Have you been to Ternopil region?
HAVE YOU BEEN IN TERNOPOL?
I was not. And when friends from the recreation center "OVER THE STRIPOY" invited to the opening of a new route, she said loudly: Yes, I'm going. I am going to see this truly historical land with my own eyes.
A day to get ready, a night on the road and a new day at dawn we meet at the Ternopil railway station. There are still three hours before the arrival of our transport, so we set off to get to know the city.
After wandering through the narrow streets and practically not meeting the local population (yes, this is not an industrial city), we go out to the square. The central place is occupied by the "Old Castle", built in 1548. And going down the stairs, we find ourselves in a park, laid out on the shore of a huge artificial lake. It is also called the Ternopil Sea.
The busik has already arrived, and we are moving further along the Ternopil region. The territory that, after the revolution of 1917 and as a result of the civil war and the Polish intervention, became part of Poland. In 1939, the Ternopil region, together with western Ukraine, was reunited with the Ukrainian SSR. This is such a historical land. And in the geographical sense, this is the Podolsk Upland, along which we smoothly roll to the north of the region.
First stop Zał ozhcy. A small town with a population of about three thousand people, but surprisingly rich in history. It is known that after the death of the owner Olesko, Peter from Xiang, Zalozhtsy in 1483, among other lands, passed to his heir Alexander. And some time later, in 1511, King Sigismund the Old donated these lands to the Kamenetsky family, who built the castle here through the efforts of Martin Kamenetsky.
Later, these lands were owned by well-known families of magnates - Pototsky and Vishnevetsky. The latter converted the fortress into a cloth factory in the 17th century, then into a brewery. But the town reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of the crown hetman Dmitry Vyshnevetsky, who expanded the stronghold and increased the number of garrison to three thousand soldiers. It was they who in the bloody year of 1675 withstood the assault of the Turkish army.
There is a legend about an interesting event connected with this time. The Tatar army, which had already robbed and burned the city, approached the castle, which was well fortified and had large supplies of provisions and ammunition. Before the assault, which promised to be bloody, protracted and difficult, the commanders of the Tatars decided to enlist the support of the gods, and for this they used a black chicken, which they carried out in front of their ranks. The frightened chicken rushed into the Tatar army, which was taken as a bad omen, after which the enemies retreated from the Zalojtsy without a fight. True, the city suffered so much that the king, by his decree, canceled taxes for the inhabitants (those who survived) for 12 years.
Not far from the castle are the ruins of the church of St. Anthony, built, according to some sources, in the 15th century. In 1730 it was restored and was a combination of different architectural styles - Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Princes Konstantin and Janusz Vishnevetsky found peace in its crypts.
Nature does its own thing - sprouted tree roots are everywhere. And it's a pity if it all perishes. Urgent conservation is required, because even the ruins cause admiration for this structure.
Passing through the center Zalozhtsev got acquainted with the Church of the Intercession. True, it is relatively young - 1740. At first it was built as a church. In the second half of the 19th century, it was rebuilt and now represents an example of late Baroque architecture.
We leave this town and head on. Dear we pass New Oleksinets. In the center of the village is the Church of the Exaltation of the Honest Christ (1846). The peculiarity of the church is that the bell tower is not located on the axis of symmetry of the church.
In the village of Ocheretnoye on a mountain, in the reflections of the rays of the sun, which decided to pamper us, a temple is visible. Having overcome the ascent, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary appears before the eyes.
The sign above the entrance says that it was built in 1912. True, according to other sources, her age is much older - 1784. A cemetery has been laid out on the adjacent territory. After wandering and not meeting anyone, we go down to the car and continue the route.
The road rolls on, but not always. It happens that she "jumps". And at such moments we envy those who ride in real sleighs pulled by horses. And there are a lot of them here. Local residents replaced the "iron" horses with live ones. And they did the right thing - and cheaper and for the safety of their lives the best way. Meanwhile, Mr. Pochaev appears from around the corner. After admiring the well-known monastery, we turn right and head to the Svyato-Dukhovsky Skete, located just 4 km from Pochaevskaya
Having begun its existence in 1219, the monastery, after all the ups and downs in its history, continues to live. Many come here and stay for the rest of their lives. It is known that Saint Methodius lived in the monastery until the age of 137. But today is a weekday and practically none of the 35 people of the "population" of the monastery met us.
There are three churches open on the territory: the Holy Spirit, St. Seraphim of Sarov and All Saints. It can be seen that the restoration is in full swing. The skete also impresses with its shrines: the first temple in the world in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, an icon of the reverend, written on a stone, on which the saint prayed for 1000 days and nights; the weeping face of St. Methodius, the founder of the monastery, the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God, called the Quick Hearer.
And there is also a wonderful well with a depth of 108m. It is still a mystery how the monks were able to dig a well of such depth. It is said that water reaches from top to bottom in a few seconds. And to raise the water, two large tubs are used at once (30 liters each): an empty tub, which descends into the well, “helps” to rise up full. I could not lift, even an empty tub.
