Ukraine, Uman'
Sofiyivka National Park
The article is written by Marina Berezhna
Sofiyivka National Arboretum Park is the place that is worth to visit if you are in Ukraine. This gorgeous natural park is situated in a small city Uman in Cherkassy region. It is put in TOP 10 the best natural parks of Europe.
The park is two hundred hectares - it is almost impossible to visit all the places here in one day!
There are a lot of century-old chestnuts, poplars and new plants that are planted every year.
The park was created in one thousand ninety sixth by polish graph Stanislav Pototskiy. It was a gift to his adorable wife Sofia. That’s why it is a place of peace, power, and love. It is full of legends and special places.
The park had been building for six years and in one thousand eight hundred second year, it was given to Sofia for her birthday. Thousands of slaves were digging ponds, lifting up huge stones, planting trees and flower beds to create a unique masterpiece of nature. An interesting fact is that all the waterfalls in the park are natural and don’t use electricity or other mechanisms.
Other names of Sofiyivka park are the temple of nature, a poem that is made of stones, water, and architectural sculptures.
The park was created based on ancient Greek myths. The main entrance is decorated with watchtowers, the crown of which is borrowed from the temple of Vesta; who was the patroness of the home peace. Exactly here, all the legends of the park are started.
The first legend is: if you go hand-by-hand with your loved one through this arch (entrance), you will have a happy and long life full of love together. Then go ahead directly to the lower pond with “Snake” fountain. The fountain height is eighteen meters. There you will also see Levkadian rock. If you look on its side, you can see the profile of a person that is too similar to graph Pototskiy.
Walking ahead you will see up pond. In the middle of it, there is a small but very cozy artificial “Island of Love”. If you are not successful in love, go across this island for three times. By legend, the person who will do it will meet his beloved soon.
“Chinese arbor” will help you to make the right decision if you are in search.
In the grotto Calypso, the creator of the park personally left a message to descendants: “let that one who is unhappy, will be happy; and that one who is happy, let start to be happier”
It is possible to speak endless time about this amazing park. This place is full of small and big waterfalls, lakes, ponds, amazing fields, stone gardens, and flowers with their legends. To understand its beauty you have to visit it!
The best time to visit the park is the end of April - beginning of June and from the middle of September till November.
The park is two hundred hectares - it is almost impossible to visit all the places here in one day!
There are a lot of century-old chestnuts, poplars and new plants that are planted every year.
The park was created in one thousand ninety sixth by polish graph Stanislav Pototskiy. It was a gift to his adorable wife Sofia. That’s why it is a place of peace, power, and love. It is full of legends and special places.
The park had been building for six years and in one thousand eight hundred second year, it was given to Sofia for her birthday. Thousands of slaves were digging ponds, lifting up huge stones, planting trees and flower beds to create a unique masterpiece of nature. An interesting fact is that all the waterfalls in the park are natural and don’t use electricity or other mechanisms.
Other names of Sofiyivka park are the temple of nature, a poem that is made of stones, water, and architectural sculptures.
The park was created based on ancient Greek myths. The main entrance is decorated with watchtowers, the crown of which is borrowed from the temple of Vesta; who was the patroness of the home peace. Exactly here, all the legends of the park are started.
The first legend is: if you go hand-by-hand with your loved one through this arch (entrance), you will have a happy and long life full of love together. Then go ahead directly to the lower pond with “Snake” fountain. The fountain height is eighteen meters. There you will also see Levkadian rock. If you look on its side, you can see the profile of a person that is too similar to graph Pototskiy.
Walking ahead you will see up pond. In the middle of it, there is a small but very cozy artificial “Island of Love”. If you are not successful in love, go across this island for three times. By legend, the person who will do it will meet his beloved soon.
“Chinese arbor” will help you to make the right decision if you are in search.
In the grotto Calypso, the creator of the park personally left a message to descendants: “let that one who is unhappy, will be happy; and that one who is happy, let start to be happier”
It is possible to speak endless time about this amazing park. This place is full of small and big waterfalls, lakes, ponds, amazing fields, stone gardens, and flowers with their legends. To understand its beauty you have to visit it!
The best time to visit the park is the end of April - beginning of June and from the middle of September till November.
Sofiyivka Park Travel Guide
Sofiyivka National Park address: 20300 Uman, Cherkassy Region, Kyivska street, 12A
Phone number: +38(04744) 3-22-10, +38(04744) 4-07-39
Working time: every day from nine AM till six PM. From the fist of May till the fifteenth of November.
