Sights of Donetsk: overview and photos of interesting places. Donbass

I want to dispel the myth that Donbass is only about mines and factories, that there is absolutely nothing to see there. In fact, there are stunningly beautiful places there, comparable to the Crimea, Ternopil region, Poltava region, Cherkasy region.
Beautiful chalk mountains, steppes, flowering meadows, unique natural monuments.
Below we briefly describe four such places located in the vicinity of Kramatorsk.
1) Seversky Donets River
2) Alekseevo-Druzhkovka. Stone trees. (Konstantinovsko-Druzhkovskaya anticline)
3) Regional landscape park Kleban-Byk
4) Chalk cliffs in the village of Belokuzminovka

Seversky Donets River

Seversky Donets (Ukrainian Siversky Donets, ancient Greek according to Ptolemy Tanaid, Tanais, Italian Tan, Old Russian Great Don, Donel, Don) is a river in the south of the East European Plain, flowing through the Belgorod and Rostov regions of Russia, as well as Kharkov and Donetsk and Lugansk region of Ukraine, the right (largest) tributary of the Don. The fourth largest river in Ukraine and the most important source of fresh water in the east of this country. Sometimes it is also called the Northern Donets, in the 17th-18th centuries - the Northern Donets. Wikipedia

The Seversky Donets is an amazingly beautiful river, in some places it reminded me of Psel and Ros. Not a very fast current, picturesque banks, a lot of egg pods, and white lilies in places. An excellent place for kayaking trips and parking on the shore. The only thing is that near large cities, all the banks are occupied by recreation centers and private estates.

Seversky Donets

White wagtail (Motacilla alba) and tourist sites on the banks

A typical Donbass landscape with waste heaps.

Alekseevo-Druzhkovka. Stone trees.

Here, in a former quarry for the extraction of refractory clay, there are the remains of petrified trees, araucaria, which are about 250 million years old. Currently, similar trees survive in South America, Australia and the islands of New Caledonia.
There are very beautiful meadows around the quarry.
We saw only one tree; the rest, smaller pieces, were stolen by local residents for souvenirs and to decorate fireplaces.

The fairly flat terrain in this area is cut by several gullies - former clay quarries

The slopes of the quarry are gradually overgrown

All around are steppe and meadows that have not yet been scorched at this time of year.

Stone outcrops on the slopes

Actually, that's why it's worth going there. Fossilized Aurucaria

This giant can only be dragged away with the help of a crane, which is why it remained on the slope of the quarry

Sandy-clayey slopes

A great place to play Indians. Surprisingly, the surrounding area is quite clean, I’m glad there is no garbage

More quarry slopes

View of the quarry from above

Surrounding meadows

More forbs

Some kind of tansy and cornflower (genus Centaurea), which I have never seen before

The meadows of these cornflowers look very beautiful, at the top they are already in full bloom, and just below there are still buds

Speedwell (Veronica spicata) and Thuringian hutma (DOG ROSE) (Lavatera thuringiaca)

Common bruise (Echium vulgare) and tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.)

Tansy fields

Mullein (Verbascum) and sage (Salvia)

Scabiosa and Mylabris variabilis eating yellow Senecio flowers

Field Consolidum (Royal Delphinium) (Consolida regalis) and Prickly Zopnik (Zheleznyak) (Phlomis pungens Willd.)

Zopnik thickets

Podalirius (Iphiclides podalirius L.)

Among the interesting creatures I also saw crested larks (Galerida cristata), in Kyiv they appear only in January-February.

