Kanka Castle

Vinogradovsky Castle (the other name - Kanka Castle, Ugochansky Castle) - the castle, which was located at the foot of Black Mountain above the town Vinogradov (Transcarpathian region of Ukraine). Only the ruins of the castle survived to the present day.

For the first time the castle is mentioned in an anonymous Hungarian chronicle 903 AD due to the arrival the Hungarians in Tiso - Danubian Plain. At that time it was a fortified hill-fort of the local Slavic leader. In the XI century, due to accession this part of the Transcarpathia in the Hungarian kingdom, on this place was built the castle of the local feudal lord. At the beginning of the XIV century its owner found himself in feudal coalition, which opposed Carl Robert. Due to the royal troops storming the castle suffered greatly. The Hungarian king ordered to repair it, and then he presented it to Queen Mary. Since 1399 Kanka Castle is owned by Baron Pereni, who handed it to Franciscan monks, who turned it into a monastery. They erected a stone fortress on the place of a wooden building. During the period of the Reformation a descendant of Pereni became a Protestant, and Catholic priests were expelled from their possessions. He captured the Franciscan monastery in 1556. The emperor dispatched troops commanded by Telekeshi who stormed and destroyed the castle in 1557. Finally the castle was destroyed in the last third of the XVI century by order of the Austrian imperial power, who at the time actively fought against the Hungarian nobility.

Length of the castle 50 meters, width - 44.6 meters. The castle had a rectangular-shaped with massive square towers at the corners.

Photos by admiral and Yaroslava.

Dubno Castle

Dubno Castle is located on a promontory on the Ikva river in the Dubno, Rivne region. It was built by Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky in 1492 on the place of ancient fortifications. However, the castle was rebuilt by Janusz Ostrozhsky in the Late Renaissance style in the early 17th century. Later on it was owned by the princes Zaslavsky, Sangushko, Lyubomirsky. The castle was never conquered during the entire period of its existence, despite attempts by the Tatars, Cossacks, Russian and Swedish troops. The Dubno Castle is now a national historical and cultural museum and a favorite place for tourists.

Photos by viktor-koldun.

Khersones Tavriysky near Sevastopol

Khersones Tavriysky is a unique archaeological site and historical place in the south of Crimea. The ancient city of Chersonesus was built there for over 2.5 thousand years ago. During its long history Chersonesus has experienced many wars and was a city of many of the ancient states. It was renamed to Chersonese, Chersonesos, Cherson and even Korsun. Now this place is a state historical museum where are monuments of many eras and cultures.

Photos by Michael Kryukov

Vorontsov Palace in Alupka

Vorontsov Palace is one of the main attractions of Alupka, Crimea. It was built in 1848 by architect Edward Blore. Palace construction lasted more than 20 years. There is also a beautiful park near the Vorontsov Palace. It was created by a talented German horticulturist Karl Kebah. Palace with a garden was owned by the family of Vorontsov before the 1917 revolution. Then it was nationalized, and soon there was a museum.

Photos by Al

Pidhirtsi Castle near Lviv

The glorious Castle was erected in the village Pidhirtsi in 1640. It was built by Polish Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski after he has bought there manor. The castle was built by the architect Andrea del Aqua, and defensive fortifications were created by Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan. Pidhirtsi Castle is restored now, but it attracts more and more tourists.

Photos by roman020281

Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater

Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre is the most beautiful city landmark of Odessa, and Opera building is the majestic ukrainian architectural monument. Great composers Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff conducted the orchestra on the stage of the theater in their time. Great opera singers Enrico Caruso and Feodor Chaliapin played within its walls too. Odessa opera theater was included in Forbes magazine in the list of most important sights in Eastern Europe.

Photos by Susan.

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv

St. Sophia Cathedral was built by order of Yaroslav Mudry in the 11th century in the center of Kyiv. However, the the cathedral was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Ukrainian Baroque style. A lot of original frescoes and mosaics of the 11th century, including the famous mosaic of Virgin Orans, preserved to this day.

St. Sophia Cathedral was the first an architectural monument in Ukraine which was added on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The original appearance of the cathedral of the 11th century is depicted in Ukrainian banknote UAH 2.

Photo by Yulenochekk.