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UKRAINE
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the
Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the
northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the
west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black
Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively.
It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest
contiguous country on the European continent, after the
Russian Federation.
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HOTYN
This small ancient town, whose remarkable and difficult history is over a
thousand years old, is one of the most important tourist and cultural centers
of Bukovyna. It is so appealing to travelers because of its unique fortress
that played a significant role in the history of many European countries. It is
areal masterpieceof thefortification art, oneof themost powerful and well-
preserved citadelson theterritory of modern Ukraine.
No one knows for sure where the town’s unusual name comes from. Some
think that it was derived from the name of the settlement's founder - the
male name Hotyn was fairly common in those days. Others are sure that
there is a connection with the Slavic word 'hotin',’ meaning 'desired.’ It is
easier to believe in the latter version since Hotyn was an envied prize for
many - over its history, it has been a part of various principalities, empires
and kingdoms.
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“A stone flower on the rock” — that is how the early twentieth-century
Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrayinka called Kamyanets-Podilsky, and this poetic
description doesfit theimageof thisold town very well.
It is one of those places for the description of which it is so difficult to find
proper words, and one is reduced to making a banal statement of the you’ve-
got-to-see-it-to-get-the-right-impression kind. Even looking — another
inevitable trite remark — at good-quality, artistic photographs will not
producean impression adequateto theoneyou get when you walk itsstreets.
KAMYANETS-
PODILSKY
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KIEVO-PECHERSKA LAVRA
Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: Києво-Печерська лавра,
Kyievo-Pechers’ka lavra), also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a
historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city
districts where it is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.Since its foundation as
the cave monastery in 1051 the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern
Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. Together with theSaint SophiaCathedral,
it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery complex is
considered a separate national historic-cultural preserve (sanctuary), the national
status to which was granted on March 13, 1996. The Lavra also not only located in
another part of the city, but is part of a different national sanctuary than Saint
Sophia Cathedral. While being a cultural attraction, the monastery is currently
active. It was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine on August 21, 2007,
based on voting by expertsand theinternet community.
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SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is an outstanding architectural monument
of Kievan Rus'. Today, it is one of the city's best known landmarks and the
first Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along
with the Kiev Cave Monastery complex. Aside from its main building, the
cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell
tower, the House of Metropolitan, and others. In 2011 the historic site was
reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development
of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. One of the reasons for
that move was the fact that both "Sofia Kyivska" and Kiev Pechersk Lavra
are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program as one complex,
whilein Ukrainethetwo weregoverned by different government entities.
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HOVERLA MOUNTAIN
Hoverla Mountain is the highest mountain in Ukraine and part of the
Carpathian Mountains. The mountain is located in the Eastern Beskides, in
the so-called Chornohora region. The slopes are covered with beech and
spruce forests, above which there is a belt of sub-alpine meadows called
polonyna in Ukrainian. At the eastern slope there is the main spring of the
Prut river. The mountain is cone-shaped, the top of it is a small flat area,
that allows admiring the landscape within a radius of 360 degrees. It
belongs to Chernohora mountain range and lies near town Rakhiv, the
geographical center of Europe.
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OLESKO CASTLE
Olesko castle is oldest preserved castle on the territory of Western Ukraine
(Galicia) and the only fortress of Kiev Rus period. It raises above a
wonderful park on a 50 meters natural hill near the town Olesko, Lviv
region. This monument of architecture has oval form, its walls are 10
meters high and 2.5 meters wide. The castle was built in XIII century on
the crossroads of old trade routes from Hungary to Volyn. The first time it
was mentioned in 1327, in 1390 it was given to Galician catholic
archbishop by the Pope Bonifacius IX. From XV to XVII century it was
attacked many times by Tatars. During one of these attacks in 1629 Jan III
Sobieski, the king of Poland that saved Europe from Turks, was born here.
In 1640 another polish king, Michal Korybut Wisniowiecki was born here
aswell.
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PALANOK CASTLE in MUKACHEVO
Thisuniquecastleisoneof themost valuablearchitectural and historical
monumentsof XIV-XVII centuries. And itsbeautiful name"Palanok" it
received dueto ditch fencesPalankaaround it in adeep ditch. Theentire
palacecomplex issurrounded with stone3-3.5 m thick wallsand deep
ditches, which you can go through only on several wooden bridges. Also
around thecastlePalanok thereare8 bastionsthat werebuilt in theXVII
century to contain artillery.
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POCHAYIV LAVRA
Pochaev Lavrais located on oneof thepicturesquehillsat an altitudeof 75
meters above level of the sea. According to historical sources the Lavra
was established in the 13th century. The history of Lavra establishment
tells us that to the mountain abode fled the monks from the Kiev-
Pecherskaya Lavra after the devastating attacks of Tatars. The
establishment of themonastery is linked to themonk well-known under the
nameof St. Methodius.
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ASSEMBLY OF RYNOK SQUARE in LVIV
The Rynok Square in Lviv is a central square of the city of Lviv, Ukraine.
It was planned in the second half of the 14th century, following granting
city rights by Polish king Casimir III, who annexed Red Ruthenia. The
king ordered Lviv to be moved more to the south, where a new city was
built to the plan of a traditional European settlement: a central square
surrounded by living quarters and fortifications. Old, Ruthenian Lviv had
become a suburb of the new city. The square is rectangular in shape, with
measurements of 142 meters by 129 meters and with two streets radiating
out of every corner. In the middle there was a row of houses, with its
southern wall made by the Town Hall. However, when in 1825 the tower
of the Town Hall burned, all adjacent houses were demolished and a new
hall, with a 65-meter tower, was built in 1835 by architects J. Markl and F.
Trescher.
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KORSUN SHEVCHENKIVSYI
• Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast
(province) in central Ukraine. The city rests on the banks of the Ros' River,
and is the administrative center of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi Raion
(district).
• A fortress Korsun was founded in 1032 by the Kievan Rus' prince
Yaroslav the Wise and served the protection of Kiev from Nomads from
the southern steppe regions. The name of the city comes from the Greek
city of Chersones (translated as Korsun) on the Crimean Peninsula. In
1240, Korsun was destroyed by Batu Khan. In 1584, a military base was
established in thecity.
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ZHOVKVA TOWN
Zhovkva is a city in the Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, north
of Lviv. It is the administrative center of the Zhovkivskyi Raion (district).
The current estimated population is 13,500. The old city of Zhovkva lies
near the foot of one of the steep ledges belonging to the hilly range of
Roztochya – Mount Haray which rises 150 meters above the adjacent plain
of Lesser Polissya.
The Old Slavonic Vynnyky, the medieval Zhovkva, Nesterov of the Soviet
times, and Zhovkva again… The city often changed its name, and every
historical epoch introduced some characteristic features to its image. In
1951 the Soviet regime went as far as renaming Zhovkva to Nesterov in
honor of a Russian pilot who was killed here in September 1914. Nesterov
was famous for being the first one to perform the so-called “loop” in his
airplane.