The Dnieper water area in the area of ​​the island is a small, preserved section of the rapids part of the river that existed before the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station dam upstream. Before Fr. The Khortytsia rapids ended. The remaining small islands remind of the extremely difficult conditions of navigation on the Dnieper.

The bed of the left branch of the Dnieper sometimes became so shallow that east side The islands were picked up by spits along which it was possible to cross to the island. There were low water periods, for example: 1575, 1708 and 1921, when the bed of the left branch of the Dnieper was almost dry.

In the northern and northwestern parts of the island, the rocks rise 40-50 meters. To the southeast, the height of the island gradually decreases, turning into a flooded part of the river. The surface of the island is indented between the rocky and shallow parts big amount picturesque beams.

Khortytsia and the adjacent islands have been declared the Dnieper Rapids geological reserve.

Vegetable world

There are various natural zones on the island: forb-feather grass steppes, oak and coniferous forests, floodplain meadows. Thanks to the special microclimatic conditions that arose due to the abundance of sun, fresh water and dry air, the flora of the island differs significantly from the mainland.

In total, about 960 plant species grow on Khortytsia, 560 of them are representatives of wild flora, 20 are endemic. Endemics are Dnieper groundsel, Savran onion, sleep-grass, irises, Dnieper cornflower. In addition to endemics, there are also relict plants - water fern and chilim.

There are very few virgin lands where grasses grow on Khortytsia. These are the slopes of the beams Shantseva, Bashmachka, Lipova, Gromushina, Naumova, Shiroka, Kostina, Kornetovskaya, Muzychnaya, Sovutina, Molodnyaga and others. In the ravines grow remnants of forests (grazing forests), dominated by Tatar maple, oak, elm, black and silver poplar, and pear. Most of the island is covered with young artificial forest of pine and maple, planted by the Khortytsia forestry. Once upon a time, oak forests grew like a “solid wall” on the island of Khortitsa. By the beginning of the 21st century, the reserve has approximately 10 centuries-old trees and several dozen oaks aged a hundred or a little more years (the oldest of them are 300 years old), and there is also a hundred-year-old wild pear. Mostly such trees grow in ravines and the floodplain part of the island.

By 1888, the oak tree had dried up, leaving behind a stump with a circumference of 6 meters. Perhaps, under this oak tree the Cossacks wrote their famous letter to the Turkish Sultan.

Animal world

Beams, lakes, rocks and adjacent islands of Khortytsia

Khortytsia is dotted with ravines and lakes, it is surrounded by numerous large and small islands and rocks, which are part of the protected area.

№	Beams	Lakes	Rocks	Islands
1	Sovutina	Stone	Sovutina (Three masts)	Kornetovsky
2	Ganovka	Domakha	Black	Rastebina
3	Kostina	Prognoy		Malaya Khortytsya (Baida)
4	Linden	Rice		Oak
5	Deer Horn (Wide)	Golovkovskoe		Three pillars
6	Generalka	Rechishche		Bad Rock
7	Great Young One	Osokorovo		Skoptsev and Pereyma lavas
8	Naumova

Islands

Three Pillars. Near the northern part of the island of Khortytsia, the following islands rise: Divan or Chair of Catherine (Ekaterinin Khreshchennik), Sredny Pillar and Pohyly, forming the Three Pillars island group.

A folk legend associates the island of Divan Catherine with the name of the Russian Empress Catherine II, who allegedly stayed here during her trip to Crimea in 1787. The rock really looks like a sofa, but the empress never stopped on it.

On the Middle Pillar there is a deep hole (diameter 2 m, depth up to 1.4 m), which is called the “Cossack bowl”. The depression is a natural formation, only partially processed by people. According to folk legends, “on sunny, hot days, the Cossacks cooked dumplings in this bowl and fed each other with one and a half meter spoons through the bowl.” In 1927-1929, archaeologists discovered an Eneolithic settlement of people from the end of the 4th millennium BC on the Middle Pillar. e. - Srednostogov culture (the name was mistakenly given from the neighboring Stogov rocks).

The name of the third Pillar is Pohyly ( rus. inclined), formed from the shape of the rock.

The Polish writer G. Podberezovsky, traveling along the Dnieper in 1860, called the Three Pillars “Pillars of Hercules”, connecting them with Herodotus’ legend about the meeting of Hercules with the snake-legged goddess and the origin of the Scythians. Until the mid-19th century, Three Pillars were connected to Khortitsa by a sand spit overgrown with trees and bushes, which was washed away by a flood.

Two Haystacks. On the left side of the Pillars there are stones - Two Stacks, which look a little like stacks of straw. Now other names are more often used - Two Brothers or Twins.

Oak. On the northern side of Khortytsia in front of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station lies Dubovy Island, which is often called Sredny, Poplar or Turtle (based on its shape).

Rocks Bad And Average(Sagaidachny rock) protrude between the Sagaidachny tract, located on the left bank of the Dnieper opposite Khortytsia and Khortytsia. According to folk legends, Cossacks were punished on the Bad Rock. In the summer it got very hot and was so hot that it was impossible to stand on it barefoot. The guilty Cossack was brought to the rock at the hottest time, where he served his punishment. According to the pilots, this name was given to her because she “sat in the middle of the Dnieper inappropriately, in a stupid way.” Other legends say that on the Badnaya rock, the army of Peter I executed the Zaporozhye Cossacks for collaborating with Mazepa and Charles XII (1709) - therefore the rock was nicknamed Kazna, or Durna. According to the plan of retrenchments of the 18th century, there was a plague infirmary on the Bad Rock. The Cossacks called all infectious diseases “bad”, that is, those that cannot be foreseen, unlike injuries and wounds. Therefore, this name was probably assigned to the rock.

