What to visit in Kharkiv region: singing terraces, chalk mountains, and even their own "Chornobyl”
We can bet that Rubryka's itinerary around the Kharkiv region will blow your socks off
Фото lookmytrips.com
Someone may think the Kharkiv region is not for tourism and travelers, lovers of experience, and there's nothing to do here. But it's not the case. Kharkiv region is not just a territory that surrounds the industrial titan and political life center. The outskirts of the former Ukrainian capital are full of fascinating sights that everyone should see. There is a desert, a salt lake, chalk mountains, legendary forests and steppes, unique museums, ancient estates, and even their own "Chornobyl".
You just need to know how to see the remarkable in the usual, to feel the unique beauty of local nature to find this: Sloboda Ukraine is a diverse and amazing region!
Koenig's Palace in Sharivka
The construction of the Sharivka estate on the banks of the Merchyk River began in the early 19th century. Landowner Pavlo Olkhovskyi ordered the construction of the palace and established an extensive park on the slope of a two-kilometer beam. At the end of the XIX century, the castle's new owner became a sugar manufacturer, Leopold Koenig. Thanks to him, the building acquired its final appearance: two wings and a Gothic three-story defensive tower were added to the old building. The main entrance was made in the same style: a gate with castellations, a house with arrowed windows for protection, a pointed watchtower.
Koenig's Palace is one of the few palaces in the neo-Gothic style that has survived in good condition to this day. You can go inside the palace, walk around the rooms on the first and second floors, look out the windows at the surrounding landscape. From 1925 until recently, the estate housed an anti-tuberculosis sanatorium, its "legacy" is manifested in linoleum, wallpaper, and "converted" rooms, but even this gives the place a certain charisma.
Sharivka Park in Koenig's times was reconstructed by the famous park builder Kufaldt, who decorated it with terraces, stairs, a swimming pool, fountains, and a stone bridge. Now the park is a little overgrown, but it won't prevent a great walk. The highlight of the park is a lime alley with trees, the branches of which grow vertically upwards. To admire it, you should go up the hill. And there's a "Stone of Love" in the park. The legend says that Countess Koenig betrayed her husband near it.
How to get there: from the bus station near the Central Market, you'll need to buy a ticket for the Kharkiv-Krasnokutsk flight and ask the driver to make a stop at the turn to Sharivka. From there, walk a couple of kilometers.
Shydlovskyi's Manor
The estate is much less "advertised" than the famous Sharivka, but no less picturesque. The house was built in the late 1770s as the ancestral estate of the Shydlovsky aristocrats. The estate was passed down from generation to generation until it fell into the hands of state councilor Hryhoriy Shydlovskyi. He decided to rebuild it in the style of King Louis XVI of France. In this form, it has survived until our time. An interesting feature of the estate, which looks more like a palace, is the near absence of sharp corners. They weren't in the living room or a vast ballroom.
During the coup d'état of 1917, the estate was looted, and then the Soviet authorities set up a veterinary college in the estate.
Now the mansion, which underwent an additional test, a fire in 2018, is empty and gradually collapsing, but it won't prevent you from walking around it and take evocative photos.
How to get there: by bus route №650t Kharkiv-Staryi Merchyk. Departure from the "Kholodna Hora" metro station, or by car to the village of Staryi Merchyk. In the village, turn left on the river Sukhyi Merchyk.
Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum
Until 1922, the village of Skovorodynivka was called Pan-Ivanivka. Here was the estate of the Kovalevsky family, where the philosopher, teacher, writer, and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda spent his last days. Today, this house museum, a sample of architecture of the XVIII century, and the park on the shore of the pond are the Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary Memorial Complex.
The museum occupies several halls. Here the philosopher's belongings, books, paintings, documents are stored. There are a lot of mirrors on the premises because Skovoroda considered mirrors to be a way to learn about the inner world of a human being. By the way, you can see a unique violin, which was touched by Skovoroda's hands among the exhibits, the image of this violin is now adorned on a 500-hryvnia banknote.
There's an oak tree in the estate's park, where Hryhorii Skovoroda liked to work. A desk and a chair stood in the tree's hollow, where two people could sit quietly and communicate.
You can relax after a walk on a picturesque pond, popularly called the lord's pants. It is formed by two streams flowing down on beams. The pond is located directly behind the museum park.
How to get there: you can get to Skovorodynivka from Kharkiv by bus №169 from the sixth platform of the "Kholodna Hora" metro station. The bus departs twice a day: at 09:00 and 18:45.
Mount Kremenets
Mount Kremenets is a hill in the town of Izium, located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River. This is the highest point of the Kharkiv region; its height is 218 meters above sea level. Kremenets is a place with a rich history, which holds many secrets and legends.
