Kharkiv Oblast: Nature, History and Culture

Kharkiv Oblast brings together a range of themes to consider when planning a trip: river and forest landscapes, parks, historic architecture, museums and memorial sites. When looking for hotels in the region, you can first decide whether nature, architecture or history will be the focus of your trip. The places below offer specific ideas to help you choose based on your interests.

Forests, rivers and landscaped grounds

Homilshanski Lisy National Nature Park stretches along the banks of the Siverskyi Donets and the Homilsha River. Its landscape includes numerous lakes and centuries-old forests. The park is home to wild boar, roe deer, deer and numerous bird species. Around 1,000 plant species grow in the park, including more than 100 rare species. A 600-year-old oak stands there and is described as the oldest oak in Ukraine.

The national park is currently temporarily closed, and visits to the forest are restricted. Check these conditions before planning a visit.

The Singing Terraces in Horodne offer a different kind of landscape: they are an amphitheater-shaped orchard said to be significant for all of Europe. Its horticultural design provides a distinct contrast to the river and forest landscape of Homilshanski Lisy. Krasnokutsk Dendrological Park also offers a botanical perspective, with plants from Japan, China, Western Europe, and North and South America.

Memorial sites and traces of history

The Marshal I. S. Konev National Memorial Complex is located at the site of the forward command post of Marshal of the Soviet Union I. S. Konev, commander of the Steppe Front. From there, on August 22, 1943, he ordered the attack to liberate the city of Kharkiv. The “In the Footsteps of Military Glory” route concept lists the complex in Solonytsivka as a destination.

Nearby, in Koropove, the remains of the Sviato-Mykolaiv Monastery have been preserved. Zaporozhian Cossacks founded the monastery in 1648. Another way to explore history is to visit Skovorodynivka: the Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary and Memorial Museum is one of three state literary and memorial museums in Ukraine dedicated to Skovoroda.

Architecture, routes and collections

In Sharivka, an estate with a two-storey palace built in the Gothic style in the first half of the 19th century has been preserved. The concept for the regional route “Old Estates of Kharkiv Region” includes the Sharivskyi Garden and Park Ensemble in Sharivka and the Nataliivka Estate in Volodymyrivka as stops. The Nataliivka complex is a garden and park art ensemble in Krasnokutsk Raion.

The concept for the “Golden Ring of Slobozhanshchyna” tourist route leads to Chuhuiv, the hometown of I. Y. Repin, and includes a visit to the I. Y. Repin Art and Memorial Museum. Its collection includes antique furniture, clothing, weapons, awards, ethnographic materials, archaeological finds, documents and photographs from various years. Its range brings together historic objects with written and photographic records.

Another cultural destination is the A. F. Lunov Historical and Art Museum in Parkhomivka, located at 2 Kontorska Street in Krasnokutsk Raion.

Discover more destinations: Kharkiv, Izium, Solonytsivka, Malynivka, Izium, Derhachivs'kyi Raion, Chuhuivs'kyi Raion, Zmiiv, Mantsivka, Prylyutove, Petrivka, Vysokyi, Krasna Polyana, Kurortne, Bohodukhiv, Cherkas'ki Tyshky, Balakliia, Nesterenky, Zadonets'ke, Cherkas'ka Lozova.

Go to the broader travel overview: Ukraine.