Varash is a city on the Styr River in the north of the Rivne region, the center of the Varash district, 156 km from Rivne. Almost 42 thousand people live here. It is a satellite city of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, one of the youngest cities in Ukraine. For a tourist, Varash is a convenient base for trips deep into Polissia: to the lakes, the nature reserve, and the narrow-gauge railway.
City of Power Engineers
The modern city was founded in 1973 on the site of the former village of Varash, which has been mentioned in documents since 1577. At the end of the 18th century, there were only 39 homesteads in the village. The city was built for the workers of the nuclear power plant, and it received city status in 1984. For a long time it bore the name Kuznetsovsk in honor of a Soviet intelligence officer, and in 2016 it returned the ancient name of the village.
The Rivne NPP is the largest enterprise in the region; it is what defined the appearance of the city: spacious residential blocks, wide streets, plenty of greenery, and an embankment along the Styr.
What to See
The main thing in the city itself is a walk along the Styr embankment and the parks in the center. Varash is calm and well-maintained, with bike paths and recreation areas by the water. In summer, people swim and fish in the Styr.
The village of Varash is also interesting — it is the oldest part of the city with the wooden St. Michael's Church, where the parish was already mentioned in late 18th-century documents.
Nature Around the City
Varash is surrounded by Polissian forests and swamps, and the Styr here is wide and calm. In summer, people swim, fish, and go kayaking on the river. In spring, birds gather in the floodplains, and in autumn, the forests around the city are famous for mushrooms and blueberries. A half-hour drive away are the expanses of the Rivne Nature Reserve, the largest in the Rivne region.
When to Visit
The best time is from May to September: you can combine the city with the lakes and the narrow-gauge railway. Autumn is the season for mushrooms and cranberries. In winter, Varash is quiet, but the roads deeper into Polissia are more difficult then.
Practical Tips
Varash has hotels, cafes, and shops — it is the most convenient base in the north of the region. For trips to the lakes and the nature reserve, it is better to have a car; buses to the villages run rarely. Varash is located next to the nuclear power plant, so photographing its territory up close is prohibited.
Varash on Video
Nearby
- Bile Lake and Nobel Lake — the most beautiful lakes of Rivne Polissia.
- Rivne Nature Reserve — wetland areas with cranes and cranberries.
- Antanivka – Zarichne narrow-gauge railway.
A route through the north of the region can be found in the article Rivne Polissia: Where to Go and What to See, and everything about the district is in Varash District: The Complete Guide.
How to Get There
Varash railway halt is 7 km from the Rafalivka station on the Kovel – Sarny line. Buses run from Rivne, and driving takes about two and a half hours.