On Average rock in the 30s XIX century one could see the original stone called “Lyulka” ( rus. smoking pipe), similar to a real pipe with a stem and a pierce. “Lizhko” was also located there ( rus. bed) or “Sagaidak’s chair” - probably a processed stone with a hollowed-out recess for a person to recline. In 1883, the stone was blown up by two residents of Aleksandrovsk (the name of Zaporozhye until 1921). On Srednaya Skala, archaeologists found a Neolithic site with remains of pottery shards, retouched flint, fish and animal bones. The Durnaya and Srednyaya rocks were significantly damaged during the construction of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station and the sluice.

Kornetovsky Island. In the bed of the Old Dnieper near the southern part of the island one can see sand island Kornetovsky is a permanent refuge for fishermen. On Khortytsia there is the Kornetovshchina tract (Kornelekht among the Mennonite Germans, a probable place where grain was crushed). The tract includes the Kornetovskaya and Korneychikha gullies.

Rocks Gavunivskaya and Karakaika, located behind the Generalka gully next to the long sandy coast, are named after the Cossacks of Karakay and Gavun, who were engaged in fishing here. There is a tourist beach next to these rocks.

Beams

More than two dozen large and small gullies cut the banks of Khortytsia on the eastern and western sides. Almost all beams have their own names.

From the Sovutina beam, located on the northern tip of the island, the following beams go south along the bed of the Old Dnieper: Chavunova (Sich Gate), Muzychina, Naumova, Gromushina, Karakaika, Generalka, Shirokaya (Olenya), Korneychikha, Kornetovskaya.

On the eastern side, along the bed of the New Dnieper follow the following ravines: Velikaya Molodnyaga, Ushvyvaya, Gannovka, Shantsevaya, Bashmachka, Kostina, Lipovaya, Kapralka (Korneeva).

Balki are unique natural reservations of the island. Their slopes are covered with steppe herbs, and in the depressions you can find the remains of ravine-gully forests.

In the Gromushin gully there is a spring with the purest water.

Story

First settlements on the island

Man appeared on the island back in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic era, but the first significant explored settlements date back to the Bronze Age (III-II millennium BC), from which numerous burials, settlements and religious buildings remain. From the 7th to the 3rd centuries BC. e. the island was inhabited by Scythians. Most of the mounds found on the island, 129 of them, belong to the Scythian civilization. Basically they are tombs. Near the Sovutina beam in the V-III centuries BC. e. there was a whole settlement. In its place a protective rampart, a ditch and residential structures were found.

Below the island along the Dnieper after the rapids there was a waterway from the Varangians to the Greeks.

To get around the rapids, in some places it was necessary to pull boats along the river bank. The empty section of the river from the current city of Dnieper to Zaporozhye stretched for almost 75 km, the water level difference in this section was ~50 m. After a grueling “portage”, travelers (merchants, warriors) rested on the island. The place where the Dnieper hydroelectric dam is now located was the narrowest (~ 175 m) in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, so it was known in Tavria (from ancient Greek Ταῦρος - the old name of the steppe region of the Dnieper-Molochan interfluve within the modern Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The Taurian steppes through the Sivash isthmus pass into the steppes of Taurida (Crimean Peninsula) crossing the Dnieper - Kichkas, through which one of the branches of the Muravsky Way passed - the path of attack of the Crimean Tatars on the Right Bank of Ukraine and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In addition to the crossing, this place was convenient for ambushes, since people sailing from the Black Sea were forced to go ashore before the rapids. The Scythians, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, and subsequently the Crimean Tatars, Turks, and Slavs lived here.

The first mention of the island of Khortitsa is known from the times of Kievan Rus. Thus, in the treatise “On the Administration of the Empire” by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, the “island of St. Gregory” is mentioned below the Dnieper rapids.

Khortytsia during the period of Kievan Rus

The island remembers the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir, Oleg, Igor and Princess Olga. There is an opinion according to which it was on Khortitsa that Prince Svyatoslav, who was returning with his squad from the Bulgarian campaign, died in a battle with the Pechenegs. This happened in the spring of 972, near the Black Rock. During the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, ancient Russian swords of the 10th century were found on this territory, which is a significant fact in support of this version.

In 1103, Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavovich stayed on the island with his army. There is a record of this in the Ipatiev Chronicle:

And she rode on horses and boats, and rode below the threshold and stasha in Protolchekh and on Khortychi Island...”

