Approximately 19 kilometres away from Korosten, in the forests near the small village of Kupyshche, hides a clearing about which strange stories have been retold for many decades. It is called Hromovyshche, and popularly known as the "lightning nest". According to local lore, during a thunderstorm, electrical discharges strike approximately the same area of the forest over and over again, and people also tell tales of a mysterious glow, an impact on people's well-being, and even ancient coins supposedly found in the Polissian soil.
This is a story about one of the most enigmatic locations in the Korosten region — both about the legends, and about where the folklore ends and fabrication begins. Because, as is often the case with such places, the most interesting thing here is not guaranteed mysticism, but the mystery itself.
Why the clearing was named Hromovyshche
The most famous feature of the tract is precisely connected with lightning. According to local residents, during a thunderstorm, electrical discharges frequently strike this area of the forest — hence the name Hromovyshche (Thunder Clearing). In popular descriptions, the clearing is called an "anomalous zone" and accounts of dozens of strikes per hour are written about it.
There is no scientific confirmation of any supernatural anomaly here, just as there are no studies proving that Hromovyshche attracts lightning more often than other parts of the forest. However, physics does not require inventing mysticism: the clearing is an open area amid tall forest, and such places are indeed more vulnerable to discharges. Yet staying in an open clearing during a thunderstorm is dangerous regardless of the legends — so you should definitely not travel here specifically to "watch the lightning".
The legend of the cruel landowner
Hromovyshche has its own legend explaining its bad reputation. According to lore, once upon a time the house of a wealthy and cruel landowner stood in this place, who became famous throughout the district for tormenting peasants. One day during a thunderstorm, lightning struck right into his dwelling — the house burned to the ground along with its master. Ever since then, people say, lightning "remembers" this place and returns here during every severe storm.
There are no documents about such an estate specifically in this clearing, so this is a classic local tale rather than an established fact — but it is precisely this that adds that sinister romance to the place for which curious people travel here.
Strange light in the middle of the forest
Another part of Hromovyshche's story is light phenomena. Locals and certain visitors have recounted that at night, flickering or a bright beam of light is sometimes visible above the clearing, seemingly rising upwards from the ground "as if someone turned on an underground searchlight". In tourist publications, this is presented as one of the main mysteries of the place.
There is neither a scientific explanation nor documented observations of such a phenomenon — so the light beams remain part of the folklore and mystical reputation of the tract.
The story about coins and the "sanctuary"
The most intriguing part of the legend is no longer connected with lightning, but with archaeology. According to a widespread version, in 1996 members of a search organisation dealing with unmarked military burials found about two dozen ancient copper coins here. Later publications claimed that among them were coins of the Roman Empire and the Bosporan Kingdom — an ancient state in Crimea — and this became the reason for guesses about ancient trade connections. Tales were also told that in the mid-1990s a Zhytomyr archaeological group supposedly worked in the clearing, discovering the remains of an ancient structure and stone blocks.
And the most important caveat is needed here: in academic and official archaeological publications, these claims are not confirmed. Stories about "Roman coins", "slabs with inscriptions in an unknown language", a statue of an unknown god, or an ancient structure should not be taken as proof that an unknown civilization existed here. It was precisely this sensational interpretation that once made Hromovyshche famous far beyond Kupyshche.
There is also a hypothesis that there was once a pagan shrine on the clearing — stories about stones and the consonance of the name of the neighboring village of Kupyshche with the word "kapyshche" (pagan sanctuary) are cited in its favor. But the similarity of the names is not archaeological proof; it is rather an interesting version that has become part of local mythology.
So Is It Worth Going
If you go here for a guaranteed "anomalous zone", you can easily be disappointed: no one guarantees any mystical phenomena here, and the vegetation, "strange well-being", and other "effects" have no scientific confirmation.
Yet as a little-known forest location in Polissia, around which a whole mixture of lore, legends, and unverified archaeological stories has grown over the decades, Hromovyshche is truly worth attention. This is precisely the case when the mystery itself turns out to be more interesting than the answer: whether lightning really strikes here more often, whether there was once a shrine here, and where the stories about ancient coins came from. And, perhaps, that is precisely what keeps Hromovyshche most firmly in people's memories.
Good to Know
- What it is: a natural forest clearing shrouded in local legends; not a developed tourist site — there is no museum, signposts, or working hours, while basic shops and services are available only in Kupyshche itself.
- Where: near the village of Kupyshche in the Ushomyr hromada of Korosten district, in the forest near the northern outskirts of the village.
- Main safety rule: do not go here during a thunderstorm. No matter how plausible the legend about the "lightning nest" may be, an open clearing in the forest during a thunderstorm is a truly dangerous place.
How to Get There
Kupyshche lies about 19 km from Korosten. Suburban buses run to the village from the Korosten bus station, and you can also get there by taxi or your own car. From there, it is a walk through the forest; the condition of the dirt roads depends on the time of year.
What is Nearby
In Kupyshche itself, there is a memorial at the site of the tragedy on April 29, 1943, when the Hungarian occupiers burned about 600 Hungarian Jews, brought here for forced labor, in a wooden barn. A commemorative sign at the burial site was installed in 2005.
The trip can be conveniently combined with Korosten: the Drevlyan Park, the Skelia Museum, and other Polissian locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hromovyshche called the "lightning nest"?
According to lore, during thunderstorms, lightning often strikes approximately the same area of the forest. A clearing amidst a tall forest is indeed more vulnerable to discharges, but the "anomaly" of the place has not been proven.
Were ancient coins really found here?
Such stories exist — about coins of Rome and the Bosporan Kingdom found in 1996 — but official archaeological publications do not confirm them.
Was there a pagan sanctuary here?
This is a popular hypothesis based on stories about stones and the consonance of the name Kupyshche with the word "kapyshche", but there is no archaeological proof.
Is it safe to go there?
In normal weather, it is simply a forest; you must categorically not go during a thunderstorm — an open clearing is dangerous in bad weather.
