Chernihiv

Chernihiv Rampart is the oldest part of the city, a hill on the high bank of the Desna River, where the prince's hillfort and a complex of city defense structures (Dytynets) were located.

Remains of princely temples and boyar residences were discovered here. Two churches of the XI-XII centuries, the later building of the Collegium (1700), the Regimental Office (XVIII century), known as the "Lyzohub stone house", other buildings of the XVIII-XIX centuries have been perfectly preserved.

After the liquidation of the Chernihiv Fortress in the 19th century, the defensive rampart over the river was converted into a park area, and monuments to Taras Shevchenko and Pushkin were installed (dismantled in 2022 during the active de-Russification of Ukraine, which began as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine).

There are 12 cast-iron bastion cannons of the 17th century on the Chernihiv Rampart, which are considered the hallmark of the city.

The building of the Chernihiv Regimental Chancellery, also known as "Mazepa House" or "Lyzohub Stone House", is located on Val in Chernihiv.

The building on the territory of the Chernihiv Fortress was built by Colonel Yakiv Lyzohub, then it belonged to Hetman Ivan Mazepa, then it served as a regimental chancellery, a city hall, and an archive. The only monument of residential architecture of the 17th century in Chernihiv with well-preserved rich decorative decoration of the facades.

Currently, the building houses the funds of the Chernihiv Historical Museum.

The legend about the ghost of Motrya Kochubey, who was cursed by her mother for having a sinful relationship with Hetman Mazepa, is connected with the "Mazepa House".

The historical area known as Boldyni Hills is located 1.5 kilometers southwest of Chernihiv Dytynets. This is a chain of hills from 20 to 35 meters high, which in ancient times were covered with oak forest (the ancient Rus word "bold" means "oak").

Since pagan times, Boldyni Hills have had an important sacred meaning. Here is one of the largest Old Rus burial mounds, numbering over 200 burial mounds dating back to the 9th-10th centuries. The largest of them are Gulbyshche and Bezimennyi.

With the advent of Christianity, Saint Anthony's Caves appeared on the slopes of the mountain, and the Trinity-Elijah Monastery with the Holy Trinity Cathedral was founded. During Soviet times, a monument to the Unknown Soldier was erected on Boldyna Mountain with the Eternal Flame at its foot.

Now the hills are home to the park-monument of local landscape art "Boldyna Hora". Monuments have been erected on the graves of the Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi and the Ukrainian folklorist and ethnographer Opanas Markovych.

In March 2022, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, Boldyna Mountain was shelled by Russian troops. As a result of a Russian shell hit, a gazebo was destroyed, which was installed at the beginning of the 20th century before the arrival of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II in Chernihiv.

Boldyni Hills is part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv".

The Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine solemnly greets everyone who enters Chernihiv from the Kyiv side, it is considered a symbol of the city.

It is located on the opposite hill from Dytynets, on the Alley of Heroes. The temple in the Ukrainian Baroque style was built on the site of an ancient temple from the period of Kyivan Rus at the expense of the brothers Semen and Yakiv Lyzohub, according to the will of their father Yukhym Lyzohub in memory of the heroism of their grandfather Yakiv Lyzohub and the Cossacks of the Chernihiv regiment, shown by them during the storming of the Turkish fortress of Azov.

During Soviet times, the Catherine Church was closed. In 1975-1980, the church was restored, and an exhibition of the Museum of Folk and Decorative Art of Chernihiv Region was placed inside.

In 2004-2005, the temple was restored. In 2006, the Catherine Church was handed over to the Cossack Orthodox community. In 2008, the church became the Cossack cathedral of the Chernihiv Diocese. Currently, it is an active church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In 2009, the monument "Fighters for freedom and independence of Ukraine" was opened near the Catherine's Church.

Chernihiv Regional Art Museum named after Hryhoriy Galagan is located in the building of the former women's gymnasium (XIX century) on Chernihiv Rampart.

The museum`s collection includes about 8,000 works of fine and decorative arts, from the XVI century to the present. It was based on a unique collection of Ukrainian noble family Galagans, represented by works of Western European and domestic art of XVII-XIX centuries, folk paintings, including the famous Cossacks Mamay, portraits of eight generations of this famous Cossack family and their relatives - Rozumovskyi, Lamsdorf, Darahan, Markevych. 

The Chernihiv Art Museum has a collection of works by the outstanding Ukrainian folk artist Mariya Prymachenko. Works of decorative and applied art of Ukraine, a folk toy are also presented.

During the Russian invasion of 2022, when the city of Chernihiv was under fire, the Chernihiv Art Museum named after Hryhoriy Galagan was damaged, in particular, some exhibits were damaged.