In 1223, Khortitsa was a gathering place for Russian princes, before tragic battle with the Mongol-Tatars on the river. Kalke. The gathering place was not chosen by chance. At that time, in the coastal part of the island (on the shore of Osokorov Island) there was a military outpost of the Russian wanderers, who controlled movement through the Protolchy Ford. Archaeological research gives reason to believe that this outpost arose almost in the 5th-7th centuries AD. The Brodnik settlement disappeared during the annexation of the lands to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Zaporozhye Cossacks

Russian-Turkish War of 1735-1739

On Khortytsia, several lines of earthen fortifications from the Russian-Turkish wars of the 18th century, built by troops under the leadership of Field Marshal Minich, have been preserved. The camps of the Russian troops stood in the northwestern part of the Island, in the ravines of Gromushin, Muzykalnaya and U Perevoz, see on the interactive map of the island (undefined) (unavailable link). Archived from the original on July 2, 2011..

In 1736, the Zaporozhye shipyard and fortress were founded on the island of Baida, in which 2 officers', 8 soldiers' dugouts and 31 Cossack kurens were built. A large number of ships that were built in Bryansk in 1736 received significant damage or sank when crossing the Dnieper rapids. Therefore, the command of the Russian army decided to build a ship base beyond the rapids. According to archival reports, at the shipyard in the period 1738-1739. About 400 ships of various types were based. At this time, Khortitsa was visited by the famous naval commander Vice Admiral N.A. Senyavin.

After the end of the war, and also due to the spread of the plague epidemic in the army, Russian troops left the Khortitsky island and the Zaporizhzhya shipyard, see the page about the island of Baida

In Potemkin's possession

After the liquidation of the Sich, Khortitsa, as a gift from Catherine II, went to Prince Gregory Potemkin. By order of Potemkin, a garden was laid out on the island, and an old corporal who lived in a dugout nearby was assigned to guard it. Since then, the area (tract) has been named Kapralovo, and the mounds that were located on high point Khortitsy, - Potemkinsky.

A postal road was built on the island from north to south from Vysokaya Mogila to the crossing near Naumova Balka. They even said that Potemkin decided to connect his palace with bridges across the Dnieper. This is evidenced not only by archival materials, but also by the travel diaries of academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, nature researcher Vasily Fedorovich Zuev, as well as a photocopy of the plan of the famous local historian V. G. Fomenko. The full title is “Plan of the garden on the Khortytsky Island of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin from testimony on one of different buildings,” which shows on an area rugged with beams a house, a carriage house and stables, a Turkish house, a Chinese temple, a victory temple and even egyptian pyramid.

In 1789, Potemkin transferred Khortitsa to the state treasury.

Mennonites

The timber trade was one of the most profitable items income of the colonists. They used the forest only for immediate economic needs. From the reports of the former member of the forestry council, Ivan Peters (b. 1796 - d. 1881), submitted to the Trusteeship, we learn about the presence of forest on the island of Khortitsa in 1857. According to his calculations, there were 49,000 age-old trees: oak - 49,000, birch - 4,000, linden - 1,000, pear - 4,500, of which on the elevated surface of the island - 2,000, mixed with other species - 2,500. From this we can conclude that Peters in approximate figures lists the more valuable species of forest, without touching on poplars, willows and willows, which grow here in abundance.

In 1876-1877, the population of Aleksandrovsk and Voznesenka began mass poaching of forests. The guards posted by the provincial government along the banks of the river could not stop them. During these years, forests were cut down along the eastern and western shores of the island. In 1883-1884, there was a new surge in poaching, when another 35 acres of forest were cut down in 3-4 weeks. Unable to protect the island forest, the Mennonites decided to sell it in 1884. In December 1916, the Germans who lived on Khortitsa sold the island to the Alexander City Council for 772 thousand 350 rubles.

Cemeteries

At the end of the 19th century, there were “four cemeteries on the island: one along the Savutina beam on the south-eastern side, the second on the north-western end of the island, along the steep slopes of the gray Dnieper, and the remaining two, the largest, on the western side near the Kutsai beam and perevoz through the old Dnieper."

Famous people in Khortytsia

Khortytsia was often visited by prominent people.

In the spring of 1880, I. E. Repin visited the island, working on sketches that were used in the film “Cossacks”. On this creative expedition, I. Repin was accompanied by his student, young Valentin Serov. In 1891, Khortitsa was visited by Maxim Gorky, and a little later by Ivan Bunin.

On March 14, 1927, construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station began.

In 1927-1928, technical structures were built on Khortitsa: a water supply system, a water pumping station, and a ferry crossing was organized across the New Dnieper.

In February 1928, construction of bridges began. The main architect of the project was M. Streletsky. Material for masonry of bridges and granite for their cladding were supplied from quarries equipped on the island of Khortitsa. The bridges were put into operation on September 5, 1931.

In 1958, the first title was added to the name of the island - a natural monument of local significance. Since August 1963, by order of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, Khortytsia has been declared a natural monument of republican significance, and since September 1965, also a state historical and cultural reserve.

Khortytsia is part of the Dnieper Rapids geological reserve, founded in October 1974.

On November 9, 2005, by decision No. 5 of the 24th session of the Zaporizhzhya city council, the entire land of Khortytsia and the islands of Baida, Dubovoy, Rozstebny, Three Stacks, the Srednyaya and Bliznetsy rocks, as well as the Vyrva Tract (total 2359.34 hectares) was transferred to permanent use of the Khortitsa National Nature Reserve.

Present tense

There are nine villages on the island, home to almost two thousand people. Of these, only three villages are on the balance sheet of the city - the rest do not legally belong to anyone, dozens of hectares of the island are occupied by illegal developments.

