Khortytsia

A real treasure of the Nature. The island is the only part of the city of Zaporizhzhya where you can actually breathe freely. It has a lot of attractions, — beaches, hiking trails, restaurants, museums, theaters, etc... If you like nature, this place is for you to visit and to enjoy.

Hortytsya is a historical island, visited not only by the tourists, but by many locals, specially during the weekend as it is a great place where one can visit museums, walk in the park, bike and run in the huge forest covering the island. There are rocks on the island for climbers of all levels, from the beginners to the professionals. And there are #ACCESSIBLE roads for the wheelchairs or cars along the island which makes it even more attracktive. The island in beautiful any time of the year, but most in spring, summer and golden autumn of course.

The largest River Island on the Dnieper and a vital historical site, Khortysia was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine in 2007. The island’s value rests in its historical associations with the unruly Zaporizhian Cossacks. They established a “sich” (a wooden fortress settlement) here in the 16th century, and maybe the most compelling piece of trivia is that they are believed to have composed their mocking reply to the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed IV on the island. This moment is engrained in Ukrainian folklore and recorded in a famous painting by the 19th-century painter Ilya Repin. There’s a museum on Khortytsia, which we’ll visit next, while the whole island is a national reserve, featuring 50-metre granite cliffs, large swathes of steppe and oak and spruce forest.

Beautiful nature, great place for walk or bike ride

very good