Touristic route Soroca (Moldova) – Busha (Ukraine)

• Nistru (=Dniester) river
• Soroca town
• Soroca fortress
• Bechir (=Bekyr) Valley
• Bechir cave
• Chapel of gratitude
• Malachiuni Forest
• Cosauti village and stone artisans
• Monastery Cosauti
• Curative spring
• Landscape Reserve Cosauti
• Yampil town
• Geological monument “Rapids“
• Historic-cultural reserve Busha
• Stone Sculpture Park
• Haidamak ravine
• Natural sight “The Wall“
• Belyansky Forest
• Vegetation (flora)
• Animal diversity (fauna)

Nistru (=Dniester) river
The river (called in the past Tyras) has a length of 1352 km and a basin area of 72100 km². Rising in the Carpathian Mts. of Ukraine and flowing toward the Black Sea, it forms part of the boundary between Ukraine and Moldova. Through the centuries the Nistru river was an important route for trade, communication and recreation. The river constitutes an important water supply for the local population. Its water is used to produce electricity, for fishery, irrigation, timber rafting in the upper reaches and for navigation in the middle and lower reaches. The river flows through a narrow, fertile valley, providing perfect conditions for agriculture and riverbank forests. Its slopes and tributary ravines are spectacularly beautiful, with canyon-shaped and steep-sided landscapes.


Soroca town
Soroca is an administrative and district centre in north-eastern Moldova, with a population of ca 35,000 people. It is situated on the right bank of the Nistru river and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural areas. In the past, it was called Olihonia (or Alciona) and the year it was founded is not known. The first mention of Soroca as a locality built around the fortress is in the peace treaty with Poland and Lithuania of 1499. Nowadays, it is an important cultural and historical centre with many industrial and manufacturing facilities, educational institutions, museums, recreation areas etc.


Soroca fortress
A wooden fortress was established in 1489 on the right bank of the Nistru river during the rule of Stefan the Great, King of Moldova. Petru Rares, King of Moldova and son of Stefan the Great, rebuilt the fortress in stone with the help of craftsmen from Transylvania. As a stronghold of the defence system, the fortress was meant to control frontiers and develop commerce in the region. Nowadays, the fortress has been reconstructed and transformed into a museum.


Bechir (=Bekyr) Сanyon
A valley near Soroca town with huge and steep calcareous walls partially covered by forest, and a stream running down to the Nistru river. The Bechir cave dates back to the XIXth century, when monks carved it as a place of worship and meditation. On the top of the cliff there is a Chapel of gratitude, a candle-like stone monument cca 30 m in height, with a long stairway (564 stairs) from the base to the top of the cliff!


Malachuni forest This is a woodland on the Soroca plain (steppe), located north of Soroca town and extending to Cosauti village. The forest is home to many rare species of plants and animals. A monument was recently set up in memory of some 6000 Jews murdered there during the Second World War.


Cosauti village and stone artisans
Cosauti is a locality about 7 km north-east of Soroca town. It was first mentioned in the year 1509, as the locality of Cosaceuti in the valley of the Nistru river. Known also as „the village of craftsmen“, it originated when groups of stone craftsmen from Transylvania were brought to the area by Petru Rares, King of Moldova, and settled here. Through the centuries, the art of stone carving developed and was handed down from master to apprentice, from father to son. It has now become a local brand and a source of pride for local people. The Cosauti sandstone and granite are in great demand for use in construction, decorative arrangements for houses, gravestones etc.


The Monastery Cosauti
A medieval monastery founded in 1729 by two monks, Gavriil and Pavel. Local people helped rebuild the monastery and reconstruct the lake. There is a holy water spring nearby, believed to possess curative properties, which is very popular among locals and tourists. The monastery is situated among the hills of the Stanca-Jeloboc forest, most of which is under State protection.


Landscape reserve Cosauti
The sanctuary was created during the 1990s and covers 535 ha of protected area of the „Stanca-Jeloboc“ forest, located between the villages of Cosǎuti and Iorjnita. Along with the Cosauti monastery, curative spring, ancient human settlements (Paleolithic site), remains of a Geto-Dacian fortress and other monuments, it creates an amazing historic-natural complex and touristic site. The reserve harbours many rare species of plants and animals, and a secular tree of the common oak (Quercus robur) in the Jeloboc forest is under protection as a nature monument.



