For a romantic one-day tour and to get acquainted with the historical and architectural monuments of Kamyanka, you should visit various sections of the Historical and Cultural Reserve, where you can listen to interesting and informative tours:
Literary Memorial Museum of Alexander Pushkin and Petro Tchaikovsky
The Pushkin’s and Tchaikovsky’s Museum is located in one of the oldest monuments in Kamyanka – the Green House. It was built in the early nineteenth century. In the first half of the XIX century, this outbuilding was used for recreation purpose. At different times, this house was visited by the genius poet Alexander Pushkin and world-famous composer Petro Tchaikovsky.
In February 1937, on the 100-th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin’s death, the Soviet government issued the resolution on the establishing the Green House as the poet’s museum. Subsequently, a major overhaul was made, and the first exhibition was opened. In 1940, when celebrating the 100th anniversary of Petro Tchaikovsky, the institution was Museum was replenished with the department of composer Petro Tchaikovsky. Thus, the institution was named as Pushkin’s and Tchaikovsky’s Museum.
There are no analogues to the Kamyanka Museum, which unites two world geniuses. This is its uniqueness and originality. The Museum’s exposition is located in six rooms. It consists of six sections: “Socio-economic characteristics of Kamyanka in the first half of the XIX century”, “Pushkin and Ukraine”, “Pushkin and the Decembrists”, “Life and work of Tchaikovsky in Kamyanka”, “Tchaikovsky and Ukraine”, “Pushkin, the Decembrists, Tchaikovsky and the present times”.
The Historical Museum
The Historical Museum of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve in Kamyanka is located in “The Steward’s House”, which is a part of the former manor of the Davydovs’ Family, an architectural monument of the mid-nineteenth century.
The house was designed and built by Lev Vasylvych Davydov in the 1860s. As far as it is known, Lev Davydov, the son of Vasily Davydov, the Decembrist, who was born during his father’s exile in Siberia, and who was deprived of the right to inherit the manor was invited to take the chief steward’s position. On the site allocated for him, Lev Davydov initiated the construction of a house for his family and the appropriate office space necessary for the maintenance of the “Manager’s House”.
In the 20s of the twentieth century, All-Russian Special Commission for Combating Counter-revolution, Sabotage and Speculation also known in abbreviation as “Cheka” of Chyhyryn County was located here. Later on, a polyclinic, and then a children’s music school named after Petro Tchaikovsky was here.
Now, here in the house where the family of Petro Tchaikovsky’s sister lived, there is the Historical Museum with a memorial room of the composer and the Art Gallery of Kamyanka State Historical and Cultural Reserve
The Art Gallery
Kamyanka Art Gallery is a department of the Kamyanka State Historical and Cultural Reserve. The Art Gallery was founded in 1993. After the establishment of the Kamyanka State Historical and Cultural Reserve in 1995, the Art Gallery received two exhibition halls in the premises of the Historical Museum of the Kamyanka Reserve.
The Permanent Exhibition Hall presents works of art by local masters, both professionals and amateurs. Among them the most widely represented are the names of the Honored Artist of Ukraine, graphic artist Pavlo Kutsenko and the Honored Master of Folk Arts Makar Mukha. The exposition of the Honored Master of Folk Art, author of the ceramic toy Olga Berdnyk-Otnyakin is still being formed. Among amateur works, Ihor Tymchuk’s paintings are distinguished by the originality and uniqueness of their painting techniques.
Presentations of temporary exhibitions take place in Hall No. 2 (exhibition area of 55 sq.m.). Wide space, sufficient height of walls allows presenting at the same time up to 70 – 80 works of an average format.
The exhibition activity allows the audience to get acquainted with different techniques of artistic creation: tapestries, artistic embroidery, batik, computer graphics, embroideries, etchings, decor, and painting.
The Decembrists’s Park
In the town centre on the slope of a steep mountain there is the Decembrists’ park. It is a monument of history and architecture, which is included in the State Register of National Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. This is an object of garden and park art. These are the remains of an ancient park laid out of coniferous deciduous trees and ornamental shrubs. In the late eighteenth century, Polish owners of Kamyanka were Lubomyrsky Family. Later on, during the reign of the Davydovs’ family, the park was significantly improved and developed. This monument was characterized by a “landscape style”, which was characterized by various romantic components: polished alleys, charming gazebos, observation decks, waterfalls, and fountains, and more.
Over the years, the Decembrists’ park underwent large-scale changes associated with the Siberian exile of Volodymyr Davydov, and later with the Bolsheviks who occupied Ukraine. However, the laid foundation of the park remained intact, as well as its purpose to bring the pleasure of contemplating nature.
In 1975, on the 150th anniversary of the Decembrist uprising, the park was overhauled. The thickets of the park were cleared, dry land was cut down, new flowers and trees were planted, and the whole park was replanned and internally changed. The central alleys were re-asphalted, the side paths were covered with small and thicker rubble. Granite stairs have been laid in various parts of the park, from the Decembrist monument to the Pushkin’s and Tchaikovsky’s Museum, to the grotto and below. During the reconstruction, all monuments in the park were replaced, a Stella consecrated to the Decembrists was erected, as re-exposition of Pushkin and Tchaikovsky Museum was made. That is, the park in 1975 acquired a modern look and has hardly changed since then.
Now the Park is part of the Kamyanka State Historical and Cultural Reserve. It is a favourite vacation spot for Kamyanka residents and guests.
Heroes’ Square
In the frameworks of the grant competition of cultural and artistic projects “Small Towns – Big Impressions” organized by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Kamyanka State Historical and Cultural Reserve in 2019 received the right to hold an art festival “Kamyanka – the Land of Famous Heroes”. As a result of this festival there was founded a separate educational platform “The Heroes’ Square”, which is a permanent centre dedicated to prominent figures of Ukrainian history in Kamyanka region, who harmoniously complemented the existing rich layer of cultural values. This square of 7 sculptures made by masters from different parts of Ukraine was placed in the backyard of the Historical Museum in Kamyanka Reserve.
Heroes’ Square is a new art object, which is dedicated to the fighters for the Independence of Ukraine. It has become a powerful art center in the Kamyanka region, where cultural and educational events of various scales have been and continue to be held. Of course, you can listen to a wonderful tour on formation of sculptures and their symbols, and you can sense live the exquisite monuments of art.