Kleban the Bull

The regional landscape park “Kleban-Byk” is located on the territory of the Konstantinovsky district of the Donetsk region, the total area of ​​the park is 2142 hectares. The territory of the park is a picturesque mountainous area on both banks of the Kleban-Byk reservoir, which is at the mouth of the Bychok River (a tributary of the Krivoi Torets River).
This area is closely connected with the history of the Zaporozhye Army and its state - the glorious Zaporozhye Sich. Almost since 1500, in the royal charters issued to the Zaporozhian Army on the boundaries of Cossack liberties, the name “Bychok River Tract” has been found, since 1600 – “Klebina”, and since 1720 – “Kleban-Byk”.
Anyone who believes that the name of the reserve and the tributary of the river is somehow connected with the bulls that were allegedly bred in this area is mistaken. In fact, the combination of the words kleban-bull means approximately the same as “bottom of the pit.” The fact is that the entire territory of this park 200 million years ago was the bottom of the Permian Sea, as evidenced by the imprints of mollusks and shell rock on sandy stones.

A very picturesque place, you can see campsites with tents on the other side

Below the village of Kleban-Byk, fields and meadows

Panorama

Belokuzminovka

Geological natural monument of local significance. Located in the Konstantinovsky district of the Donetsk region near the village of Belokuzminovka. The status of a natural monument was assigned by decision of the regional executive committee No. 310 on June 21, 1972. Area - 0.35 hectares.
The age of the chalk mountain is 90 million years. The mountain consists of sediments from the last period of the Mesozoic era, which were formed in clear warm sea waters from small marine organisms with a calcareous skeleton. Vertical white-gray rocks stand out in the rock; the eastern edge of the mountain ends with white-gray rocks. At the foot of the mountain there are numerous niches, potholes, large and small caves. Flint is often found among chalk rubble.
The chalk outcrop rises to a height of more than 25 meters. Mount Sword stands alone on the eastern edge of the outcrop.
The outcrop and rocks are completely devoid of vegetation. Vegetation consisting of meadow and dry-loving plants is found only on the edge of the scree; buttercups, clover, and meadow geranium grow here. Swift nests are found in crevices and niches at the tops of rocks.
Not far from the rocky outcrop of the Upper Cretaceous, a site of a primitive man was discovered with a workshop for processing flint mined in this mountain.
Since 2004, the rocky outcrop of the Upper Cretaceous has been part of the Kramatorsk regional landscape park. Wikipedia

View of the rocks from Belokuzminovka

Near the rocks there is a small lake and chalk hills

The official sign and a slightly less official one

Flowering meadows, cows and generally an idyll all around

Forbs

Once again meadows, cows and hills

Nonea (Nonea (possibly N. Russian (russica), but maybe dark brown (N.pulla DC), some believe that this is the same thing) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) and Tatarian fireweed (Goniolimon tataricum)

In the east of Ukraine lies a beautiful city with developed infrastructure - Donetsk. The territory of this city was already inhabited by Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks in the 17th century. Donetsk for a long period of time was called Yuzovka, and then Stalino. Only in 1961 the city was renamed Donetsk. Modern Donetsk is the leader in the rate of growth of industrial production in the country. The city is also rich in unique attractions, numerous museums and archaeological monuments.

Donbass-Arena

In 2009, the modern football stadium of FC Shakhtar, Donbass Arena, was opened, which can accommodate about 52,100 fans of this sport. This attraction was designed and constructed using innovative technologies. The appearance of the stadium is associated with a “flying saucer”, the roof of which is slightly inclined. Thanks to this detail, the football field is better ventilated and illuminated. In addition, the façade of the stadium is completely glass, which meets European standards. The stadium's football field was created using advanced technologies and is considered one of the best in the world.

Botanical Garden

A striking landmark of Donetsk is the Botanical Garden, which has the status of a national treasure of Ukraine. The famous Botanical Garden was founded in 1964 on the initiative of the talented scientist E.N. Kondratyuk. On the territory of this picturesque corner, about 5,000 species of exotic plants grow, and there are also five unique greenhouses in which climatic conditions of the subtropics and tropics are created. The garden's collection includes more than 300 species of plants protected at the international and regional level. The structure of the Botanical Garden includes four departments in which research groups work. Thanks to this attraction, the industrial Donetsk region is a well-greened region of Ukraine.

