house overlooking the garden.

During the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022, the Chernihiv Literary Memorial Museum-Reserve of Mykhaylo Kotsyubynsky was hit by shelling. The memorial building and 36 museum exhibits were damaged, including Kotsyubynsky's chess pieces, a grand piano, and some furniture. Restoration has been carried out.

Chernihiv Regional Art Museum named after Hryhoriy Galagan is located in the building of the former women's gymnasium (XIX century) on Val.

The collection includes about 8,000 works of fine and decorative arts, from the XVI century to the present. It was based on a unique collection of Ukrainian noble family Galagans, represented by works of Western European and domestic art of XVII-XIX centuries, folk paintings, including the famous Cossacks Mamay, portraits of eight generations of this famous Cossack family and their relatives - Rozumovskyi, Lamsdorf, Darahan, Markevych. 

The museum has a collection of works by the outstanding Ukrainian folk artist Mariya Prymachenko. Works of decorative and applied art of Ukraine, a folk toy are also presented.

During the Russian invasion of 2022, when the city of Chernihiv was under fire, the Chernihiv Art Museum named after Hryhoriy Galagan was damaged, in particular, some exhibits were damaged.

According to legend, the "Pokorshchyna" estate of the Darahan family in Kozelets was named so in memory of the times when Empress Elizaveta Petrivna "submitted" to the shepherd Oleksiy Rozum (according to another version, the empress bowed her head (submitted) to her future mother-in-law, Nataliya Rozumykha).

Rozumiha bought the estate specially before the arrival of the empress. Probably, the secret wedding of Elizaveta and Oleksiy took place here. Later, the estate belonged to the sister of the Rozumovsky brothers, Vera, who married Colonel Darahan. The last owners were the Galagans.

The estate consists of a small one-story house with columns and a two-story tenement house, which was used to store weapons and treasury. A park was built around. Currently, the Kozeletsk Technical College of Veterinary Medicine is located near the manor.

The buildings are in very poor condition and need immediate restoration.

Lyzohub Kamyanytsya in Sedniv is called a defensive-type building with a two-story crenellated tower and buttresses that give the structure a romantic look.

Kamyanytsya (stone house) was built in the 17th century by Colonel Yakiv Lyzohub from Chernihiv on the high bank of the Snov River, on the territory of the main estate, which for a long time belonged to this ancient Cossack family. The building is one-story, with large basements. In plan, it resembles a traditional Ukrainian house with halls to which two small rooms adjoin from different sides.

Initially, the Lyzohub Kamyanytsya was residential, simultaneously performing defensive functions. Then it began to be used as a utility room, when in the 19th century the brothers Andriy and Illya Lyzohub reconstructed the manor and built a new residential manor house. At the same time, a pseudo-Gothic crenellated tower was built above the tenement house, which turned the building into a decorative architectural element of the manor park.

Currently, Lyzohub Kamyanytsya belongs to Chernihivoblenergo OJSC. Restoration has been carried out, but there is no access inside.

Kachanivka Palace and Park Complex is one of the best preserved landed estates in Ukraine with a luxurious palace in the style of classicism and one of the largest landscape parks in Europe.

The Kachanivka estate got its name from the first owner, the court singer Fedir Kachenovskyi. The creation of the palace and park complex was started in 1770 by the Governor-General of Little Russia Petro Rumyantsev-Zadounayskyi. His palace in the pseudo-Gothic style was radically rebuilt in 1808-1824 by the landowner Hryhoriy Pocheka.

In 1824 the estate became the property of the Tarnovsky family, who owned it until the end of the 19th century and turned it into a center of culture and arts. Taras Shevchenko, Mykola Hohol, Panteleymon Kulish, Mykola Kostomarov, Mykhaylo Maksymovych, Marko Vovchok and Dmytro Yavornytskyi visited them at different times. Mykhaylo Hlinka wrote the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" in the altanka, which now bears his name. And Illia Repin was helped to create his most famous painting "Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish sultan" by a collection of Cossack weapons collected by Vasyl Tarnovskyi.

