Autumn trip. Part two. Lutsk
Saying goodbye to Svityaz and dense forests, we went to the center of the Volyn region - the city of Lutsk. The road is not far and not close, about 150 km, the route is quite good and pleasant, the travel time has flown by. Lutsk is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine. The city was first mentioned in 1085 in the Hypatian Chronicle, when the city found itself in the center of internecine struggle between the heirs of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. At the same time, archaeologists are inclined to believe that the city was founded around 1000 AD. e. It is sad to realize that the Second World War practically wiped it off the face of the earth, so the rich historical heritage has survived to this day in a very modest amount, but nevertheless, there is a lot to see in the city. So. The first unplanned attraction was the Holy Trinity Cathedral (built in 1752–1755). Unplanned as we were aiming for the castle. Cathedral Square, also known as Theater Square, is the cultural center of the city, the Drama Theater is also located here. . Well, somewhere in one and a half kilometers there is the famous Castle of Lubart (XIII-XIV centuries), which is an invariable symbol of the city. By the way, it is imprinted on the Ukrainian monetary unit, remember what denomination? : ) On the territory of the castle there is a unique Museum of Bells, Museum of the Book, Art Museum of Lutsk. Excavations are also underway at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist. The territory is small, but very neat, well-groomed, on every corner, in every tower you can find something interesting, smelling of antiquity and rich history. Almost at the gates of the castle there is a wonderful restaurant "Korona Vytautas". According to legend, during the excavations, a dilapidated manuscript was found. It was a kind of diary of the royal cook Svarog, in which he made calculations, wrote down recipes for invented dishes, and described some events from the life of the city. This manuscript became the basis for the idea of creating a restaurant. In addition to cooking dishes according to old recipes and matching their name to the princely period, they are also trying to recreate ancient traditions. Next to the castle is also the oldest house in the city - Puzyna's house (XVI centuries) and "Lesin ash", planted by the great Ukrainian writer Lesya Ukrainka. In addition, within walking distance is the magnificent Cathedral of St. Apostles Peter and Paul with a Jesuit monastery and dungeons (1639, architect Giacomo Briano). I want to draw attention to a pleasant feature of the city, which is very important for tourists: near each iconic building there is a bilingual (Ukrainian / English) sign with a description, and in the historical center on each corner there are arrows indicating the distance to the main attractions. Very comfortably! A few minutes later, our gaze opens the Lutheran church (beginning of the 20th century), built in the neo-Gothic style on the foundations of the Carmelite monastery. Now a Baptist church operates within its walls. Well, literally around the corner lurked the "House of the Lutsk Sculptpor". To this day, work continues on decorating the building with many sculptures. . For some reason, the master's work reminded me of the Catalan Gaudi, with its crazy and at the same time unearthly architecture. Familiar to our sight is the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God (mid-17th century), on the territory of which there was the icon of the Volyn Mother of God - a masterpiece of art of the 13th-14th centuries, as well as the architectural complex of the Lutsk Cross Exaltation Brotherhood (1634), which, to the deepest regret, as a result of unsuccessful restoration 2008 has completely lost its original appearance and historical zest. On the Market Square there is a functioning old Pharmacy Museum with an antique cash register and samples of drugs from the new century. Our plans included a longer walk around the city, but intuition told us that it was time to move on. It's good that we believed her (I'll tell you why later). Therefore, after visiting Lutsk, there was a slight feeling of understatement, because of which you want to be in the city again. That is why Lutsk became a city for me, which is not enough.
