Hardly anyone will be able to tell right away whether he has seen the Ukrainian city of Khotin. In fact, almost every resident of the former USSR must answer in the affirmative. Indeed, many films were filmed in Khotyn, which needed a knightly atmosphere and the atmosphere of a medieval castle.
At the entrance to the city, the visitor is greeted by a watchtower.
Khotin is a city with a rich history (only Russian troops took it many times in several wars, plus Poland, Romania, Turkey ...), but small. Therefore, the buildings are predominantly low-rise.
A beautiful building near the local technical school.
And in the yard there is a well with delicious, cold water.
Despite its small population (about 10,000 people), the city has all the possibilities for a full life for its inhabitants.
You can visit the House of Culture
or the House of Folk Art.
With an original well next to the entrance. (True, locked).
Khotin has a good stadium.
There is a sports school "Olympus". You can stay overnight in her hotel.
In search of the truth, the townspeople come here.
Due to the ubiquity of e-mail, local traditional mail has some difficulties.
Considering that there are good shops in Khotin.
You can devote one day entirely to fashionable shopping.
Although a lot is grown on their own farm.
There are very green streets ..
But still, there is a nice park in the center. Judging by the sculpture, formed during the Soviet period.
Looking at these stone workers, you think, "Maybe it's not bad when people work?"
There are many monuments in Khotin. Good condition.
This one was installed in honor of the Khotyn uprising. When Romania conquered the region in 1918, local residents created a militia that successfully fought for freedom.
The city then, in the end, went to Romania. But the struggle did not stop.
A worthy monument has been erected to the townspeople who died in the Great Patriotic War. All the fallen are listed by name.
This is also a memory of that war.
Victims of the Holodomor and political repression.
The inhabitants of the city were also killed in Afghanistan.
But not all of the monuments have survived. From this, which stood near the city administration, only the pedestal remained. (It will come in handy again).
Karl Marx was more fortunate. Perhaps they just did not know who he was.
Many Jewish writers came out of Khotin at one time. But the city synagogue looks very modest.
A nice church was built in the park.
The townspeople love to be beautiful. Someone painted a common well.
And this owner has a gorgeous gate. You can look like in a mirror.
Judging by this pipe, there is gas in the private sector.
The original premises of a sporting goods store.
Citizens have a choice of timing options.
The main tourist attraction of the city is the fortress, located on the outskirts of the city, on the banks of the Dniester.
The fortress within the modern borders is only part of a whole complex of defensive structures, from which fragments of the walls remain
and towers.
Next to the fortress the temple of Alexander Nevsky
And a building with signs "Exhibition Hall" and "Bar".
On a hill above the Dniester, there is a majestic monument.
A bridge over the moat leads to the fortress, as it should be according to the rules of medieval security.
Inside the fortress looks quite chivalrous.
Heraldry
Coat of arms
Khotyn region
The coat of arms is in the shape of a rectangle with a semicircle at the base. In the blue field, there is a full-length image of a golden-haired girl in silver clothes. The girl holds in her left hand a red jug, and with her right she picks up a twig of a walnut with five leaves; top right - 8-pointed silver star.
The shield is framed with a wreath of green beech branches with golden nuts and golden ears, wrapped in a blue and yellow ribbon; under the shield there is a silver fortress over a blue ribbon with an inscription in gold letters “Khotyn District”.
Khotyn region
The flag is a rectangular cloth with a width to length ratio of 2: 3. The flag is divided lengthwise into three stripes of blue (3/4 width), yellow (1/12 width) and green (1/6 width) colors.
A stylized image of a white nut branch with five leaves emerges from the middle of the blue stripe; in the upper corner of the flagpole is an eight-pointed white star with a beam span equal to 1/8 of the flag's width.
The region's flag is double-sided.
the city of Khotin
The coat of arms is a Spanish-shaped red-azure shield. In the center of the shield there is a silver image of a fortress with three towers. There is a golden crescent on the middle tower, white panels on the other two. Above the fortress there are two crossed sabers, above them there is a golden cross.
