Attractions of Kamyanets-Podilskyi district

Mount Hrabyna is located in the southwest of the village of Kryvchyk. Within its summit there are small caves, which in local folklore are closely related to the activities of the leader of the peasant uprising, Ustym Karmalyuk.

As a result of archaeological research, the remains of a Scythian settlement and household items of those times were discovered on the mountain.

Among tourists, Hrabyna is famous for its stunning panoramic view of the surroundings and the village of Kryvchyk, located in the valley of the Ternava River.

The Department of Antiquities (Archeology) of the Kamyanets-Podilskyi State Historical Museum-Reserve is located in the former palace of the Armenian bishop, which was founded in the 15th century as a trading house.

After the Turkish invasion, the commandant of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, Yan de Vitte, settled in the house.

The archeological exposition is based on a collection of antiquities, which began to be collected in the XIX century. The halls of the museum recreate the dwellings of ancient man, exhibit ancient tools, household items of the people who inhabited Podillya from ancient times to the baptism of Rus.

In the courtyard is a lapidary of pagan idols.

Mykhaylivsky Park is a park-monument of garden and park art of national significance. The total area of ​​the park is 15 hectares.

In 1720, Mykhaylo Makovetsky began the construction of a defensive castle in Svystivka, which he renamed Mykhailivka. In 1848, his son Stefan-Frantsishek developed a project for the development of the fortification. So the old garden was transformed into a landscape park.

The next owner of the estate (Stefan-Leon) completed the reconstruction of the castle into a neo-Gothic palace and the arrangement of the park. Among other things, banana yuccas grew here. Research was conducted in the field of breeding and acclimatization. At the beginning of the 20th century, visitors could buy seedlings of rare trees, shrubs and flowers. Pedestrian paths were laid and park sculptures were installed. An openwork bridge led guests from the park to the island.

During the Soviet-Ukrainian war, most of the buildings were destroyed. Only separate elements of the grotto on the lake and the foundation of the stables of the Makovetsky manor have been preserved.

In the 1920s, the park was transferred to the Kamyanets-Podilskyi Agricultural Institute. Professor Oleksiy Lypa noted the collection of woody plants, which includes about 250 taxa.

Mynkivtsi dendrological park was founded in 1958-1960. on the initiative of the head of forestry Serhiy Bulba. In 1969, the Arboretum received the status of a nature reserve.

The first seedlings were brought from the Kamyanets-Podilskyi Botanical Garden and the Novoushytskyi nursery. Currently, more than 200 taxa of different plants are represented in the park, the total area of ​​which is 3 hectares. Particular attention should be paid to the oils of western thuja and evergreen boxwood, barberry, birch and juniper. Among other noteworthy species are two-lobed ginkgo, Weymouth pine, cedar pine (Siberian), velvet trees, Kelreiteria hurtovina, Kuril bush tea, bush sekurinega, soap and suction trees, Japanese bunduk, Virginia persimmon.

In addition, there is a nursery for ornamental plants on the territory of the park.

The National Nature Park "Podilski Tovtry" with its administrative center in the city of Kamyanets-Podilskyi was created in 1996 to preserve the unique natural landscapes of Podillya.

Tovtry (Toltry) is the local name of a mountainous arched ridge, the height of which within the park reaches 401 meters above sea level. The ridge is the remains of an ancient barrier reef that formed 15-25 million years ago in the coastal zone of the Miocene sea. The microclimate of Kamyanetske Transnistria is formed by the Tovtry ridge and the canyons of the Dniester and its tributaries, so there are special conditions for the preservation of rare and relict plants, among which most are medicinal.

There are many caves within the park, the most famous of which is Atlantis (the village of Zavalne). There is a huge supply of mineral waters. One of the most interesting tour routes runs from the village of Verbka through Verbetska Tovtra to Karmalyukova Mountain.

The Museum of History and Local Lore in Nova Ushytsia was opened in 1992.

The museum has about 2,000 exhibits that cover the history of the region from ancient times to the present.

In particular, the exposition presents a diorama of the Ushytsia defense in 1941.

The photo exhibition "Glorious Sons of Ukraine" has been opened, highlighting the participation of the residents of the district in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The Novoplanivsky Bridge in Kamyanets-Podilskyi connects the Old Town with the so-called "Noviy Plan" - the current administrative center of the city.