Planetarium

An ultra-modern digital Planetarium was opened in the center of Donetsk in 2008, thanks to which you can see the stars and planets in a new way, as well as take an exciting journey to any point in the Galaxy. The Digital Planetarium is equipped with innovative equipment. Its progressive systems provide a unique opportunity for visitors to achieve the effect of space-time movement. Within the walls of this attraction there is a studio for creating thematic films and interesting show programs.

Park of forged figures

The most original park in Donetsk is the Park of Forged Figures, founded by the Honored Artist of Ukraine V. Burduk in 2001. Initially, there were 10 metal sculptural compositions in the park. Today, on the territory of this attraction there are more than 140 exhibits, the number of which is growing every year. Every year, the park hosts the Blacksmith Art Festival. The best works of the masters remain in the park.

Mertsalov's Palm

The symbol of Donetsk is the magnificent Mertsalov palm, which is depicted on the region’s coat of arms. This landmark is a copy of the famous element of the coat of arms. The original sculpture is presented in the St. Petersburg Museum. Mertsalov's palm is forged from rail, without the use of welding or joints. The height of the forged product is 3.5 meters, and the weight is 325 kg. The palm tree has 10 leaves, the diameter of which is 2.5 meters. For this original attraction, a tub was made from rail posts.

Sculpture Park "Ukrainian Steppe"

In 2006, the magnificent Ukrainian Steppe sculpture park was opened in Donetsk. This attraction consists of 11 original monuments that were donated to the city by famous sculptors of Germany and Ukraine. All monuments are created on the basis of Crimean limestone and are united by a single theme - the mythology of the Slavic peoples and the peculiarities of their life.

Transfiguration Cathedral

This landmark is considered not only the main decoration of Donetsk, but also the main religious building of the Donetsk diocese. The cathedral was founded in 1883. However, in 1931 the cathedral building was blown up. Only in 2006 did restoration work begin. Today the cathedral is a majestic structure where the style of Russian classicism is organically intertwined with elements of Ukrainian architecture. Marble and granite blocks, as well as textured plaster, were used to decorate the cathedral. The entrance to the cathedral is decorated with strict bas-relief images of crosses, and in the niches you can see mosaic figures of saints. The main decoration of the cathedral are gilded carved iconostases.

Terricons

On the territory of the Donetsk coal basin you can see unusual pyramids - waste heaps, formed from black-brown rock raised to the surface of the earth during coal mining. During the day, the tops of the rock mountains smoke, and at night you can observe a dim fire formed as a result of gas combustion. In the Donetsk and Lugansk regions there are about 1,250 waste heaps, which are undergoing further reclamation. This attraction attracts the attention of tourists, photographers and city guests.

Sights of Donetsk. The most important and interesting sights of Donetsk - photos and videos, descriptions and reviews, location, websites.

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• Donetsk is a young city in Ukraine. There are practically no monuments of the 19th century here, but you can find amazing modern buildings. Donetsk residents believe that their attractions have no analogues in the world. To see this, you don’t have to drive around the city by car - just walk around Donetsk on foot and appreciate the unique places of the capital of Donbass.

  Holidays in Donetsk

  Donetsk is an amazing mixture: here waste heaps and mines are combined with public gardens, parks, and botanical gardens. There are many places in the city where you can have a good rest. Donetsk is suitable both for lovers of active recreation and for those who just need an evening walk and admiring the sights.

  Some of the most famous places in the city are Shcherbakov Park, Artema Street (the central street of Donetsk, where beautiful buildings are located), Pushkin Boulevard, where the famous Mertsalov palm tree is installed, the Donbass Arena stadium, and the botanical garden.

  Local bars and restaurants are very popular among tourists. For example, the Liverpool bar, dedicated to the work of the English group The Beatles. Or the Yuzovskaya brewery, which serves perhaps the most delicious beer in the city.

  Not far from Donetsk there are boarding houses, recreation centers and private villas, where you can also have a good time. In addition, you can go on an ethnographic tour and get to know better the traditions and life of Ukrainians living in this region. For extreme sports enthusiasts, Donetsk has paintball clubs, military training, diving centers and a parachute club.

