Attractions of Ternopil region

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ternopil is an architectural monument of the late European Baroque.

A large Roman Catholic church with two elegant towers was built in 1749-1779 in the historic center of the city according to the project of the architect Avhusta Moschynskyi (according to other sources - Yan de Vitte) on the site of an ancient Rus Orthodox church. At the same time, a two-story cell block of the Dominican monastery was built. Between them is the so-called "Italian courtyard", currently not accessible to tourists.

The Dominican church was badly damaged during the Second World War and was restored in 1953. It was used as a picture gallery of the Ternopil Regional Local Lore Museum, and the archive is still located in the monastery building.

In 1992, the building was restored and handed over to the Greek Catholic community. The interiors were not preserved.

Next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a monument to Metropolitan Yosyp Slipiy has been erected, and in the square opposite the church - a monument to Prince Danylo Halytsky.

The Roman Catholic Church of Mother of God of Perpetual Help in Sorotske was built in 1937. A very interesting example of Neo-Gothic architecture of the early 20th century.

On the wall of the church, a double Polish family coat of arms has been preserved, combining the coats of arms "Prus" and "Swan" (probably the coat of arms of the founders of the church). Stained glass windows have been partially preserved.

Currently, the church is closed and abandoned.

The Historical and Memorial Museum of Political Prisoners opened in Ternopil in the basement cells of the temporary detention center of the former Ternopil Department of the NKVD-KGB on October 14, 1996.

The museum's exposition tells about the struggle of Ukrainian patriots against the communist regime, the repressive methods of the Soviet special services and the life of convicts in the Gulag camps, and recreates the regime of detention of political prisoners and interrogation methods. Among the museum's exhibits are a map of the USSR indicating the locations of special camps, stands with biographies of armed underground leaders, belongings of political prisoners, photographs and biographies of OUN and UPA leaders, postcards from 1940-1950, photographs from the unique UPA photo archive found in 1999 in Ivano-Frankivsk region, materials about the repressions of 1939-1941 in Western Ukraine.

The prison environment has been recreated in 28 pre-trial detention cells. Visitors can see the punishment cell, torture instruments, clothing and household items of prisoners. Models of a Siberian concentration camp and a "calf barn" wagon are also on display.

The Vyshnivets Palace and Park Complex is located on the steep bank of the Horyn River in the historic town of Vyshnivets. It was founded on the foundations of the medieval Vyshnivets Castle, which has been repeatedly rebuilt and expanded since the 17th century. For several centuries it was the ancestral home and main residence of one of the most influential Ukrainian princely families, the Korybut-Vyshnevetsky (Kaributas-Wiśniowiecki).

The luxurious palace in the style of classicism with elements of the French Renaissance was built in Vyshnivets at the beginning of the 18th century by the last of the Vyshnevetsky family, the great Polish magnate Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki. Ukrainian, Polish and French architects worked on the construction of the palace for 30 years.

The Vyshnevetsky Palace consists of several volumes, united during the reconstruction at the end of the 18th century into a symmetrical U-shaped composition with axial and corner risalites. On the first floor, there was an 80-meter-long hall of mirrors - an exact copy of the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles, the main hall was decorated with white ceramic tiles with a blue pattern. 3 cascades of gardens descended from the palace to the river.

In 1744, the estate passed to the Mniszechs, relatives of the Vyshnevetskys. They turned the Vyshnivets Palace into a first-class tycoon's residence in the late Rococo style with a magnificent art gallery. The palace was considered the most luxurious in Volyn. Honoré de Balzac, who visited Vyshnivets in 1848, called it "small Versailles".

The last owners took little care of the monument, and it was especially damaged during the Second World War. Restored in 1950, but without interior decoration. Various institutions were located here.

Currently, the Vyshnivetsky Palace is a branch of the National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Region". Since 2005, a complete restoration of its buildings has been underway. The main decoration of the palace is again the Mirrors Hall, where the Vyshnevetskys once received European monarchs, famous artists, military figures, writers and poets. The restored halls already house an exhibition and offer guided tours.

