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Pylyshenko’s home zoo or how I looked for lions in the village

The situation is quite interesting. An acquaintance came to visit me, and we went to Vasilievka. This is Zaporozhye region, Ukraine. And here we are walking with her through the streets of this town, or rather already judging by the scenery – outside the city. The phone rings. A friend picks up the phone and says: “Sorry, I can’t talk. It’s cold here. I’m near Zaporozhye, we’re looking for lions. Yes, they are around here somewhere.” I guess you could think we were out of our minds, but….. We actually knew exactly where we were going! We were going to the Pylyshenko family home zoo!

The city of Vasilievka continues to open its secrets for tourists. I once wrote about Popov’s castle, which is a must-see for everyone who visits Zaporizhzhya. At the other end of Vasilievka town there is a zoo where you can see famous lions, tigers, bears. And even a man who lived in the same cage with the lions!

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Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea

Because Crimea has been on the front pages of most newspapers and news sites for several years now, I wanted to put aside this silly politics, hatred and animosity. I just wanted to remember what a wonderful place this is! So that this marvelous peninsula could be associated only with positive things again!

I have been to Crimea twice, as a young green kid, with my parents. But this did not make my impressions worse. I remember a lot of things and I am pleased to recall those warm and sunny days. I got all these photos and prepared a series of reports about Crimea! And I will not tolerate any hatred and anger in the comments, which I warn you about at once!

In this article I will talk about Nikitsky Botanical Garden (and no idea why everyone calls it Nikitinsky). All photos are old and were taken on my very first soapbox back in 2008, so for the quality please do not swear =)

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Mezhyhirya in March

I have already shown you the residence of the former President of Ukraine, who fled the country after the revolution, from the inside. All the luxury, chandeliers worth millions of euros and closets the size of a Khrushchevka apartment – all this was already there. However, I forgot to show the territory itself, which according to the documents was a children’s health resort.

I was here in March (I came to the Verkhovna Rada for a meeting), so do not expect any special beauties. You should definitely come back here in the summertime and ride around the area on a bicycle. However, the overall picture can be appreciated.

Getting to Mezhyhirya is not difficult, especially if you have your own transportation. I, as you may already remember, went by regular bus. But it is only 20 – 30 minutes drive. At the entrance I buy a ticket – 20 hryvnias. And I go inside, behind the fence, which recently seemed impregnable (even air defense groups were located on the territory to protect from air attacks).

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Zaporizhzhya Botanical Garden

The city of Zaporozhye, which is known throughout Ukraine for its polluted air, and beyond its borders for its Cossacks and the island of Khortitsa, conceals various attractions. One of them is the Children’s Botanical Garden, in the very center of the city, in the industrial district, on the dry Moskovska River.

The river itself is known to many locals for the deep red and orange colors it takes on downstream. Despite the fact that there should be mutant fish there, some people manage to fish there. And in fact, the dry Moskovska is dry… You can jump over it. But not everyone knows that a little upstream there is a botanical garden. I have fond childhood memories of it, and that’s why I visit it once or twice a year, sadly watching it fall into disrepair. Today I want to show it to you as well.

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Boryslav. This is where oil is born.

A city that sits right on top of oil fields? Where oil was extracted when the rest of the world didn’t even know about it yet? Oil pumps right in a city park? A church that preserves one of the largest collections of holy relics? All this is a city that not even many people who live nearby know about. Meet Borislav.

The town, which is located near Drohobych, was founded in 1387, and already in the middle of the XIX century the town became a world-famous center of oil, gas and ozokerite production.

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Upper Khortytsya. The Mennonites lived here

In Zaporozhye, where I was born and grew up, there is a lot of interesting things to see. And so one day, giving in to a marvelous desire, I went on a highly organized excursion from a local activist Roman Akbash on Upper Khortytsya, about which I will tell you now. The report will talk about the Zaporizhian Oak, places where Mennonites lived, Partisan Squirrel and other interesting things.

We met with other participants at the terminus of route 67 and went first to the Zaporozhye Oak. The road goes past the Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The temple was built in October 2004. For it were written unique icons using intarsia technique. Images of images consist of 200 kinds of wood. With the cross the height of the temple is 33 meters, which makes it the highest in Zaporozhye. At the top is a bell tower of 9 bells, the heaviest of which weighs 300 kilograms and is controlled by an electronic system.

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Soledar: The Salt Mines of Ukraine

Ukraine is the largest country in Europe by area. Its rich history and diverse geography, including mountains, lakes, rivers, seas, and steppes, make it a fascinating subject of study. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked. I believe it is important to promote Ukraine’s unique features and increase awareness of its cultural and natural heritage. During a recent trip to the salt mines in Soledar, Donetsk region, I was reminded of this fact.

Soledar is a small mining town located in the Donetsk region. As of 2011, its population was only 11.8 thousand people, and it occupies an area of 14 km². It was granted city status in 1965.

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