  Monuments of Donetsk

  There are more than 250 monuments in Donetsk, which include memorials, sculptures, memorial signs, and so on. Most of them are dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, the October Revolution, as well as art and labor.

  Famous sculptors such as Georgy Bero, Makar Vronsky, Yuri Baldin, Naum Ginzburg and many others worked on the monuments of Donetsk. Some of the monuments were donated by other cities, such as Bochum in Germany or Moscow in Russia.

  Among the monuments that are especially interesting for tourists are the following: “Glory to Miner’s Labor” on Shakhtarskaya Square, the famous monument to Taras Shevchenko on the boulevard of the same name, the monument to Artyom - the founder of the Donetsk-Krivoy Rog Republic, John Hughes - the Welsh industrialist and founder of Yuzovka, now Donetsk, the king of the cannon is a copy of the Moscow monument.

  Famous sculptors such as Georgy Bero, Makar Vronsky, Yuri Baldin, Naum Ginzburg and many others worked on the monuments of Donetsk.

  In addition, in Donetsk you can find unusual monuments to a student (the courtyard of the new building of the Faculty of Economics and Law of Donetsk National University), the Beatles (near the Liverpool bar) and Sergei Bubka, the famous pole athlete and Olympic champion.

  And the real center of metal compositions in Donetsk is the park of forged figures. It is located in the park near the Donetsk City Executive Committee. More than 160 works of artistic metal are presented here, including benches for lovers, the Zodiac Signs alley, the alley of superstitions and the alley for Euro 2012.

  Churches of Donetsk

  Representatives of different religious movements coexist in Donetsk. Most of the buildings belong to the Orthodox Church. In addition, Protestant houses of worship, Catholic churches, Greek Catholic churches, synagogues and a mosque are open in the city.

  The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is represented by the buildings of the Moscow and Kyiv Patriarchates. Among the most famous are the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Holy Intercession Church, the Church of the Nativity, the Church of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir, St. George's Cathedral, and the Transfiguration Cathedral.

  Also in Donetsk there are Greek Catholic churches (Spaso-Preobrazhensky, Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Chapel of St. Vervitsa), the Roman Catholic Church of the parish of St. Joseph, and the Donetsk synagogue. Protestants are represented by Baptists, Pentecostals, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Full Gospel Church.

I want to dispel the myth that Donbass is only about mines and factories, that there is absolutely nothing to see there. In fact, there are stunningly beautiful places there, comparable to the Crimea, Ternopil region, Poltava region, Cherkasy region.
Beautiful chalk mountains, steppes, flowering meadows, unique natural monuments.
Below we briefly describe four such places located in the vicinity of Kramatorsk.
1) Seversky Donets River
2) Alekseevo-Druzhkovka. Stone trees. (Konstantinovsko-Druzhkovskaya anticline)
3) Regional landscape park Kleban-Byk
4) Chalk cliffs in the village of Belokuzminovka

Seversky Donets River

Seversky Donets (Ukrainian Siversky Donets, ancient Greek according to Ptolemy Tanaid, Tanais, Italian Tan, Old Russian Great Don, Donel, Don) is a river in the south of the East European Plain, flowing through the Belgorod and Rostov regions of Russia, as well as Kharkov and Donetsk and Lugansk region of Ukraine, the right (largest) tributary of the Don. The fourth largest river in Ukraine and the most important source of fresh water in the east of this country. Sometimes it is also called the Northern Donets, in the 17th-18th centuries - the Northern Donets. Wikipedia

The Seversky Donets is an amazingly beautiful river, in some places it reminded me of Psel and Ros. Not a very fast current, picturesque banks, a lot of egg pods, and white lilies in places. An excellent place for kayaking trips and parking on the shore. The only thing is that near large cities, all the banks are occupied by recreation centers and private estates.

Seversky Donets

White wagtail (Motacilla alba) and tourist sites on the banks

A typical Donbass landscape with waste heaps.

