You're reading: Great views, provincial tranquility in Cherkasy Oblast

KORSUN-SHEVCHENKIVSKY, Ukraine - It only takes two hours of driving south of Kyiv to get to tranquil and romantic Korsun-Shevchenkivsky, a cozy town in Cherkasy Oblast, spread along the banks of the majestic Ros River.

Founded in the 11th century by Kyiv Prince Yaroslav the Wise, the town has experienced many heroic and tragic historical events. Korsun used to be a frontier outpost of Kyivan Rus. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was also one of the biggest Ukrainian Cossack cities and a center of the haydamak movement, a national rebellion started by Ukrainian villagers and Cossacks against Polish enslavement. 

During World War II, Korsun-Shevchenkivsky witnessed a major battle in which Soviet soldiers surrounded and annihilated thousands of German troops in the winter of 1944.

Today, only the palace complex recalls the town’s former grandeur.

Korsun Historical and Natural Reserve is the main tourist attraction of the town. Located in a former mansion of Polish and Russian nobility, it includes an 18th century castle with a three-storied wing, Swiss cottage, former stable and carriage area. The main building, a light green palace with little belvedere turrets, looks more like a fairy tale castle where a princess leads a life of a recluse than like a home of Polish nobles.

The castle is open to the public from 8 a.m. until 4.30 p.m. every day, except the last Monday of the month. A modest fee of Hr 15 must be paid to enter the castle that serves as an Arts and History Museum. The castle’s beautiful park is free to visit.

The huge park territory of 100 square hectares is located on several islands washed by the Ros River. It is an ideal place to get lost among little bridges and interlacing alleys. Surprisingly, the park is very silent and not very popular among the locals. On a Saturday afternoon, we discovered only several loving couples and a group of teenagers playing ball.

Red squirrels that live in the unmaintained parts of the park are the visitors’ most frequent companions there. Be sure to reward them with treats.

How to get there

By car. The best way to get to Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy is by car. Take the H01 road and drive some 143 kilometers southwest from the Kyiv border. The road to Korsun-Shevchenkivsky runs mostly through remote villages with nearly no gas stations along them, so make sure to fill up before leaving hometown.

By bus. Take a minibus from Vydubychi metro station in Kyiv to Korsun-Shevchenkivsky bus station. The buses depart every two hours and it takes some 2.5 hours to get to the town. One-way ticket is around Hr 70.

By train. This is the most inconvenient and the longest way to get there. But train lovers can take train from Kyiv’s central station to Korsun. One-way ticket costs Hr 45 on average.

Where to eat

The café “Kniazhy Dvir” (“Prince’s Court”) is located right next to the castle entrance, but it’s not a suitable place for the hungry traveler. The bar offers hot drinks, coffee or tea along with ice-cream. For some reason, food can be ordered only after 8 p.m.

The local restaurant-pub “Europe” located on Shevchenko Boulevard, or a five-minute walk from the castle, seems to be the only decent place to eat. The quality pub interior is complemented with the tastes of well-cooked European cuisine dishes.  However, the prices here may surprise, as they are much higher than one would expect from a fairly provincial town. The average check for the dinner for two people costs around Hr 400.

Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected]