UKRAINE VACATION: GO WEST
Alexandra Matoshko
Kyiv Post
Jul 3, 2009, 19:06
Captivating beauty of the Carpathian landscapes and clear mountain
air create perfect atmosphere for a recreational holiday. Western
Ukraine is rich in culture, diversity and history. This is partly
due to a history of being ruled in the past by different countries,
including Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It offers numerous
opportunities for a perfect summer holiday.
You can explore its cities, blessed with a rich mix of architecture
and monuments, or go hiking and rock climbing in the very green
Carpathian Mountains. Mineral water spas and their hotel complexes at
the foothills of the Carpathians offer a good option for vacationers
looking to be pampered and improve their health via traditional
methods.
Lion City Lviv, the largest and most famous city in western Ukraine,
was founded in the mid-13th century. Legend has it that Ukraine’s
only King, Danylo, founded and named the city in honor of his son,
Lev, which means a lion in Ukrainian.
Occupied for centuries thereafter by Poles and Austro-Hungarians,
the city is just 70 kilometers from the Polish border, making Lviv a
perfect stopover for any trip planned to Poland. Due to its history,
the city’s architecture resembles medieval European towns, such as
Poland’s Krakow and the Czech Republic’s Prague, more than any other
place in Ukraine.
It’s a great town for walking. The ‘old city,’ located in downtown
Lviv, is dominated by cobble-stone streets, each with its own unique
mix of three-story buildings and churches of various styles and
from various centuries. Baroque, renaissance and classical styles,
as well as Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, all blend and
beautifully coexist in this city center, which has been included into
the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Starting in the 15th century, monks of different orders flocked to
Lviv, a busy trading town between east and west. They built churches
of various denominations leaving a lasting impression on the city’s
picturesque skyline.
The oldest church in town, dating back to the Kyiv Rus empire days, is
St. Mykola’s. But the crown jewel of all Lviv churches is the Armenian
Cathedral, built in 1363. Other must see sites, all just blocks apart,
include the Market Square (16th-19th centuries), Kornyakta Tower
and the citadel. Don’t miss the opportunity to see Lviv from above,
by venturing up to the High Castle Park, all the way to the top of
Vysoky Zamok tower. It offers an eye-opening panoramic view of this
magnificent city.
If you’re into the art, Lviv has much to offer from opera and ballet at
its famous Opera Theater, to dingy drama theatres scattered throughout
the city. If you want to enjoy Lviv like the locals do, just wander
all day from one cafe to another and sit for hours chatting with
friends. Lviv is famous for its coffee-shops, confectionaries and
restaurants.
Recommended venues include Kumpel (6 Vinnichenka, ),
designed in Polish style with a touch of retro; exotic Masoch-cafe
(7 Serbska, ), named and themed after the
famous Lviv-born writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and Kryivka
(14 Ploshcha Rynok, ) that bears a partisan
theme. To enjoy the best of Lviv coffee, go to Pid Synyoyu Plyashkoyu
(4 Ruska), a remake of the first Vienna coffee house, Zolotiy Ducat
(20 Ivana Fedorova), Italiyskiy Dvoryk (6 Ploshcha Rynok) and Cafe
No. 1 (5 Kafedralna). Some of the best desserts in Lviv are found in
Tsukernya (3 Staroyevreyska) and Veronica (21 Prospekt Shevchenka,
). Lviv’s popular art cafes include Pid Klepsydroyu
(35 Virmenska) and festival-restaurant Livy Bereh inside the Opera
House (45 Prospekt Svobody).
Truskavets, located 100 km from Lviv along the foothills of the
Carpathian Mountains, is a breath of fresh air mixed with 14 natural
mineral water springs believed to have healing qualities.
Along with Lviv, Chernivtsi is considered a cultural center of Western
Ukraine. Its architecture is a blend of Byzantine, baroque and gothic
styles. There are also remnants of Romanian and Turkish presence
in Chernivtsi, which winding streets and buildings are literally
built upon a hill. About an hour drive northeast, travelers can
get a glimpse of two of Ukraine’s best preserved castles, in Khotyn
and Kamyanetsk-Podilsk. Also in the area, in Podvirne, you’ll find
Zolushka cave, which has three levels and about 90 kilometers of
underground labyrinths.
