Ukraine – Central-West (Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi) June 21, 2019
VINNYTSIA
Podolsky Zoo. This small zoo had a few unusual animals I have not seen in zoos recently: elands, curly pigeons, . The cages are dated and there is not much of a selection. The huge brown bear was in a small cage sliding around on his urine. 70 UAH
Multimedia Fountain Roshen On a 60 x 6 metre raft in the middle of the River, this fountain has many combinations of sprays. A walkway and bleachers have been constructed to see it all. Classical music plays in the background. It is not Bellagios or Burj Kalifa but it is quite nice. Roshen is a confectioner manufacturer. Free
National Pirogov’s Estate Museum. In the NM “House Museums/Plantations” series, Nilolay Pirogov (1824-1881) was born in Moscow and started his medical education at age 14, graduating at 18 and then left for Estonia to train as a surgeon. His thesis was “Tieing the abodominal aorta”. Over his life he worked as a surgeon and anatomy professor eventually retiring to this house in 1866.
The house is a museum with hundreds of drawings and photos of his contemporaries, surgical instruments, documents, pickled organs and impressive anatomical drawings. Walk up the long driveway through the 15ha park to the house. 70 UAH + 30 for the pharmacy (not worthwhile).
KAMYANETS-PODILSKYI
Kamianets-Podilskyi History Museum. One of the oldest museums of Ukraine (1890), it has icons, Italian art and marble, paintings, sculpture, vintage furniture (including a great pump organ), money, medieval torture, and finally archaeology of Podolia from stone age to the 13th century. 50 UAH
Kamianets-Podilskiy Castle. This is a former Ruthenian-Lithuanian castle and a later three-part Polish fortress located in the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi in the historic region of Podolia in the western part of the country. Its name is attributed to the root word kamin’, from the Slavic word for stone.
Historical accounts date Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the early 14th century, although recent archaeological evidence has proved human existence in the area back to the 12th or 13th century. Initially built to protect the bridge connecting the city with the mainland, the castle sits on top of a peninsula carved out by the winding Smotrych River, forming a natural defense system for Kamianets-Podilskyi’s historic Old Town neighborhood.
Its location on a strategic transport crossroad in Podolia made the castle a prime target for foreign invaders, who rebuilt the castle to suit their own needs, adding to its multicultural architectural diversity. Specifically, the complex consists of the Old Town fortified by King Casimir IV, the Old Castle rebuilt by Kings Sigismund I and Stephen Báthory, and the New Castle founded by Kings Sigismund III and Władysław IV. However, in spite of the many architectural and engineering changes to the original structure, the castle still forms a coherent architectural design, being one of the few medieval constructions in modern-day Ukraine that is relatively well preserved.
The complex is a candidate UNESCO World Heritage Site, nominated in 1989, and also one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine. Today, Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is the most recognized landmark of the city.
Museum of Miniatures Castles of Ukraine. In the castle, “Castles of Ukraine” is an open air miniature museum with beautiful replicas (1:20) of the 16 most famous castles of Ukraine recreated to the smallest detail.
There is a number of old castles and fortified palaces all over Ukraine, especially in its western part, and you will need a lot of time to see them all. Since 2017, in the castle, you can do it in half an hour.
Podolski Tovtry Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park. The park’s area is 2,613.16 km², the largest conservation area in Ukraine. There are 1,700 different types of flora, 217 different types of fauna, 29 of which are included in the Red Book of Ukraine.
The park is divided into several functional zones: sacred zone, regulated recreation zone, stationary recreation zone, and managed zone. In those zones are located 21 stationary recreation institutions (such as sanatoriums, profilactoriums, tourist resorts, holiday homes, etc.), some 160 industrial companies, collective and individual farming that cause harm to nature.
The parks natural borders serve Zbruch River to the west (south from the Sataniv town), Dniester to the south towards the mouth of Ushytsia River. The park includes some 14% of state forest fund, over 13% of collective farm forests, and other territories of region. The total forest fund of the park accounts for some 3,015 hectares (7,450 acres).
GO TO UKRAINE – WEST SOUTHERN
NOMAD MANIA Ukraine – Central-West (Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi)
World Heritage Sites:
Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany Struve Geodetic Arc
Tentative WHS: Cultural Landscape of Canyon in Kamenets-Podilsk (13/09/1989) Sights: Orthodox Cave Monastery, Bakota
Borders:
Belarus-Ukraine
Moldova ‘proper’-Ukraine
Moldova Transnistria-Ukraine
Museums: Busha: Busha Ethnographic Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Radomysl Castle (Museum of Ukrainian Icons)
World of Nature
Podolski Tovtry Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park (Sight)
Upper Pobozhia
Caves: Atlantida Cave
European Cities:
BERDYCHIV
KHMELNITSKYI
KAMYANETS-PODILSKYI
Museums:
Kamianets-Podilskyi History Museum
Museum of Miniatures Castles of Ukraine (in Castle)
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Kamianets-Podilskiy Castle
VINNYTSIA
Sight: Multimedia Fountain Roshen, Vinnytsia
Airports: Vinnytsia (VIN)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Vinnytsia Trams
House Museums/Plantations: National Pirogov’s Estate Museum
Zoos: Podolsky Zoo
ZHYTOMYR
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Zhytomyr Trams
Museums: Sergey Koryolov Astronautics Museum