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Significant Places of Ukraine
Significant Places of Ukraine
5 km long and up to
2.5 km wide. The island is a part of the Khortytsia National Park. Khortytsia is a
wonderful natural and historical complex. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.
The island played an important role in the history of Ukraine, especially in the history
of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The island has unique flora and fauna, including oak
groves, spruce woods, meadows, and steppe. The northern part of the island is very
rocky and high in comparison to the southern part, which is low, and often flooded by
the waters of the Dnipro.
The island of Small Khortytsia is known for its Scythian remains and a Cossack
fortress.
In the Early Middle Ages, Khortytsia was a key centre for the trade route from the
Varangians to the Greeks.
The earliest record about a stronghold known as a sich refers to the one was located
on the island of Small Khortytsia and was established by prince Dmytro
Vyshnevetsky. The Small Khortytsia Island is 20 times smaller than Khortytsia itself.
The first Khortytsia Sich existed six years (1552–1558).
The names of Taras Tryasyl, Ivan Sulima, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, and Ivan Sirk are
associated with Khortytsia.
In 1775, the Sich was destroyed by the Russian general Tekhely on the order of
Catherine II, resulting in the displacement of Zaporozhian Cossacks, many of whom
eventually settled on the Kuban River.