Mizhrichynskyi Regional Landscape Park is the largest regional landscape park in Ukraine. It covers over 102 thousand hectares in the southwestern part of Chernihiv region, in the interfluve of the Dnipro and Desna rivers, which is where its name comes from. Established in 2002. The eastern boundary of the park runs along the Desna, the southern and western boundaries follow the regional border, and part of the territory adjoins the Kyiv Reservoir. The main administration is located in the village of Otrohy in Kozelets district.
Forests, swamps, and “bowls”
Almost half of the park is occupied by a sandy pine terrace with oak-pine forests. There is a landscape reserve — the Sorokoshytskyi forest massif. Ancient valleys of former rivers have grown over with alder and mixed forests, best exemplified by the hydrological reserve “Bondarivske Swamp” covering 1300 hectares.
A distinctive feature of the area is numerous oxbow lakes, channels, sleeves, and “bowls”: enclosed oval depressions that fill with floodwater in spring, some of which turn into small lakes. To the west of the village of Korop’ye lies the small Sviate Lake, and near the tract Staro-Morovska Huta are the lakes Chystyi Kruh and Bobkiv Kruh. The Desna floodplain with forests, meadows, oxbow lakes, and sandy beaches is the most beautiful part of the park.
Animals
An unusually large number of moose live here — significantly more than in neighboring territories. Wolves, otters, and badgers are permanent residents, and in recent years lynx have been regularly reproducing. Rare birds common in the park include the common crane, black stork, and great grey shrike. Birds of prey can also be seen: white-tailed eagle, greater spotted eagle, and marsh harrier. On the wet meadows, the corncrake calls.
The Desna within the park has national significance: Kyiv takes its drinking water from it. Therefore, preserving the floodplain and water purity is the park’s main task.
How to get there
The park lies between Kyiv and Chernihiv, west of Kozelets and Oster. The most convenient way to get there is by car via Oster or Kozelets to the villages of Otrohy, Korop’ye, or to the banks of the Desna. There are military training grounds on the park’s territory, so entering closed zones is prohibited, and since 2022 it is advisable to walk in the forests only along verified roads.