Alekseevo-Druzhkovka. Stone trees.

Here, in a former quarry for the extraction of refractory clay, there are the remains of petrified trees, araucaria, which are about 250 million years old. Currently, similar trees survive in South America, Australia and the islands of New Caledonia.
There are very beautiful meadows around the quarry.
We saw only one tree; the rest, smaller pieces, were stolen by local residents for souvenirs and to decorate fireplaces.

The fairly flat terrain in this area is cut by several gullies - former clay quarries

The slopes of the quarry are gradually overgrown

All around are steppe and meadows that have not yet been scorched at this time of year.

Stone outcrops on the slopes

Actually, that's why it's worth going there. Fossilized Aurucaria

This giant can only be dragged away with the help of a crane, which is why it remained on the slope of the quarry

Sandy-clayey slopes

A great place to play Indians. Surprisingly, the surrounding area is quite clean, I’m glad there is no garbage

More quarry slopes

View of the quarry from above

Surrounding meadows

More forbs

Some kind of tansy and cornflower (genus Centaurea), which I have never seen before

The meadows of these cornflowers look very beautiful, at the top they are already in full bloom, and just below there are still buds

Speedwell (Veronica spicata) and Thuringian hutma (DOG ROSE) (Lavatera thuringiaca)

Common bruise (Echium vulgare) and tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.)

Tansy fields

Mullein (Verbascum) and sage (Salvia)

Scabiosa and Mylabris variabilis eating yellow Senecio flowers

Field Consolidum (Royal Delphinium) (Consolida regalis) and Prickly Zopnik (Zheleznyak) (Phlomis pungens Willd.)

Zopnik thickets

Podalirius (Iphiclides podalirius L.)
Among the interesting creatures I also saw crested larks (Galerida cristata), in Kyiv they appear only in January-February.

Kleban the Bull

The regional landscape park “Kleban-Byk” is located on the territory of the Konstantinovsky district of the Donetsk region, the total area of ​​the park is 2142 hectares. The territory of the park is a picturesque mountainous area on both banks of the Kleban-Byk reservoir, which is at the mouth of the Bychok River (a tributary of the Krivoi Torets River).
This area is closely connected with the history of the Zaporozhye Army and its state - the glorious Zaporozhye Sich. Almost since 1500, in the royal charters issued to the Zaporozhian Army on the boundaries of Cossack liberties, the name “Bychok River Tract” has been found, since 1600 – “Klebina”, and since 1720 – “Kleban-Byk”.
Anyone who believes that the name of the reserve and the tributary of the river is somehow connected with the bulls that were allegedly bred in this area is mistaken. In fact, the combination of the words kleban-bull means approximately the same as “bottom of the pit.” The fact is that the entire territory of this park 200 million years ago was the bottom of the Permian Sea, as evidenced by the imprints of mollusks and shell rock on sandy stones.

A very picturesque place, you can see campsites with tents on the other side

Below the village of Kleban-Byk, fields and meadows

Panorama

Belokuzminovka

Geological natural monument of local significance. Located in the Konstantinovsky district of the Donetsk region near the village of Belokuzminovka. The status of a natural monument was assigned by decision of the regional executive committee No. 310 on June 21, 1972. Area - 0.35 hectares.
The age of the chalk mountain is 90 million years. The mountain consists of sediments from the last period of the Mesozoic era, which were formed in clear warm sea waters from small marine organisms with a calcareous skeleton. Vertical white-gray rocks stand out in the rock; the eastern edge of the mountain ends with white-gray rocks. At the foot of the mountain there are numerous niches, potholes, large and small caves. Flint is often found among chalk rubble.
The chalk outcrop rises to a height of more than 25 meters. Mount Sword stands alone on the eastern edge of the outcrop.
The outcrop and rocks are completely devoid of vegetation. Vegetation consisting of meadow and dry-loving plants is found only on the edge of the scree; buttercups, clover, and meadow geranium grow here. Swift nests are found in crevices and niches at the tops of rocks.
Not far from the rocky outcrop of the Upper Cretaceous, a site of a primitive man was discovered with a workshop for processing flint mined in this mountain.
Since 2004, the rocky outcrop of the Upper Cretaceous has been part of the Kramatorsk regional landscape park. Wikipedia

