No doubt, geographers are not created by a book path

22.6.2017

The third-year students-geographers of Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University returned from almost two-week long practice in physical and socio-economic geography.

This practice is the logical completion of the entire cycle of field practices of future geographers. Usually its route, which runs through territories in natural, ethnocultural and economic relations, differs as much as possible from the environment in which the university is located. During the field practice, students consolidate the knowledge gained in classrooms, learn how to work on teams and perform collective tasks, move correctly in the new terrain, cross long distances on foot, observe changes in landscapes and find explanations for some natural and social phenomena, feel the climatic features of different regions, etc. It is also important that during the entire period of the route the students receive a lot of new information on history, architecture, ethnography, which broadens the horizon and contributes to the formation of a common erudition of future geographers.

This year the group moved along the route: Rubizhne – Kyiv – Kam’yanetsk-Podilsky – Khotyn – Chernivtsi – Rakhiv – Lviv – Kyiv – Kreminna. As a result, students traveled from the extreme east to the extreme western region of Ukraine (to the border with Romania), visited different historical and ethnographic regions including Polissya, Podillia, Bukovina, Transcarpathia, Galicia, got acquainted with a large number of natural and historical objects. Five of them are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and two nature reserves. All this allowed everyone to form a geographical image of the capital and the Western Ukraine.

During the stay in Podillia (the city of Kam’yanets-Podilsky), students-geographers had an interesting tour of the Old Town with a visit to the Kam’yanets-Podilsky fortress and the Smotrytsky Canyon; the next two days they made radial trips to Bakot (located within the Podolsky Tovtry reserve, a unique beauty place!) and to the city of Khotyn, where one of seven wonders of Ukraine is located – the Khotyn fortress. It was very pleasant to visit the city of Chernivtsi, the “capital” of Northern Bukovina, where students visited the residence of the metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia (simultaneously the UNESCO World Heritage site and the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University), the dendrological park, the university meteorological station and the seismic station. They met with the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Geography, talked with Chernivtsi students-geographers.

Unforgettable impressions left during the trip to the Ukrainian Carpathians, in particular, to Yablunets Pass, a trip to the geographical center of Europe (Delovoye village of the Transcarpathian region), an excursion to the Museum of Mountain Ecology, trout farming. During their stay in Rakhiv, the students got acquainted with the peculiarities of the culture and life of the Hutsuls, received a master class from the local residents to prepare a national Hungarian dish – bograch, ride on Hutsul horses, saw the rapid river Tisa, the unique flora of the Carpathians and the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve – spruce, larch, yew, beech, hornbeam, etc.

Bright memories were left to students from visiting Lviv, from the atmosphere of the holiday that reigns in the city, where history and modernity perfectly intertwine, where you can wander for hours on the streets and courtyards, marvel at the greatness of temples, enjoy fragrant coffee and chocolate … Square Market, Town Hall , The Arsenal Museum, the High Castle, the Svoboda Avenue and the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, St. Yuriy’s Cathedral and other churches, Lviv Ivan Franko National University – this is not the complete List of objects visited in Lviv.

The first and last active days on the route were dedicated to the capital, the largest city of Ukraine – Kyiv. On its example, students explored the geographical features of the city-millionaire – planning structure, transport system, functions (organizational, managerial, industrial, cultural, etc.), modern problems. The excursion tour was mostly pedestrian (only on the first day of 20 km it was covered on foot). The students went on Khreshchatyk, visited Independence Square and European Square, Mariinsky Park and the Governmental District, climbed the Vladimir Hill, visited the St. Michael’s Golden-domed Cathedral, Sofia Square, Sofia Kyivska, descended the Andriivsky Descent from Upper Town to Podol. On the last day of visiting Kyiv, the alley of Glory, the Holodomor Museum and the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra became objects of contemplation and visiting.

The program of practice was fully implemented.

Teachers and students thank the Rector of the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University – Stepan V. Melnychuk and Doctor of Geographical Sciences Miroslav D. Zayachuk for assistance in settlement and organization of the excursion to Chernivtsi, guides – Anastasia Donets (Kam’yanets-Podilsky), Olga Shkuro (Rakhiv), Mrs. Natalia (Lviv), and Vasyl Yankovych for interesting and informative excursions!

According to the Department of Geography
of the Faculty of Natural Sciences