Inna Ischuk

Sights in the Truskavets Area

If you think that Truskavets’ attractions are limited to the famous Naftusia mineral water, you’re sorely mistaken, because there’s plenty to see in the surroundings of this renowned resort as well.

Near the outpost of Kievan Rus

The best way to get to this open-air museum is probably in a jeep. The road is so bumpy and filled with Japanese exclamations of “that’s a pothole, that’s a ditch.” But there’s no shortage of people eager to see this remarkable landmark. Everyone wants to let their imagination run wild as they gaze at the rocky formations, recognizing the outlines of the western outpost of Kievan Rus – the Tustan Fortress, built as far back as the 8th century. In the 19th–13th centuries, it was part of the unified Carpathian defense line of the Principality of Galicia and served as a customs post on the salt route from Drohobych to Europe. Here, if you look closely, you can see the legendary figure of Dovbush in the rock (though some insist on having 100 grams of something warming – to stimulate the flight of imagination). Dovbush – a leader of the folk movement – hid in the mountains, leaving a legacy of his exploits to the Carpathian people. And to ensure that memory isn’t erased by time, there’s a museum right here where you can learn a lot of useful information – things the stones will never tell you. Someone has to keep quiet, after all... By the way, some guests who came from Ireland – true Irishwomen – asked me, “Who is this Dovbush we’ve heard so much about?” After thinking for a moment, I answered honestly: “The Ukrainian Robin Hood.”

Roksolana knew where to be born

To reach the homeland of Roksolana herself – the very one described in the novels as the wife of Sultan Suleiman – you’ll have to visit several interesting places, because not stopping by them would be beyond “uninteresting.” And those who have long dreamed of seeing Dracula’s lair won’t want to miss a stop at Khust Castle atop a cone-shaped mountain, a place not every daredevil can reach. The castle was built in the 12th century by order of the Hungarian King Ladislaus. The castle’s owners changed all too often, inscribing their names into its gloomy history. In the 14th century, Drago and Hitko Maramoroshi ruled the castle. However, unable to endure the ill temper of Baron Pereni – who was in the king’s favor – they moved to Transylvania. It is Drago Maramoros that is considered one of the ancestors of the famous Wallachian voivode Vlad Dracula. You can view Khust Castle without climbing the hill, and then, as a sort of cleansing from the taint of vampirism, visit the Elizabethan Church.

Continuing along the route, it’s worth stopping by the town of Stryi, with its ancient history, mansions, and villas. By the way, Rogatyn – the town where Roksolana was born – is also quite close by. A monument and any local resident will tell you about this legendary heroine.

The Secret of the “Naftusia” Spring

The old-timers here don’t mind spilling secrets. For example, about those that Naftusya mineral water near Truskavets is supplied through a pipeline. The dzherelo itself lives outside the village of Skhidnytsia under the name... "Andropov's dzherela." The Secretary General, who is supposed to wear the place, drink mineral water and often look here to keep the juices and the liver going. Pavilion, greetings for the head of state, closed today. Then you can get an order from the prehistoric slimy sporade for “Naftusya”. Judging by the dense population of Galyavina in front of Dzherel, one can say that the secret of “right Naftusya” is already known to the rich.

Before speaking, Skhidnytsia still has a glass of Borjomi mineral water – a Caucasian panacea with a touch of naphtha. And whoever doesn’t believe it, it’s time to bring the cheesecake to the rushing water, as the town residents demonstrate by drinking their own “fiery water” in their own way.

... And no matter where you go, manipulating along the outskirts of Truskavets, from the heights of their Gothic gostrokoneki you will always be accompanied by the bones of Western Ukraine, where the silence and tranquility reign, the enchanting sounds of the organ lull music, which can also be more valuable. Like water, water is also more expensive in Truskavets.