Road-road, it's good that we are accompanied by experienced guides. It was they who brought us to Kremenets. Yes, not just to the city, but to the famous Stone Castle. Too bad it's ruins. Although they are impressive. On the mountain that is located above the city, the remains of the walls are clearly visible throughout the plateau.
The stone castle arose in the 12th century on the top of the Castle Hill (Bona) on the site of an ancient Russian settlement. In the 15th century, by order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vitovt, it was fortified with defensive walls. The flowering is associated with the name of the Neapolitan princess Bona Sforza, the wife of the Polish king Sigismund I, who gave her Kremenets in 1536. A relative of the Roman emperor fortified the castle and turned it into a luxurious residence.
Since that time, legends have circulated in the city about her beauty, temperament, sophistication in intrigues, but also about extreme cruelty. In 1648 the castle was taken and destroyed by the Cossack detachment of M. Krivonos. A tower with a gate and defensive walls have been preserved. They say that if you arrive in the morning, you can take amazing pictures overlooking the city. We were at sunset, but that didn't stop us.
And again on the road. The road with turns smoothly (not serpentine, but it seems) goes down. And the city of Buchach is waiting for us.
A beautiful small town on the banks of the river. Strips. Having wandered its streets and not meeting the so-called houses of the “New Russians”, I was grateful to the locals who preserved the beauty of their city. Since 1397, the city has been known as the property of the Lithuanian magnates Buchatsky. In the 16th century, the city passed to the Golskys, then to the Pototskys.
They say that in 1672 in Buchach under the Golden Linden tree, which still stands on the road to the village. Sokolov, a peace treaty known as the "Buchach Peace" was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Commonwealth. The border passed along the Strip and divided the city into two parts - eastern (Turkish) and western (Polish). Turkish occupation lasted 11 years.
In 1683 the Polish king Jan III Sobieski visited the city. But the flourishing is associated with the activities of the magnate Potocki family, to whom the city owes its historical development to a large extent. At their expense, with the participation of the outstanding architect Meretin and the famous sculptor Pinzel, many temples and the majestic town hall, which is now the decoration of the city, were built.
The Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin was built under the castle hill near the town hall at the expense of the owner of the city, the Kanev headman N. Potocki, as evidenced by his family coat of arms on the pediment. The inscription on the portal reads: "Out of the desire to have three crosses in Pilyava Potocki, I built the House of the Cross for the glory of God. "
I. Pinzel worked on its interior design for several years. The monumental composition of five altars includes the image of the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus, the figures of St. John the Evangelist, St. Joachim, St. Anna, St. Zazarius, Archangel Michael, St. John Nepomuk, angels, allegorical figures of Quickness and Love, and the composition of God's Glory. After the Soviet devastation, the temple was restored and again receives believers.
The city also has its own castle, or rather ruins. From the XIV century, towering on a hill above the city, it protected Buchach from Tatars and Turks. The fortress was founded in 1379 by local magnates Buchatsky, and three centuries later fortified by new owners Potocki. In 1648, the Cossack army tried to capture it, and in 1665 and 1667 the Tatars unsuccessfully besieged it.
Only in 1672 the Turkish army was able to capture the city and the fortress was destroyed. The Pototskys tried to restore the castle, but in the 19th century it finally lost its significance and was almost completely dismantled for building materials. Only fragments of the walls and towers have survived.
And the majestic monastery of the Holy Cross of the Lord rises on the opposite hill from the castle, in the Fedor tract. It was built for the Basilian Fathers, who were invited to the city by S. Potocki in the 18th century to found a theological school. This is a whole complex, the central structure of which is the Baroque Holy Cross Church with a bell tower (architect I. Shiltser).
On both sides, cells and the Basilian gymnasium adjoin it (now the Buchach Collegium named after St. Josafat). In Soviet times, the monastery was closed and destroyed, but after 1991 a complete restoration was carried out. All buildings, including the hydroelectric power station on the river. Strip, restored and used for their intended purpose.
Women from the S. Pototsky family also took part in the construction. At the expense of the wife of Count S. Potocki, Maria Mogilyanka, cousin of the Kiev Metropolitan P. Mohyla, the Defense Church in honor of St. Nicholas was built. The fortification character of the strict structure located on a hill is guessed by the loopholes on the second tier. We were not able to see the temple inside, which is a pity. After all, inside are a richly decorated iconostasis.
We are leaving a very nice city, but if possible, we will definitely return. I am sure that not everyone has been examined, but the road is already waiting. Barely having time to drive away from Buchach, we find ourselves in the forest kingdom - the recreation center "Nad Stripoyu".
And they fed us, as it should be, in Ukrainian traditions - an excellent lunch, or rather dinner.
In the morning, wandering through the forest, we found confirmation that spring had come - the first snowdrops!!!
And that means summer is coming soon. Unfortunately, time is calling us on the road and on the road again. But now to Ternopil and on the train. It was such an interesting and instructive trip.
Goodbye, Ternopil region. I liked you and I will definitely come back. But already in the summer.
