Dragged stones (falcon's eye)

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Protyati Kameni Rocks is a geological natural monument of local importance, a group of picturesque rocks. It is located to the south of the Nimchych Pass in the Pokutsko-Bukovyna Carpathians, on the border of Putyla and Vyzhnytsia districts of Chernivtsi region, near the eastern part of the village of Khorovy, at the head of the Smuhariv stream, where the famous cascade of Bukovyna waterfalls is located. The rocks are formed of dismembered powerful sandstone layers. Some of them are pierced with holes and passages, which is why the name " Weaved Stones" arose. This tourist attraction is quite famous and popular in the Chernivtsi region, as evidenced by the mountains of garbage near the stones.

These picturesque rocks, which impress with their power and uniqueness, were formed from powerful sandstone layers, some of them have holes and passages inside, which is why the name "broached" arose. The "Weaved Stones" rocks are quite well known in Chernivtsi region, but little is known about them in other regions. It is worth noting that the stones are gigantic - much larger than those in Ternoshory and somewhat similar to icebreakers that make their way through the Carpathian sea of trees. It is safe to say that one day will not be enough to see and explore all the stones along with the small caves that you want to climb into. Therefore, in summer, tourists often stay here overnight in tents to feel the mystical spirit of nature to the fullest. In addition to the rocks, it is worth noting the beautiful landscapes of the Carpathians and a rather strange mixed forest - spruce and fir trees grow between birches and beeches. On the way to the rocks there are many small mountain springs with delicious water.

The height of the stone giants is very different - from several tens of meters to individual several-meter stones scattered around. Numerous cavities can be seen here and there in the rocks, from miniature ones to several meters in size. The tract is surrounded by a mixed forest, with a few spindle trees growing between beeches and birches.

The most popular and tallest rock of the Protyatye is called "Sokoline Oko" (maximum relative height - 40 meters). As a result of erosion, a stone arch resembling an eye was formed in it. The size of the giant arch is more than 10 meters. At the foot of the cliff on the north side there is a small three-chamber cave, which can be accessed through two entrances. Two other openings, much narrower than the first, pass through the rock and end on its eastern side. On the top of the rock is a natural reservoir, about 70 cm in diameter and deep. Although the place is mostly visited in dry weather, during rains you can see an interesting phenomenon - waterfalls that fall from the rock on the sides of the arch. On the northern side, at the foot of the mountain, there is a small three-chambered cave called "Through". Several other caves have been discovered in other rocks, which are called "Bermuda Triangle" and "Climber". Not far from Sokolynove Oko, towards the east to the ridge crest, there are numerous smaller but very picturesque rock massifs. The so-called "Pavlykova Gorge" is also interesting, as it is separated from the cliff by a powerful stone wall.

If you look closely at the rocks, you can see a lot of rock drawings and signs carved on the stones, including human faces, female silhouettes, skulls, hearts, handprints, various mysterious symbols, etc. Unfortunately, most of them are not of ancient origin. Although there is no road here, and there is no mass "tourism" like on the Dovbush Rocks in Bubnyshche, you can easily find traces of people's presence in the form of piles of garbage and traces of fires. In summer, tourists often stay here for the night in tents.
After visiting this place, Lesia Ukrainka in her letter to Olha Kobylianska described the rock as an incomprehensible dream that can appear only once and disappear forever. The origin of the name of the rocks is evidenced by numerous legends, according to which the highlanders were unable to get down from the mountains, so they heated water in cauldrons and poured it onto the rocks. This is how the "drawn passages" were formed. Another legend tells about the opryshok Sokol and his band, who hid numerous treasures here. Every year in September, this place is the place where the first-year students of the Geography Department of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi University are initiated into students.
The "Stretched Stones" with the main rock "Falcon's Eye" are part of the Vyzhnytsia National Nature Park, striking in their monumentality, mystery and unique beauty and belong to the natural monuments of local importance. Some scenes of numerous films were filmed here, including such well-known ones as "White Bird with Black Mark" and "The Rising Hawk".

Протяте Каміння село Хорови Путильський район

1. The easiest way to get to the stones is to get to the Khorovy hamlet in the village of Pidzakharychi. You can take a bus or your own transport in the direction of Putyla. Then turn left and go up a wide gravel road for about 30-40 minutes to the pass. The rocks are an hour's walk from the Nimchych Pass, on a low mountain ridge. On the pass, there is a powerful tourist complex with a restaurant, hotel, and ski lift. There you can take a break, have a delicious meal, and finalize your route. From the restaurant on the Nimchich Pass, you need to go up a high-quality road made of concrete slabs recently built by the restaurant owners, which will lead you to a new complex with a restaurant that is just under construction. This is a good landmark and it is impossible to get lost. After climbing a small ridge above the pass, the road goes straight. After a few hundred meters, a beech forest begins, and after passing through it in a southerly direction, you will soon come to rocks.