Climbers train in the northern and northwestern parts of the island. Here some rocks reach 40 meter heights.

The island is very littered, and fires often occur here due to the fault of people. Tourists often leave garbage in places where recreation is prohibited: in the coastal zone or in the floodplain, where birds nest, fish spawn, and there are beautiful inland lakes with white water lilies.

Environmentalists are sounding the alarm: a large number of waste and frequent fires cause serious harm to the ecology of the island. For example, animals and birds leave Khortytsia, and some species disappear altogether. In burnt soil, flora is restored very slowly.

99% of the garbage is left by the so-called “resting savages”. Since 2009, a project for the disposal of solid household waste has been implemented in the Khortitsa National Nature Reserve. By the end of 2012, it is planned to create an infrastructure for separate waste collection on the island.

In 2011, an ancient Russian sword of the Carolingian type, dating back to the mid-10th century, was found in the Dnieper near the island of Khortitsa. There were similar finds before - during the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station at the beginning of the 20th century, five swords of this type were found, but they all disappeared without a trace during the Great Patriotic War.

On the island of Khortytsia there are a large number of ecological, socio-cultural, religious public organizations. Among them, “Spas”, “Russian Orthodox Circle”, “Obereg” should be highlighted.

Historical and cultural complex "Zaporizhian Sich"

Construction works construction of the historical and cultural complex “Zaporizhian Sich” began in November 2004 (laying the groundbreaking took place on October 14, 2004). The general sponsor of its construction in 2005 was the Zaporizhstal plant. The cost of the complex was about 13 million hryvnia, while the state did not participate in financing the construction of the Sich.

In 2010, the first stage of the complex was put into operation. Theatrical performances and even all-Ukrainian festivals are held on the territory of the complex; residents of Zaporozhye and guests of the city are invited to excursions.

In the near future, the complex will feature exhibition objects “House of the Kosh Ataman”, “Military Chancellery”, “Kuren” and “Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, where the interior and objects that were characteristic of the times of the Cossacks will be recreated.

Khortytsia is an important tourism site. In 2010, over 250 thousand people visited the reserve's tourist sites.

Gallery

see also

• The “Young Chapaevites” detachment was a Komsomol-pioneer sabotage and reconnaissance group operating on the island. Khortytsia in August-September 1941.
• “I - Khortitsa” - Soviet feature film dedicated to the feat of the members of the “Young Chapaevites” detachment, 1981.

Notes

1. Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR dated 18.IX.1965 “On the perpetuation memorable places related to the history of the Zaporizhian Cossacks"
2. Khortytsya // V. A. Smoliy, V. K. Fedorchenko, V. I. Zibuch Encyclopedic dictionary of tourism / Peredmova V. M. Litvina. - K.: Vidavnichy Dim “Word”, 2006. - ISBN 966-8407-55-5.
3. Repchenko P. S. Khortytsia // Ukrainian radyanska encyclopedia. In 12 volumes / Ed. M. Bazhana. - 2nd view.. - K.: Goal. URE editors, 1974-1985.
4. I. M. Zheleznyak, A. P. Korepanova, L. T. Masenko, O. S. Strizhak. Etymological dictionary of chronicle geographical names of Pivdennaia Russia. - Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian RSR. Institute of Brain Science n.a. O.O.Potebni. - Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 1985. - P. 172. - 256 p.
5. V. A. Glebovitskiĭ . 2.2 The Ukrainian shield, fig. 2.28// The early Precambrian of Russia. - CRC Press, 1997. - T. 2. - P. 82. - 261 p. - ISBN 9789057020117.

Khortitsa Island on the map

Complex "Zaporizhian Sich" on Khortytsia

Complex "Zaporizhian Sich" on Khortytsia Bridge named after Preobrazhensky across Khortitsa Idols of Khortitsa Island

Khortitsa, island

Khortitsa - largest island on the Dnieper, located in the area of ​​the city of Zaporozhye below the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station, a unique natural and historical complex. Stretched from northwest to southeast, length 12.5 km, width on average 2.5 km. In 2007 it was named one of the “Seven Wonders of Ukraine”. Khortytsia is a historical and cultural reserve, part of the Dnieper Rapids geological reserve.

There is an opinion that the name Khortytsia comes from the name of the ancient deity of the Eastern Slavs, Khors, who personified the sun. Some researchers derive the name of the island from the Turkic-Polovtsian word “orta”, which means middle (in this case, located between the two channels of the Dnieper). People associate the name Khortitsa with the Ukrainian word “hort” (greyhound dog): in the outlines of the island you can see the silhouette of a greyhound. Local historians also say “Big Khortytsia”, meaning that next to this island is Malaya Khortytsya (otherwise known as Baida Island).

The island cuts the waters of the Dnieper into two branches - the New and Old Dnieper. The Dnieper valley in the Khortitsa region is the only remaining section of the rapids part of the river. Khortytsia and the adjacent islands have been declared the Dnieper Rapids geological reserve.

Khortytsia was not always an island. Often, especially in the hot summer, spits approached the island from the eastern side of the island. They could be used to get to the island by land. The relatively small territory of the island contains examples of almost all types of landscapes characteristic of the south of Ukraine.

