Many people know about the area called Kholodny Yar not from history, but from literature. After all, it was he who was sung by Taras Shevchenko in his works dedicated to the struggle of Ukrainians against the invaders. But he played a very important role in the historical life of the country. Today people come here to be inspired by courage and selflessness, to remember the past, to touch the mystery and to feed on energy. After all, Cold Yar is a mysterious place of power that attracts people like a magnet.
Some general information
Cold Yar, the photo of which is presented in our article, is a unique place. This tract, located in the Cherkasy region, is a hilly terrain with an abundance of beams with steep slopes, densely overgrown with relic forest. Its area is about seven thousand hectares. Almost every beam, ravine and brook have their own names, which reflect not only the features of the area, but also historical events.
Cold Yar, whose history resembles a fairy tale, more than once or twice became the center of the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people. People have lived here since time immemorial. Archaeologists have found a lot of ancient settlements and sites in the tract, and, what is remarkable, they belong to all the peoples who once lived in Ukraine. In Kholodny Yar, Koliyivshchyna began - the famous uprising of peasants against Polish oppression, from these places - Bogdan Khmelnitsky, the Haidamak movement developed here, about which Kobzar wrote with inspiration. And in 1918-1923, the Kholodnoyarsk Republic was proclaimed in the tract, which fought for independence against both the Reds and the Whites, and was led by the Chuchupaki brothers. About fifteen thousand people fought in the partisan detachments of the unrecognized and forgotten republic, and it included only 25 villages.
Unrecognized Republic
Cold Yar is a place where the spirit of Cossack glory still lives, a restless rebel who dreams of freedom. He forced people to rise up in revolt and beat the enemies. For three years the republic existed in the twentieth century, which was a place free from Soviet power. During the civil war, it was wiped off the face of the earth, and the government and the inhabitants of this unrecognized state were destroyed, posthumously called bandits. The victors anathematized them, forbidding even to recall the existence of the dissatisfied. But they remained in the memory of the people, perhaps thanks to a book that describes those distant events.
Yury Gorlis-Gorsky (Yuri Gorodyanin-Lisovsky), a direct participant in that war, tells about the Kholodnoyarsk Republic in his book. His small work illuminates history from different angles, objectively and truthfully, not likepeople are accustomed to reading in Soviet textbooks. The book was written by him in exile and contains many interesting facts and memories. The author was killed, possibly by NKVD agents, in 1946, and his family is in charge of distributing the memoirs. Kholodny Yar is a sad book filled with patriotism and deep sorrow that Ukrainians cannot (or do not want to) unite in the fight. If this happened, then no one could trample on the freedom of his homeland.
A unique place
There is unique nature in the tract. Ufologists have discovered numerous prodigal places and geomagnetic anomalies in Kholodny Yar. Meteorologists pay attention to the fact that the temperature in the area is 3-6 degrees lower than in the rest of the area around (hence the name Yara). All possible landscapes of the forest-steppe Ukraine are concentrated here, rare and valuable species of flora have been found here, trees grow, the age of which is measured in centuries. And there are more than enough sights here, and each one is worthy of being examined. It is also very beautiful in Kholodny Yar. No wonder more than forty thousand tourists come here every year.
Attractions
It is here, in the tract, that the glorious city of Chigirin is located. Kholodny Yar was a neighbor of the hetman's capital in 1648-1660. It seems that the souls of Bayda Vyshnevetsky, Kryshtof Kosinsky, Bogdan Khmelnytsky, Severin Nalivaik, Taras Tryasil, Maxim Zaliznyak and other brave leaders of the Ukrainian people still roam the quiet streets of the city. Above Chigirin rises Castle Hill, on which allYou can still see the remains of fortifications. Not far from the city is located with. Subotov, homeland and last refuge of Hetman Bogdan Khmelnytsky. And in the village of Melniki there is a monastery, the impregnable walls of which were not destroyed even by the Mongols.
What else is worth seeing?
- Maxim Zaliznyak's Oak, over a thousand years old.
- Holy Trinity Matronin Convent.
- Scythian settlement and Scythian shaft.
- Haidamack Pond.
- The estate of the Kreselsky forestry with a monument to Taras Shevchenko.
- Monument to Kholodnoyarsk partisans.
- Caves and underground passages almost 30 km long.
- Sklyk is a gathering place for Haidamaks and Cossacks.
- Dugouts and trenches, camps used during the war.
- Springs and lakes with healing water.
Instead of a conclusion
Some researchers see the mysterious "Island of Rus" in Kholodny Yar, Artania, the search for which has so far been unsuccessful. The fact is that earlier the Irdyn and Tyasmin rivers could be the second channel of the Dnieper, which was navigable, but for some reason dried up. In support of this, they cite finds - marine mollusks and the remains of large ships.
It doesn't matter what exactly brought you to the tract: the annual Cossack festival, a passion for history, or simple curiosity. Cold Yar is a special place that will not leave anyone indifferent!