The shield is framed by a decorative cartouche and topped with a silver city crown in the form of three towers.
the city of Khotin
The flag is a square cloth.
The red field depicts a white fortress with two towers and bunchuks on them. Above the fortress are two crossed white sabers with a golden cross above them.
The flag has four sides, blue platband, 1/10 of the width of the flag.
Khotyn district
Khotyn district(Ukrainian Khotinsky district) - an administrative unit of the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. The administrative center is the city of Khotin.
Located in the northern part of the region.
Villages and townships of the district
(Ukrainian Khotin) is a city in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Khotin region.
Located on the right bank of the Dniester. The nearest railway station Kamenets-Podolskiy is 20 km, to the regional center - Chernivtsi - 74 km.
It is the administrative center of the Khotyn city council, which does not include other settlements.
Population: 11,216
Phone code: +380 3731
Khotin's story
Archaeological monuments of different eras have been discovered on the territory of the modern city. In the Grabarnya tract, a Late Paleolithic site was located on the site of a fortress - a settlement of the Trypillian culture (III millennium BC) and early Iron age (I millennium BC). Troyanov Val (1st century AD) runs in the eastern part of the city. Also excavated were Slavic settlements of the 6th-7th centuries; in the Kotelevo tract - a Slavic settlement of the VIII-XIII centuries.
It is likely that Khotin grew out of the Slavic settlements. "The city on the Dniester river Hotenie", as one of the chronicles says, has repeatedly become an arena of bloody battles, fires often blazed here, the city was devastated, but it was rebuilt again, it became a fortified fortress. It was this medieval city that the author of the Resurrection Chronicle had in mind when, in the “List of Russian cities, far and near,” compiled at the end of the 14th century, he called it “Desire on the Dniester”.
In the X-XI centuries, Khotin was part of Kievan Rus. In the second half of the XII century, the city became part of the Galician, and since 1199 - the Galicia-Volyn principality. In the second half of the 13th century, a fortress was built in Khotin, which played an important role in the struggle against the Turkish and Tatar conquerors.
In the second half of the XIV century, when the Moldavian principality was created, Khotin became part of it and eventually became an important trade and customs point on the northern borders. Since the 15th century, a trade route from Moldova to Poland and Kamenets-Podolsk passes through Khotin. A customs office was established in the city. Residents of the city bought wool, honey, wine, bread from the peasants. All this was exported along the Dniester to the Black Sea, to Iran, Turkey and other countries. In turn, goods from other cities arrived in Khotin.
In the middle of the 16th century, fairs were held here every year.
The Moldavian ruler Stephen III (1451-1504) expanded and significantly strengthened the Khotin fortress, which withstood more than one siege by the Turkish and Polish armies. In 1476, the people of Khotin repulsed the attack of the Turkish troops of Sultan Muhammad II. In 1538 the fortress suffered great destruction from the attack of the Polish troops, but during the time of the owner Piotr Rares it was rebuilt and significantly expanded.
The favorable location, the development of crafts and trade contributed to the rise of the city's culture. This is evidenced by the handwritten Khotyn Gospel of the 15th century, kept in the State Public Library named after Saltykov-Shchedrin in St. Petersburg
In the XVI-XVII centuries, Khotin was a significant trading city.
At the turn of the 15th-16th centuries, Khotin fell into a vassal relationship with the Sultan Turkey, which turned the fortress into one of its military outposts. In October 1620, Khotin was again captured by the Turkish army, which was then waging a war against Poland. Under these conditions, the Polish gentry government turned to the Ukrainian Cossacks for help, promising them new rights and privileges.
The Cossack Council, convened in Sukhoi Dubrava (Kiev region), decided to take part in the struggle against the Turks. A forty thousand Cossack army set off for the Dniester. In the fierce battles for Khotin, which lasted for almost a month against the 150-thousandth enemy army, the Ukrainian Cossacks, led by P. Sagaidachny, who replaced Y. Wart, saved the Polish army from defeat and removed the danger of enslaving the Ukrainian and Polish peoples by Turkish-Tatar feudal lords.
