From Slavsko to the Sredne-Veretsky Pass
A large number of days off in May this year pleased. So there is an opportunity to travel. But switching to a working mode after so many days off also required a certain period. And now, having recovered after the holidays and trips, I want to share my impressions.
Good friends from Slavsko invited us to see what's new for the summer season. Of course on the road!
And, as always, there are no tickets for the Kyiv-Uzhgorod train.
But the tourist will find a way. We decide to try a new route. We buy tickets for the regional train Kyiv-Khmelnitsky. This is a famous train. Leaves Kyiv at 23:19, and at 05:30 already in Khmelnitsky. Then, after three hours, an electric train departs from Khmelnytsky to Lvov, but from Lvov it is “within a stone's throw” to Slavsko.
Of course, it's longer. But you can see Khmelnitsky! To whom is the bazaar, and to whom is an excursion.
The former name of the city was Ploskirov, Proskurov, and only since 1954 the city began to be called Khmelnitsky. In Soviet times, the city was industrial, and in the 90s of the last century, it began to live a new life. The wholesale market "Tolkuchka" or "Cloud" was opened here, which is the third in Europe in terms of sales.
Near the station is the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after. B. Khmelnitsky. It is interesting that border guard specialists are trained here, both for Ukraine and for a number of CIS countries.
We are moving towards the city center. Houses built in the 60s and 70s. The older building is not visible. But on the way we saw a monument to the victims of Afghanistan. This is the most correct monument to those who died in this war.
And in the park near the city hall on the alley there are about two dozen beautiful benches that have become the property of the city.
Forward to the station and on the road.
We are moving from Khmelnitsky to Lviv without interruption, and then to Slavsko.
Platform Slavsko, meeting with friends and in 5 minutes we are there.
"The Arefievs' Manor" cordially welcomes all visitors.
Modern rooms (certainly with all amenities), family comfort, reasonable prices - all this is the key to a great holiday. It is not the first year that the Arefyev Estate has been included in the catalog of the best recreational facilities in this region and has the status of an original one. Each room is individually decorated and decorated with paintings. The estate, created by the friendly family of Oksana and Dima Arefievs, has been annually hosted by artists from Ukraine and abroad for more than one year.
And after they are held, you can buy paintings at the Maxim Gallery (there are also souvenirs), which is located at the station (which is convenient! ), and also see in every room of the estate.
Artists are known to leave their mark on the canvas.
So in the "Manor of the Arefievs" there was a tradition to leave their mark on the wall. Right on the river stone that decorates the wall in the dining room. Original and educational!
And in the morning we are waiting for the novelty of the season. This year, a few-hour trip from Slavsko to the Sredne-Veretsky pass is added to the excursions. "Iron Horse", i. e. a car called Niva is waiting. So on the road. The road is going to be interesting.
The first settlement is the town of Tukhlya. The events described by Ivan Franko in the story Zakhar Berkut took place here. The militia defeated the Mongol-Tatars. In gratitude, the well of Ivan Franko and the monument to the writer with the liberators stand by the road.
The road smoothly passes into the village of Golovetsko. At the entrance to the mountain you can see a beautiful new wooden church of the Epiphany of the Lord. The old one burned down a few years ago, but the bell tower survived.
The next settlement is Plavia. Through it runs the road to the recreation center Play, located on the mountain of the same name.
And after 6 km a village with a nice name Tukholka. It is known that for the first time it was mentioned in the charter of Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky back in 1552. Oleksa Dobvush has also been here. And Zakhar Berkut is from Tukholka.
Next, a small pass and drive into the village of Klimets. There is a legend that the village was located a few kilometers from the current place and it was called Blade. People lived and worked. But one day there was a big problem. From an unknown disease they began to die like flies. They thought they would die. But one person remained alive and his name was Klim. He became the first settler in the new village. From him, the family multiplied, and the village was reborn.
They named him Klimets in his honor. There stands the Church of St. Euchrastia or the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It was built in 1925 on the site of one that burned down during the war.
And this village is the last before the Sredne-Veretsky pass. The road begins to rise up, then there is a serpentine.
The pass now has no former weighty value. But he left a mark in history. It was the only pass through the mountains that separates the Lviv region from the Transcarpathian region.
We honor the Hungarians, according to legend, it was through this pass in 895 that the Hungarian tribes, led by Arpad, came to Europe and settled in Pannonia (Tiso-Danube lowland).
Ukrainians honor the memory of those who died in 1939, as well as the soldiers-liberators of 1944.
The famous Druzhba oil pipeline passes a little aside.
The road is well preserved, the holes are not. But narrow. And it's hard to even imagine that all transit transport to Europe passed here! And the Hungarian buses Ikarusa following the route Lviv-Uzhgorod...
A wonderful panorama of the surroundings opens from the pass, there are meadows of flowers.
But after the ascent there is always a descent. Villages replace each other: Verbyazh, Lower Gate, Upper Gate. We are located in the Volovets district of the Transcarpathian region, and Volovets is an urban-type settlement. The Kyiv-Lvov-Chop railway passes through it, the Brest-Kyiv international highway passes a few kilometers from here, as well as the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod gas pipeline.
The road leads to the village of Guklyve. Here is the oldest wooden church in the area - the Holy Spirit, built in the 18th century. It is noteworthy that an old manuscript has been preserved in the village - known as the “Gukli Chronicle”, from which you can find out the whole history of the village.
With an average speed of 40-50 km / h, we calmly drive and enjoy the view from the window. Glades of flowers fascinate with their beauty.
The series of villages continues. Here we drove through Podobovets, Mezhhirya region. By the road Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in 1785. A few kilometers from Podobonets is the famous Shypit waterfall.
That's how changing areas, the road forward and forward. And the next village is Pylypets. This is a famous ski resort. It has several lifts, both skiers and snowboarders ride. The main groups of tourists to the Shipit waterfall are taken from Pylypets.
And so we got to the very depths. The villages of Upper and Lower Studeny smoothly pass one into another. It is noteworthy that in the villages there are corners untouched by civilization. Ethno-villages in reality!
Behind Nizhniy Studeny there is a signboard with directions to Lake Vita. It's time to take a breather. After all, just over 100 km have already been covered.
The road turns right and the asphalt ends, but the primer that has begun is in excellent condition. A little up, a little down and we are in front of the gates of the Lake Vita eco-complex. It is also called Khoschevanskoye Lake. It is artificially created and consists of a cascade of several lakes.
You can fish and swim there. The complex also has a number of wooden houses, barbecue, sauna, horseback riding. Everything is greatly ennobled, but there are advantages to this.
After eating ice cream, we go further. We have to return to the Lviv region.
A small pass and we are already in Volosyanka, and this is 7 kilometers from Slavsko.
Volosyanka is well known as another ski resort. And in the summer - cycling.
And so our trip around the ring ended. The total length of the road was 115 km.
An excellent route, a lot of new and unusual. Thanks to the "Manor of the Arefyevs" for its opening, and to all vacationing lovers of the Carpathians to ride along such a ring.