There are various natural zones on the island: forb-feather grass steppes, oak and coniferous forests, floodplain meadows. In total, about 960 plant species grow on Khortytsia. Remains of forest (bayraki) grow in the ravines, dominated by Tatar maple, oak, elm, black and silver poplar, and pear. Most of the island is covered with young artificial forest of pine and maple. In total, the reserve has approximately 10 centuries-old trees and several dozen oaks that are a hundred years old or a little over (the oldest of them are 300 years old), and there is also a hundred-year-old wild pear. The famous Zaporozhye oak (located outside the island of Khortitsa), according to historians and biologists, is a little over five hundred years old.

The bairaks in the south of the island are home to over 30 species of animals, 120 species of birds, ten species of reptiles, and five species of amphibians. The most numerous among birds are waterfowl (wings, teals, lyskis). And one of the floodplain islands can rightfully be called Owl. Muskrats, foxes, hares, martens have found shelter on the island, and sometimes moose swim in.

Khortytsia is surrounded by numerous large and small islands and rocks, which are part of the protected area, and the island itself is dotted with ravines and lakes.

Story

According to archaeological research, this island has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. In particular, there are also early Slavic monuments: the remains of settlements, burial grounds of tribes of the Chernyakhov culture and Ants. The island was visited by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. On the island, Herodotus wrote down a legend about the ancestor of the Scythians, the son of Hercules and Tabiti, the snake goddess.

In 1223, Khortitsa was a gathering place for Russian princes before the battle with the Tatar-Mongols on the Kalka River. And at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries, this island - a reliable shelter for those fleeing feudal and national oppression - became one of the centers of formation of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, and then a springboard for the Sich in defense southern borders from Turkish-Tatar aggression. In 1648, the Cossack army set out from here to fight the liberation war of the Ukrainian people.

After the defeat of the Sich by tsarist troops on June 5, 1775, Khortytsia went to Prince Potemkin as a gift from Catherine II. In 1789, Potemkin transferred the island to the treasury, and a year later new owners, the Mennonite Germans, took possession of Khortitsa.

By colonizing the Sich places, the queen hoped to eradicate the freedom-loving spirit of Zaporozhye. Her calculations were justified: the colonists barbarously destroyed centuries-old oak forests, linden groves, and thickets of wild pears. Timber trade was one of the most profitable sources of income. In December 1916, the Germans who lived on Khortitsa sold the island to the Alexander City Council for 772 thousand 350 rubles.

Khortytsia was often visited by prominent people. On its slopes there is a path of the great Kobzar, who visited here in August 1843. In 1878, composer N.V. came here. Lysenko, in 1880 - I.E. Repin with young Valentin Serov. In 1891, Maxim Gorky visited Khortitsa, and a little later - Ivan Bunin...

But ancient Khortytsia has never known such a pilgrimage as began in 1927. People came here from all over the country to witness and participate in a great historical event: right opposite the northern cliffs of the island, the construction of the Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Station began... It began new story Khortytsia... All these and subsequent events will be reflected in the exhibitions being built on Khortytsia museum complex.

As if surrounded by a great river, the island invariably impresses everyone who visits here. Khortytsia attracts with the glory and heroism of bygone days, arousing the interest of travelers from all over the world, seeking not just to explore it, but to literally merge with the unique beauty of these places. Human civilization, of course, managed to “inherit” here, its impact on Khortytsia can be seen all the time. However, it is impossible to completely ruin this place by definition, because nature itself has made sure that neither time nor the work of human hands has power over the unique microclimate that exists here.

Story

Khortitsa Island is one of the most significant historical monuments country, which became the cradle of the Ukrainian Cossacks and its symbol. This place also became a symbol of freedom and the struggle to achieve it, a powerful unifying factor for the Ukrainian national idea.

There is an opinion that its name is a derivative of “Horse,” the name of an ancient deity who personified the sun, who was once worshiped by the pagan Eastern Slavs. According to another version, which many scientists adhere to, “Khortitsa” comes from the Turkic-Polovtsian word “orta”, literally translated as “located in the middle”, which is quite fair, since the island located in the center seems to divide the Dnieper into two separate channels. There is also a version of the origin of the name from the neighboring river Khortitsa, which means “fast” or “fast”, forming the hydronym “bystritsa”.

Being the most big island in the river area, it has been known since the Paleolithic and Mesolithic times. His history is richly illustrated by numerous archaeological finds, demonstrating the peculiarities of life of the peoples who inhabited it - from the Scythians and Pechenegs to the Cossacks, who founded their republic in the 16th century. The first settlements on Khortitsa, traces of which were discovered by archaeological expeditions, belong to the Bronze Age and are represented by numerous settlements, religious buildings and burials. Evidence of the presence of the Scythians, who settled on the island in the 7th century BC. e., found on Sovutina Rock.

The first written mention of it dates back to 952 AD and belongs to the pen of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, who described the features of this piece of land in his well-known treatise “On the Administration of the Empire.” The most glorious and heroic pages of the history of the famous Khortytsia were written by the Zaporozhye Cossacks. Their first fortification - a tree-earthen castle, erected under the leadership of Dmitry Vishnevetsky on neighboring Malaya Khortytsia, appeared already in the middle of the 16th century. Vishnevetsky himself was a major Orthodox magnate from Volyn, owned vast lands, and held the position of headman of Cherkasy and Kanevsky in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that existed at that time. The island of Khortytsia was the possession of the Zaporozhye Sich until its liquidation. And the Khortytsia Sich itself, which existed in 1555-1557, became the prototype of the Zaporozhye Sich and was destroyed as a result of a siege by troops Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. But it is forever inscribed in the tablets of history as the place from where Bogdan Khmelnytsky and Ivan Sirko, Taras Tryasilo and Sulima carried out their campaigns.

