Hello, dear Local Guides!!!
This post is included in the #TeamChallenge series about interesting places in Ukraine from #TeamUkraine.
Nowadays environmental problems reached a new level and became important for each of us . I want to tell you a story about one of amazing corners of my country.
History
Meet the Buki landscape park. It was founded in 1996 in the village of Buki, Skvirsky district. Local entrepreneur Ivan Suslov bought 2.7 hectares of land, which was a garbage dump. He was able to turn the landfill into a wonderful landscape park, where thousands of tourists come to admire the beautiful countryside and beautiful views.
Major tourist attractions Fountain.
The famous fountain, which used to be on the Independence Square in Kyiv and for a long time served as a symbol of the capital and the whole of Ukraine, situated on the territory of the park zone. In 2007 Suslov got the fountain to be transferred to the village of Buki, like cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people. And in 2011 we celebrated the opening of the fountain. Suslov had made efforts and skills to put this idea into life. Now fountain is surrounded by stone benches, where you can relax in comfort.
The bell tower and the church.
The bell tower of Daniel and the Church of St. Eugene installed in the park.
The bell tower was built in the form of a candle, as a symbol of the prayer of a believer. The golden dome in the form of a flame is symbol of the desire for heaven. Two angels crown the entrance to the bell tower. The bell tower was built in honor of the father of ex - president of Ukraine Daniil Kuchma in gratitude for Leonid Kuchma (for helping and saving the life of Suslov’s son). It is guarded by four sculptures of Saints: Apostle Andrew the First-Called, St. Olga (the first Christian of Kievan Rus), Kiev Prince Vladimir the Great and St. Anthony Pechersky.
The temple was built in honor of the eldest son Eugene. In the form of a cross, it stands majestically on the elevation of a rocky hill.
Bridge
The bridge leading to the Suslov’s estate was made very interesting. On the sides there are narrow paths where you can sight the alley of fairy tales on one side and a small, but elegant waterfall on the second. In the middle of the bridge is water. It turns out that the cars are drive into the estate, wash the tires and then move on.
Mini zoo
The pearl of the complex is a mini zoo. There live a bear, a lion, deer, sheep, peacocks, ponies. In the park area there are more than 160 varieties of plants with wonderful flowers and exquisite shapes that are not typical for the Kiev region and were imported from different parts of the world.
Sculptures
There are many sculptures in the park: on the river bank, three toads, which are a symbol of prosperity, bask in the sun.
Not far from them situated monument to the beloved writer Ivan Suslov - Maxim Gorky.
Directly from the zoo, the road leads to the meadow of Fairy Tales, where there are beautiful sculptures of characters from folk tales made of metal and stone. Here are unusual fabulous figures such as a dragon and a tower, Pegasus, a Pushkin oak with a learned cat, Cthulhu (a fictional deity, lives on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean), sorcerer oaks.
Stones
When you visit this unforgettable land, you will see that the ensemble of architecture is complemented by small and large boulders of stones. According to popular belief, the stone has a soul. And if you gather many stones in one place, then this place will be filled with the holy spirit.
In 2009 a wedding stone was brought to Buki from Jerusalem, to be exact from Cana of the Mount of Galilee . In Cana, Jesus Christ created the first miracle - turning water into wine and blessing those in love for the true love and continuation of the human race. It is this stone that has the magical power to heal, love, bear children, believe and be strong.
Newlyweds go to the village Buki to touch the magic stone and keep their love and family forever. S. Valentine holds this stone in the hands. It stands in a miraculous gazebo made of metal on the magnificent bank of the Rostovitz River Landscape Park.
Interesting Facts
For the project of the temple complex in Buki, architect Yuriy Babich was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of architecture, and a commemorative coin of 10 hryvnias was dedicated to the complex itself.
In the landscape park you can often see the number seven. This is due to the Ivan Suslov’s conviction that the seven for him is a lucky number. Because:
- He is the seventh child in the family.
- His initials are in Ukrainian SIM (Suslov Ivan Mikolaewich). SIM - this is 7 in Ukrainian.
- The number 7 decorates his head office in the agricultural firm “Squire.”
- The number 7 was met on the facades of buildings, on paved walkways.
The infrastructure of the landscape park in the village of Buki
The park infrastructure is developing each year for greater comfort of tourists. A restaurant was opened on the territory where you can have lunch and enjoy the beauty of these places. There are also summer cafes, for example, you can freely sit down for tables looking like mushrooms and have a cup of coffee or tea.
How to get there
We drove by car, this is probably the most convenient option.
If you decide to go on your own, you can get to the Bila Tserkva, and then take a bus or minibus to the village of Buki. In this case, it is necessary to clarify the time of the route at the bus station of the Bila Tserkva. The distance between Kyiv and Buki is approximately 110 km, but there are different ways of travel, so length depends on it.
Recap
Buki landscape park is a place where you can feast one’s eyes on architecture, look at the animals in a small zoo and feel all the positive emotions that were put into the park when it was built. Here you can see how humans are able to pollute nature and how they are able to “purify” it by returning the pristine beauty granted by the Universe.
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This post is included in the series of posts about Ukraine by #TeamUkraine
(introducing our country, Ukrainian culture and traditions)
like a part of the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ermest
You can find all posts of this series searching for the hashtags #TeamChallenge and #TeamUkraine
I hope one day I can visit this park, probably I wouldn’t have known of it if it wasn’t for you, thanks for that!
Have a great weekend and keep posting such an amazing story.