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Park Rarities of Ukraine
Examples of park and garden art are historical heritage, development of which allows following culture, science and ethnography of the country. For the countries which are well known tourist destinations the parks-monuments are in the spotlight.
Of course, Ukraine has its own park rarities, however their ratio for the total natural parks areas is negligibly small — less than 2%.
The obvious paucity of the garden and park art monuments can be easily explained: the majority of them were created before October Revolution. Our government is not really worried about creation of the new gardens and parks, but rather keeping the existing ones.
Tsars’ time heritage
The famous dendrologic parks, which obtained the status of “national monument of garden and park art”, started to appear in our country since the end of XVIII century.
The most well known one is landscape park Sofievka which was presented by count Stanislav Pototsky-Shchensny to his wife for her name-day. Potostky, that time owning town of Uman Charkassy area, allotted 180 hectares for the promenades of his beloved wife. Park was created in almost forest-free area, crossed by Kamenka river, draws and canyons. According to idea of architect Ludwig Metzel the park was to serve as illustration to Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. Despite of total absence of entertainment parts, park definitely attracts by wonderful landscapes, skillful combination of architecture, sculpture, water and greenery. Sofievka gets approximately 500 thousand visitors per year.
Dendrological park “Alexandria” is less known but is not less interesting. It is located in Kiev region, near Bela Tserkva. Park appeared as manor of count Branitski at the end of XVIII century (project and implementation by Italian architect Botani and gardener Stange). “Alexandria” has area of around 200 hectares and has one of the richest dendrological collections in Ukraine: approximately 1800 trees and bushes. As well as count Pototski, count Branitski named the park after his wife’s name.
Chernigovsky region has a wonderful dendropark “Trostjanets” created by grandfather of hetman Skoropadsky, Ivan. The construction of the park started in 1834 and was on for almost half of the century. In his park Skoropadsky reconstructed Switzerland in miniature: hills, lakes and waterfalls.
Eastern regions of Ukraine are less rich for dendroparks, which can be explained by long-term industrial development of the regions and plain landscapes. However during the recovery periods in economics of Malorossia large landscape parks were appearing near the new built manors.
Over 200 years ago near small town Krasnokutsk (Karkiv region nowadays) replacing old Petropavlovsky monastery was founded Krasnokutsky Park. Its existence Krasnokutsky park owes to brothers Karazin, Ivan and Vasily. They turned out to be the pioneers for acclimatization practices in Ukraine: starting from 1805 they’ve brought over 600 species from Japa, China, America, Canada, France, Germany etc.
Worldwide known is the biosphere national park Askania Nova, created in Kherson region plains. The national park is known due to its untouched nature: here is located the only land plot in Europe which was never touched by plough. Askania-Nova is a huge massive of sample plain where the artiodactyls from all over the world are free to walk and live; one of the plentiful zoos in Europe; dendropark with collection of plants which are rare and unusual for southern plains of Ukraine. This unique corner was created by the efforts of owner of manor Askania-Nova Friedrich Falz-Fein.
Green Tavrida
Famous Crimean parks which make the huge recreational potential of the country are the significant part of heritage left from tsar family and other wealthiest families nationalized after revolution. In total as the “heritage” from the Crimean landlords we have around twelve picturesque parks, occupying the area over 320 hectares.
Alupka or Vorontsov Park was created by Mikhail Vorontsov, general-governor of Novorossijsky region, as a complex with famous Vprontsov Palace.
Livadia Park created near summer residence of Alexander II occupies 46 ha and has up to 400 forms of plants and bushes well combined with old sculptures.
Foross Park was founded in the first half of XIX century by the hero of Patriotic War of 1812 general Nikolay Raevsky, and is one of the most picturesque ones on the semi-island.
Mishor, Gurzuf, Oreanda, Massandra, Artek — these places wouldn’t be even half as attractive if the parks were not there.
Separately stand Nikitsky botanic garden, which was founded in 1812 as first Crimean “government botanic garden”. Founding of the garden was encouraged by Odessa city mayor Duke de Rishelieu, according to the request of whom a well-known biologist Christian Steven has “made a vast seedbed of all useful and decorative plants of southern Europe for spreading them in Crimea”. Nikitsky botanic garden nowadays is national scientific center and one of the largest destinations of scientific tourism.
Pleasant exceptions
Those few dendroparks which were created during Soviet times and independent Ukraine times were mainly created either near the capital or in the regions with unfavorable ecological situation. The most “park” one turned out to be “coal” Donetsk region. In 1957 in Slavyansky region of Donetsk region was founded Park of Mayatski Forestry, which in 1972 obtained the status of gardening and park art monument. In 1964 Donetsk botanic garden, the largest one in Europe, occupying 262,2ha, was open. Here is located a unique lilac alley of approximately 1 km in length, planted by 16 species of most valuable types of lilac from all over the world.
Ukrainian capital is famous for its magnificent panoramic hills and garden and park oasis. But also in Kiev greenery planting in its active stage was happening in the end of XIX – beginning of XX centuries. The most famous parks were created before revolution, including park complex of Vladimirskaya Gorka, dendrologic Syretsky Park etc. Among the newly created can be named Feofania (1972) which obtained monument status due to Svyato-Pantelejmonovsky monastery located on its territory; Goloseevsky park named after Rylsky (1957) and several smaller parks. In general in terms of amount of parks and public gardens Kiev leads among the large Ukrainian cities, as it should be for the capital.
Statistics is changeless. If it states that the majority of parks-monuments were created during “time X”, we have to admit that in the time of market economy we won’t create any as well, at least because they are not directly commercial properties. However who knows? Maybe after a while our native land will be the place where they combine beauty and profit, and then the new garden and park art masterpieces corresponding to new époque.
Reference
According to data of Tourism Institute of Trade Union Association of Ukraine, the natural reservation territories consist of:
7% of biosphere national parks,
6% of natural reserves,
22% of national natural parks,
15% of regional landscape parks,
4% of reserved areas,
44% of sanctuaries, meaning the natural territories (water areas), assigned for preservation of the natural landscapes or valuable species,
2% of parks-monuments, botanical gardens, zoos and dendroparks.
Lyudmila Zabolotnaya
Source: Æóðíàë DOMCOM
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