In the middle of the 19th century, when the provincial center of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, with the growth of the population and the bureaucratic apparatus, became cramped within the medieval walls, the idea of expanding the city beyond the Smotrych Canyon arose. The decision was made in 1859 during the visit of the Russian Emperor Oleksandr II, who was fascinated by the view of the city from the hill near where the Oleksandr Nevsky Cathedral is now located. Five years later, construction began, and in 1872, the Novoplaniv bridge with a wooden deck on stone bulls was put into operation.

Simultaneously with the laying of the bridge, the city gardener Severyn Kovalsky laid out a park.

From the bridge over the deep canyon of Smotrych, a breathtaking view of the medieval towers and walls of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, rocks above the ribbon of the river with a natural waterfall and a park with figures of deer on the hills and stones opens up.

Jews settled in Dunaivtsi since the days of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and were mainly engaged in trade and crafts. During the Liberation War of 1648, most of the city's Jews died.

In the 18th century, the Dunaivtsi Jewish community recovered. Textile enterprises were opened. In the 19th century, Jews received the right to tailor and shoemaking, and opened a tobacco factory.

In 1847, the community purchased land for a Jewish cemetery on the territory of the neighboring village of Sschyntsi. In 1890, there were 11 synagogues, a synagogue, and a Jewish hospital in Dunaivtsi. At that time, the Jewish population made up more than 60% of the total number of city residents. At the beginning of the 20th century, the community actively developed industry, leased iron foundries and distilleries, owned cloth factories, printing houses, pharmacies, hotels, and shops.

During the Second World War, the Jews suffered greatly. The most tragic events are related to the massacre in the Dunaivtsi Phosphorite Mine. In total, more than 12,000 Jews died in Dunaivtsi. In 1965, a monument was erected at the New York cemetery to commemorate the Holocaust in Dunaivtsi.

During the Soviet period, the Jewish quarters, which were emptied, were actively built up. The last synagogue survived, in the building of which a state institution is located these days.

The Grand Cathedral of Oleksandr Nevsky is the main Orthodox church in Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

The neo-Byzantine style cathedral was built in 1893 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Podillya "accession" to Russia. The temple was built with public funds collected by the Oleksandr Nevsky Guardianship. The building was impressive in its grandeur and was one of the most beautiful temples in Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

Oleksandr Nevsky Cathedral had a large main dome and four semi-domes on the sides, a small bell tower was located above the western entrance. The main altar of the cathedral was dedicated to Saint Oleksandr Nevsky, in memory of Oleksandr III, the southern altar bore the name of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine, the patroness of Catherine II, and the northern altar - Saint Nicholas. The church premises were heated by steam heating.

The Oleksandr Nevsky Cathedral was destroyed during the years of Soviet power, but after the restoration of Ukraine's independence, the cathedral was rebuilt.

On April 8, 2023, the residents of Kamyanets-Podilskyi unanimously supported the transfer of the Oleksandr Nevsky Cathedral to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. However, the faithful of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate still do not allow the people of Kamyanets-Podilskyi to enter the church.

The palace and park complex in Maliivtsy was built in 1788 by Count Yan Orlovsky, who bought the estate from Yuriy Svirsky. Now the Orlovsky palace is a historical and cultural museum.

The palace in the style of early classicism was built according to the project of the architect Domenico Merlini. A huge library, paintings by Polish artists, a rare numismatic collection, and an archive containing correspondence between Polish kings and Roman popes were stored in luxuriously decorated rooms. Peacocks were walking in the yard between the marble sculptural groups.

The palace was surrounded by an English romantic park, planned by the famous park builder Dionysius Mickler (Mackler) and the gardener Kliger. In the park, located on the slopes of a picturesque stream, 84 types of trees grow: Weymouth pine, beech, 300-year-old ash, etc. A water tower, a bridge, a spring, and two ponds have been preserved in the park. A special historical value is an 18-meter limestone rock with a two-tiered grotto and an artificial waterfall.

Until recently, the Maliivtsi regional children's tuberculosis sanatorium "Svitanok" was located on the territory. On September 30, 2021, by decision of the regional state administration in Maliivtsi, the Maliivtsi Regional Historical and Cultural Museum was created instead of the liquidated sanatorium and the palace of Count Orlovsky was opened for visits.

