Planning a trip to Ukraine? There are myriad events all over the country (05/07/06)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

Planning a trip to Ukraine? There are myriad events all over the country

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Many Americans are planning trips to Ukraine this summer, so here are some events they might want to scribble into their day planners or enter into their Palm Pilots.

Lviv is offering its visitors yet another new monument to visit and photograph. Government leaders will hold a ceremony on May 13 to unveil a monument to Lemko artist and hero Nykyfor Drovniak on Pidvalna Street near the Dominican Cathedral. Though it hasn't been confirmed by the Secretariat, President Viktor Yushchenko may attend the ceremony.

Tourists interested in seeing the Lviv Oblast's magnificent castles should consider the Zolota Pidkova (Golden Horseshoe) tour being offered by numerous tourist companies. The tour visits three sites in a single day. The Zolochiv Castle consists of a Grand Palace and Chinese Palace.

The Pidhoretsky Palace in the village of Pidhirtsi reflects the late Renaissance style. Its church was built under the baroque influence and nearby is a park decorated with linden trees. President Yushchenko is reported to be planning a presidential residence there. The Olesko Castle, which was rebuilt during the Renaissance, was the birthplace of King Jan Sobieski III of Poland in 1629.

Ethno-rock musicians from all over Europe will converge on Kyiv's Spivoche Pole for the Krayina Mriy festival July 8-10, sponsored by Ukrainian rock legend Oleh Skrypka. Annually, the festival attempts to reflect all the colors of Ukrainian folklore. This year, a traditions and rituals stage will feature mermaid rites, as well as those from Crimea and Bulgaria. Performances typically start at 7 p.m., and will include Ukrainian rock-rapper Tartak, as well as folk rockers Mandry and Haydamaky, who will perform what they bill as "Carpathian Ska." In addition to rock music, the festival features merchants of folk arts, as well as live demonstrations of pottery work and other skilled crafts. For more information visit http://www.krainamriy.com.

August 26 marks the 150th anniversary of Ivan Franko's birthday, Halychyna's most prolific and celebrated author, who hails from the village of Nahuyevychi, outside of Drohobych. The Ukrainian government in March allocated $5.5 million to restore the author's home and museum, which had been set ablaze several years ago. Celebrations will take place in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts throughout August and September, particularly in the village of Nahuyevychi and the nearby city of Drohobych.

For those looking for a wild time, head straight for the Respublika Kazantip on the Kerch Peninsula in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Between July 15 and August 26, youth from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and other countries of Europe converge at this cape on the eastern edge of Crimea to sunbathe, drink, smoke, dance and party the night away. Hip hop, techno, rave and electronic music are the main fare, provided by Russia's top DJs. Festivities will include the Freak Parade, laying the foundation of the Great Kazantip Banshee and dancing in the Sea of Azov. The annual Kazantip affair has reached the popularity of such European parties as Ibitza and Love Parade. For more information visit http://kazantipa.net.

Looking for an excuse to venture out into eastern Ukraine? Try the National Sorochynsky Yarmarok (Fair), hosted annually by the village of Velyki Sorochyntsi in the Poltava Oblast. This year's dates for the fair are August 16-20. The fair has a long history dating back to the early 19th century, when Mykola Hohol referred to it in his writings. Revived in 1999, the fair features Ukrainian business and industry displays, a vibrant farmers' market, folk artists and craftsmen, hay rides for children, as well as concerts and entertainment. For more information visit http://www.yarmarok.poltava.ua.

Every Lemko at one point in his or her life makes the July pilgrimage to the Polish town of Zhdynia, where the annual Lemkivska Vatra draws between 100,000 and 150,000. A smaller, quaint alternative is the Lemkivska Vatra in the city of Monastyrska in the Ternopil Oblast on June 3-4. Typically, visitors bring their own tents or sleep in army tents provided by organizers. The nightly vatra (bonfire) features a concert with musicians that have come from as far as Serbia.

Another international draw for the Ternopil Oblast is the annual Zarvanytsia pilgrimage, the village where the Virgin Mary appeared to a Kyivan monk fleeing the Mongol invasions of the 12th century. Legend has it that it was at this place the monk decided to build a chapel. Thousands of Catholics descend on the Marian Spiritual Center and its Zarvanytsia Mother of God Cathedral to meet for the July 17 liturgy. Poles and other Europeans arrive in cars, while many Ukrainian pilgrims choose to walk for two or three days from their native towns or villages as part of their worship. A three-hour liturgy is held in the morning, while the pilgrims pray and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the vast compound throughout the day. Last year, the Vatican named the Zarvanytsia center among the 15 most distinguished sites in Catholicism because of the Virgin Mary's appearance there.

Ukraine's citadel of culture, Lviv, will celebrate the 750th anniversary of its founding on October 1. In preparation, governments and other sources will provide $82 million to renovate the Pototskyi Palace, Korolivskyi Arsenal, the Boyim Chapel, the moors on Kopernyk (Copernicus) Street, the Architectural Artifacts Complex on Cathedral Square, the National Museum of Ukrainian Art, the Maria Zankovetska Drama Theater, the Ethnography Museum and the Lychakiv Cemetery Museum, among other historical landmarks, museums and roads. Plans are under way to invite Eastern European leaders who led the democracy movements of the late 1980s, including Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, Lech Walesa of Poland and Algirdas Brazauskas of Lithuania for Lviv's anniversary events.

Connoisseurs of Ukrainian literature are already drawn to a photo exhibit, "Vasyl Stus: 20 Years After Death," displayed in the Smoloskyp building on 21 Mezhyhirska St. on Kontraktova Square in Kyiv until August 31. Among the 200 photos on display are those of the young dissident in school and serving in the Soviet army, as well as photos plucked from the family album. Visitors can also examine Stus's letters, arrest documents, media reports of his arrest in the foreign press and transcripts of Radio Liberty broadcasts about the poet and political prisoner who perished in the Soviet gulag.

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