From time immemorial, the various nationalities that inhabited the island saw it as their spiritual center, performing religious rites, sacraments and ceremonies here. Special properties are attributed to the Black Stone located in the northern part, which weighs more than half a ton. According to some assumptions, this artifact ended up on the territory of Khortitsa back in the Ice Age, according to others, it was transported a little later by ancient settlers from another area. Until now, the lines on the stone, which have no doubt been drawn by humans, remain a phenomenon that has not been deciphered by researchers.

Without exaggeration, a significant event for the island of Khortitsa was the historical event that took place in 1927 - the beginning of the construction of the Dnieper hydroelectric power station. To become direct participants in the great construction project and witnesses a new stage in the development of these unique places, was coming here great amount people from all over Soviet Union. This landmark construction for the young state is illustrated in several expositions of the museum complex created here, very popular among tourists, which we will talk about later.

On Khortytsia you can walk through Shevchenko’s places. Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, they are here too. The Great Kobzar was on the island of Khortitsa in August 1843. In memory of Taras Grigorievich’s stay, one of the trails on the slopes was named Shevchenkovskaya. Three decades later, the outstanding Russian artist and painter Ilya Efimovich Repin set foot on this blessed land, who, by the way, was accompanied by his student, the very young Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov. Repin worked here on sketches, which he later used in the film “Cossacks”. In 1891, writer and playwright Maxim Gorky visited the island. A few years later, another famous writer, the first Russian Nobel laureate in literature, Ivan Alekseevich Bunin, admired the beauty of Khortitsa.

Attractions

Khortytsia impresses, first of all, with the uniqueness of its relief, namely massive rock formations located mainly in the northern and northwestern parts of the island. The age of granite rocks – just imagine! – is over 2.5 billion years old. Our solar system, which is 4.6 billion years old, is not much older by cosmic standards, and this circumstance allows us to consider the Khortytsia rocks, the basis of which is the Ukrainian crystalline shield, as the oldest on the planet. They are so ancient that there are no traces of any life on them - even the most primitive forms. And not because they were not preserved. They were not there initially, since these rocks were formed at a time when there was no oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.

There are quite a lot of rocks on the island of Khortitsa, but only the most significant ones have their own names. Among them are the Upper Head, Black Rock, Middle Head, Lazne, Ushviva, Lower Head, Naumova Rock, Sovutina, Kopychevataya (all located on the left bank of the Dnieper). Names were also assigned to some of the right-bank rocks: Kantserovskaya, Otara, Rogozy. Many of them are steep, so it is impossible to go down them without special equipment. But there are also quite easily passable ones, and moving along such rocks leaves unforgettable emotions and impressions - akin to an exciting adventure.

On the northern outskirts of Khortytsia, islands rise, forming a group under the general name Three Pillars. Each of them has its own name. The first is Catherine’s Divan or Catherine the Khreshchennik: folk legend connects it with the personality of the Russian Empress Catherine II, who, according to him, made a stop here when making her journey to Kherson and Crimea. The second island is Sredny Stolb, and the third is Pohyly (translated from Ukrainian as “sloping”). The passages formed between them are called Gates.

To the left of the named island group you can see huge stone blocks that have a certain resemblance to straw stacks, which is why they received the name Two Stacks. In common people they are called Two Brothers or Twins. Thanks to its shape, another surrounding island got its name – Turtle, which stretches north of Khortitsa. It is also called Oak, Middle and Poplar. But the name of the island of Baida, which stretches opposite the Gromushkina Rock directly in the bed of the Old Dnieper, is directly related to the already mentioned Prince Vishnevetsky, since he is sung under this name in folklore.

In the central part of Khortitsa there is Kostina Balka, named after one of the Zaporozhye Cossacks who loved fishing. Its bed is so long that it reaches from the river to the highway itself. The road is forced to go around the steep mouth of the gully, taking on the appearance of a horseshoe at this point. The name of another famous Cossack fisherman, Rastoba, formed the basis for the name of Rastobin Island, which is clearly visible from Kostina Balka. The Mother-in-law's tongue beam is almost as long, which is why it received such an apt name. Not far away there is another one, the Linden Beam, once planted with these trees. Previously large in size, it was densely overgrown with willows and sedge, which gave rise to calling it Verbka.

Flora and fauna of the reserve

The features of the southern part of the island of Khortitsa, called the Great Meadow, have long been conducive to the development of hunting, fishing, and cattle breeding. The local flora is represented by more than a thousand species of plants, twenty of which are considered endemic, that is, growing in limited areas. This is dream grass, Dnieper ragwort, iris or iris, Dnieper cornflower, Savran onion. Here are presented several species of relict plants that were found on our planet long before humans appeared on it.