2. You can get to Nimchych from Vyzhnytsia by road through Vyzhenka. However, in this case, it is better to order a taxi or go by your own transport, because the bus service in this direction is not as active as in the direction of Putylo. From the pass, we continue our route south along a dirt road that starts near a cafe and bypasses the drag lift. After reaching the remarkable chapel, you should climb the treeless slope to the ridge and use its crest to reach the highest peak of the route - Mount Prosichna (913 m). Along the route, the ridge offers magnificent views of the Cheremosh valley, the ridges of Pysanyi Kamen, Skupova and Chornohora. Following the ridge line, we descend to a sprawling meadow. From here, along a path that descends steeply into the forest to the right, we reach the rocks of Sokolynyi Oko (up to 40 meters high), which hang on both sides of a small paved area. The biggest wonder of this tract is the giant stone arch of the Falcon's Eye. Stories and legends say that in ancient times people lived here, and later the opryshka Oleksa Dovbush found shelter here. It is also said that the richest treasures are hidden here. Returning to the clearing, we continue the route along the field road in the southeastern direction to another pile of stone blocks, which rises 30-40 meters above the ground - the Drawn Stone. After squeezing through a hole in the stones, you can reach their top. There is a legend associated with the name "Drawn Stones". It is said that long ago, when the highlanders did not have a convenient way to get down from the mountains, they found a rather easy way - they heated water in cauldrons and poured it onto the rocks. The boiling water washed away the sandy rocks and as a result, small "draughty" passages-caves were formed in the mountain slope. Since then, this tract has been called the "Drawn Stones". These boulders, which are elements of a once continuous strip of powerful sandstones, impress with their monolithicity and uniqueness.

Without changing direction, we pass another rock in the middle of the forest on the right and come to the houses of the village of Roztoky. Here you can turn left and go down into the valley of the Vyzhenka and pass the waterfall and the Iron Spring to Vyzhnytsia. On the right, a rural road leads down along the Smuhariv stream to the Cheremosh River in the village of Roztoky. After passing several houses, we follow the path down into the valley of the stream to the picturesque Bukovynian (Smuhariv) waterfalls. We descend to the Cheremosh in the village of Roztoka along the road that goes through the valley of the Smuhariv stream.

3. The most picturesque, but the least safe way to get to the Protyattya Stones starts from the village of Roztoka. When you reach the border of Pidzakharychi and Roztoky villages, you need to stop and turn left and continue walking. It is about 500 meters further towards Putyla than in the first option. On the way to the stones, in addition to the beautiful nature, you can see another tourist attraction - Smuhariv waterfalls. After the waterfalls, turn left and go up the hill to the huts of the Bediiv hamlet, a suburb of the village of Roztoky, which consists of only a few estates. This is a good route for a hiking trip, but there are also disadvantages. There are no markings on the route, so it is very easy to get lost. It is worth going this route at least for the first time with a guide who knows the area well. It takes about 2-3 hours to get to Protyattya.

Interesting facts:

There is a legend about the origin of the name "Protyati Kamyny". According to it, in ancient times, the highlanders did not have a convenient way to get down from the mountains to the valley. Later, they found a convenient way out: they heated water in cauldrons and poured it onto the rocks. In this way, the unstable sandstone formed "pierced" passages, which gave the tract its name.

Every year, in early September, the canyon hosts the so-called "initiation" ceremony, a rite of passage for freshmen of the Geography Department of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi University. The action takes place at night, and the appearance of the god Geo with a torch from the arch, which flies into the student crowd at high speed with the help of a rope, adds mysticism to the action, and even a little fear.

Not far from Protyatychi on Nimchychi, there is another tourist attraction worthy of your attention, the Dovbush Cave (about 20 meters long).

"Once we came to the high mountain of Nimchych and saw from here at sunset something as beautiful and silver as a dream, they say it is called Roztoky, but I think it has no name and that it is no longer there, because something like that can appear only once and disappear, and if someone wanted to see the same thing a second time, they would not find it," Lesia Ukrainka wrote in a letter to O. Kobylianska on August 1, 1901, describing her impression of the trip.

A careful examination of the stones reveals many rock paintings and a lot of signs carved or hollowed out on the stones. These include silhouettes of naked women, skulls, people's faces, handprints, masonic signs, hearts, inscriptions "Vasya was here" and many other manifestations of "tourist art."

Garbage is piled up near the stones in large heaps, sometimes covered with leaves to make it less noticeable. Obviously, this is the work of locals, but there is plenty of tourist trash as well. The pollution of the Carpathians is happening at a rapid pace, and the Hutsuls are keeping up with the tourists.

Thanks to activists and the NGO Carpathian Trails, this route is now marked with signs, so now even a beginner won't get lost on these beautiful trails.