Brief History of Myrhorod
Myrhorod is one of the oldest settlements of Left-Bank Ukraine. It was founded either in the 12th or the 13th century as a fortress on the eastern border of Kievan Rus. According to the legend, the fortress was used as a site of peace talks, which gave it its name (literally “the town of peace”).
It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1575. According to some historians, there were earlier mentions of the town in 1530, when the coat of arms was created. During the 17th century, the owners of the town (Polish magnates) changed several times. At the beginning of the 18th century, Myrhorod was a significant commercial and cultural center.
In 1859, the population of Myrhorod was 5,859 people. The town became famous in the literary world because of a series of short stories written by Nikolai Gogol. At the end of the 19th century, “Kyiv-Poltava” railroad passed through the town.
In 1895, 11,087 people lived in Myrhorod. There were 1,618 houses, a soap factory, 16 forges and 20 small industrial establishments, 103 trade establishments, a town school, a parish school, a regional hospital with 20 beds, 2 pharmacies, 4 churches, and 1 synagogue.
In 1896, the art and industrial school named after Nikolai Gogol was founded in Myrhorod. Today, it is the Art and Industrial College named after Nikolai Gogol - the center of artistic ceramics recognized throughout Ukraine.
In April 1917, the country doctor Zubkovsky opened the first clinic offering spa treatment. In 1920, a local history museum was opened in Myrhorod. In the 1920s, the town received the status of a resort of national importance, a sanatorium was built here.
In 1937, the population of Myrhorod was 15,027 people. During the Second World War, the town was seriously damaged, but by 1950 it was restored. As of 1981, the town’s economy was based on balneological and mud resorts. In January 1989, the population of Myrhorod was 46.7 thousand people, in 1991 - 49.2 thousand.
Myrhorod views
Myrhorod entrance sign
Author: Alex Nesterenko
District administration in Mirgorod
Author: Alex Nesterenko
The Khorol River in Myrhorod
Author: Natalia Denisova
Mirgorod Resort
The history of this resort began in 1912. It was opened on the site of a mineral spring discovered by the local medical doctor I.A. Zubkovsky (1843-1933). At first, only one clinic was opened. Built in 1916-1919, it consisted of a hydropathic, a canteen-club and mud baths. Mainly patients with rheumatism and gout were treated here.
Natural mineral water and medicinal mud
Mirgorod natural mineral water is rich in micro and macro elements that are important for health. Today, Mirgorod water is recognized as the most protected from external influences water in Ukraine.
Also, unique therapeutic properties of Mirgorod medicinal mud are well known. The local clinic, offering more than 100 types of mud baths and hydrotherapy procedures and techniques, is the best in Ukraine.
The most accurate diagnosis, individual rehabilitation programs combining the healing power of natural factors, a balanced diet, a wide range of physical therapy and leisure facilities provide unsurpassed results of the recovery of gastrointestinal tract, the restoration of normal metabolism and body’s defenses.
Sanatoriums
Every local sanatorium offers a range of different living conditions - “Standard” room with a bathroom and TV, “Lux” and “Apartment”. For your convenience, it is better to book deluxe rooms in advance. All resorts have their own dietary dining rooms with high level of comfort and air conditioning systems.
A balanced diet consisting of eco-friendly organic food is an important part of the spa treatment. But those who come just to relax can take advantage of a restaurant type of food. The recommended period of stay is 21-24 days.
Local resorts are open all year round. Every season here is beautiful. And winter is not worse than summer, and for the elderly, even better, because summers are usually pretty hot. Also, there is a wide selection of tourist routes to interesting places of Mirgorod and the Poltava region.
Places of Interest in Myrhorod
Museums
Myrhorod Local History Museum. The museum presents a variety of exhibits on the history of the town. It is located at the place where the fortress was standing in the 17th-18th centuries.
In 2007, in memory of this fact, the square of the Cossack glory with a monument to Myrhorod Cossacks and a Cossack gun was opened in front of the museum. Nezalezhnosti Street, 2. Opening hours: 9:00-17:00.
Museum of Guramishvili. The Literary-Memorial Museum of David Guramishvili is devoted to the life and work of the greatest Georgian poet of the 18th century who lived the last 32 years of his life in Myrhorod.
The museum displays the works of the poet, books about him, Georgian and Ukrainian folk life things, weapons of the 18th century, works of fine and decorative arts, Georgian souvenirs, etc. Nezalezhnosti Street, 3. Opening hours: 9:00-17:00. Day off: Tuesday.
Museum of Ceramics. Excursions are held on Thursdays, from 13:00. Hoholya Street, 146.
Museum of Myrhorod Resort. This museum was opened in 1998. The exhibition is devoted to the history of the health resort and its founder, the medical doctor Zubkovsky. Hoholya Street, 112, sanatorium “Horol”. Opening hours: 13:00-17:00. Days off: Saturday, Sunday.
Myrhorod places
Mirgorod Resort
Author: Natalia Denisova
Famous Mirgorod Puddle
Author: Natalia Denisova
Gogol sanatorium in Myrhorod
Author: Andriy Kovalenko
Other sights
Recreation Park. This resort area can be found in the center of Myrhorod, on the banks of the Khorol River. The first spas offering treatment with mineral water “Myrhorodska” began to appear here after 1915.
Today, the park has the best spa resorts in Myrhorod. There is a beach on the banks of the river. You can find a monument to the doctor Zubkovsky and the resort museum here. Hoholya Street, 112.
Myrhorod Puddle. It is a pond located in the center of the town, next to the Church of the Assumption, immortalized by Nikolai Gogol as “Myrhorod puddle” in his story “How Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich.”
In 2009, a monument to Gogol was erected on the waterfront to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the writer. It became the heart of the sculptural complex dedicated to the heroes of Gogol’s works: Ivan Ivanovich and Ivan Nikiforovich, Khlestakov, blacksmith Vakula and Oksana, Solokha, Pot-bellied Patsyuk, the Pig.
The Assumption Church. It is the oldest religious building in Myrhorod. The church was built in 1887 on the site of a wooden church founded in 1648. In the Soviet times, the church was closed. In 1998, it was rebuilt. Hoholya Street, 112.
The Town Council (Duma). This building in the Art Nouveau style was constructed in the center of Myrhorod in 1912. Today, it is occupied by the regional state administration. Hoholya Street, 120.
Sorochinskaya Fair
The village of Hoholeve (Gogolevo) is located about 16 km from Myrhorod. Nikolai Gogol spent his childhood there. Velyki Sorochyntsi village, Gogol’s birthplace and a place of the famous Sorochinskaya Fair, is located near the town.
In the 19th century, it was one of the many fairs held in Ukraine and became famous after Gogol’s “Sorochinskaya Fair.” The fair was revived in the 1960s. Today, it is known as “The National Sorochinskaya Fair.”
Tourists can buy various handicrafts, enjoy traditional Ukrainian cuisine. Vendors, craftsmen, actors usually wear traditional Ukrainian clothes.
Initially, the fair was held in the last weekend of August. In recent years, the date was moved one week earlier (due to adverse weather conditions in late August). The duration of the fair was increased to 5 days. In 2019, the fair will be held from August 20 to 25.
