Stepan is an urban-type settlement on the Hiryn River in Sarny Raion, 19 km from Malynsk station on the Rivne–Sarny line. About 4,000 people live here. Stepan is one of the oldest settlements in Polissia: a fortified princely town from the times of Kyivan Rus, a trade and cultural center of the region for centuries. Today it is listed among Ukraine’s historic settlements and as a resort locality.
Chronicle Stepan
Stone tools found in the vicinity indicate that people have lived here since ancient times. The first written mention of Stepan dates back to 1290. The town stood on a trade route known as the “milk road of Rus and Lithuanian princes.” Merchants with overseas goods gathered at the square, now a park, and in Stepan they bought fabrics, embroidered shirts, pottery, cooperage, and weapons.
What remains of the chronicle town is a hillfort from the 9th–13th centuries—a protected archaeological site. Later, a powerful Stepan Castle stood here: one of its bastions has survived, from which the Hiryn River is visible. At the end of the 17th century, Stepan belonged to the wife of Hetman Radziwiłł.
What to see
Wooden Trinity Church from 1759—a national architectural monument, one of the most beautiful wooden churches of Rivne Polissia. In total, the settlement has three national architectural monuments, one archaeological site, and five historical monuments. On the former trade square stands a memorial cross to the soldiers who fought for Ukraine’s freedom.
Resort on the Hiryn
Stepan has the status of a resort locality: since the 1960s, the Hiryn sanatorium has operated here, known for its healing waters and muds. The banks of the Hiryn here are high and picturesque, surrounded by pine forests.
Stepan on video
When to visit
Stepan is beautiful from May to October, when the banks of the Hiryn are green and the sanatorium offers therapeutic treatments. In autumn, the surrounding forests are famous for mushrooms. A few hours are enough to explore the settlement itself, and several days if you include rest by the Hiryn.
Nearby
Sarny is less than an hour away, Berezne lies to the south. More details in the article Sarny Raion.
How to get there
The nearest railway station is Malynsk. Buses run from Rivne and Sarny.
