The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine is an open-air museum, an architectural and landscape complex of all historical and ethnographic regions of Ukraine. It is located on the southern outskirts of Kyiv, near the village of Pyrohiv.

The exposition devoted to the Carpathians is located on three hills covered with spruce and beech trees resembling the natural conditions of the original localities of the exhibits in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Chernivtsi regions. Pyrohiv on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque wooden buildings

Tags: church · Kiev city · museum

Pushcha-Vodytsya is a historical place and a climatic resort located mainly in pine forests in the north-western part of Kyiv. This locality got its name from the word “pushcha” (a dense, impenetrable forest) and the Vodytsya River, which no longer exists.

Today, it is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the capital of Ukraine. You can find a cascade of lakes with sandy beaches, boat and catamaran rental stations, as well as shops and ATMs here. Pushcha-Vodytsya is connected to Kyiv by a unique historical tram line running through the forest, which makes it probably the most scenic tram line in Ukraine. Pushcha-Vodytsya on Google Maps. Photos by: Igor Golovach.

unique forest tram

Tags: Kiev city

Ostroh, first mentioned in 1100, is a town with a population of about 15 thousand people located in the south of Rivne Oblast. The main attraction of the town is its old castle located on the top of the hill.

In the 14th-16th centuries, this was the ancestral nest of the Ostrogski family – one of the greatest Polish-Ruthenian families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Ostroh Castle on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

fly over the Ostroh Castle

Tags: fortress · Rivne oblast

Zinkiv is a village with a population of about 1,600 people located in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, about 56 km south of the city of Khmelnytskyi.

There are several architectural and historical monuments here. One of them is the Church of St. Michael built with funds from parishioners in 1769. This is one of the most impressive monuments of Podolia wooden church architecture. Zinkiv on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

very picturesque wooden church

Tags: church · Khmelnitsky oblast

Bakota, located about 50 kilometers from Kamianets-Podilskyi in the territory of the Podilski Tovtry National Park, in the very south of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, was once a village, but its story ended in 1981, when it was flooded due to the construction of the Dniester hydroelectric complex.

Today, Bakota is a place with amazing nature and beautiful views. Here, from the rocky high bank of the river, you can spend hours watching the water surface and picturesque cliffs. There are also boat excursions available. On the territory of Bakota, you can spend the night in a tent, fish.

Tags: Kamenets Podolskiy city · Khmelnitsky oblast

Medzhybizh Fortress is a monument of fortification architecture of the 16th century built in the Renaissance style and located about 40 km east of Khmelnytskyi. This fortress is listed in the State Register of National Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.

The fortress has the shape of an elongated triangle with powerful walls and corner towers that protrude significantly beyond the line of walls. The courtyard has a length of 130 m, the largest width (on the western side) is 85 m. The wall thickness is up to 4 m, the height is up to 17 m.

Tags: fortress · Khmelnitsky oblast

Skala-Podilska is an urban-type settlement with a population of about 4,200 people located in the Borshchiv district of Ternopil Oblast, about 106 km southeast of Ternopil.

One of the main architectural attractions of Skala-Podilska is the Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – a stone religious building with Gothic features built in 1719. Skala-Podilska on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque Catholic church

Tags: church · Ternopil oblast

Novoselytsya is a village with a population of about 500 people located in the Starokostiantyniv district of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, about 47 km northeast of Khmelnytskyi. The main attraction of the village is the Gizycki Palace – a monument of architecture of national importance.

This palace in the style of Romanticism with Gothic elements made of specially imported English brick was built by Ludwik Gizycki, who at that time owned the village and surrounding territories, in 1820. Novoselytsya on Google Maps. Photos by: Maxim Ritus.

picturesque palace

Tags: Khmelnitsky oblast

Antoniny is an urban village with a population of about 2,200 people located in the Krasyliv district of the Khmelnytskyi region, about 70 km north of Khmelnytskyi. This settlement under the name of Golodki was first mentioned in documents of the second half of the 14th century. Throughout its history, it belonged to different noble families.

In the 1760s, Barbara Urszula Sanguszko, the owner of the village, transferred Golodki for long-term use to Ignacy Malchevsky, the regent of the Crown Chancellery, who was married to her sister Antonina.

Residential building on Hrafska Street, 24.

walk around the former estate

Tags: Khmelnitsky oblast

July 10, 2019, 22 years after the organization of the Chernobyl Shelter Fund, the New Safe Confinement (the NSC) was finally put into operation in Pripyat.

The main arch-shaped structure has the following parameters: height – 109 m, length – more than 160 m, span-width – 257 m, weight – more than 31 thousand tons. This is the largest movable land structure in history. Photos by: Anton Usov.

impressive €1.5 bn structure

Tags: Kiev oblast · Pripyat city