The last owners of the estate were sugar manufacturer Pavlo Kharytonenko and his daughter Olena, who married Baron Mykhaylo Oliv. In Soviet times, a sanatorium operated on the basis of the estate, which severely damaged the palace.

In 1981, the historical and cultural reserve "Kachanivka" was established. It includes a central palace with two outbuildings and a stylized water tower, service houses, Hlinka's Pavilion, Saint George's Church, and a complex of outbuildings.

On the territory of Kachanivka Park with an area of 560 hectares you can see a number of ponds, park bridges, slides of Love and Faithfulness, Romantic ruins and other park structures.

In the restored palace halls there is a museum exposition that tells about the history of the palace, its former owners and famous guests.

The service houses are equipped with hotel rooms, a souvenir shop and a cafe. On the territory of the park you can arrange a picnic - gazebos and barbecues for rent.

The palace of the last hetman of Ukraine, Kyrylo Rozumovsky, rises impressively on a cliff above the Seim River in the town of Baturyn, which served as the hetman's capital in the 17th and 18th centuries.

It is an outstanding architectural monument of the era of classicism of national significance, the only preserved Hetman's palace and the only architectural structure in Ukraine, built according to the project of architect Charles Cameron. It is part of the National Historical and Cultural Reserve "Hetman's Capital".

The construction of the palace and park complex lasted from 1799 to 1803, already after the hetmanship together with the remnants of Ukrainian independence was liquidated by the government of the Russian Empire. In fact, Rozumovsky did not have time to live in his new palace, as he died the year construction was completed. His descendants did not use the palace for its intended purpose, it was badly damaged by a fire, was in a dilapidated state for a long time, and was partially restored several times.

The revival began at the initiative of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko at the expense of patrons. On August 22, 2009, the restored palace of Kyrylo Rozumovsky with the exposition of the Museum of the Hetmanship was solemnly opened for visitors.

On the first floor of the palace, you can familiarize yourself with the historical past of Hetman Baturyn through the prism of Kyrylo Rozumovsky statesmanship, as well as with the history of the construction and restoration of the palace and park ensemble. The interiors of the second floor have been restored according to the analogues of the preserved works of Charles Cameron and are luxuriously decorated with paintings of scenes from ancient Greek mythology, plant ornaments and Hetmanian kleinods.

Furniture and interior items, paintings, icons of the 18th and 19th centuries are exhibited in the halls. The Hetman's Hall, where the "Stone" table with a marble board inlaid with semi-precious Ural stones is exhibited, is particularly magnificent. Among the things that personally belonged to Kyrylo Rozumovsky and his family, you can see the hetman's life company sword, the seal of Rozumovsky's cloth factory, the hetman's station wagon and fragments of Rozumovsky's tombstone.

A regular French park is laid out around the palace, restored according to the scheme of the master plan of the palace-park ensemble. The original palace outbuildings have not survived, their reconstruction is frozen.

The Pyatnytska Church in Chernihiv is a classic monument of ancient Rus architecture.

The church in honor of Saint Paraskeva Pyatnytsa, the patroness of trade, was built at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries on the main market square of the city. Until 1786, it was the main building of the Pyatnytsky Monastery. By that time, it had already been rebuilt several times and was a seven-bath temple in the Baroque style.

During the Second World War, the Friday Church was destroyed. In 1962, it was completely restored in the original ancient Rus style according to the project of architects Petro Baranovskyi and Mykola Kholostenko.

From the outside, the building has the appearance of a slender tower, almost square in plan, topped by a slender bathhouse, which, thanks to the original transition from the rectangle of the base to the dome, creates a characteristic feature of dynamic upward striving and pyramidal completion.

The church is active and belongs to the Chernihiv Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

On August 19, 2023, in the course of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a result of a Russian missile attack on the center of Chernihiv, the Pyatnytska Church suffered significant damage. The explosive wave from the impact of the Iskander missile in the premises of the theater, located nearby, hit the church when the festive service was ending. The blast wave knocked out the windows, pieces of the rocket flew into the church, and damaged icons (including the icon of the patron saint of the church, which was lying on the altar).

