Sofiyivskyi ParkYulia Banakh

Teacher of EnglishSchool #2 Zolochiv

Sofiyivsky Park  is a botanical garden and a scientific-researching institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The park is located in the northern part of the Uman city, near the river Kamianka. Some areas of the park are reminiscent of an English garden. Today the park is a popular recreational spot, annually visited by 500 000 visitors.

Sofiyivsky Park has fantastical lakes, fountains, grottos, gazebos, bridges, pavilions, statues and much more! Purchase a map at the entrance and plot out an itinerary, for the park covers over 385 acres and is crisscrossed by numerous paved walkways with few posted signs. The map allows visitors to target areas to see—all with intriguing names such as the Island of Love, Ionian Sea, Flora Pavilion, or Grotto of Apollo.

Park starts with Main entrance on Sadova Street. The central alley starts after main entrance. Main entrance towers, which were built in 1850-1852, are still

standing there. Tourist service center, which is now called The House of Science Art is located close. This building has original architecture with observation area

on the top. Besides museum, the building has hotel, restaurant and sauna.

According to the architect's plan the park is an illustration to some parts of the poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" by Homer. "Sofiyivka" is famous for being built on a classical basis. When we walk along the alleys of the English Park to the Acheron Lake our attention is attracted by the hill, made artificially. We assume that this barrow symbolizes Elpenorus' grave. Elpenorus was the youngest men in Odysseus.

The "Seven-Jet" Fountain was probably built during the first period of the foundation of the park, it was not proved by any documents though. The fountain is a small round pool with an openwork bronze vase in the middle of it. Seven streams of water come out of the base rapidly. The water of the fountain is supplied along the underground pipes from the Dead Lake. Because of the overfall of the location, the height of the central stream reaches 5 meters. 

The Chinese pergola is situated in the western part of the park, called Dubinka. The pergola was made of wood and painted in different colors.

Flora Pavilion, reflected in the mirror of the Lower Pond, looks tiny, as if it hovers in the air; the shining stream of Snake Fountain impresses our imagination (we look at it from above); the Leucadian Rock, the Caucasian Hill (the Ithaca Island), the Assembly Square, the Valley of Giants, a wooden bridge in the Tempe Valley, the Great Waterfalls - all this stays in our memory for a long time, as a beautiful, romantic picture, ideally depicted by nature and man.

Having walked along the Upper Alley, you will find yourself on the top of the terrace Belleview; from this place you can see amazingly nice pictures of the park. If you walk along the alley, which leads to the Chinese pergola, you will see closer a beautiful meadow Dubinka. Cross the meadow toward the oak-trees, which stand aside, and you will see wonderful hazelnut trees on the right, which will direct you to a new alley. The alley was built in 1987; beautiful landscapes are everywhere around you.

Those who want to travel along the underground river Acheron can make a boat trip: it starts at the Amsterdam Lock and is over at the Acheron Lake. Or you may take a boat at the Acheron Lake and travel along the underground river Acheron to the Amsterdam Lock.

Sofiyivka Park is a beautiful romantic place, that’s why it becomes more and more popular and the number of tourists grows with every coming year.

Welcome to Sofiyivsky Park!