Defeated, Sultan Osman II was forced to conclude the Khotyn Peace Treaty with Poland in 1621. According to its terms, the border between Turkey and Poland passed along the Dniester; Turkey and the Crimean Khanate pledged not to carry out predatory attacks on Ukraine and Poland. For its part, Poland handed over to Turkey Hotini promised to prohibit Ukrainian Cossacks from shipping along the Dnieper and prevent the Cossacks from going to Crimea and Turkey.
The Khotyn War of 1621 received wide responses in modern memoirs, chronicles, and folk works.
During the national liberation war of the Ukrainian people under the leadership of B. Khmelnitsky, Khotin was twice captured by peasant-Cossack detachments in 1650 and 1653 On November 11, 1673, Polish-Moldovan troops near Khotin defeated the Turkish army. The city was captured by Poland.
In 1711, Turkey again conquered Khotyn from Poland and turned it into the center of the administrative region - paradise. In 1718, the Turkish government, with the help of French engineers, fortified the Khotin fortress: ditches were dug, stone ramparts with many bastions were built.
During the Russian-Turkish wars of the 18th-19th centuries, Khotin received Russian troops four times. In 1739 they defeated the Turkish army in the Battle of Stavchan and captured Khotin.
According to the Belgorod Peace Treaty of 1739, Khotin was returned to Turkey. During the first Russian-Turkish war (1768-1774), the Russian army in 1769 again occupied the city.
In the 19th century, Khotin retained its military-strategic importance, but since 1856 the Khotyn fortress lost its former power.
Education spread slowly in Khotyn, although there were two two-year district schools (male and female), two male class schools and one private
Meanwhile, Romania began the occupation of Bukovina and Bessarabia. On November 10, 1918, its troops occupied Khotin.
July 6, 1941 Khotin was occupied by the German-Romanian invaders. The city was liberated when on April 4, 1944, when the troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts began to liberate Bukovina from the German-Romanian invaders. 133 Smolensk and 163 Kiev rifle divisions were advancing in the direction of Khotin.
The city has been known since the 10th century, during its long history it belonged to the Kievan Rus, the Galicia-Volyn principality, Moldavia, Genoa, Turkey, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Romania and the Russian Empire. There are several versions about the origin of the name: from the male name Khotyn (Khotin), common among the Eastern Slavs in the 11th-12th centuries. (the name means "desired", "sweet"), from the verb "want", on behalf of the leader of the Dacians Kotizon. Some researchers point to the Turkic word "hut" - "big fish".
The first fortress appeared here at the intersection of trade routes - river and land in the 9-10 centuries. It was made of wood and earth. Closer to its present appearance, the fortress took in the 14th century under the personal leadership of the ruler of the Moldavian principality Stefan the Third Great. But since then it has been partially destroyed and rebuilt several times.
Over the next centuries, the fortress survived many assaults, many times Khotin passed from hand to hand, four times it was captured by the Turks. One of the largest in September 1621. there was the Khotyn battle. As a result, the united detachments of the Slavs defeated the 150,000-strong Turkish army, which at that time was considered invincible. The decisive role in the victory was played by the 40,000-strong Cossack army of Hetman P. Sagaidachny. In battle, he was seriously wounded and soon died in Kiev.
One of the first poetic works of Russian literature is associated with Khotin - "An ode to the blessed memory of the Empress Anna Ioannovna for the victory over the Turks and Tatars and the capture of Khotin in 1739" :)
The Khotyn fortress is familiar to many people who have never been here and did not even know about its existence, since many films were filmed here. The most famous "Arrows of Robin Hood", "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe", "D" Artagnan and the Three Musketeers, "The Little Mermaid", "Black Arrow" and "Taras Bulba".
Tourists approaching the Khotyn fortress are greeted by a monument to Peter Sagaidachny.
A new fortress (outer line of defense) was built by the Turks under the leadership of French engineers in 1711. In the photo Bendery (Pashinsky) gate.
The views are beautiful, but at that moment I still did not know what was waiting for us outside the gate ...
The picture, of course, does not convey the opening space and the emotions that this combination of blue, green and ancient walls of the fortress evokes.
