Kherson. The territory of the city was inhabited since olden times,
which is testified by numerous archaeological monuments.
Kherson was founded in 1778 when a military fortress with the Admiralty was
built here under the supervision of General I. Hannibal. In the late 18th -
early 19th cc. the city was a base of the Black Sea Fleet, the first military
and commercial port of Russia on the Black Sea. The names of many outstanding
people are associated with the city. Prince G. Potemkin was the first
Governor-General of Kherson. Military leader A. Suvorov played a great role in
the strengthening of the fortress. The development of naval construction in
Kherson is associated with the name of Admiral F. Ushakov.
Now the city has monuments to A. Suvorov and F. Ushakov. Among the architectural
monuments of the 18th c. mention should be made of the remains of the Kherson
Fortress, St. Catherine's Cathedral where G. Potemkin is buried, the Greek
Church of St. Sophia, and the house of the Vice-Admiral V. Seniavin.
Tourists can learn about the city history and culture at the local lore and art
museums. Very popular among the local residents and visitors to the city are the
botanical garden, the dendrological park and the Dnipro beaches.
Askaniia-Nova. The settlement of Askania-Nova appeared in the 18th
c. On August 16, 1856 the settlement was bought by Friedrich Faltz-Fein, the
founder of the world-famous reserve. He invited English specialist Winning to
locate the underground stratum of pure water. In the arid steppes wells were dug
out, artificial reservoirs created and a botanical garden laid out. It took
place in 1887, which is considered the year of the birth of man-made Eden.
Askaniia-Nova reserve. The reserve was founded in 1985. Its total
area is 33,307 ha. At present, it is the nature protecting scientific-research
institution of state and international significance, the largest
ecological-educational centre in the south of Ukraine. The reserve secures the
conservation of the single in Europe section of the fescue-feather grass steppe
with the prevailing growth of sod grass. Askania-Nova is an oasis with the
acclimatised zoo and dendrological park in the boundless steppes. The Zoo by the
scale of the maintenance of animals in half-free conditions, technologies of
acclimatisation and re-acclimatisation belongs to the first ten of the world's
best. The reserve keeps 15 species of birds entered into The Red Book of Ukraine
and seven species of rare mammals. The collection stock of the contemporary
dendrological park includes more than 900 species and kinds of plants and bushes.
Almost 90 kinds of relic, rare and disappearing plants are cultivated, 68 of
which are entered into The Red Book of Ukraine. Thousands of schoolchildren,
students, scientists, vacationers and tourists visit the reserve annually.
Azovo-Syvas'kyi national park. The park was created in 1993 on the
area of 52,154 ha, it includes the part of the water area of the Sea of Azov.
The aim of the park is the conservation of the gene pool of the vegetable and
animal kingdoms, unique natural complexes of the Northern Azov coast and their
efficient use for the scientific, conservancy, economic, and recreational
purposes.
The coastal regions of the Sea of Azov, especially Syvash Inlet with its
numerous islands and peninsulas, are the place of the mass nesting and rest of
birds during their spring and autumn migrations. Vegetation is represented
mainly by the feather-grass and couch-grass steppes. Twelve species of plants
and more than forty of animals are entered in The Red Book of Ukraine.
Chornomors'kyi reserve. The reserve was founded in 1985, its area
is 89,129 ha. The reserve was created to preserve the local and migrant birds,
and natural landscapes in the south of Ukraine. Here the landscapes of
fescue-feather grass steppes, salt marshes, as well as birch and oak groves,
salt and sweet water lakes are widely distributed. Twenty-four species of flora
and sixty-nine of fauna are entered into The Red Book of Ukraine.
Dzharylhach, o. In the Karkinitis Bay of the Black Sea stands a
unique island where the remains of sites from the Neolithic and Bronze Age have
been found. Ancient historians - Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy, and
Herodotus-mentioned it in their works. Their descriptions testify to the fact
that forests grew on it since olden times. At present the botanical reserve
Dzharylhach is a unique monument of nature.
Oblast farmsteads