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Ukraine: Road Trip Day 6 -  Kamianets-Podilskyi and Khotyn Fortress / Хотинська фортеця with Chernivtsi / Чернівці́

In the morning Nada and me explored the Kamianets-Podilskyi city and after breakfast we moved on. Our first destination on the road was Khotyn Fortress, where we explored the 10th century building and our 2nd one the city Chernivtsi, one of many cities called "Little Vienna". In the end of the day we settled in Motel Pivovar, below the Ukrainian highest mountain.

Our previous days of Ukraine Road Trip: Day 5, Day 4, Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

The Kamianets-Podilskyi ancient castle was reconstructed and substantially expanded by the Polish kings to defend Poland from the southwest against Ottoman and Tatar invasions, thus it was called the gateway to Poland.

As a result of the castle's unique location on a peninsula, the castle bridge serves as the only transport link to the city's Old Town neighborhood.

 

Catching the details

 

Exploring the castle deep down in the Smotrych River canyon

  

Local area

 

Over the Smotrych River

 

Swan Lake in Kamianets-Podilskyi City Park

Sculptures in Kamianets-Podilskyi City Park

 

Solar umbrella with USB charging station

Written documents date the Holy Trinity Church back to 1582, although archaeologists have found evidence that the church might even date back to the 14th century.

 

Exploring the Old town of Kamianets-Podilskyi

 

Photographers stop near the Former Polish magistrate building

 

Breakfast and time to move on with driver Tuši.

In September 1991, during the celebration of 370 years since the Battle of Khotyn of 1621, a monument was made in honor of Ukrainian Hetman, Petro Sahaidachnyi.

Khotyn Fortress and Church of Alexander Nevsky with Nada

 

In 1832, the new church of Oleksandr Nevskiy was built on the territory inside of the fortress.

The Khotyn Fortress is a fortification complex located on the right bank of the Dniester River.

The fortress is situated on a territory of the historical northern Bessarabia region which was split in 1940 between Ukraine and Moldova.

Construction on the current Khotyn fortress was started in 1325, while major improvements were made in the 1380s and in the 1460s.

There are many exhibitions inside the fortress

Rok & Aleš on the balcony

 

Area inside the fortress

 

Some tools form the dungeon

 

The Khotyn Fortress's beginning goes back to the Khotyn Fort, which was built in the 10th century by Prince Vladimir Sviatoslavich as one of the border fortifications of southwestern Kievan Rus', after he added the land of present-day Bukovina into his control. The fort, which eventually was rebuilt into a fortress, was located on important transportation routes, which connected Scandinavia and Kiev with the Ponyzia (lowlands), Podillia, Genoese and Greek colonies on the Black Sea, through Moldavia and Wallachia, on the famous "trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks".

Taking shots of Dniester

Exploring the area around the fortress

 

Many historical adventure movies were filmed in the Khotyn fortress. 

Construction on the current Khotyn fortress was started in 1325, while major improvements were made in the 1380s and in the 1460s.

Walk on the outer wall

Goodbye Khotyn Fortress

Hello Chernivtsi

 

We had a short walk on the Olha Kobylyahska Street

Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is being repainted. Hopefully back to pink.

Through one of the parks in Chernivtsi

 

Dressed trees and parked cars

   

Time for some food, ice-cream and drinks

Armenian church from 19th century, engineered by Joseph Hlavka

 

Back on the road avoiding people and bumps

 

Soon we will arrive to our motel with a brewery inside of it and all of this will soon just be another funny memory.

Where beer is really cheap. Price in a motel was 20 UAH (Ukrainian hryvnia) which is cca 0.65 €.

GeoCache found (all received a visit by trackable item "Show me Las Vegas", TB43NY8):
- UKRDOUG Castle Tours - Kamianets-Podilsky Fortress, GC29EGQ