Several different natural zones are surprisingly combined on the island. Forb-feather grass steppes coexist with oak and coniferous forests, steppes and two lakes with distinctive names - Bolshaya and Malaya Domakha. According to the testimony of the Ukrainian historian, archaeologist and ethnographer Dmitry Yavornitsky, a centuries-old oak tree grew on Khortytsia, very branchy and gigantic in thickness. Folk legend says that the Zaporozhye Cossacks gathered at their rada (council, veche) near the tree. It is possible that it was under his crown that they wrote their famous letter to the Turkish Sultan.

The island fauna includes about thirty species of animals and more than a hundred species of birds, a dozen species of reptiles and half as many amphibians. In the floodplain lakes of the Old Dnieper, which are not covered with ice even during severe frosts, ducks nest and remain for the winter. The island of Khortitsa abounds in gulls, among which herring predominates, and herons. The latter are even represented by the yellow heron, whose main habitat is the marshy lowlands in the Mediterranean, as well as the Caucasus, southern regions Asia, Ethiopia and Morocco.

The memories of the old residents of Khortitsa, captured in memoirs and scientific research, will help you imagine what animals inhabited the island in times gone by. They are marked by herds of horses grazing on lush grass, wild boars prowling in the forests, wolves and foxes hunting, saiga antelope and goats escaping from danger, otters and beans diving in the water. The channels and lakes, according to evidence, abounded in countless quantities of fish. An animal such as the dormouse is also often found on the island. This cute animal resembles both a mouse and a squirrel, but does not lose its individuality.

Khortitsa Island today

If you thought that Khortytsia, being in the status of a state-protected national reserve, is uninhabited, then you were mistaken. There are nine villages on the island, their total population is about two thousand people. Only three of them are on the balance sheet of the Zaporozhye city council, the remaining six do not legally belong to anyone. Many areas are occupied by illegal buildings. The northern and northwestern parts of the island are chosen by climbers, which is not surprising: some of the local rocks reach 40 meters in height, which makes them convenient for extreme sports enthusiasts. However, unfortunately, the expansion of homo sapiens did not bring anything good. Khortytsia is littered with rubbish and there are fires here. Household waste is often left in areas where inland lakes with white water lilies are located, as well as where birds nest and fish spawn. Representatives of the local fauna can no longer withstand the proximity to humans and leave the island. Some species are endangered.

Meanwhile, the authorities are trying to counteract such destructive trends. In 2009, the government of Ukraine launched a program for recycling solid household waste on the territory of the reserve. The state also pays great attention to the preservation of the Museum of the History of the Zaporizhian Cossacks located on the island, which was on re-exposition some time ago. Then it was reported that a significant part of the most interesting exhibits would be involved in new exhibitions in the historical and cultural complex “Zaporozhye Sich”.

And indeed: for travelers on Khortytsia today there are fascinating excursions with a tour of the Cossack kurens, both residential and military, the square where important historical and political decisions were made, the church where all the Cossacks held services, attaching great importance Orthodox holiday Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the territory of the museum complex there are pottery and blacksmith workshops, where each guest can try his hand at this craft and receive a horseshoe for good luck and a good memory.

There is also a folklore and ethnographic equestrian theater on the island with the eloquent name “Zaporozhye Cossacks”. Its founders see their main goal as the preservation, development and popularization of Cossack traditions in modern society. Theater participants demonstrate an interesting, educational performance to guests. The theatrical performance, which consists of horse riding, saber fighting, Cossack wrestling, and hopak performance, attracts a wide audience of spectators, including adults and children. At the end of the performance, the hospitable Cossacks treat the tourists to a kulesh with lard to get acquainted with their way of life and culture.

Video: Martial art of Zaporozhye Cossacks

Opening hours, how to get there

national reserve“Khortytsya” is located in the city of Zaporozhye (Ukraine), on the island of Khortytsya. Official website: www.ostrov-hortica.org.ua.

The historical and cultural complex “Zaporizhian Sich” and the Museum of Zaporizhian Cossacks are open from 9:30 to 17:00 in March-November, and from 9:30 to 16:00 in December-February. The ticket office is open until 16:00 and 15:00 respectively. Day off is Monday.

You can get to Khortitsa via the Preobrazhensky Bridge or through Arch bridge.

There is public transport on the island: buses and trains. Departure takes place from the bus station, railway stations Zaporozhye-1 and Zaporozhye-2, Lenin and Metallurgov avenues, Kremlevskaya street, Khortytsky and Zavodsky districts, as well as the Borodinsky, Yuzhny, Kosmichesky, Shevchenkovsky, Osipenkovsky microdistricts.

Khortytsia (Zaporozhye, Ukraine) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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The largest island on the Dnieper, an important historical and cultural reserve, great place for relaxation - all this is about Khortitsa. Its picturesque landscape is cut by gullies and ravines, and its nature surprises with its diversity.

Most of the forests were grown by people quite recently, but not far from them lie kilometers of wild steppe expanses that have never been touched by the plow. The north of the island bristles with steep rocky cliffs, and in the south you will be greeted by a quiet kingdom of nature, where floodplains are hidden - forests growing directly from lakes covered with water lilies.

This oasis wildlife in the middle of Zaporozhye has also become home to more than two hundred species of animals, including rare ones. For example, the smallest bird in Europe, the yellow-headed kinglet, lives here.

Northern region

The lion's share of historical sites is located here, and the infrastructure is most developed. Many dispensaries and two hotels have been built - this part of the island is entangled with roads, so there is most of cultural events.