View of the rocks from Belokuzminovka

Near the rocks there is a small lake and chalk hills

The official sign and a slightly less official one

Flowering meadows, cows and generally an idyll all around

Forbs

Once again meadows, cows and hills

Nonea (Nonea (possibly N. Russian (russica), but maybe dark brown (N.pulla DC), some believe that this is the same thing) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare)

Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) and Tatarian fireweed (Goniolimon tataricum)

Chalk block and more rocks

There are many inclusions of silicon in the rocks

Everything around is strewn with these silicon fragments.

/telecom-tur.com

Svyatogorsk: monumentArtema and cool chalk caves
A visit to the Svyatogorsk Lavra is a common weekend route for vacationers in Slavyansk sanatoriums. The most beautiful place here is a chalk mountain with internal tunnels, monastic cells and the St. Nicholas Monastery at the top.
It’s a special pleasure to travel inside the mountain in the summer: you come out of the heat into a cool chalk tunnel, which centuries ago monks cut along the width of a wine barrel, you climb up for a long time (a pleasant strain on your muscles) in order to have time to miss the sun, and eventually meet it at the top near Nicholas Cathedral - romance.
The main attractions of Svyatogorsk: the Lavra, the monument to Artem by the sculptor Kavaleridze, the old Kamyshev oak.
In general, the city (or rather the village from which it grew) was founded in the 16th century. Cossacks and fugitive peasants from central Russia and Right Bank Ukraine.
Later, the village was ruled by Grigory Potemkin, then by the communists - in general, the history of the city is long, complex (you can’t tell it at once), filled with interesting details. For example, before the revolution there was a horse-drawn trolleybus.

Donetsk
A young developing city. Until 1923, it was called Yuzovka - on behalf of the English entrepreneur John Hughes (Hughes), who in the 60s of the last century founded a metallurgical plant on these lands, known throughout the empire and even beyond its borders). The name Donetsk (since 1961) is associated with the Seversky Donets River. Hughes's dilapidated house remains in Donetsk to this day.

The city has a pleasant Shcherbakova recreation park with a bridge over the river, Pushkin Avenue, where local artists display their creations, the Gandzhubas club, and the Liverpool art hotel. By the way, active young people here are pleasantly pleased: for example, there are volunteers who organize master classes, educational programs, create information centers, and mini-libraries of a progressive format.

Also in the Donetsk region is the village of Krasnoe, where composer Sergei Prokofiev was born. There is a museum named after him in the village. There is a river flowing nearby where you can relax with tents.
Nikolai Leontovich, the author of the world famous Shchedrik, lived and worked in the Donetsk region from 1904 to 1909.

The Khomutovskaya steppe is also a very protected place in the Novoazovsky district of the Donetsk region.

And a little about waste heaps. Once, the waste heap, which is located almost in the center of Donetsk, was used to prepare athletes for the Ukrainian Cup in mountain tourism.

Lugansk region: Donetsk Ridge, forests, steppes, Cossack architecture
According to travelers, in the Lugansk region there are many untouched steppe zones with a beautiful horizon where you can pitch a tent. Tents can also be set up near forest beams in which wild pears and other wild trees grow. Now many of these places are undergoing military exercises before being deployed to hot spots, but in times of peace it is truly beautiful here.
The author of the Insider resource is also advised to visit the village of Nagolno-Tarasovtsy with the ancient wooden Holy Assumption Church. There is very attractive rural architecture here. In general, the tourist attractiveness of the Lugansk region is described concisely and well in this Insider material - beautiful, informative, and a little sad.

Ukraine is a diverse, beautiful and complex country. This eclecticism of territories and customs has a special appeal and potential. We hope we can keep the country united.