Ruins in the foreground - a dismantled Turkish mosque. According to legend, the church of Alexander Nevsky was built from its stones opposite, but in fact the stones were simply taken away by the surrounding residents for their homes.
Actually, the church itself. The foundation of the temple was laid in 1816 by the personal order of Field Marshal Kutuzov, after the victory over Napoleon. Completed construction in 1835. Tsar Nicholas II was here, he presented the Tabernacle and the altar Gospel with a dedicatory inscription.
In 1916, he served here as a military doctor, M. Bulgakov and wrote about this in his diary ... the fortress is sad, and only the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, like a white swan, hovers over the powerful towers of the castle.
The church was restored in 2000.
The building between the fortress and the church is a former military school.
sorry for the many similar photos, but there I wanted to shoot everything, everything, and a lot :)
Yassy gate.
Again the Yassy Gate, and below the wall above the stream.
If you look closely, you will notice two features on the wall:
1. Colored brick patterns. Vitaly told us that for enemies approaching the fortress, these patterns were supposed to symbolize its belonging to Christianity. I don't know if this is true, but let there be a version))
2. Dark, as if wet, spots on the sides. According to a more prosaic version, these are stains from darkened gunpowder or spilled oil, according to the romatics - the tears of a beautiful girl walled up in the wall.
Bridge over the stream.
Here, on the wall, you can clearly see various masonry - the result of many centuries of rebuilding the fortress.
the inner courtyard of the fortress.
Local))))
Well. An essential item in any fortress.
The palace of the commandant of the fortress.
Garrison Church of Saints Constantine and Helena
The gun is real)
On the rocky slopes of the Dniester River in the XI century. East Slavic tribes erected the "city" of Khotin. Over the course of several centuries (X-XII centuries), the city managed to be in the possession of many powerful principalities - Galitsky, Terebovlyansky and Galicia-Volynsky. With the arrival of new principalities, the culture and customs of the settlements changed - Muslims changed Christians, built mosques - for churches, on the ruins of which mosques were again reduced over time. The city has witnessed many wars - both Polish and Turkish soldiers and our glorious Cossacks and hetmans lived here.
They say that in one of the buildings of the Khotyn fortress, popular Turkish baths with swimming pools were once equipped. And even more interesting - there was a real Turkish harem here, according to legends and legends there were more than three dozen girls.
Well, let's enter through a wooden bridge into one of the most glorious architectural and historical places in Ukraine - the fortress in Khotin.
Along the path of the history of the Khotyn fortress
According to historical information, life existed on the lands of the Khotyn fortress even during the times of Yaroslav the Wise and Vladimir the Great (VII-IX centuries. Kievan Rus)
The stone fortress was first brought together by Daniel Galitsky in the middle of the 13th century, where at that time there were fortifications from a tree. Despite the fact that the fortress of D. Galitsky was much smaller, along with the fortress today, it played an extraordinary role in the defense of the principality from the Turkish invasion. The North Tower today - it was in its place that the stone fortress of D. Galitsky was once located.
After the expansion of the borders of the Moldavian principality (XIV century), Khotin became the main defensive center on the way to defend against Hungary, Poland and the Ottoman Empire. Subsequently, a significant change and reconstruction of the walls of the Khotyn fortress preceded. Its territory was expanded three times, a commandant's palace was built (under it there were 2 large cellars with weapons), the walls gained powerful defensive capabilities (40 m high and 5 m wide). The reconstruction was carried out during the reign of Stephen III the Great.
The first offensive and siege of the fortress in Khotin was organized by the Turkish army led by Sultan Mohammed II the Conqueror. This offensive dates back to 1476. However, this offensive collapsed - the fortress survived. But later, after Moldova entered the ranks of the Ottoman Empire (the reign of Suleiman I the Magnificent), the fortress acquired an important strategic character in the offensive of Turkish troops to the Ukrainian lands.
