In the center of Podillia, at the intersection of important routes and railways, is the cozy city of Ternopil. Sights of one of the most important centers of Galicia are not as popular as Lviv. But here there are many interesting and beautiful. No less attractive natural and historical-cultural monuments are located outside it: in the territory of the Ternopil region.
Ternopol - a city of unexpected discoveries
Many pleasant discoveries are prepared for the traveler by Ukrainian Ternopil. The sights of the city are not only numerous architectural monuments, but also interesting museums, green parks and original restaurants.
Ternopol was founded in the middle of the 16th century by the Polish magnate Jan Tarnowski. Over its history, he has been a part of many states: Poland, the Russian Empire, Austria-Hungary, ZUNR, the Soviet Union. The patrons of their city, the Ternopil consider St. Thekla.
Ternopol is located on the Podolsk Upland, in the zone of deciduous forests. The terrain around the city is very rugged, hilly. The elevation differences within Ternopol reach 75 meters. The Seret River (the left tributary of the Dniester) flows through the city.
The numerous sights of Ternopil amaze all travelers and guests of the city with its diversity and beauty. Photos and descriptions of the most important monuments and tourist sites in the city can be found in the following sections of the article.
Castle and lake
The main object for leisure and leisurely walks in the city is the so-called Ternopil stav. This is the largest urban artificial lake in Europe , the area of which is about 300 hectares. It is believed that it was created back in 1540 by Jan Tarnowski.
In 2015, reconstruction of the embankment along the lake was completed. Here today you can see bicycle paths, sculptures and green spaces. A small boat for tourists and vacationers tirelessly runs around the lake. There is also the Island of Lovers on the lake, which can be reached by a specially equipped bridge-crossing.
A massive yellow castle building erected in 1540 rises above the embankment. Actually, the construction of the city itself began with it. It was intended for the defense of the southeast Polish borders from periodic raids of the Tatars and Turks. The latter nevertheless managed to storm the fortress in 1675. Then they destroyed most of the castle fortifications.
In 1944, the Ternopil castle was destroyed by the Red Army in the battle with the Nazis. After the war, only one of the buildings of the defense complex was preserved. In the 50s it was restored. Today it houses a sports school and restaurant.
Monuments of sacred architecture
The sights of Ternopol are numerous architectural monuments, including five monuments of national importance. Among them are three temple buildings: the Dominican Church, the Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Extension.
Dominican Church with cells - a unique monument of sacred architecture of the XVIII century. It was built in the Baroque style according to the design of the architect August Moshinsky. During the hostilities of 1944, the structure was badly damaged. The church was restored in 1957, and in 2015, a clock was installed on its tower - an exact copy of the pre-war period.
Under the Dominican Church there are ancient underground passages made of stone and brick. Historians claim that they lead to the castle on the lake and other locations of the city.
The oldest temple in Ternopil is the Church of the Nativity of Christ, which is located on Russkaya Street. It was built in 1608 from stone for 1916 zlotys. Fortunately, the building was not damaged during the Second World War.
If you go west along Russkaya Street, you can go to another ancient Ternopil temple. This is the so-called Nadstavnaya church (it is really located right above the city camp). The temple was built at the end of the 16th century in the Renaissance style. In the 50s, the Soviet government planned to demolish the Nadstavnoy church and build a Moscow hotel in its place. The unique architectural monument was saved only by the fact that there was simply not enough space for the construction of a giant hotel.
Unfortunately, not all architectural sights of Ternopol survived to this day. So, the gothic church of Mother of God of Unremitting Help was a real decoration of the central part of the city. In 1954, it was blown up, and a Central Department Store was built on the liberated site. A similar fate befell the old city synagogue, the building of which was destroyed in 1944.
Monuments of civil architecture
Sights of Ternopil are not only ancient churches and churches. Many monuments of civil architecture have also been preserved here. Their total number is 189. Almost all of them are dated to the second half of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century.
The most beautiful civil buildings in Ternopil are the Queen Jadwiga School, the Slovak High School, the main building of the medical institute, the real high school and others.
A picturesque and very romantic place in the city is the “Venetian Courtyard”, located in the courtyard of the house under No. 1 on Kachaly Street. It attracts the attention of many tourists with its exquisite white columns and a wonderful arcade.