Yampil town
An administrative and district centre with a population of ca 12,000 people in the Vinnytsia region, Ukraine, on the left bank of the Nistru river. It is referred to in documents from the XVI century as an important trade centre and flourishing town. Nowadays, industry and commerce are developing. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture, vineyards, manufacture, small trade and river navigation. At the frontier crossing point ‘Cosauti-Yampil’, there is a floating bridge operating as an international ferry since 1991. The Yampil sandstone is famous and widely used in construction, decorative sculptures, monuments, etc.

Geological monument «Rapids»
At the village called Porogy, downstream of Yampil town, the Nistru river flows over and between rocks, forming regular rapids. This geological monument, where a layer of gneissic rock and red granite clearly runs across the river, attracts attention by its ‘noisy water’. In the dry season the rocks may project out of the water. There is a passage through the middle of the rapids, called „The Gate“, for boats not larger than 8-9 m in width. There is another group of rocks further down, called „The Herd“, resembling a small group of cattle.


Historic-cultural reserve Busha
Busha is a village in the Vinnytsia region, 20 km north-west of Yampil town, located on the banks of the Bushanka rivulet. The history of this locality is full of striking events and unrevealed mysteries. During the Stone Age human communities lived here, surviving by hunting and gathering. The local historical sites date back through the ages, and include settlements of Trypill, Scythian, Cherniahovsk cultures and the Old Russian settlements of the ХІ-ХІІ centuries. Several unique monuments can be found within the Park’s territory, such as a pre-Christian stone temple with unique ancient reliefs from the XV-XVI centuries, traces of a fortress with underground passages from the XVI-XVII centuries, a medieval cemetery dating to the XVII-XIX centuries, open exhibition of stone sculptures of the XX^th century, and amazing „Haimadak ravine“.


Stone Sculpture Park
Since more than 20 years, sculptors and stonemasters from throughout the region and other countries gather during the Stone Carving Festival ‘Podolian amulet’, held annually in August in Busha village. The area around the fortress then becomes a unique open-to-all exhibition of sculptures, many of them being left there by their creators.


Haidamak ravine
At a distance of 3 km from Busha, along the course of the Bushanka rivulet, there is a deep valley with huge rocks and steep walls of stone. There is a cave in one of the walls, known among local people as the «Haidamak cave». During the XVIII century, national avengers (so-called haidamaks) hid themselves in the valley. The ravine is picturesque and very popular among tourists.




Natural sight “The Wall“
A stretch of huge and steep calcareous cliffs on the left bank of the Nistru river, largely covered by steppe vegetation and partially by forests. It is an important habitat for animal diversity. Placed between the villages of Porogy and Ivankov in Ukraine, this protected natural monument (90 ha) is a beautiful sight.

Beliansky forest
A 218 ha stretch of forest on the left bank of the Nistru river, between the villages of Yaruga and Michailovka, Ukraine. It has been declared a National Botanical Reserve to protect populations of rare species of plants.

Vegetation (flora)
A diversified habitat architecture is still preserving communities of such rare plant species as bird's nest orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), ferns (Gimnocarpium robertianum, Polypodium vulgare, Polystichum aculeatum), pasque flower (Pulsatilla grandis), turk’s cap lily (Lillium martagon), cloth-of-gold crocus (Crocus angustifolius), spring pheasant's eye (Adonis vernalis) etc. Forests are composed mainly of common and sessile oaks (with wild cherry, maple and other species also present) with an undergrowth rich in herbs. Many plants growing here need protection!

Animal diversity (fauna)
The picturesque landscapes of the middle Nistru river basin provide habitats for a great diversity of animals. Species such as the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), eagle owl (Bubo bubo), black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), clouded apollo butterfly (Parnassius mnemosyne), southern festoon butterfly (Zerynthia polyxena), European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) and others have been recorded in the area. Several of them are included in the Red Data Book and need protection!





Lodging, meal and local guidance can be made available on request. For further information contact:

MOLDOVA
Soroca, Cosauti village
Phone: + (373) -230- 61236
                      -230- 61270
Email: protectingnature@gmail.com

UKRAINE
Yampil, Sate Cultural and Historical Park Busha
Phone.: + (380) -04336- 26190
                        -04336- 26196

Authors:
Aurel Lozan, Teodor Glavan, Andrei Dumbraveanu, Elena Yavorsky, Oxana Kirilyach.

Photos by:
Aurel Lozan, Mykyta Peregrym, Elena Yavorsky and Florin Chirila.