The following watercolors were included in the fourth album of the artist Zbigniew Szczepanek “Zamki na Kresach”. It shows the 59 most famous fortresses in Kresach (the Polish name of the territory of today’s Western Ukraine).

About 40% of the castles show the author’s reconstruction, the remaining 60% – their current state. The images of some fortifications have been reconstructed for the first time and can therefore be considered unique in a way.

Berezhany Castle in Berezhany, Ternopil Oblast.

picturesque Ukrainian castles

Tags: fortress · Ivano-Frankivsk oblast · Khmelnitsky oblast · Rivne oblast · Ternopil oblast

This architectural monument is unique for Ukraine. The Holy Protection Fortress Church is located in the village of Sutkivtsi in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, about 47 km south of Khmelnytskyi.

It was built as a defensive church at the expense of the nobleman and owner of these lands, Fyodor Sutkovetsky, in 1476. It combines features of the Gothic and Baroque styles. The thickness of its walls is about 1.5 meters.

amazing fortified church

Tags: church · Khmelnitsky oblast

Kozelets is a village with a population of about 7.5 thousand people, located in the southwest of Chernihiv Oblast of Ukraine. It is known since the beginning of the 17th century as a fortified town, which was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth under the name Kozelec.

Here you can see several interesting architectural monuments, but the most interesting and picturesque one is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1752-1763), an architectural monument of national significance, which combines features of Ukrainian and Elizabethan Baroque. Next to the church, there is a magnificent four-tiered bell tower, built in 1766-1770. Kozelets on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

magnificent cathedral

Tags: Chernigov oblast · Chernihiv city · church

Zhytni Hory is a village with a population of about 2,300 people located in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine, about 105 km south of Kyiv.

The main architectural attraction of the village is the Church of the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (1766) – a monument of architecture of national importance. Zhytni Hory on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

very elegant church

Tags: church · Kiev oblast

In Sutkivtsi, a small village with a population of about 1,200 people located in Yarmolinetsky district of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, there is an amazing Orthodox church dating back to the 15th century. The thickness of its walls is about 1.5-1.8 meters.

The Church of the Holy Intercession, built of gray stone with pointed, cone-shaped towers and loopholes, is a unique monument of defense construction in Podolia. It is one of the oldest defense churches in Ukraine and has no analogues in its architectural and planning solutions in the country.

unique fortified church

Tags: church · Khmelnitsky oblast

Bilorichytsya is a village with a population of about 1,100 people located in the Pryluky district of Chernihiv Oblast, 166 km southeast of Chernihiv.

The main attraction of the village is the following unusual and picturesque outbuilding for visitors (1878) – all that remains of the estate of Elena Volkonskaya-Rakhmanova, the daughter of the Decembrist Sergei Volkonsky. Bilorichytsya on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

walk around the house

Tags: Chernigov oblast · Chernihiv city · church

The Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, built in 1904-1909, is one of the architectural attractions of the small town of Sokal with a population of about 20 thousand people located about 85 km from Lviv, in the very north of Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Cathedral of Peter and Paul in Sokal on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

beautiful stone church

Tags: church · Lviv oblast

Losyach is a small village with a population of about 1,000 people located in the Chortkiv district of Ternopil Oblast. The Roman-Catholic church of St. Anthony of Padua, built at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, is the main attractions of the village.

This church amazes with its harmony. Built in the Romanesque neo-Gothic style, it has a high, pointed bell tower that dominates the surrounding landscape. The rough texture of the walls and side buttresses give it medieval features. Church of St. Anthony in Losyach on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

very elegant church

Tags: church · Ternopil oblast

The allure of Ukrainian village life is like a captivating story that beckons travelers to step away from the urban bustle and embark on a journey back to simplicity and authenticity. In a world where modernity often overshadows tradition, the charm of rural communities has been drawing an increasing number of adventurers seeking respite and connection to age-old ways of living.

Today, we unveil the enchanting appeal of Ukrainian villages, where time seems to move at its own unhurried pace, and every moment is immersed in the cultural tapestry that defines these timeless locales.

Images by Nadine from Pixabay.

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Church of the Transfiguration (Spaso-Preobrazhenska), built in 1830-1839, is located in the village of Moshny in Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine, about 30 km from Cherkasy.

It was the key element of the non-preserved palace and park ensemble of Count Mikhail Vorontsov. The author of the project was the Italian architect Giorgio Torricelli, who was the city architect of Odesa. Moshny on Google Maps. Photos by: v1snyk.

unique Orthodox church

Tags: Cherkassy oblast · Cherkasy city · church