Holovanivs'k: Architecture, History and Remembrance

Holovanivs'k's historic landmarks range from 19th-century sacred architecture to a memorial in the Volovik area that commemorates the violence of 1941. Museum topics add regional history and Ukrainian everyday culture to this perspective. Building history, collections and remembrance in the landscape offer three distinct ways of exploring the town.

Church, Synagogue and Playhouse

The brick Church of St John the Theologian dates from the mid-19th century. It is the settlement's oldest architectural structure and a local heritage monument.

A former synagogue in Holovanivs'k is a brick building dating from the late 19th century. Of several former synagogues, one has survived near the market; its windows are designed in the Moorish Revival style. The architectural highlight here is a specific building feature, while the church, as the oldest structure, offers a different point of historical comparison.

The former playhouse in Holovanivs'k is also built of brick and dates from 1908. Chronologically, there is a progression from the mid-19th-century church, through the synagogue from the later decades of that century, to the playhouse of 1908. The dates make the three building types comparable without presenting them as buildings of the same kind.

Museums and Regional Culture

The Museum of the History of Holovanivsk District has nine halls featuring information about the region's history, as well as various exhibitions and displays. The exhibits include traditional Ukrainian costumes and embroidered shirts. Elements of Ukrainian interiors are also represented: an authentic oven and a house made of adobe bricks.

The topics connect the broader context of regional history with specific examples of clothing and housing. Shirts and embroidery are presented alongside the oven and adobe-brick house; the range therefore extends from textiles to furnishings and living spaces.

As a broader point of reference alongside individual buildings, the museum brings together regional history in nine halls and complements it with clothing and interior furnishings. The focus therefore extends beyond building dates and types to cultural objects and ways of living.

The collection of the Museum of the History of the Holovanivsk Settlement Council includes a samovar.

Remembrance and an Oak in the Volovik Area

A memorial in the Volovik area commemorates residents of the Holovanivsk region who were tortured and killed by the German occupiers in September 1941. The memorial was unveiled in October 2014. The two dates refer to different events: September 1941 is the historical event commemorated, while October 2014 is the date of the unveiling.

It was erected beside a mighty oak that has stood for several hundred years. The oak in the Volovik area on the outskirts of Holovanivs'k is recommended as a district excursion destination in tourist guidebooks. Volovik is thus defined both by a specific commemorative purpose and by a distinctive landscape feature.

Discover more destinations: Dobrovelychkivka, Novomyrhorod, Subottsi, Kutsevolivka, Kazarnya, Kapitanivka, Ul'yanovka, Buzova

For the regional travel overview: Kirovohrad Oblast.