National Dendrological Sofiivka Park

An ancient city Uman’ in Cherkassy region is a place where one of the oldest parks is located. National Dendrological Sofiivka Park is a great site of landscape architecture. It is a beautiful man-made garden, where you might feel harmonious blend of legends and present days, fairy-tale and something unconscious, eternal…

The park’s foundation is based on a love story. The founder of Sofiivka was Stanislaw Potots’kyi, a great grandson of Hetman of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Stanislaw was fond of agriculture, gardening. His estates were provided with new technologies in housekeeping, also he has tested new kinds of wheat, barley, oats and fruit. While travelling through the territory of Ukraine, Stanislaw brought from Italy to Tul’chyn young plants of Lombardy poplar. Each year his states were refreshed with new fruit trees. Polish magnate was in love with a beautiful Greek woman Sofia. She was one of the most beautiful women of those times. People say, love is powerful and it can work wonders. In one of letters to Stanislaw, Sofia has told him, she was impressed with a wonderful romantic Arcadia Park, which belonged to her friend, Princess Helena Rodzyvil. Potots’kyi was ready to do anything for his beloved. By the order of the prince in 1796 an amazing park was found. It was named after Sofia.

The main idea of Sofiivka Park was to wonder people. They were impressed with man-made cascades, waterfalls, labyrinths of paths, system of ponds, the underground Siks River… Probably, at that time it was the biggest park construction in Ukraine. Its engineering ideas, large scales and unsurpassed skills of workers will impress you! Gromovyi Grotto is one of the most mysterious and beautiful places of this park. It was made in a rock. Your attention will be attracted by an inscription in Polish: “Leave your memories about bad times here and accept happiness. And if you are happy, you’ll be happier”. The Zmiy Sculpture is interesting as well. According to the legend, a snake has basely eaten nestlings. Their mother turned into a stone after that. You might see her standing there with an open mouth. A big natural and men-made waterfall impresses with its beauty. You will see a tunnel behind it. People say if a girl wants to get to know when her time to marry is, then she should go through this tunnel. The number of drops falling down is the years until her wedding.

Each year many tourists visit the park to enjoy a beautiful symphony of a fairytale. It’s a pleasure to walk along shady alleys, to sit next to ponds, to observe waterfalls, to visit cool grottos, to go by boat on the pond or go along the underground river. The elderly would like walking there. It’s a perfect place to think about past and present, enjoy calmness and freedom. Young people will not be bored there as well. And those who are in love will make a declaration of love like their ancestors used to do it two centuries ago...