Ivano-Frankivsk region If you wish to spend your holidays climbing
mountains, breathing fresh air, picking mushrooms and berries,
Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattya regions have everything you need. The
highest mountain of Ukraine, Hoverla (2,061 meters high) stands tall
bordering both regions and other scenic peaks in this mountainous
home to the Hutsul people, a proud and ancient ethnos.
A popular tourist center where you can start off your trip is Yaremche,
located just 60 kilometers from Ivano-Frankivsk. It has both budget and
upscale accommodation, traditional Kolyba-styled mountain restaurants,
souvenir markets and a picturesque water fall. From there, you can
hitch a ride on the Carpathian Tram, a diesel train running between
Ivano-Frankivsk and Rakhiv, near the Romanian border. On the way
you can stop at Vorokhta, a lovely village spread out on various
mountain slopes. It has one of the oldest bridges in Ukraine –
a railway bridge built under the Austro-Hungarian rule. Further
down the road is Yablunytsya village, located high up on a plain
with a spectacular view of Ukraine’s highest peaks. Not far away
is the famous town of Verkhovyna, where the Hutsul culture has been
strongly preserved. Surrounded by high peaks, the village seems to
have escaped the invasion of modern civilization. Ancient customs,
legends and fairy tales still flourish here. If you decide to venture
up the mountain from Verkhovyna region, Pop-Ivan peak, home to an
old Polish observatory, is a good choice.
Picturesque Kryvorivnya village, which also stretches along the
Cheremosh River, was a popular resting place and a source of
inspiration for Ukrainian writers and historians, including Ivan
Franko, Mykhailo Kotsyubynskiy, Mykhailo Hrushevskiy and Lesya
Ukrayinka. It was also the setting for the cult movie "Shadows of
Forgotten Ancestors," made by the legendary Soviet film director Sergei
Parajanov in 1964. Local Hutsuls played extras in the movie. You can
visit a small museum dedicated to the movie with artifacts preserved
by the local enthusiasts.
Further towards Romania one finds the secluded Burkut and Zelene
villages, famous for their mineral water springs. Not far from Zelene
there is one the most beautiful Carpathian lakes, Maricheyka.
Zakarpattya Zakarpattya borders Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia,
and was influenced by each in some way. Locals also claim that one
of its towns, Rakhiv, is the geographical center of Europe. Engulfed
by mountain peaks, a stone sign with a description in Latin dating
back to 1887 stands in downtown Rakhiv as proof of the city’s claim
to fame. The beauty of this town situated along the Tisa River,
can’t be questioned.
Uzhgorod, located along the border with Hungary and Slovakia, is a
capital of the Zakarpattya region. Uzhgorod Castle stands prominently
downtown and above much of this city, which was the residence of an
ancient Slavic prince called Laborets.
In nearby Hust you can climb up Zamkova Mountain for an amazing
view of the Tisa River, much of the Transylvania region, even into
Romania. "Daffodil Valley," the only reserve of daffodils in Europe,
is located five kilometers from Hust.
Tyachiv, founded in 13th century on the right bank of Tisa River
is a small, quiet town with four different churches – Reformatory,
Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic and Orthodox.
Vynohradiv, founded in the 9th century by the Hungarians, who still
live in the region and speak little Russian or Ukrainian, has many
wineries. Isabella and Leanka vines are cultivated here. Visit the
ruins of Kanko Castle (13th century) and Franciscan Church of the
15th century.
A popular tourism center deep in Zakarpattya region’s Carpathian
Mountains is Mizhhirya, from where you can get a tour to Sinevyr Lake,
known as the "pearl of the Carpathians." Close to town is Shepit
waterfall and Verkhovyna sanatorium in Soimy village, where mineral
water of Yessentuki type is believed to cure many ills. The town is
surrounded by mountains with beautiful panoramic views opening from
two passes.
If you plan on doing a lot of hiking and mountain climbing,
Yasinya village, with its several tourist bases, cafes and kolybas
is a perfect place. Touristic routs spread from the village towards
mountains Hoverla, Petros and Bliznitsa. Zakarpattya region also has
a popular mineral water resort that can be reached by train, Svalyava.