Hi!
I am glad to write to you today. It is a calm Thursday evening in Kyiv. We have recently had power back. It was the first power outage of today. The situation has improved, but I am unsure how long it will be like this.
And now, let's dive into the beauty of Ukraine.
This photo and others in the letter were taken in Ternopil, a city in Western Ukraine. Now, you will exclusively read the travel chapter from my book, 'Ukraine Beautiful.' This letter was sent to those who support me regularly. Your support helps me write, take photos, and show Ukraine. Thank you 🫂.
TRAVEL FOUR. TERNOPIL
So, Ternopil. The first written mention of the city is dated April 15, 1540. On that day, the crown hetman Jan from Tarnów received a privilege from the Polish authorities - the opportunity to own land. So, he found a fortress called Tarnopol. By the way, the city was called Tarnopol until 1944.
Historians say the city’s name comes from the surname of its owner, Count Jan Tarnowski. Almost immediately, he started building a castle, which, after several reconstructions, has been preserved in a modified form. The castle is in the city centre near the lake. It is a five-storey building with two levels located underground.
And the lake. Oh, it is a gem of Ternopil. Initially, its primary purpose was to defend the city. The lake’s foundation date is May 16, 1548, when King Sigismund of Poland granted permission to build the pond.
In 2017, Ukraine's longest fountain, 210 meters long, began operating on the lake. Unfortunately, only a tiny part of the fountain works these days due to the war and the need to save power.
Oh my, I have to take a break and breathe. I am writing this chapter in the cafe, and a young man is talking loudly on the phone. He is laughing and speaking… russian. Perhaps this fact made me especially angry. And you know what I did? I came to him and asked him to respect others and reminded him of the war.
I really cannot stand the russian language anymore. It is like a slap on the face. And I am so sorry that some Ukrainians still use it even though this language kills. It kills childhood, dreams, and the future.
I don't know if mentioning the language issue was a good idea, but I aim for this book to be very realistic. Despite the beauty in the pictures I show, I want to remind everyone about what's happening in Ukraine. This beauty is very fragile.
Let's keep singing her praises.
Above, you can see Ternopil Drama Theatre, founded on December 8, 1930. However, Ternopil was nearly destroyed during the liberation from the German occupiers in March and April 1944, so a new theatre building was constructed in 1957.
Not far from the Drama Theatre, when you walk a cosy alley, there is a monument to a woman.
Her name is Solomiya Krushelnytska (1872-1952). She was a world-famous opera singer with a unique voice and was born in the village near Ternopil. I have a letter telling her story (In the printed book, I will quote a few passages from it, but now you can follow the link above if you missed the story).
One more building I want to show you is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The table on it says:
“It is a bright example of the sacral architecture, made in the unique style of Ukrainian Baroque. The construction lasted 30 years, from 1749 to 1779, by the order of Józef Potocki*. For a long time, Jan de Witte was mistakenly considered the architect, but later, August Moszhynski was declared the real author.”
*Józef Potocki (1673-1751) was a Polish nobleman and Great Hetman of the Crown. Ternopil was a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth then.
And the photo of the Cathedral interior.
Okay, let’s summarise my words in this travel chapter (plus I will add something). Ternopil is a cosy, not very large city (its population was 216,000 in 2017; nobody counts now as there is a war). It is magnificently green and beautiful to visit in late spring or summer. There are several parks in the city. Perhaps, next time I visit Ternopil, I will visit them, take photos, and add them to the book. What do you think?
One recommendation for you is where to eat in Ternopil. There is a restaurant-museum called Staryi Mlyn (Old Mill in English). Authentic food and other things create a special atmosphere there -Instagram.
Before I let you go live your life, I want to share something special. Erich Meier (Twitter, Threads) has added the places I mention in the book Ukraine Beautiful and beyond to Google Maps here. You can also find links to tweets/letters about the places.
I am so grateful for this, and I hope you find it useful, too.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions on improving or making these travel chapters more useful. I read all the responses here.
Thank you for reading and supporting 😘
Sincerely,
Yaroslava