Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi Castle & Old Town
Duration from Kyiv to Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi by train - 8 - 9 hours.
Variants of routes from Kyiv to Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi by car:
1) 450 ΠΊΠΌ
Kyiv - Zhytomyr - Berdychiv - Khmil'nyk - Medzhybizh - Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi (+ Khotyn Fortress, 23 km)
2) 490 km
Kyiv - Zhytomyr - Berdychiv - Vinnytsia - Medzhybizh - Kamianets'-Podil's'kyi (+ Khotyn Fortress, 23 km)
The town is located in Podillia (Podolia), the historic region in the south-western part of Ukraine on the banks of Smotrych River, which makes the river hook on this place. The current estimated population is around 100,000.
There is no any stone from many Podilian medieval fortresses yet. Only here and there, where you can see, the castle yards and overgrown grass hills, where once stood fortifications. But this fortress preserved well up to nowadays, and affects travelers by it's color. Let we also will visit it.
Even in pre-Mongolian time the castle was built in Kamianets. It was originally made of wood. About the 15th century it began to rebuild in stone. Then were built walls and towers of the field side, from where was a major threat. About 1515 new restructuring was completed under the direction of architect Ivan (John) Pretvych. As such, the castle survived. It seemed that nature itself has prepared a place for the construction of the fortifications by the river Smotrych canyon. In Kamianets castle affected the fortress construction techniques, which inherent in Western Europe.
"The flower on the stone". Exatctly this warm name was given to ancient town, the jewelry and honor of Podilsky region - Kamianets-Podilskyi The old town found its place on the peninsula, surrounded with the rocks, where the Smotrych river runs to the deep canyon. It is really unique place, because of the harmonically united the landscape and the construction of the medieval town, where the the military engineers, using the perfect nature conditions, so called nature defense of the territory, created the additional hand-made defense - the fortress system, that hasn't the analogies in Europe. The width of the canyon is 100-300 m with the steep walls more than 30 meters high. The canyon was filled with the water through the system of the locks while the enemy was coming up, what made the city almost undamaged.
The central way to the town was laid through the Castle bridge (Zamkovy bridge), the narrow isthmus, what the nature was connected the town with the surrounding territory. But even this way wasn't accessible for every enemy: it was defensed with the main outpost - the Old fortress. There are still a lot of disputes arround the date of the town foundation. Today four hypotheses of the Kamianets-Podilskyi foundation are fixed: the Lithuanian (Kamenets-Podilsky was founded in 1360), the Armenian (1060-1062), the Datish-Romanian (2th-3rd centuries) and the ancient Kievan Russian (the second half of the 12th and the first half of the 13th centuries).
1. St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, 1893/2011
2. Hunnish Wells Square
3. Svan's Lake Park
4. New-Plan Bridge, 1874
5. Holy Trinity Church, 16th-17th cen
6. Commercial Bank, 19th cen
7. Couch Tower and Wind Gate, 1585
8. Turkish Bastion, 17th cen
9. Lower Polish Gate, 16th cen
10. St. George's Church, 1851-1861
11. St. Peter and Paul Church16th cen
12. Cathedral of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
13. Hause of the Polish Magistrate, 14th-15th cen
14. City (Armenian) well, 1638
15. Trinitarian Cathedral, 18th cen
16. City Gate, 16th cen;
Casemate-Laboratory Tower, 19th cen;
Armenian bastion, 16th cen
17. Ukrainian Gate, 16th cen
18. Castle Bridge, 14th-17th cen
19. Holy Cross Church, 18th cen
20. Castle, 12th-19th cen
21. Dominican Cathedral and Monastery, 16th-18th cen
22. Armenian Cathedral of St. Nicholas, 14th-18th cen
23. St. Nicholas Church, 14th cen
24. Large Synagogue of Artisans, 19th cen;
Pottery Tower, 1583
Kiev & Ukraine Private Tour Guides
Fish Sichenyky (Fish Cutlets)
Soak the stale slices of white bread. Mince or chop finely the fish fillets, onions and the pre-soaked slices of white bread. Mix thoroughly, until a homogenous substance is formed. Season it with salt and pepper, and leave for a while in a cool place. Mix the substance again and form small balls. Flatten the balls and turn in finely ground bread-crumbs. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the cutlets on both sides. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs and serve with potatoes, cucumbers, pickles or tomatoes.
(0.5 kg fillets of pike, zander, ide or any other large fish, 2 onions, 2-3 slices of stale white bread, 3/4 cup oil, salt, pepper, dried and finely ground bread-crumbs, dill and parsley)