In 1538 the fortress fell from the invasion of the troops of the head of the Polish principality Sigismund I the Elder. During the occupation, the Polish army blew up the area between the Gate Tower and the South Wall. Subsequently, during the reconstruction (1540-1544), the damaged section of the wall was reconstructed and further south. So the reconstruction provided for the Entrance Tower, which was used only by the elite.
In 1563, the Khotyn fortress was captured by Dmitry Vishnevetsky Baida. The purpose of the capture of the fortress was the adoption of an agreement with the Moldavian boyars for a joint fight against Turkish troops. However, Baida's campaign ended in failure, and the leader himself was executed in Constantinople.
Being a key strategic point, in 1615 the dominance in Khotin again passed into the hands of the Poles, although it was not very long - until 1621, when, according to the Khotin peace agreement, the Moldovan masters came. The impetus for the signing of the agreement was the joint victory in the battle of Khotin between the Cossack troops of Zaporozhye and the Moldovans against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The leader of the Cossacks was then Pyotr Konashevich-Sagaidachny.
Twice Khotin passed into the hands of the Cossack army led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the liberation movement of the Ukrainian lands from the Polish gentry (1648-1654).
During 1711-1718. With the hand of Sultan Ahmed III, the Khotyn fortress is once again undergoing reconstruction and extensions, and its walls become even more inaccessible to enemies. The reconstruction was carried out by French engineers, who laid the foundation for the construction of the external defense zone, the total area of which was 22 hectares. The defensive wall contained a stone Counterscarp and artillery bastions. Also, many warehouses, barracks and a mosque were erected.
Modernization did not prevent the Russian Empire and during the Russian-Turkish war the Khotyn fortress fell to the Russian Empire three times - 1739, 1769, 1787. But the Russians did not manage to keep it for a long time in any of the three occupations - each time the Ottoman army recaptured the fortress. Only in 1812, after another capture of Khotin in 1806, a peace treaty was signed, according to which the city passed into the final possession of the Russian Empire. Soon in 1856, the Khotyn fortress lost its strategic defensive significance.
1918-1944 appear for the years when the Khotyn fortress was occupied by the Romanian kings. And after the end of the Second World War, Khotin became part of the Ukrainian SSR.
In 2000, the fortress received the status of one of the "Seven Wonders of Ukraine" and became a state historical and architectural reserve.
Architecture of the Khotyn fortress
In 1991, on the hill, in front of the entrance to the fortress (Bendery Gate), a monument was erected to the leader of the Cossack army, Peter Sagaidachny. A monument was built in honor of the four hundred and seventieth anniversary of the Battle of Khotin, in which the Cossack army took part, led by Hetman Peter Sagaidachny.
New fortress
During 1711-1718, according to the new standards for the construction of fortifications at that time, an external line of defense, the so-called New Fortress, was erected. The construction was carried out by engineers from France under the patronage of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Ahmed III.
The total territory of the New Fortress is about 22 hectares and consists of a powerful stone shaft 8 m wide with a terrace. At the corners of the rampart are six artillery bastions, which are pentagon-shaped and protrude above the stone rampart. The defensive line contains three gates to connect the fortress with the outer surroundings. From the south side - Bendery Gates, from the west - Yassky and from the east - Dnestrovsky.
If you move towards the Old Fortress, on the right you will see the church of Alexander Nevsky built for the Russian army (1835), on the left - the ruins of a mosque (1718), and down the slopes - a school for training military skills (1825).
Previously, the New Fortress included the commandant's courtyard, the Pasha's palace, a corps of officers, barracks (which could accommodate a sixty-thousandth army), office premises and warehouses (they have survived to this day).
Old fortress
In the west of the New Fortress, the Old Fortress of the Middle Ages looms. The total area of this fortification is about 0.7 hectares, and its construction dates back to 1476. Outside, the walls of the Old Fortress are decorated with mosaics lined with red bricks, and their height reaches 40 m, 7 m wide. five towers connected by a battle corridor.