Not far from the Arched Bridge there is a whole museum and historical complex. First of all, this is the Museum of the History of the Cossacks, which has a fairly extensive exhibition. You can not only learn more about the Cossacks, but also buy souvenirs or guidebooks. Near the museum there is a rental point for bicycles, including those with child seats.

From Monday to Friday you can rent a bike by the hour or day, on weekends - only by the hour. You must provide identification and pay a deposit.

You can’t ignore the Zaporozhye Sich - a large complex reconstructing a 16th-century Cossack fortress. It consists of a fortification in the center and several houses where you can go and see how the Cossacks lived centuries ago. By the way, many scenes of the film “Taras Bulba” 2009 were filmed in the Zaporozhye Sich and its borders.

Between the fortifications and the museum rise cromlechs (ancient structures, often of sacred significance) from the Copper Age, their age is about 7 thousand years. And just south of the fortress there is a whole group of sanctuaries - from stone circles built thousands of years ago to relatively young wooden idols of the ancient Slavs.

At the other end of the island, the main tourist beach of Khortitsa stretches for almost a kilometer - a narrow but long strip of sand, sheltered from the wind by rocks. Higher coastline There is a small grove where you can rest.

Southern region

The south of the island is conducive to a relaxing pastime. Monument to the Easter egg-pysanka and the Museum of ancient burial mounds open air- that's all the attractions.

Almost in the center of Khortitsa there is an Arboretum, where many shrubs and trees of interesting species are planted.

Not far from the dispensary of the Engineering Academy there is a small cozy beach - a clean and calm area, from where you can see the city and the Preobrazhensky Bridge.

It is difficult to describe all the richness of nature in this region, but some places are worth highlighting. Try to find time to look at the famous Hanging Marshes, where sedge and reeds grow like a wall right out of the rocks, and also sit in the gazebo over the river, which is next to the ZTMC dispensary.

Practical information

GPS coordinates: longitude: 35°5′44.17″E (35.095602); latitude: 47°49′16.83″N (47.821343). Web site

Three bridges lead to the island - the Preobrazhensky bridges with different sides Dnieper and Arched Bridge. There are routes on Khortytsia itself public transport, but mainly in its northern half.

A visit to Khortitsa is free and available on any day of any time of the year. Entrance to the Zaporozhye Sich complex (museum and restored fortifications) will cost 24 UAH for adults and 12 UAH for children under 18 years of age. Prices on the page are as of August 2018.

It is open from April to October from 9:30 to 18:30 and from 9:30 to 16:00 from November to March. Monday is a day off.

I found an interesting phrase on one forum. " Only in 1949 did I learn that the Germans occupied Zaporozhye on September 17, 1941, a month after the panic that created in the city" (V.P. KHOMUTOV, war veteran, newspaper “Zaporizka Sich” August 29, 1991) garrett.org.ua/index.php

From the history of the defense of Zaporozhye it is known that on August 18, 1941, the Nazis, throwing tanks and motorized troops into a breakthrough with the goal of suddenly capturing the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station and the dam along which they hoped to break into the city, broke through the defenses west of Zaporozhye on a narrow section of the front. Using the bridge over the old bed of the Dnieper, the enemy managed to break through to Khortitsa, approach the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station and begin shelling its defenders with guns and mortars. The defending units, having switched the hydroelectric power station generators to self-immolation, retreated to the Left Bank. Were blown up railroad bridge through the new channel of the Dnieper and partly a dam. The giant waterfall washed away several enemy crossings and sank many fascist units hiding in the floodplains. People's militia units under the leadership of the city headquarters (it was headed by the first secretary of the city party committee P. N. Komarov and the chairman of the city executive committee V. V. Skryabin), as well as fighters of extermination battalions, detachments of security officers and police under the general command of V. I. Leonov for 18 — On August 21, we held the defense until the Red Army units arrived.
On September 1, Marshal Budyonny developed a plan for the liberation of the island.
On the night of September 1–2, 41, the reinforced company was transported to the island, but retreated after heavy machine-gun and mortar fire. On September 3, our forces of several companies are transported to Khortitsa. The soldiers wear bayonets. The Germans left for the right bank on September 6. We left Zaporozhye only on October 4, 1941.

This is where the phrase " the Germans occupied Zaporozhye on September 17, 1941, a month after the panic created in the city". That is we're talking about specifically about September - this is not a typo or an error, because... talks about events that took place" a month later", after the Germans reached Zaporozhye on August 18, and some machine gunners even broke into the city, where they were destroyed, approximately in the area of ​​Metallurgists Park (hence the panic of local residents)

That is, if we proceed from the data on the history of the defense of Zaporozhye, from September 6 to October 4, there is no mention anywhere of either the capture of the city or the capture of Khortytsia. But interesting materials are provided by “Red Star” on September 20 and 21, 1941.

The material makes it clear that in the area of ​​September 17-18, the Germans were definitely on Khortytsia, from where they were driven out by our units.

So the question arises, if you remember the phrase at the beginning of the post - the Germans actually captured Zaporozhye on September 17, 1941, and why is this fact and the capture of Khortitsa by the Germans between September 6 and 17, 1941 not included in the official history of the defense of Zaporozhye?