The KNUTD community continues to discover little-known pages of Ukraine's historical and cultural heritage through excursions organized by the Primary Trade Union Organization of KNUTD. This time it was a journey through the Zhytomyr region.

The romantic mood of the trip was set by the first stop in Solotvino, with a picturesque lake, the owners of which are a pair of swans and the Fisherman's house, which, like an old chest, stores objects of decorative and applied art by local craftsmen.

Fisherman's House, Solotvino

The Church of St. Clara in Gorodkivka, surrounded by centuries-old linden trees on the shore of a pond, impressed with its austere beauty on the outside and its inner light. The initiator of the construction of the church was the Polish writer E. Ivanovsky, who dedicated the church to St. Clara, the patron saint of his mother. The church was consecrated in 1913. Polish craftsmen were responsible for the construction under the leadership of architect E. Jablonski. The combination of elements of the Romanesque and Gothic styles gives the church the fabulous appearance of a medieval castle, which creates a special charm.

Church of Saint Clara

Welcomed by Berdychiv - a fortress city, unofficially called the "Volyn Jerusalem" due to its deep Jewish history. The city is known as a crossroads of four cultures: Ukrainian, Polish, Jewish and French.

KNUTD employees visited the majestic Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites (Klasztor warowny Karmelitów) - a Catholic monastery of the 17th century, an architectural monument, and since 1998 the All-Ukrainian Sanctuary of the Mother of God of the Holy Scapular. The Sanctuary of the Berdychiv Virgin Mary is located in an architectural complex of the 15th-18th centuries, which includes the walls of the fortress with towers, the gatehouse and the church.

Berdychiv is associated with the love story of the French writer Honoré de Balzac and Countess Evelina Hanskaya. The couple's wedding took place in the Church of St. Barbara, after 17 years of active correspondence. Near the town, in the village of Verkhivnya, Ruzhyn district, the graceful Hansky estate in the Empire style, a family church, a wine cellar, and outbuildings, surrounded by a landscape park, has been preserved.

The pearl of the building turned out to be the moldings, which were preserved in their original form, despite their venerable age and the Honoré de Balzac Museum. Now the Verkhivnya branch of the Zhytomyr Agrotechnical College is located here, the park has been landscaped, the church has been restored, and the entrance to the family tomb has been opened.

The journey turned out to be wonderful! It impressed with the architectural diversity, deep history, romanticism, literature, and also wonderful views of the "wide-field fields", and a stork walking behind a tractor on black, fresh arable land.

04.05.2026