The castle in Panivtsi was founded in 1590 by Jan Potoski, the elder of Kamyanets, on the basis of older fortifications.

The stone fortifications were surrounded by a deep moat (now filled in). A two-story palace was attached to the defensive wall between the northern towers, a chapel was arranged in the southwestern tower, and a two-story collegium building and a gate tower were located between the southern towers. On the first floor of the palace was the Calvinist printing house, which worked from 1608 to 1611.

During the Liberation War, the Panivtsi Castle was destroyed by the Cossacks, and in 1769-1770 it was partially restored.

In 1840, Count Karol Starzhynskyi built a luxurious two-story palace with arcades (now in ruins) between the two northern towers above Smotrych.

The southern castle wall with a gate tower and a collegium attached to it on both sides is well preserved. Adjacent to the collegium is a church built in 1907 on the basis of the south-western tower-chapel (now the building of culture and village council).

The stables and farm buildings of the count's estate were converted into a village school during Soviet times.

Despite the many reconstructions and the general poor condition, the Panivtsi Castle reflects the evolution of a regular wall castle to a tower castle.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is one of the oldest in Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

The exact date of its construction is unknown. In 1834, during the reconstruction, the date 1580 was discovered on one of its elements. The first documentary evidence of the already existing Peter and Paul Church dates back to 1591 and 1593. Some historians believe that the church is older and attribute it to the period of the reign of the Rus-Lithuanian princes Koriatovych (Koryatovych), who ruled in Podillya until the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century.

The bell tower in the Empire style was built on the ruins of the old bell tower, which was destroyed during the Turkish occupation of the city. The architecture of the temple is characteristic of Podillya. In the harsh border conditions (throughout its medieval history, Kamianets was an outpost of Christianity and blocked the way for the spread of Islam to Europe), religious buildings lost their external decoration and often performed defensive functions.

Of the defense-type Orthodox churches in Kamyanets-Podilskyi, only the three-conch (which resembles a shamrock in plan) church of Saints Peter and Paul has survived to this day.

The Polish Gate is a unique hydrotechnical fortification structure in Kamyanets-Podilskyi, which served simultaneously as a city gate, a defense tower, and a dam.

The well-known military engineer Jov Pretvych, who at that time was reconstructing the Kamyanets-Podilskyi fortress, took part in the construction. The Polish Gate complex consisted of five towers on both sides of the Smotrych River and a dam wall that crossed the canyon. In normal times, the dam kept the high water level on the river above the city. In case of danger, water was launched through the locks into the canyon, which was closed by the Rusky Gate located downstream, and the river level rose, creating a water obstacle for the attackers.

By the end of the 17th century, frequent floods destroyed the dam, but the Nadvrantna, Naskalna, Priberezhna towers and the Barbican have survived to this day. In the 19th century, they were handed over to blacksmiths, and since then they have been called the Blacksmith Towers. On the other side of the river, you can see the Wall Tower, which is now on private property.

From the Polish Gate, you can go up to the Peter and Paul Church by the Farenholtz Stairs.

The Potter's (Honcharska) Tower is a distinctive fortification structure above the Smotrych Canyon, which is well visible from the Novoplanivsky Bridge in Kamyanets-Podilskyi.

The tower was built in the 16th century at the expense of a potter's workshop.

The Potter's Tower is open for visitors. Inside the tower, it is fashionable to walk through the restored galleries, to view the panorama from the loopholes. Exposition tablets with information about the monument and its restoration are also installed in the tower.

The "Stara fortetsya" restaurant has opened in the building adjacent to the Potter's Tower.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, three large wells served as water sources in Dunaivtsi. Residents of the southwestern part of the city had to travel about 1.5 kilometers to the nearest one, until local resident Oleksandr Pyrohov discovered a source of water of high taste and purity.

This is how the "Pyrohov Well" appeared. Before the start of the water pipeline, it served as the main source of water for the Dunaivtsi residents who lived in this area. With the development of urban infrastructure, the value of the source decreased. Nowadays, interest in it has returned due to the quality of the water.

The place also attracts vacationers due to its location in the valley of the Ternava River with an ancient grove. Among tourists, the place is popular for camping, parking and replenishing water supplies.