- On the south side is the Entrance (Gateway) Tower (1540-1544), which is connected by a bridge (previously it was a lifting one) with the outside world;
- Southwest Tower (1476), which has a circular shape with a diameter of 8.4 m;
- On the north-western side of the fortress there is the Commandant's Tower (1476) - round in shape with a diameter of 6.3 m;
- The most stable in front of the enemy will be the North Tower (1476). It has a rectangular shape and has three tiers of loopholes. It was this tower that was counted on for independent defense if the whole fortress were captured;
- The last one is the East Tower in the form of a square in cross-section.
Courtyard inside the Khotyn castle
The interior of the Khotyn castle is divided into two parts: South and North.
The southern part, the so-called courtyard of the warriors, is located at the entrance to the fortress. This part includes: a well 65 m deep, a chapel, a building with barracks and cellars for weapons and household goods.
Between the North Tower and the Commandant's Palace - the Northern part, the so-called Commandant's Courtyard.
Mysterious inscriptions on the stone walls of the Khotyn fortress
The mysterious symbols on the high stone walls of the fortress will become interesting for tourists. Magic signs had great symbolic meaning in the life of Christians - symbols of wisdom, symbols of the golden mountain, and the like. It was believed that they defended the fortress by the forces of the Almighty. The Turkish horde could not erase these symbolic signs from the face of the earth, for this they would need to turn the castle walls into ruins.
Also, your attention will be attracted by an unusual straight line on one of the walls of the Khotyn fortress. They say that it was noticeable back in the 18th century. There are many legends about its existence, one of which laments that these are the tears of a dead girl, the other - here a man was walled up in the walls of the fortress during the construction. Some experts argue that the wet line was formed by oil, others - that this is a formation from saltpeter, which was part of the gunpowder.
Khotin is a city of military glory and a witness to historical events since the times of Kievan Rus. During its existence, the town was part of various states, was a military outpost and stronghold for repelling invasions, a smuggling point and scenery for various films. A small regional center on the banks of the Dniester is a real treasure for lovers of travel in the most beautiful nature, lovers of castle architecture, fans of spectacular festivals. Even in spite of its small size, the city gives an incredible experience and a lot of pleasure for tourists.
Geography
Khotin is located on a hilly area on the banks of the Dniester River. The Carpathian Mountains are located nearby, and the relief is quite indented by small tributaries of the river, the riverbed of the Dniester, and small ridges. The nature of Khotin is one of the reasons for traveling to this city, as many relict forests and beautiful landscapes have been preserved in the district. Khotin is conveniently located in the middle of the road from Chernivtsi to Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and is located just on the border of the two regions. Since the town is a regional center with a population of just over 11 thousand people, there is no administrative division within it - only small historically formed zones. Khotin is located in the UTC + 2 time zone, and in the summer UTC + 3 in relation to the prime meridian, like the rest of Ukraine, and therefore the time here is Kiev.
Climate
The city is located quite far from the sea and at a high altitude; therefore, a temperate continental climate prevails here with the peculiarities of the weather typical of mountainous terrain. On the one hand, from the west, the Carpathians protect Bukovina from air masses from Europe, but on the other, the region is subject to winds from the north and east. Winter in Khotin is pleasant and comfortable - the thermometer rarely drops below -8-10 ° С, precipitation is mainly in the form of snow, which makes the city attractive for skiers and hikers. Spring in Khotin comes with gradual warming and occasional frosts. Usually at this time the Dniester floods and the water level rises, but this is not critical for the city, since it is located on a hill. The summer period in Khotin is hot, with little precipitation, there are periods of heat lasting up to several weeks, but the proximity of a large river weakens the sensations a little. The average temperature in summer is in the range of + 18-23 ° С. Autumn in Khotin is pleasant and comfortable. The air temperature decreases gradually, and faster in late October and November. Until mid-October, the weather is warm with little precipitation and not much difference between day and night temperatures.
