All About Ukraine

Although most people overlook Ukraine as a possible vacation destination, do not be fooled by the humdrum reputation since this country has many things to offer. The people are extremely hospitable, the countryside features beautiful, rolling hills, and the country boasts magnificent architecture. The fascinating thing about this country is that while there are major cities with lots of hustle and bustle, you will also discover charming villages that features horse carts, white picket fences, and even duck ponds.

However, many of the metropolitan cities such as the capital Kiev has amazing Baroque, Byzantine, and Gothic architecture, beautiful art, and a number of reminders of earlier years. Some of these larger cities also offer caves with mummified monks, stunning mosaics, open-air museums, and much more. Of course, as you will learn further in this article, Ukraine is also the home to delicious food and beautiful music.

From the 7th to 4th centuries BC, Scythians came to the area north of the Black Sea. In fact, today you can still find traces of this civilization in the Kiev Caves Monastery. There, tombs still exist, containing spectacular gold work that details both human and animal form. After the Scythians, many other invaders came to this country to include the Ostrogoths, Huns, and Khazars. However, the first colony to take control over the area was the Scandinavians, called Rus. Conquering Kiev in 882 AD, they had turned the city into a major cosmopolitan of the state known as Kievan Rus.

Then in 988, the leader of the Rus, Volodymyr, accepted Christianity, which started the long period of Byzantine influences. Then by 1520, all the coastal area of Ukraine was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Unfortunately, the 15th century was not kind to Ukraine when Orthodox refuges and runaway serfs began escaping some of the nearby domains that were far stricter. Unfortunately, the result was the country experienced plague and military destruction, wiping out a good part of the population.

These people called Kazaks or Cossacks soon formed a state that ruled itself for two decades after which time the state was split between Russia and Poland. With nationalism thriving during the 1840s, Russia began to ban any kind of Ukrainian language in books, journals, or schools. Then after World War I, Ukraine was able to gain its independence but civil war broke out, which caused Kiev to change hands five different times in just a 12-month period. Although fighting with Poland, Russia, and other ethnic factions continued for some time, in 1922, Ukraine officially became a member of the USSR.

Ukraine was still in for more trouble when Joseph Stalin took power in 1927. Using this country as his test case for harmful nationalism, a famine was orchestrated by him in 1932 to 1933, leading to as many as seven million Ukrainians dying. That followed by deportation and executions made things even worse but that was not the end. Stalin then began to destroy cathedrals and churches, some 250 in all. From 1937 to 1938, even more millions were sent into labor camps or executed. When World War II erupted, another six million people fighting between Germany and the Red Army lost their lives. In all, just the first part of the 20th century cost Ukrainians more than 50% of all boys and men, and approximately 25% of all girls and women!

Slowly, Ukraine began to rebuild when in 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant disaster occurred. From that time forward, the country began to see light as the first president of Ukraine was elected. Even with glimmers of hope, the country continues to struggle as inflation has skyrocketed, fuel shortages are commonplace, and ethnic differences have been exacerbated. However, with all the misfortunes and mistreatments of Ukraine and her beautiful people, you still find people with huge hearts, welcoming you into their country and into their homes.

The languages of this country vary depending on the region where you visit. For example, in the east, with most people being Russian, the common language is Russian. However, much of Ukraine, Belarusian, and even Russia, you hear an eastern Slavic language spoken. Keep in mind that the Ukrainian language is well preserved, and today, you hear it spoken more than years earlier. In fact, this language was deemed the “official” language in 1990.

Ukraine has a rich literary background that includes Skovoroda, a poet and philosopher, as well as Taras Shevchenko, a nationalist who was actually the first major writer from this country. With such intense suffering, it is common to find amazing journals and books from Ukrainians telling their story. As mentioned, the music of this country is just as strong, typically lyrical ballads that glorify the exploitations of the Kazaks. One of the larger instruments played is known as the Bandura, which is designed with 45 strings, the newer model of the Kozba from the 18th century. However, you will still find a number of incredible, Bandura Chorus’ from Kiev that perform music all around the globe.

The food is much like old peasant cuisine, consisting of potatoes, cabbage, beets, grains, and mushrooms. Meat is usually stewed, boiled, fried, and very tasty. Of course, the desserts are simply divine. In most cases, you would have some type of pastry drizzled with honey and then topped with fresh fruits such as plums or cherries. Then the sweet breads are a popular food, commonly eaten as part of a meal. Now, if you want a real Ukrainian snack, then you need to try Varenyky, dumplings that are simply, delicious. Finally, the wonderful Borscht that we all love and eat came from Ukraine and today, is still the country’s best soup, consisting of mixed vegetables, beets, broth, and then served with rich, cream.

As the largest country in Europe, falling only second to Russia, the Ukraine has a beautiful topography of green, rolling hills. The country features many different forest areas, some scattered marshlands, and surprisingly, close to 3,000 lakes. Wildlife consists of fox, wolves, gazelles, and martens, along with 350 different species of birds and 200 freshwater fish species. Temperatures are usually on the cooler side, seldom reaching more than 75 degrees. The country of Ukraine indeed can teach all of us the importance of survival and strength, which are attributes you will see in a number of celebrations and festivals held throughout the year.


Last Updated: 10/19/2006 3:14:00 PM

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