The building of the Chernihiv Regimental Office, also known as "Mazepa House" or "Lyzohub Stone House", is located on Val in Chernihiv.

The building on the territory of the Chernihiv Fortress was built by Colonel Yakiv Lyzohub, then it belonged to Hetman Ivan Mazepa, then it served as a regimental office, a city hall, and an archive. The only monument of residential architecture of the 17th century in Chernihiv with well-preserved rich decorative decoration of the facades.

Currently, the building houses the funds of the Chernihiv Historical Museum.

The legend about the ghost of Motrya Kochubey, who was cursed by her mother for having a sinful relationship with Hetman Mazepa, is connected with the "Mazepa House".

The oriental-style palace with Gothic elements was built in Vyshenky in the 18th century by the famous commander, field marshal, and president of the Little Russian College, Count Petro Rumyantsev-Zadunayskyi.

Located on a hill above a pond, the building, vaguely reminiscent of medieval castles, is successfully integrated into the landscape. It is believed that the author of the project could be the architect Dzhakomo Kvarenhi or the Russian architect Vasyl Bazhenov.

The retired field marshal created a whole complex of palaces and entertainment facilities on the territory of his estates. Here he received Catherine II during her trip to the Crimea.

Part of the palace was dismantled in the 19th century by order of the landowner Suddiyenko, who settled here. During Soviet times, a pioneer camp was placed on the territory of the manor. Today it is a children's health camp "Suzirya". Restoration is planned.

Saint Anthony's Caves - the oldest shrine of Chernihiv is a part of the Trinity-Illinsky Monastery on the Boldyny Hills.

The first cave church and monastery was founded by Saint Anthony Pechersky in 1069, when he left the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which he founded.

Through the Church of Sain Illia (XII century) you can get to the cave part (315 m), where there are underground churches of Saint Anthony, Saint Theodosius and Saint Nicholas Svyatosha.

On the hill above the monastery are the Slavic mounds Bezimenny and Hulbyshche, as well as the tomb of Mykhaylo Kotsyubynsky with a monument.

Archeological excavations continue in the Saint Anthony's Caves, and excursions are held.

The wooden Cossack Saint George Church was founded in Sedniv, probably in the pre-Mongol period.

It is located at the height of the Crown Castle tract, in the center of the ancient settlement of Snovsk. In its current form, this richly carved church was rebuilt without a single nail in 1745 and is considered one of the best works of Ukrainian folk architecture.

In this church, dedicated to George the Victorious, the Cossacks of the Sedniv Hundred of the Chernihiv Regiment sanctified their sabers before military campaigns.

At first, George's Church was single-domed. Two additional baths were added in the course of the restoration carried out after the fire.

There is a version that the initial filming of key episodes of the popular Soviet film "Viy" based on the novel of the same name by Mykola Hohol took place in the interior of  George's Church, but the working material was not liked by the management of "Mosfilm", and all interior scenes were later shot in Moscow, in specially constructed scenery. .

The Saint Nicholas Desert Rykhly Monastery was founded in 1666 by Chernihiv colonel Vasyl Mnogogrishny.

In 1757, a small Nicholas Church was built, and in 1754-1760, the five-bay Saint Nicolas Cathedral. In 1767, at the expense of Hetman Ivan Samoylovych, a belfry was built with the over-gate church of John the Baptist. There was also a cave complex that has partially survived to this day. In 1749, the Okhtyrka colonel Fedir Kachanivsky presented the monastery with a unique guardian ark, which was on the main throne of the Rykhly Monastery until 1922, and then was transferred to the Chernihiv State Museum.

By the end of the Soviet period, only the ruins of the living room, cells and monastery walls remained from the monastery complex. In 2006, the monastery again acquired the status of a monastery of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, restoration works are being carried out.