History
Initially, Khotin was a small wooden fortress, which was built by the Eastern Slavs. The fortress served as protection for the Slavs from numerous conquests. An unfortified settlement was located near the fortress, which gradually turned into a large settlement. In the X century by Prince Vladimir, this settlement was annexed to the Kiev principality, and from 1199 it became part of the Galicia-Volyn principality. The famous Battle of Khotyn in 1621 marked one of the heyday of the city, when Polish troops crushed the army of the Ottoman Empire, stopping its expansion to the northern and western lands. In 1699, the city and the entire region became part of the Moldavian principality. In 1713 it became one of the most powerful outposts of the Ottoman Empire, which it remained for over a hundred years. The ruins of a mosque near the fortress speak volumes about this period. After the Russian-Turkish wars and the partition of Poland, Khotin in 1812 became part of the Russian Empire and became part of Bessarabia. As a border town, it played an important role in trade as well as in the smuggling of various goods. In the 20th century, after the collapse of the empire, Khotin was captured by Romania, and remained a part of Romania until the end of World War II, when it became part of the Ukrainian SSR along with the Chernivtsi region. In modern years, the city began to develop tourism and attract investment in the service sector. Khotin is necessarily included in most of the routes for travelers laid in the Carpathians and the Carpathian Mountains.
Attractions Khotin
- The main attraction of the city is the Khotyn fortress of the 13-18th centuries. This structure was built on the site of early Slavic fortifications by order of Prince Danila Galitsky himself. The citadel (castle) consists of the commandant's palace, four defensive towers, a church with fragments of painting from the 16th century and an officer's barracks. For a long time Khotyn fortress was an "outpost" of the Galicia-Volyn principality and a defense point of Transnistria. During the Crimean War, the fortress ceased to be a military object, but the building has been well preserved. At present, on the territory of the fortress there is the State Historical and Architectural Reserve - "Khotyn Fortress", which is one of the seven wonders of Ukraine. Holidays of Cossack valor are held on the territory of the fortress. The walls of the fortress were the scenery in many famous films, such as: "The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe", "Zakhar Berkut", "Arrows of Robin Hood", "Dartanyan and the Three Musketeers", "Taras Bulba". Restoration was carried out in the Khotyn fortress, and a museum exposition was opened in the building where the barracks were located. There is a souvenir shop and a cafe on the territory of the fortress. In order to get to the Khotyn fortress, you need to go over the bridge, which is thrown over a rather deep ditch. There are many legends about this bridge.
- To the left of the Khotyn fortress, at the corner of Repin Street, there is the oldest and most prominent building in the city - Khotyn customs. Until the entry of the Chernivtsi region into the USSR, Khotin was a border town with its own customs. The structure is a building with thick walls made of rough stone. It is decorated with red brick ornaments. The building was built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
- At the intersection of Olimpiyskaya and Nezalezhnosti streets, there is a one-story building with a red tile roof and a gallery to the right of the entrance - this is a former lawyer's villa, which was built in 1930. It is made with elements of the neobinkovyanu style, which was popular in the interwar period. Currently, this building belongs to the Greek Catholic community of the city.
- The sights of Khotin include the former city theater, which is located at 42 Nezavisimosti Street. The two-storey building was built in 1934 in the neo-Rinkovianu style. Today, the building houses a home for children and youth.
Events and festivals
Khotin, as one of the historical centers of Ukraine, constantly participates in various events of one direction or another. Most often tourists who have visited Chernivtsi and Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky come to the city. By the way, this is one of the most popular tours in Ukraine. Only two major events are held directly in the city, which are organized in the Khotyn fortress:
- in May, Medieval Khotyn is held - an annual costume festival dedicated to the medieval history of the fortress and the city. Within its framework, processions, staged battles and battles, fairs, treats, theatrical events take place. At the same time, the most different stages of the history of the fortress are recreated;
- The Battle of the Nations is another massive festival dedicated to various sports games, military maneuvers, and reconstruction of various events. Often this action takes on the same scale as knightly tournaments.
In Khotyn itself, which has a rather rich history, they periodically organize various events dedicated to certain outstanding people - the Moldovan and Romanian diaspora, Jewish public organizations, Ukrainian art and historical associations are involved here. Before the trip, it is better to find out more about the schedules, as they change every year.
