Vinnytsia. The city originated from a castle-fortress built in
1362 on the high left bank of the Southern Bug.
In 1569 Vinnytsia was included into the Polish state of Rzechpospolita. During
the Polish rule the complexes of
the Dominican and Jesuit monasteries (1610-1617) and the Jesuit collegium were
built in the city.
The Liberation War of the Ukrainian people of 1648-1657 became a glorious page
in the city history. On the high
right bank of the Southern Bug stands a stone obelisk in honour of Ivan Bohun
who with his regiment defeated
utterly Polish troops in 1651.
The city is associated with the name of great Ukrainian writer M. Kotsiubyns'kyi
who was born here and lived
till 1897. In the southern outskirts of the city stands the estate where since
1861 lived and worked outstanding
Russian surgeon N. Pirogov. Now it houses the museum of the scientist and near
the museum stands a burial
vault with his embalmed body.
Bar. This old town has a number of architectural monuments, among them the ruins of the castle of Queen Bona (1539), the former monastery of the Carmelites (17th c.) which later became the Orthodox Monastery of the Intercession, the Dormition Church (1757), and the Dominican Church of St. Nicholas (1811).
Bershad'. The history of the town is associated with the name of
Maksym Kryvonis, hero of the Liberation War of 1648-1657. Since olden times
there stood an outpost protecting Podillia from the attacks of Tatar and Turkish
invaders. The defensive ramparts that have remained in some places around the
city remind of that time. Of interest for tourists are architectural monuments
of the 18th c: the Roman Catholic Church and a synagogue, as well as Ukraine's
oldest sugar refinery (1827).
Busha. In 1654 in this village a historical drama took place
depicted by M. Staryts'kyi in his work The Defence of Busha. The olden fortress
became the scene of the fierce battle between the Cossacks and Polish troops.
All the defenders of the fortress and the peaceful local inhabitants were killed.
Three kilometers from the village is the Haidamak Ravine, the last refuge of the
Haidamak rebels.
Khmil'nyk. The resort town situated on the banks of the Southern
Bug. Curative radon waters.
It is known from the Khmil'nyk chronicle that the town was founded as far back
as the times of Kyivan Rus. The
walls of the Khmil'nyk Castle (16th c.) remind of the bygone events.
Krupoderyntsi. The village was a family estate of Count N. Ignatiev, an outstanding Russian diplomat and the "godfather" of the city of Vladivostok. His son and nephew took part in the Tsusima battle and died in submarines. The monument erected in the village in their honour commemorates all the submariners of the First World War.
Mohyliv-Podil's'kyi. The town was founded in 1595; later a castle
was built there. In 1648 Mohyliv became a central regimental town headed by
Colonel Ostap Gogol, a forefather of the great writer N. Gogol. Little has
remained of the former town as it was burnt down in 1808.
Among the architectural monuments that have been preserved there are St.
Nicholas' Church (1754) and the Greek Church of St. George (1809).
Murovani Kurylivtsi. The settlement was first mentioned in 1493 under the name of Churylivtsi, after its first settler Cossack Churylo. In the 16th c., when a stone castle was built, it got its contemporary name. In the late 18th c. the settlement belonged to Polish magnates Kosakowski but Catherine II confiscated it and granted to Counts Komar. In 1805 Stanislav Komar built a new palace in the courtyard of the old castle. Nearby is a picturesque park laid out in the 18th c. Not far away from the settlement there is a spring of wonderful mineral water Regina.
Nemyriv. This olden Ukrainian town appeared about 700 year ago. A
house where Ukrainian authoress
Marko Vovchok once lived has been preserved. Nemyriv is the native town of
Russian poet N. Nekrasov (1821-1878).
The town is famous for its park, a masterpiece of landscape architecture of the
18th c. Along with the palace and
cascade of lakes it occupies an area of 85 ha. More than 100 kinds of trees and
shrubs grow in the park.
Nemyriv is a wonderful resort where you can rest and improve your health.
Sharhorod. The town gradually rose near the fortress (16th - 17th cc.) whose remains have come down to our time. It has preserved a number of architectural monuments from the 16th - 18th cc., including the synagogue (1589), St. Florian's Roman Catholic Church (1589), structures of St. Nicholas' Monastery (18th с.), and St. Nicholas' Cathedral (1829).
Tul'chyn. The town was founded in the early 17th c. near the
fortress Nestervar. In 1648 the united Cossack
detachment under the command of M. Kryvonis captured the town. Since 1672 till
1699 Tul'chyn was under the
rule of Turkey. In 1796-1797 the headquarters of A. Suvorov were accommodated
there. The monument to the
Russian military leader stands in the centre of the town. At the beginning of
the 19th c. Polish poet S. Trembecki
lived and died (1812) there.
Tul'chin was one of the centres of the Decembrist movement. There was the chief
board of the Southern Society
headed by P. Pestel. The house where the Decembrist lived has survived, and the
monument to Pestel was
erected. In 1909-1921 Ukrainian composer M. Leontovych lived and worked in
Tul'chyn.
The town has a number of architectural monuments: the Potocki Palace (1757), the
Dormition Church (1789),
and the Dominican Church (18th c.).
Oblast farmsteads