The Prybuzka AH of the Domanivka Rayon in the Mykolaiv Oblast is said to be lucky. Apart from the stunning nature and unique landscapes, the local villages also have a rich history dating back to the Paleolithic. This land also keeps memories of the Turks who invaded this region as well as Cossacks who lived here for several centuries. The hromada’s territory is home to a part of the regional landscape park “Granit-Steppe Lands of Buh” and the national natural park “Buh’s Gard”. It also has a memorial for the victims of Holocaust that is well known in Ukraine and abroad. Here, close to the village of Bohdanivka, approximately 60,000 Jews were executed during World War II.

So, it is not a surprise that the hromada has chosen tourism to be one of the main directions in its territories’ development strategy.

Due to the Mykolaiv Local Government Development Centre of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme, the participants of the seminar “Tourism Development on Rural Territories”, held at the LGDC, received an opportunity to get acquainted with tourist attractions of the Prybuzka AH.

 

 

You can observe local beauty by bike

The Prybuzka AH was established in December 2017 and amalgamated 13 settlements with the population above 5,000 residents. The hromada budget makes about UAH 40 million per year, and the hromada earns UAH 15-16 million of this sum by itself. Nevertheless, these figures are planned to be increased, as the nature gives opportunities for this.

 

 

According to Oleksandr Hunivenko, deputy head on humanitarian issues of the Prybuzke village council, works on organising a cycling route are now going on. Its length will exceed 40 kilometers and it will last for three days.

"Last year, 65 bicycle tourists came to us. Villagers met them with curiosity. We settled our guests in a tent city on the banks of the Southern Buh, fed with a fish soup and Cossack kulish. They really liked our places. Therefore, we are now cooperating with the Cyclists’ Association of Yuzhnoukrainsk to make this route working on a regular basis. In parallel, we are developing a project to receive a grant from the US Embassy for this purpose. I hope that in September-October this year the project will be launched. We will organise a bike rent, and we will create all opportunities for a comfortable trip," told Oleksandr.

 

About manor house, Turkish fortress and excavations of Paleolithic times

"Our places have a unique history, they are connected with the Turks, the Cossack age, the prominent moments of the Second World War," says Maia Mervinska, teacher of history and jurisprudence at the Prybuzke Village Secondary School. She has been studying local history for 30 years and has a huge base of achievements.

 

 

She says that in the neighboring village in the middle of the 16th century, the Turks built their fortress named Ak-Mosque. A large Turkish settlement was founded here, which lasted for more than 100 years. These places are associated with interesting legends, including the hidden treasures. So, tourists will have something to listen to.

Near the Prybuzke village council, there is a dilapidated estate of Martynovskyi, rich local man, who did a lot for the development of the local territory. The estate was built in 1802, and the owners lived here until the revolution of 1917. The remains of the park with unique trees and shrubs are still preserved.

The village of Anetivka is surely to be an interesting object that cannot be escaped by tourists. Its lands are rich in archeological monuments, and excavations are ongoing for several decades.

 

 

According to Ihor Pistruyil, scientist of the Odesa Archaeological Museum, head of the Anetivka Archaeological Expedition, the potential of these places is inexhaustible. Here one can find some monuments of the early Iron Age, the Cherniakhiv culture, and mounds, starting with the Paleolithic and completing with late nomads. Black archaeologists have found the products of Slavic times, dated 12-14 centuries of our era. And there are also later monuments, of already the Cossack age.

"Now we do not have a well-developed tourist infrastructure, places where organised groups of people could stay. Up to 100 cars with holidaymakers come to us on weekends. They bathe, fish, admire the local landscapes. But we understand that we need a hotel, catering facilities. So, right now we are working on it," assured Olena Martynova, deputy head of the village.

 

 

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