There are the famous stone statues of Scythian and Polovtsi's times on the mountain, which are the hallmark of this monument. Mount Kremenets has preserved the memory of the Second World War; on top, there's a memorial with the names of fallen soldiers. You can also see a lot of military equipment here. From the top of the hill, there's a wonderful panorama. It's just an incredible spectacle! From here you can see the surrounding dense forests, the Seversky Donets river, and the entire city of Izium.
How to get there: by bus from Kharkiv to the bus station Izium, and then two blocks south along the Staroposhtova street to Kremenets.
Singing Terraces
This interesting and unique place was once the orchard of the landowner Kharitonenko, and today it is known for its unusual feature: in windy weather, the garden-amphitheater… sings. In this place, every sound, every rustle, merges into a beautiful symphony of nature. The thing is that special pipes of different sizes and different metals are built in the brick walls. Sound passes through them, creating a special effect.
There's a story that Pavlo Kharitonenko built Singing Terraces not for fruit trees, but for his daughter Natalia, who sang so beautifully during a walk with her father that the sugar tycoon decided to create a real open-air amphitheater for her to make her voice especially beautiful.
But the history of this amphitheater is much longer than it seems. During the restoration of the terraces in the 50s, the remains of underground galleries and cellars were found, which resemble the architectural style of the Turks, so the age of the original building with a reconstructed amphitheater on top can reach 1000 years.
Acoustics have no analogs in Ukraine and Europe to the singing amphitheater, here even a whisper at one end of the terrace is perfectly audible on the opposite side, which is at a distance of 60 meters! Every year a festival of Ukrainian folk songs called "Green Terraces" is held here.
How to get there: by car on the highway P46 (Kharkiv – Okhtyrka) to Hubarivka, and then 16 km in the direction of Horodne. In the village near the house of culture, turn west and keep going along the main road, which turns into a dirt road, to the Singing Terraces.
Krasnokutsk arboretum
One of the oldest arboretums in Ukraine was founded by the Karazin brothers in the early XIX century. Biologist Ivan Karazin designed and built terraces, created an irrigation system and artificial ponds. More than 300 species of exotic plants grow on the territory of the arboretum.
Krasnokutsk Arboretum is an exquisite place for family recreation. Here you can walk along the picturesque alleys, sit in cozy gazebos, visit the healing springs, walk on the "Island of Love," created specifically for couples in love, so they can be alone. There's an underground cave in the park, the entrance to which is guarded by stone women. And fairy-tale characters carved from wood by local artisans hid in the trees and along the paths. Also, an exotic ginkgo tree with heart-shaped leaves grows in the park. According to legend, everyone who hugs the trunk will have a happy and rich life.
How to get there: from the bus station №2 in the Central Market of Kharkiv by bus Kharkiv-Krasnokutsk to the final stop. Then on foot, turn left behind the church.
Chalk mountains
135 km from Kharkiv, in the region's northeast, there's an incredibly beautiful place, Dvorichanskyi National Nature Park.
The park's landmark is the chalk mountains on the right bank of the Oskil River.
The park is home to about 30 species of animals, birds, and plants listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Here you can watch rare birds, go down from the chalk mountains to the sandy beaches, where you can drink mineral water from springs and walk through the pine forest. In these places, there are often "devil's fingers," shells of fossil mollusks belemnite, resembling modern squid. These mollusks lived in the sea, which existed here 70 million years ago. A walk here will be interesting for both children and adults.
How to get there: by car or bus. The regular bus goes to the village of Dvorichna from the "Zavodska" bus station, located at the "Proletarska" metro station.
Salt lake
It seems that there's a "Dead Sea" in many parts of Ukraine. It is also in the Kharkiv region. The salt lake near the village of Antonivka, Kehychevskyi district, was formed because of an explosion when a gas well was drilled. A 60-meter crater appeared at the crash site, and groundwater brought salt to the surface. Initially, the lake was very salty, but gradually the salt concentration decreased. However, water can still keep a person on the surface, but diving to the depths or fishing because of the salt concentration, unfortunately, will not work. But you can stop in a tent near the lake and watch it, enjoying a holiday in nature. The lake has an incredibly beautiful color, light blue, so it won't leave you without spectacular photos as a token.
How to get there: from the bus station on Gagarin Avenue by Kharkiv-Kehychivka bus. Ask the driver to make a stop at the turn near the village of Antonivka, from there, walk about 700 meters.
Kitsivka desert
The Kharkiv region can also boast of its own desert. It is called Kitsiv Sands or Kitsiv Desert and is located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets near the village of Kitsivka, Chuhuiv district.
In Soviet times, there was a tank range, so if you look under your feet, in the Kitsivka sands, you can find quite unusual souvenirs: shells, bullets, shot. Of course, they're old and shot, so, as locals say, excursions to these places are absolutely safe. "Desert" attracts fans of extreme off-road racing, as well as those who love hiking.