The Church of the Ascension of the Lord is located near the Chortkiv railway station.

It was built in 1717 on the site of a burned-down church founded in 1630 in the suburb of Dolishnya Vyhnanka.

This three-log wooden church is considered one of the best examples of Podillya folk architecture. The Church of the Ascension was built by Chortkiv folk craftsmen without a single nail, and impresses with its monumental forms. The interior has many carved details.

The Ascension Church belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The Castle Church of the Ascension of the Lord was built in 1530 as the family tomb of the Vyshnevetsky princes. Ivan Vyshnevetskyi, Dmytro Bayda's father, was involved in its construction.

About 20 representatives of the Vyshnevetskyi family are buried in the church, including the Ovruch mayor Mykhaylo Vyshnevetskyi and his wife Rayina Mohylyanka.

The temple has the shape of a ship and is distinguished by excellent acoustics. Inside are religious figures made by folk craftsmen.

In 1872-1873, major repairs were carried out, new bells were cast, and the iconostasis was gilded. Two icons of the Holy Mother of God, made in the ancient Rus and Byzantine styles, were donated by princes Kostyantyn and Mykhaylo-Servatsiy Vyshnevetskyi.

During the struggle against Orthodoxy, the Ascension Church remained the only Orthodox church in the entire district. In 1963, the church was closed and looted, only 26 years later it was returned to the Orthodox Church.

Currently, the Church of the Ascension of the Lord belongs to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The wooden Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chortkiv is an example of Podillya folk architecture, the oldest surviving church in Chortkiv.

Assumption Church was founded in 1538 on the initiative of the city brotherhood, whose members were local craftsmen. It was rebuilt in its present form in 1635.

This type of church is called "house" - they were built like ordinary residential houses-huts without architectural decorations. Wooden log cabins are covered with a common shingle roof. 

A wonderful carved iconostasis of the 18th century has been preserved.

Assumption Church belongs to the parish of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in Skala-Podilska in 1719 at the expense of Valentiy Mezheyevsky, who owned the city at that time.

Made in the Neo-Gothic style, the spire of the belfry was completed in the 19th century. The bell tower is decorated with a tower clock installed during the reconstruction in 1852. At the same time, the church building was surrounded by defensive walls with corner towers.

During Soviet times, the temple was closed, it housed warehouses and a power plant.

Currently, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been returned to believers and restored.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in Yahilnytsia by the Polish magnates Lyantskoronsky.

The stone building in the Baroque style was erected in the 19th century on the site of the first wooden church, founded in 1478. The facade is decorated with the coat of arms of the Lyantskoronsky family.

In Soviet times, the premises of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary housed a gym, then a warehouse.

In 1992, with the assistance of the Karolina Lyantskoronska Foundation, the church was revived.

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Monastyryska was built in the 18th century at the expense of Yuzef Potocki.

The altar was once decorated with sculptures by the famous master Ivan Heorhiy Pinsel. They are currently on display in the Pinsel museum in Lviv.

200-year-old ash trees grow around the temple.

Since January 2019, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Monastyryskie has belonged to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built in Buchach under the castle hill near the town hall at the expense of the owner of the town, Kaniv mayor Mykola Vasyl Potoski, as evidenced by his Pylyava family coat of arms on the pediment. The inscription on the portal says: "Out of a desire to have three crosses in Pylyava Potocki, the House of the Cross was built for the glory of God."

The outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel worked on the interior design of the Assumption Church for several years. The monumental composition of five altars includes the image of the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus, the figures of Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Yoakhim, Saint Anna, Saint Zazarius, Archangel Michael, Saint Yan Nepomuk, angels, allegorical figures of Swiftness and Love, and the composition of the Glory of God.

After the Soviet devastation, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Buchach was restored and is once again welcoming believers.

