The Sokyryntsi Palace and Park Complex is one of the finest Empire-style estates in Ukraine. It stands in the village of Sokyryntsi in the Sribne region, not far from Sribne and Pryluky. With its 60-room palace featuring a high dome, vast landscape park, serf theatre and choir, Sokyryntsi was once called the "Ukrainian Parnassus".
Halahan Palace
In 1823–1829, landowner Pavlo Halahan built a two-storey masonry palace here with a decorative central dome, designed by architect Pavlo Dubrovskyi. The main facade is decorated with an eight-column Ionic portico on an arcade, while the park facade features a six-column portico from which a wide ramp leads down to the park from the grand rooms on the second floor. At the end of the 19th century, marble copies of antique sculptures and vases were placed on both sides.
The rooms were connected in enfilades, and covered passageways linked the palace to two-storey wings, bringing the total length of the building to 105 metres. A 400-metre alley leads to the main entrance. The palace housed a large art gallery, which formed the core of the Chernihiv Art Museum, as well as a valuable collection of tableware and weapons.
Guests
Panteleimon Kulish, Mykhailo Kostomarov, and Taras Shevchenko were guests at Sokyryntsi. In 1852–1856, the artist Lev Zhemchuzhnykov lived here, painting the kobzar Ostap Veresai, a native of Sokyryntsi. The park's oldest tree is known to this day as Shevchenko's Sycamore.
The Park
The 40-hectare park was laid out by the Austrian gardener Bisterfeld, with the participation of Dubrovskyi. Oaks, linden trees, hornbeams, maples, larches, pines, chestnuts, century-old plane trees, and Oriental beeches grow here. On the edge of the terrace above the pond on the Utka River stands an eight-column rotunda built in 1829, and a Gothic Bridge with three arches and towers spans the ravine. An orangery has also been preserved — the only such complex on the Left Bank. A picturesque elongated meadow is named "Sviata Dolyna" (Holy Valley).
Since 1920, an educational institution has operated in the palace, now the Sokyryntsi Professional Agrarian Lyceum. The village has a museum and a monument to Ostap Veresai.
How to Get There
Sokyryntsi lies a few kilometres from Sribne and about 45 km from Pryluky. It is most convenient to travel by car. The palace functions as a lyceum, so it is best to arrange interior tours in advance, while the park is open for walks.