Kitsivka desert with extremely beautiful and clean sands is a favorite vacation spot for local nature lovers. There are often photo shoots and the photos are very good.
How to get there: the best entrance to the desert outside the village of Kitsivka, if you go from Chuhuev, about a kilometer from the village center.
Groundhog Day in Velykyi Burluk steppe
Velykyi Burluk steppe is a picturesque landscape park created to preserve rare flora and fauna. For a long time, the steppes were persistently destroyed by planting trees, plundering virgin lands, flooding "unsuitable" lands under reservoirs. As a result, the population of wild inhabitants of this area progressively decreased.
To preserve the beauty and diversity of Ukraine's fauna, steppe reserves began to be created. Thus, thanks to the Velykyi Burluk Landscape Park, it was possible to preserve and breed the population of Ukrainian marmots and settle these funny animals from other reserves of Ukraine. Here you can see steppe groundhogs in their natural habitat and the nursery-bio-station of the Department of Zoology of Karazin Kharkiv University, located in the center of the Velykyi Burluk steppe park on the Natalivka farm near the village of Velykyi Burluk. Several families of groundhogs live here. They can be fed and observed. This bio-station is the home of the marmot Timko, who predicts when spring will come.
How to get there: from the bus station №6 on Proletarska, on the "Kharkiv-Velykyi Burluk" route. If you drive from Kharkiv in your own car, it's better to choose the local highway M-03 or national E-40.
"Chernobyl" of Kharkiv
In the Kharkiv region, two abandoned places can claim the glory of the local Pripyat. The first is an abandoned amusement park in Chuhuiev. It was established in 1944 in honor of the centenary of artist Ilia Repin's birth. Among the attractions, there was the "Ferris wheel," as in Pripyat. In 2006, the park was closed for technical reasons. Several attempts were made to restore it, but the attractions were hopelessly outdated. The abandoned park is attractive and a little scary, with its emptiness.
How to get there: from the bus station near the "Proletarska" metro on the "Kharkiv-Chuhuiv" route
The second one is the children's camp of Kharkiv instrument-making plant in Haidary, Zmiiv district. The "Romantik" pioneer camp was built in the 1970s, and the last change was in 2004. The people called it "Artek" of Kharkiv. Seven large buildings welcomed children all year round. There was a cinema, swimming pool, summer cafe. Now 10 hectares of this land are abandoned, buildings are slowly collapsing, everything, as if hastily thrown at random, things covered with piles of stones and dust. In the rooms, there is furniture no one needs, the remnants of the screen and a bunch of spectator seats in the cinema, dishes in the closets, even logbooks in the kitchen. Here the atmosphere of the time frozen in the Soviet years reigns everywhere. In 2009, the camp was sold, for a long time, ordinary passers-by didn't have access to it. However, in the last few years, the entrance is free, there's no protection.
How to get there: to Zmiiv by bus from the Horse Market or by train from "Levada." Then you have to walk a few kilometers or catch a ride. By car, on the Kharkiv-Zmiiv route and further to the village of Haidary.
"Ukrainian Sloboda"
One of the Ukrainian ethnography museums, which has a collection worthy of attention: Pisarivka Ethnographic Museum in the open air "Ukrainian Sloboda." It was founded in 1989. Here are a lot of interesting exhibits. Part of the exposition is an old windmill, an inn, a peasant house, a pantry of a Ukrainian house. Of particular interest is the historical and local lore exposition exhibited in the inn, which allows you to touch household items, agricultural and ceremonial acts. Next to the museum is a wooden church, one of the few preserved in Ukraine.
How to get there: by bus from Kharkiv or by car to the Zolochiv district, Pisarivka, Slobozhanska street, 9-b
Feldman Ecopark
Feldman Ecopark is a place to go with a child. The eco-park is very young, but it's popular among Kharkiv residents. Here young guests will get acquainted with its inhabitants: tigers, camels, bears, monkeys. In the contact zoo, children will be able to feed and pet cubs of domestic and wild animals. The park has free swings, trampolines, rope platforms, carousels, everything for active children's recreation. Adults can have a picnic, go fishing on the lake. The eco-park often hosts sports competitions, themed festivals, theatrical performances, master classes for children and adults. During the quarantine, new pets and exhibition enclosures appeared in the Feldman Ecopark, the collection of ornamental plants was updated, and a new landscape complex, "Africa," was opened.
Visiting the eco-park will bring rich emotions to everyone and will leave wonderful impressions for the entire family. And the most pleasant thing is that it's a charity project, visiting the eco-park is free!
How to get there: unfortunately, during the quarantine, free branded buses of the eco-park don't run, you can only get here by your own transport. Address of the eco-park: Kharkiv region, Derhachiv district, Lisove village, Kyiv highway, 12.