Restaurants and cafes
The city has many places of public catering, scattered throughout the territory and along the highway, which will allow tourists to taste the national Ukrainian, Romanian, Moldavian cuisine for very little money. In addition, Khotyn serves pizza, sushi, traditional dishes from the menu of ordinary restaurants and cafes. In addition, there is a kind of fast food, which is represented by various dishes from different cuisines of the world - here are pies with dumplings, kebabs, khachapuri, pasties, burgers and other dishes that allow you to eat quickly and satisfyingly. It is worth remembering for every gastro-tourist that the portions in local establishments are quite large.
Shopping
Souvenirs in the city are sold in several places, most of them near the Khotyn fortress and in the most crowded places. In addition to gigabytes of interesting photos and videos, you can bring magnets with various types of fortresses, Border outpost, local churches, images of local famous people, including Hetman Sagaidachny, from Khotin. In addition to magnets, Khotyn sells various ceramic souvenirs - mugs, plates, figurines. During festivals, the assortment is larger, but even what is available nowhere else in Ukraine is not sold. It is worth paying attention to the local embroidered shirts, which are distinguished by their special flavor and bright colors.
How to get to Khotin?
The remoteness and rather hidden location of Khotin led to the fact that you can get there with only a few transfers. The easiest way to get to remote Bukovina is by train through Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov, Zaporozhye. You need to go to Chernivtsi or Khmelnitsky, or to Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky (there is also such a train). Permanent transit and targeted flights run from these large cities, making it quite easy to get to Khotin. Buses leave from the train station and bus station. It is also easy to get to Khotin with your car, since it is located on one of the main Ukrainian highways - Zhitomir-Khmelnitsky-Chernivtsi. The road condition is good, and the signs will not allow even those who are not familiar with the area to get lost.
Transport
There is no city transport in Khotin, it is served by passing buses and fixed-route taxis following to Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi. At the same time, internal movement is carried out mainly on foot, since all interesting places, cafes and hotels are located very compactly. There are taxis in the town, but there are not many of them and they are all private, the cost of which is not regulated by anyone. There is no railway transport in Khotin. It is better to rent a car in Khmelnytsky or Chernivtsi, and then come to Khotin itself, since the distance is not so great and the roads are good.
Accommodation
In Khotin itself there are three hotels with a fairly good level of service - "Olymp", "Khotin", "Fortetsya" ("Fortress"). They are located in the city and it does not take long to get to the main attractions from them. There is an option to rent housing from local residents, but you need to remember that the bulk of the city's buildings are one-story, and therefore you will have to live in a private house with different levels of amenities. Many tourists rent accommodation in Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky or Chernivtsi, and go on excursions to Khotin. This approach helps to cover more than one city per trip, as well as to live in a place where there is much more entertainment than in Khotyn.
Connection
All major Ukrainian mobile operators - Vodafone, Lifecell, Kyivstar operate in Khotin, they also provide mobile Internet coverage throughout the city. The connection quality is good and the connection has a lot of traffic. Most catering establishments, hotels and small entertainment centers are equipped with wireless Internet, which is usually provided free of charge. Urban and long-distance communication is provided by landline telephones, which are available in the post office, in local authorities, in some public facilities.
1. With children in the city of Khotin it is best to have a rest in the period from April 29 to May 2. At this time, the city hosts an international historical festival called "Medieval Khotin". Here you can see medieval battles carried out by the fighters of the historical reconstruction clubs of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Poland, the Baltic States and Moldova. The festival program includes a shooting tournament, battles, a joster tournament, an exhibition of armor and costumes from different eras and regions, an exhibition of authentic weapons. If you wish, you can buy armor, weapons or other items of medieval life, as well as other various themed souvenirs as a keepsake.
2. The national currency of the city is the hryvnia. Currency exchange can be carried out at exchange offices or at any bank. You can cash out using ATMs, which are located in a sufficient number in the city.
3. It is worth visiting the art gallery in the Khotyn fortress, which displays oil paintings in 1957. It is forbidden to photograph pictures. And in the basement of the fortress you can visit the museum of siege weapons; you cannot take photographs either. A guide service is provided here.
5. There is a parking lot on the territory of the fortress complex. At this parking lot and at the ticket office of the reserve, you can buy literature and souvenirs.