The Berezhany Castle of Sieniawski is one of the best examples of Renaissance defensive architecture in Ukraine, which the Poles called the "Eastern Wawel". Monument of architecture and urban planning of national importance.

The magnificent defensive residence in Berezhany was built in 1534-1554 by the Rus (Ukrainian) voivode, Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Sieniawski (Mykola Syniavsky). The impregnable fortification with four towers was built by Italian craftsmen according to the New Dutch system by French engineer Hiyom de Boplan using an artificial water barrier in the floodplain of the Zolota Lypa River. The facades of the palace buildings in the castle courtyard were crowned by two-story arcades-galleries like the Italian palazzo, which surrounded the buildings around the perimeter, and the windows were decorated with Renaissance carvings. The interiors of 14 ceremonial halls were decorated with paintings with battle scenes, on the third floor of the palace was a rich art gallery.

The Trinity Church was located on the territory of the castle, the former splendor of which can be judged even in its current dilapidated condition. In the 17th century, the Sieniawski tomb with marble tombstones by Yan Pfister was added to the church. Mikołaj Sieniawski and his sons Hieronim and Jan, as well as Hieronim's wife Anna, were buried here.

In the XIX century the castle began to decline, suffered severe damage during the two world wars. In Soviet times, it was abandoned and turned into a landfill.

In 2002, the Berezhany Castle of Sieniawski became part of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Berezhany, and its restoration began. A small museum exposition has been opened on the territory of the castle, excursions are organized, souvenirs can be bought.

The strict complex of defensive monastic buildings of the Bernardine order rises above Berezhany on Storozhisko hill.

The monastery was built in the 17th century in the Baroque style at the expense of the great crown hetman Mykola Synyavsky. The central building is the Saint Nicholas church with a stone fence, which gives it a pronounced defensive appearance. Being near the city walls, the temple was part of the system of city fortifications.

During the Soviet era, the monastery cells were used as cells in a penal colony for minors.

After the independence of Ukraine, services were resumed in the Saint Nicholas church - the monastery church became the church of the Pratulin Martyrs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, whose activities were prohibited in Soviet times. At the expense of parishioners, the dome with the cross was restored in the church, works on the restoration of the church are ongoing.

A picturesque panorama of the old city opens from the height of the monastery hill.

The ruins of the defensive Buchach Castle, which protected Buchach from the Tatars and Turks since the 14th century, stand on a hill in the center of the city.

The fortress was founded in 1379 by the local magnates Buchachskyi, and three centuries later it was fortified by the new owners Potocki. In 1648, the Cossack army tried to capture Buchach Castle, and in 1665 and 1667 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the Tatars. Only in 1672, the Turkish army was able to capture the city and the fortress was destroyed.

The Potocki tried to restore Buchach Castle, but in the 19th century it finally lost its significance and was almost completely dismantled for building materials.

Fragments of walls and towers have been preserved.

Buchach Town Hall is a wonderful baroque creation of the Lviv architect Bernard Meretin, and is a hallmark of the city.

The 37-meter-high town hall was built in Buchach at the expense of Mykola Vasyl Potoski. The two-story tower rests on a two-story cubic base. Initially, the town hall was crowned with an 18-meter spire (replaced by the current dome after the fire of 1811) and decorated with 17 sculptures by the outstanding sculptor Ivan Pinzel on the theme of the struggle between good and evil. Most of the sculptures were destroyed by a fire in 1865, four of them survived only in fragments.

Thanks to the sophisticated synthesis of architecture and sculpture, the Buchach Town Hall is considered an outstanding work of world architecture of the late Baroque era.

Restoration is currently underway, and the creation of the Ivan Pinzel Museum is planned. The lost sculptures are planned to be replaced with copies. The restored clock on the top tier strikes every quarter of an hour, and every hour plays the melodies of Ukrainian songs.

In 2014, a monument to Ivan Heorhiy Pinzel was erected in front of the town hall.