Zghurivka Arboretum is one of the largest ancient parks in Kyiv region. It is located in the urban-type settlement of Zghurivka in Brovary district, in the east of the region, and covers 309 hectares. Once it was the Kochubey estate featuring a palace with over 40 rooms, ponds, islands, and the man-made Mount Ararat. The palace is long gone, the park has turned into an old forest, but the alleys and ponds still evoke the 19th-century estate. This is a landmark of garden and park art.
Sofiya Vyazemska's Dowry
Zghurivka belonged to the Vyazemsky family. In 1824 it passed to Count Arkadiy Kochubey as the dowry of his wife Sofiya Mykolayivna. Arkadiy Kochubey, a participant in the war of 1812, Kyiv vice-governor and senator, built the central homestead of his estates here. According to legend, in 1837 a Swiss gardener, by his order, planted a park of rare trees near the palace, complete with gazebos and bridges across the ponds. The estate was separated from the village by a moat.
Petro Kochubey's Meadows
Many consider Arkadiy's son, Petro Kochubey (1825–1892), an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences, to be the true creator of the park. Before him, there was only an 8-hectare Dubynka grove near Zghurivka, whereas he forested over 500 hectares. The plantings were arranged in separate tract-meadows: Old Park, Varvaro-Oleksandrivska Meadow, Halaganova Meadow spanning 170 hectares, Gadolin Meadow, and Pushkin Meadow.
The park was laid out starting in the late 1860s in the landscape style. Horse chestnut and linden alleys diverged from the palace, with a ring alley stretching for over 5 km. A tributary of the Supiy, the Khivryne Sea, was cleaned and turned into ponds with islands. 750 meters away from the palace, the Ararat hill was heaped up with a pavilion on top — a vista opened up to it from the palace across the pond. Groups of exotic trees grew in the large clearings: eastern white pine, white spruce, balsam fir, larches, thuja, honey locust. In 1880 three nurseries were laid out, and some of the saplings were brought from North America. In 1892 the park counted 382 species and forms of trees and bushes.
What Happened to the Park
The palace was burned down in 1920. In 1938 over 150 species and forms of trees still grew in the park: firs, larches, blue and Sitka spruces, Douglas fir, eastern hemlock, European beech, Kentucky coffeetree, butternut. But from 1940 pine trees began to be planted in the clearings, and the picturesque landscapes turned into a continuous forest. In 1960 two tracts covering 224 and 85 hectares were declared a landmark of garden and park art. Many rare trees perished in 1968–1970 when the dam of the sugar refinery on the Supiy flooded the park. Today it is neglected, but remains large and shady.
How to Get There
Zghurivka is approximately 120 km east of Kyiv, in Brovary district near the border with Poltava region. The easiest way is to drive via Brovary and Yahotyn or through Berezan. The park is located right in the settlement.
Tip
It is best to come in May, when the chestnut trees are in bloom along the avenue, or in October, when the larches and maples turn yellow. The park is large and wild in places, so comfortable shoes and a downloaded map on your phone will not go amiss. More about the region can be found in the article about Kyiv Polissia.
