Borshna: History and Landscape on Ilinska Hill

Borshna can be explored through its landscape and history, especially at Ilinska Hill. The hill is the historic site of a former church, features a carved figure of a monk, and offers views of villages, monastery churches, and the Udai floodplain. A procession and a tourist route also begin at the hill. In the village itself, a story about the origin of the name Borshna and the former mills offer glimpses into local history. Together, these places and stories provide different ways to shape your stay.

Landscape and the Monk Sculpture

From Ilinska Hill, you can see the surrounding villages, the golden domes of the churches of the Hustynskyi Monastery, and the Udai floodplain. A wooden sculpture of a monk stands on the hill, facing the Sviato-Troitskyi Hustynskyi Monastery. The view and the sculpture offer different perspectives: the view takes in villages, church domes, and river floodplains, while the figure faces in a specific direction. A park of the same name was also created on Ilinska Hill to make recreation there more comfortable. The landscape and the hill’s designed features are both among the defining themes of Borshna.

The Former Sviato-Illinska Church

Ilinska Hill is a historic site on the grounds of the former church dedicated to Saint Elijah. The wooden Sviato-Illinska Church was built there at the end of the 18th century. It had five domes and a sixth above the bell tower. In 1944, it was converted into a village club and library. Several decades later, the church was dismantled and used as fuel; it has not survived. The sequence runs from the church’s construction to its use as a village club and library, and finally to its demolition. The hill is therefore best understood as the former site of a church, while the building itself belongs to the past.

Procession and Tourist Route

A traditional procession is also associated with Ilinska Hill. On Dukhiv den, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, it travels from the hill through the village of Valky to Hustynia. The tourist route «Do Hustyni cherez Hat» also starts at Ilinska Hill. These are different travel connections: the procession’s traditional route passes through Valky to Hustynia, while the tourist route has its starting point at the hill. If you plan to take the tourist route, it is advisable to check its current markings and accessibility in advance. This lets you consider the festival tradition and the route separately when planning your trip.

The Name and Former Mills

According to a local story, the name Borshna derives from the Ukrainian word for “flour.” The village once had 18 mills, where grain was ground into flour for almost the entire year. The mills have not survived. The explanation of the place name and the history of the mills offer two different ways to explore Borshna’s past. While the history of Ilinska Hill concerns a single building and its changing uses, this story focuses on the former grain-grinding industry. The number of mills and the long period during which grain was ground give this part of local history its own distinctive focus.

Discover more destinations: Myhove, Yerkiv, Korop, Pryluky, Koryukivka, Krasnosil's'ke, Zelenyi Hai, Syrai

For the regional travel overview: Chernihiv Oblast.