Cone hills
On the bank of the Dniester, conical hills with picturesque rock formations rise on the bank of the river - this is the Govdy or Shyshkovi Hory (Cone Hills) tract. They are located one hundred kilometers from Chernivtsi in the Khotyn direction in the village of Nahoryany. On one of its outskirts, these so-called Shyshkovi hills are located .
These are limestone rocks of the Tovtrovyi Ridge on the bank of the full-flowing Dniester, which rise as conical hills 15-20 meters high with picturesque rock formations. The three rocks are called Grandfather, Grandmother, and Granddaughter, which have specific shapes. They are associated with a legend about the unhappy love story of a beautiful girl from the Nagoryany and a poor village boy. According to the legend, the owner of Nagoryany wooed the girl and in order to get rid of his rival, he sent the girl's lover to raft the forest on the Dniester, where he died. The girl then threw herself off a cliff into the river.
- "This miracle of nature arose when natural forces destroyed the barrier reef of the ancient Sarmatian Sea, whose waters were splashing in this place more than 12 million years ago," says researcher Ihor Melika.
"If you are in Nahoryany, you should visit the only carpet weaving museum in the region, which operates in this village. It contains dozens of colorful carpets. The museum-estate is run by the craftswoman Viktoriia Kytaihorodska, who has been weaving carpets with floral patterns since she was a young girl.
The small village of Nahoryany is also the center of folk carpet weaving in all of Bukovyna. The only museum of carpet weaving in the region, which dates back to the 30s of the twentieth century, operates here. Many artists were born in the village, including the poet Vira Kytaihorodska. But, of course, tourists are also attracted by the incredible beauty of the Dniester River and its rocky shores. The stones of the Tovtrova Ridge, the Govda and Kotelevyn tracts cannot leave anyone indifferent.
Getting there
If you plan to see the Shyshkovi hills, you will spend more than three hours on the road one way. You can also get there by buses that go in the direction of the cities of Novodnistrovsk and Mohyliv-Podilskyi. But they don't stop at villages, they stop on the highway. To get to the village of Nahoryany, you have to stop the buses.
"Cone hills" are part of unusual limestone ridges called Podilski Tovtry or Medobory. They are formed by living organisms - coral polyps. The locals called these hills "Medobory" for the incredible variety of honey plants. This fascinating place is favorable for spending the night in tents, from the mountain you can watch the stars, and looking down you can admire the magnificent Dniester, which envelops the small Nagoryany.
