Boremel is a village on the steep bank of the Styr River in Dubno Raion, the center of the Boremel community. Today it is a village, but at different times Boremel was a city and a town, and its ancient settlement and castle site above the river are witnesses to its long history.
Name
Once the settlement was called Boreml, like other old names such as Tykhomyl, Liubomyl, Radomyl. Linguists derive it from the ancient name Boremyr — “belonging to Boremyr,” possibly the founder of the settlement. The modern form Boremel has been established since the 16th century. Popular etymology is different: near the village there was a dense pine forest and a mill that made noise “like the pine grinds.”
History
According to some sources, Boremel was mentioned as early as 1100: then at the princes’ congress in Vytechev, Prince Danylo Ihorovych was deprived of the Volodymyr principality and was given Ostroh, Dubno, Chortoryisk, and Boremel instead. In 1366, the city along with Kremenets was granted to Oleksandr Koriatovych from the Gediminid dynasty, and in the 15th century it was owned by the Kurtsevych princes: in 1451 King Casimir IV Jagiellon confirmed their rights to Boremel.
Monuments near the village were surveyed in 1965 by archaeologist Ihor Sveshnikov, and in 1973 the settlement mound was researched by other archaeologists. Above the Styr River, the castle site is visible — the place of a former fortification.
Monument to Christ
The most unusual landmark of the village is the sculpture of Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns under the cross, a monument of local historical significance. Inscriptions in Polish and Ukrainian tell that it was erected in 1786 on the site of the wooden Mykhailivka Church, where there was a miraculous icon. According to legend, the local lord Czacki demolished the old church to show his power, and the monument appeared on its ashes.
What to See
The castle site above the Styr, Saint George Church, the 1786 monument to Christ, and the views of the river valley from the steep bank.
Boremel on Video
Nearby
Radyvyliv, Cossack Graves, and Berestechko are within half an hour. More in the article Dubno Raion.
How to Get There
Buses run from Dubno and Rivne, but the most convenient way is by car.