The architectural sights of Ternopil are also its fountains. There are twenty of them within the city. They work daily from Easter to Veil.
Sights of Ternopil: reviews of tourists
Everyone who has visited Ternopol at least once does not remain indifferent to this sweet Podolsk city. According to the reviews of travelers and city guests, it is most pleasant to walk along the promenade, Russkaya, Valovaya, Sagaidachnogo, Frank and Chernovol streets. An incredibly cozy and pleasant place in the city is Theater Square, where little kids frolic and elderly couples leisurely stroll through the aristocratic look. It is within these urban places that all the main attractions of Ternopil are concentrated.
For tourists, a museum of political prisoners located on Copernicus Street can also become a cognitive object to visit. The museum's expositions will tell about the long-term struggle of the West Ukrainian nationalists with the communist regime. The real situation of 28 cells of the Soviet prison in which political criminals were sitting was recreated here.
After exploring all the sights of Ternopil, the tourist will undoubtedly want a good and tasty meal. To do this, a number of establishments with excellent cuisine work in the city: "Old Mlyn", "Ark", "Shinok", "Galicia" and others. The restaurant "Old Mlyn", whose building was built in the style of the famous architect Gaudi, is distinguished by its peculiar design.
Sights of Ternopol and Ternopol region
Not only in Ternopol there are attractions. The region of the same name has no less tourist potential. Ternopil region is rich in historical, cultural and architectural monuments, almost every settlement in the region has something interesting.
First of all, the sights of the Ternopil region include numerous castles and fortresses. There are 35 of them preserved here. Alas, most of them have survived in the form of ruins, but this fact does not make them less valuable and picturesque. The most famous and visited castle complexes of the region are preserved in Zbarazh, Skalat, Kremenets.
There are a lot of palaces and estates left in the territory of the region by Polish magnates and nobles. The most famous of them are in the following villages: Yagolnitsa, Nyrkov, Vishnevets, Koropets, as well as in the village of Kolyndyany.
In addition, in different parts of the Ternopil region you can see gothic churches grandiose in scope, beautiful wooden churches, old stone bridge-viaducts of the Austrian era.
Kremenets - a city where time stops
It is this formulation that very successfully approaches this town in the north of the Ternopol region. The time here is really frozen, it is felt right away.
Kremenets is surrounded on almost all sides by high hills (Kremenets mountains). At the top of one of them the remains of an old fortress, known since the XIII century. It was in it that the Lithuanian prince Vitovt once received foreign ambassadors. In 1648, the castle was destroyed by the Cossacks of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, today only picturesque ruins remain of it.
From Castle Hill offers a wonderful view of the old part of Kremenets. The ensemble of the Jesuit College is also visible from here - the most beautiful and grandiose construction of the city in the Baroque style. The collegium was built at the beginning of the XVIII century at the expense of Prince Vishnevetsky. Later, an elite lyceum was opened in this building.
Zalishchyky - a city with postcards
From the north we move to the south of the Ternopil region, in Zalishchyky. Once it was a very popular Polish resort, today it is a small provincial town of Podillia.
Today, several architectural monuments have been preserved in the city: the Brunitsky palace, the old synagogue, the church of St. Stanislav and others. However, the main attraction of this settlement lies in its unique geographical position. So, Zalishchyky are located in the steep meander of the Dniester River. From a bird's eye view, it seems as if the city is on an island. By the way, in Zalishchyky, photographers shoot one of the most popular panoramic shots in Ukraine.
Nyrkov - another pearl of the Ternopil region
In the southern part of the Ternopil region is another interesting place for tourists - the village Nyrkov. It is located on the site of Chervonogorod - a village that is no longer on modern maps. The name comes from the saturated color of soils in the valley of the local small river Dzhurin. Here, by the way, it forms the largest waterfall of plain Ukraine with a height of 17 meters.
Near the waterfall you can see the remains of the Poninsky Palace - two Gothic towers. The village also houses the Church of the Holy Protection (1714), as well as an old cemetery with a dilapidated crypt of the Poninsky family.
Finally
Sights of Ternopil and the region are numerous castles and palaces, ancient wooden churches and beautiful Gothic churches, the world's largest caves and quiet monasteries. In this region you can not only see magnificent monuments of architecture, but also enjoy the picturesque natural landscapes.