Manescu Palace, Chortoria

The Manesku Palace is one of the oldest and most mysterious monuments in Bukovyna. The castle is located in the village of Chortorya, Kitsman district. The exact date of construction is unknown. However, the list of local cultural monuments in the Chernivtsi region contains a record that the palace was built in the mid-19th century. But other documents indicate the date of the beginning of the 18th century.

This palace is named after the Romanian rich man Manescu. Presumably, he was not the first owner. Rumor has it that the first owner, Mr. Giurdjuvan, lost the estate at cards. Dzurdzhuvan's grave is located very close by, near a wooden church.

But whatever the vicissitudes surrounding this palace, the important thing is that a unique architectural monument in an eclectic style, with neo-Gothic windows and a tower with Romanian motifs, has survived to this day. Locals say that Mr. Manescu built a new mansion in the 1920s, and an orphanage was opened in this one.

In the early 40s of the 20th century, Red Army troops entered Bukovyna. They turned the beautiful palace into a stable. Rumor has it that there were very beautiful fireplaces inside and angels painted on the walls. However, it was decided to paint over all this beauty. But the paint was so resistant that the drawing soon showed through the whitewash.

Another attraction is the two-hundred-year-old tulip tree that grows in the park near the palace.

Nowadays, the palace houses a psychiatric dispensary.

This small village is better known as the birthplace of the famous Ukrainian actor Ivan Mykolaychuk. His museum-estate is located here. The house where the actor was born has been recreated. However, this manor is a reconstruction, and it was made in 1991. The museum is run by the actor's older sister, Mrs. Frozina. After visiting the museum, ask the locals for directions to the Swan Lakes. After the death of the famous actor, swans first came to winter on this lake. It is said that the actor's soul returned home.

Also visit the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built in the middle of the 18th century. According to legend, when the previous church burned down, a local lord decided to buy a new one from Carpathian craftsmen. It was transported to the village in parts and built on the spot.

First, you need to get to Chernivtsi. If you are traveling by public transport, you will need to get to the bus station and find a bus that goes towards Vyzhnytsia through Vashkivtsi. Chortory is a few kilometers before Vashkivtsi. You need to get off at the bus stop, because it's the best way to get to all the interesting places.

Chortorya is a village in the Kitsman district (Chernivtsi region). It is located on the right bank of the Cheremosh River, near the Chernivtsi-Vashkivtsi-Vyzhnytsia road. There is a lot to see here: a castle-palace, a wooden church, swan lakes...

It is the birthplace of Ivan Mykolaychuk, where the Ivan Mykolaychuk Art and Memorial Museum and Estate is located. Famous actors and directors, friends of Mykolaychuk, including Serhiy Parajanov, visited Chortoryia. Mykolaychuk was called the face and soul of Ukrainian poetic cinema. Not a single Ukrainian film of the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century could do without his participation. Here is what Serhiy Parajanov said about Mykolaychuk: "I do not know a more national folk genius... Before him, it was Dovzhenko."

Among the village's architectural monuments, it is known for one of the most beautiful palaces in Bukovyna, the Manesku Palace (Rutkovsky Palace), which now houses a psychoneurological boarding school. No one knows the exact date of the palace's construction. The list of local architectural monuments in the Chernivtsi region dates the palace to the nineteenth century. However, other sources indicate a different date of its construction: the end of the seventeenth or beginning of the eighteenth century. A park was built around the palace in the late nineteenth century. The park is dominated by old trees of various species, which grow in individual specimens, alleys, and small groups. The trees and shrubs include 11 species of valuable trees. The most famous "exhibit" of the park is the oldest tulip tree in Bukovyna, which is over 200 years old. The park also has birch trees 150-170 years old, European larch, acacia, ailanthus, gladicia, sedge, and variegated linden. An alley of horse chestnut was planted to mark the 50th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko's birth.

The village also has an old wooden "hut" church with a characteristic side extension to the Babynets, which, according to legend, was transported by the Cheremosh from the Carpathians. It was built in 1749-1750 and consecrated in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The walls of the church are covered with relatively new timber, and the roof is traditionally covered with tin.

Every year on June 15, on the birthday of actor Ivan Mykolaychuk, the village hosts a large-scale festival "To visit Ivan" with a commemoration of the artist near his bust, along with a museum estate, a concert of folk and folklore groups, a theater, and a fair with visitors from all over the Chernivtsi region.

Chortoryi Park is located in the village, and the Chortoryi Ornithological Reserve is not far from the village.