Entrance ticket: 50 hryvnas (one dollar = twenty-six hryvnas and forty coins).
Travel Guide Tour Price: seventy-five hryvnas*. You can get excursion on English, French, German, and Polish languages.
*The price can be changed depends on the season or any administrative changes.
At the main entrance of the park, you can buy a park map and explore the park independently.
The park area is two hundred hectares that’s why for convenience you can get minibus taxi or order horse brougham.
The city is a center of pilgrimage for Orthodox Jews. Every year in September they come here from around the world to celebrate Rosh Ha-Shana (Jewish New Year) and to commemorate the Jewish saint, the founder of Bratslav Hasidism Rabbi Nachman, whose grave is in Uman.
That’s why we strongly not recommend visiting Uman' during this period of time; the city is full of people and the impression about the place can be very spoiled!
Phone number: +38(04744) 3-22-10, +38(04744) 4-07-39
Working time: every day from nine AM till six PM. From the fist of May till the fifteenth of November.
Entrance ticket: 50 hryvnas (one dollar = twenty-six hryvnas and forty coins).
Travel Guide Tour Price: seventy-five hryvnas*. You can get excursion on English, French, German, and Polish languages.
*The price can be changed depends on the season or any administrative changes.
At the main entrance of the park, you can buy a park map and explore the park independently.
The park area is two hundred hectares that’s why for convenience you can get minibus taxi or order horse brougham.
The city is a center of pilgrimage for Orthodox Jews. Every year in September they come here from around the world to celebrate Rosh Ha-Shana (Jewish New Year) and to commemorate the Jewish saint, the founder of Bratslav Hasidism Rabbi Nachman, whose grave is in Uman.
That’s why we strongly not recommend visiting Uman' during this period of time; the city is full of people and the impression about the place can be very spoiled!
How to get Uman' Sofiyivka Park
Firstly, you will need to get any regional city like Odesa, Lviv, Kyiv, etc. You can do it any convenient way for you (train, bus, plane, car).
By Bus
Traveling by bus can be tired but very interesting. The distance between Kyiv and Uman is two hundred nine kilometers.
The trips time takes approximately three - three and a half hour. It depends on traffic jams and the time of the day.
If you travel from Kyiv you need to take Bus stations “Central” (Avtovokzal “Centralniy” - Автовокзал “Центральний”)) Nauky Avenue, 1 (Prospekt Nauky, 1 - Проспект Науки,1) or Bus station "Vydubychi" (Автостанція “Видубичи”), Naberezhno Pecherskaya road 10A.
If you buy tickets online, the address of the station will be listed on the ticket.
The websites where you can buy bus tickets are listed below:
By Car
Use the road routes E95, E95/M05 or H01 to get Uman from Kyiv.
The trip duration will take around three hours.
By Train
There is no direct train to Uman' from Kyiv. However, you can take the train to Cherkassy and then buy a ticket to Uman. This way of traveling is exhausted and bit complicated if you don’t know Ukrainian or Russian language.
To look tickets to Cherkassy, go to the official website of Ukrainian Railways.
By Plane
Uman' does not have an airport.
By Bus
Traveling by bus can be tired but very interesting. The distance between Kyiv and Uman is two hundred nine kilometers.
The trips time takes approximately three - three and a half hour. It depends on traffic jams and the time of the day.
If you travel from Kyiv you need to take Bus stations “Central” (Avtovokzal “Centralniy” - Автовокзал “Центральний”)) Nauky Avenue, 1 (Prospekt Nauky, 1 - Проспект Науки,1) or Bus station "Vydubychi" (Автостанція “Видубичи”), Naberezhno Pecherskaya road 10A.
If you buy tickets online, the address of the station will be listed on the ticket.
The websites where you can buy bus tickets are listed below:
By Car
Use the road routes E95, E95/M05 or H01 to get Uman from Kyiv.
The trip duration will take around three hours.
By Train
There is no direct train to Uman' from Kyiv. However, you can take the train to Cherkassy and then buy a ticket to Uman. This way of traveling is exhausted and bit complicated if you don’t know Ukrainian or Russian language.
To look tickets to Cherkassy, go to the official website of Ukrainian Railways.
By Plane
Uman' does not have an airport.
Accomodation
You can find hotels in Uman' for every budget. You can stay directly in Sofiyivka Park Hotel and observe amazing park views or choose from the hotels and hostels nearby.
You can order hotel room in advance or directly in the city (if it is not high season)
The best services for Uman’ accommodation are:
You can order hotel room in advance or directly in the city (if it is not high season)
The best services for Uman’ accommodation are: