Khortitsa

HELLO!!!! Hundreds of thousands of people come to Khortitsa every year to see this unique historical place, as well as to admire the local nature.

  The Khortitsa National Reserve is not only the largest island on the Dnieper, but also a unique natural and historical complex. The uniqueness of this place is widely recognized, in 2007 Khortytsya was named one of the "Seven Wonders of Ukraine".

The nature of the island is striking in its beauty. On a relatively small area (the length of Khortitsa is 12 km, and the width is 2.5 km on average) there are steppes, meadows, oak and coniferous forests. Due to the special microclimatic conditions that have arisen because of the abundance of sun, fresh water and dry air, the flora of the island differs significantly from the continental one.

But most interesting is Khortitsa from a historical point of view, because her story is covered with legends of the distant past. This territory has been known to man since time immemorial.The first inhabitants appeared on the island already in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic age, and the first investigated settlements date back to the Bronze Age (III-II millennium BC), from which there were numerous burials, fortifications and religious buildings. Preserved on the island are several ancient sanctuaries in the form of stone pads dating back to the 2nd millennium BC.

From VII to III century BC. on the island lived the Scythians. Preserved here is a unique sanctuary in the form of a circular stone bookmark in a pine forest near the Black Rock, dated V-IV cc. BC.The history of Khortytsya with Kievan Rus is inextricably linked. According to one of the versions, it was here in 972 that Prince Sviatoslav died in battle with the Pechenegs.

This can be confirmed by the ancient Russian swords of the 10th century found on the island during the construction of DneproGES.

But the most striking events in the history of Khortitsa are connected, of course, with the Zaporozhye Cossacks, because it was here that the famous Cossack fortress - Zaporizhzhya Sich was located.

The first fortifications appeared here in 1556. Since that time, for several centuries, Khortytsa remained one of the main centers of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Surprisingly, some of the fortifications have survived to this day and attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.Zaporizhzhya Sich on Khortitsa allows you to touch the history

The most popular among visitors is the historical and cultural complex "Zaporizhzhya Sich", which recreates the image of the Cossack capital and the atmosphere of the times of the Cossacks. Here the most interesting elements of architecture, culture, way of life and life of Zaporozhye Cossacks are gathered together.

Sich on Khortitsa is built in the image of the real Sich, there are all the elements of the existing Sechs. Around the complex there are protective fortifications: a tall rampart, a deep ditch and a fence in the form of a wooden palisade.

Visiting Zaporozhye Sich allows you to touch the glorious past of Ukraine, leaving an unforgettable impression thanks to the unique atmosphere and historical spirit of the Cossacks.

"The island-museum is fantastic." It was as if I had plunged into the era and culture associated with the history of the Zaporozhye Cossacks.

I was also amazed at the icons in the church, made by the famous Zaporozhye artist Valery Bulat. From these icons the divine light comes.

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