Pyotr Tchaikovsky, one of the world’s most celebrated composers, loved to visit his friends — the von Mecks — a Ukrainian family of German origin. In his diaries, he praised their manor in the village of Kopyliv in Kyiv Oblast.
Some 150 years later, the building is still there, now sadly uninhabited and neglected.
And it’s just one of about 500 abandoned castles and manors in Ukraine, of which 300 are in very poor condition, according to Art Ukraine Foundation.
Yet despite lacking financing and much in need of repair, these Ukrainian castles and manors still attract tourists fascinated by the stories of the wealthy families that used to live in them.
The Kyiv Post has listed four such places in Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytsky oblasts.
Von Meck manor: Tchaikovsky’s favorite
Location: Kopyliv village, Kyiv Oblast
Distance from Kyiv: 48 kilometers
The manor used to be owned by the von Meck family, who were friends and relatives of Tchaikovsky. It was built in the village of Kopyliv, Kyiv Oblast, in 1888. The von Mecks used to host the composer quite often, and Tchaikovsky would constantly repeat in his letters how inspiring the village of Kopyliv was.
“I like Kopyliv very much,” the composer wrote. “The house is very pretty: a charming village view opens up from the second floor.”
Old photos show a two-story manor with an attic and a porch, built in the country-house style. But after the October Revolution in 1917, which overthrew the Russian imperial family and brought the Communist Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, to power, the manor slowly went to wrack and ruin.
During World War II, the manor housed a military hospital and a music school. Now the building is in disrepair and is in private ownership. The local authorities will not reveal the name of the owner but say that no one is maintaining the building.
Tourists cannot enter the manor due to its dangerous state, but they can walk around the building to get an idea of what a country house used to look like before the October Revolution, and imagine the times when a famous composer used to stay there and play piano every night.
How to get there:
By car — take Chop highway, the MO6, from Kyiv to Kopyliv.
By bus — take a mini bus (marshrutka) No. 373 from Svyatoshyn metro station to Kopyliv.
Osten-Sacken palace: Residence of a noble Baltic German family
Location: near the village of Nemishaeve, Kyiv Oblast
Distance from Kyiv: 43 kilometers
Russian diplomat and entomologist Carl Robert Osten-Sacken built the manor in the 19th century. The Osten-Sackens were Baltic Germans, with the family tracing its roots back to the 15th century.
At the beginning of 20th century, the manor consisted of a palace, two wooden houses and a park. The park, which had a lake on its territory, was adorned with fruit trees.
After the October Revolution, the palace was nationalized and slowly fell into decay. A fire in the 1980s nearly destroyed the entire building, and it was never reconstructed.
Today the manor has been placed at the disposal of the local church.
How to get there:
By car — take the Kyiv-Warsaw highway, the M07, towards the village of Nemishaeve. Before reaching Nemishaeve, take the turn to the village of Myrotske. The palace is about 300 meters from the road.
By bus — take a mini bus No. 817 from Kyiv’s Akademmistechko metro station to the village of Nemishaeve. The palace is less than a 10-minute walk from the bus stop.
Sangushko Palace: The private residence of Volyn princes
Location: Izyaslav, Khmelnytsky Oblast
Distance from Kyiv: 318 kilometers
Izyaslav in Khmelnytsky Oblast is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine. It has not only rich history, but is also very interesting from an architectural point of view.
Sangushko Palace was built between 1754 and 1770 as a governmental residence for the Sangushko Princes of Volyn. Back then, Volyn used to be a very influential historical region.
In various times it hosted Russian Tsar Peter the Great, Austrian Emperor Joseph II, and the last Polish king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski.
While now only the ruins of this baroque palace remain, the site is located near a river, and it still offers very picturesque views.
How to get there:
By car — take the E40 highway from Kyiv to Novograd–Volynsky, and once there take the turning to Izyaslav.
By bus — take a bus to Izyaslav from Vokzalna metro station in Kyiv.
Tereshchenko castle: Rumors of hidden treasure
Location: village of Denyshy, Zhytomyr Oblast
Distance from Kyiv: 161 kilometers
Abandoned Tereshchenko castle, built in the early 19th century and located in Zhytomyr Oblast, is now a favorite spot for street theater performances. (Arkadiy74)
Ukrainian tycoon and sugar factory owner Mykhailo Tereshchenko built his palace on the banks of the Teteriv River in the early 19th century.
Legends say that Tereshchenko hid treasure somewhere in the castle, but so far no one has found any evidence of this.
The palace was built using technologies that were advanced at the time — the whole building was made of brick. A three-story tower crowned the palace and it still stands over the remains of the building.
After the October Revolution, the house’s owner moved out and the building was looted and slowly became a ruin. However, even now the ruin is known as a favorite spot for street theater performances.
How to get there:
By car — take the Chop highway, the M06, to Zhytomyr. Pass through the city, then turn onto the Zhytomyr-Chernivtsi highway, H03, and drive another 20 kilometers to Denyshy.
By bus — take a bus to Zhytomyr from Zhytomyrska metro station in Kyiv or from the bus station near the Kyiv Central Railway Station, and then in Zhytomyr take a mini bus No. 109 to Denyshy.
