More than 150 years ago, Nikolai Gogol, who was born in Poltava region, wrote his most famous work, Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka. Nowadays, Dykanka is a popular tourist destination, and it is worth travelling there in winter to feel that ancient, ‘Gogolian’ atmosphere. Find out all about the history, traditions, routes and atmosphere of Dykanka in Visit Ukraine's material

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Dikanka was made famous by Nikolai Gogol. This is probably known to anyone who has looked for Christmas films or books. However, the urban-type settlement (it has been so since 1997) is known for more than that. Throughout its history, Dykanka has witnessed many historical events. It is currently included in the List of Historical Settlements of Ukraine. There are several memorable places in Dykanka itself that everyone should visit, especially during the Christmas holidays, when the ‘Gogol’ spirit comes to life here, followed by traditions, customs, a nativity scene, a powerful grandfather, and... evil spirits, which, according to Gogol, have been playing out here. Read about these and other extraordinary features of Dykanka in the article on Visit Ukraine.

Why Dykanka?

There are several versions of the origin of the name Dykanka. According to the first one, the first person to settle here was named Dykan. He founded a hamlet that grew into a modern urban-type settlement. By the way, this legend is supported by the fact that there are many people with different variations of this surname.

The historian V. Kryvosheia reports that this first settler was a Cossack Dykanenko. The researcher relies on historical documents in his statements.

Pavlo Zahrebelnyi presented a folk-poetic version: this area once had a lot of dense forests, which were called ‘wild’ because of their impenetrable thickets. There were also wild boars, which the locals called ‘dyki’.

Other historians (for example, V. Zhuk) say that the name ‘Dykan’ comes from the Turkic ‘dekhan’ - ‘farmer’. In the 15th century, these lands were given to a Tatar murza (governor), so the confusion of Ukrainian and Turkic was very likely.

Photo: Time to Poltava

Some interesting historical facts about Dykanka

1. The first settlers were here in the Bronze Age.

2. Historians have not discovered the exact date of the first settlement.

3. The first chronicle mention is in 1658: it was then that a battle between the units of Poltava Colonel Martyn Pushkar and Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky took place near Dykanka.

4. Until 1602, there was a cave skete (a secluded dwelling for monks) in the forest thickets near Dykanka - an underground town of 8 caves.

5. Ivan Bryukhovetskyi, Hetman of the Left Bank of Ukraine from 1663 to 1668, was born near Dykanka.

6. In the 17th century, the famous Cossack chronicler Samiilo Velychko lived and worked in Dykanka.

7. The statesman Vasyl Kochubey, the inventive beekeeper Mykola Vitvitskyi, the writer Oleksa Dikhtyar, the musician Tymofii Morokhovets, the teacher-scientist Yukhym Voronianskyi, the artist Leonid Ilchenko and many others lived and worked in Dykanka.

Photo: Anga Travel

What can you see in Dykanka?

Kochubey Palace

The luxurious Kochubeys' estate appeared here in the late 18th century. Its initial version included a composition of the main building and two wings that were connected to each other. In 1810, the palace was rebuilt in a new style: 100 rooms, exquisite marble sculptures, a greenhouse and a chapel in the centre of the courtyard.

As a result of the 1917 revolution, the palace fell into disrepair. Today it looks like an ordinary village vegetable garden, and only the remains of the park have survived - in a rather neglected state.

St Nicholas Church

Until 1684, the church here was wooden, but by 1797, on the initiative of Viktor Kochubey, a stone church was built. The architect was Mykola Lviv.

The acoustics here are especially impressive - it is created by a double dome system. Here you can go down to the tomb of the Kochubey family, pray to the miraculous icon of St Nicholas, and see a real relic - a windmill from the century before last.

Today (since 1992) it is a functioning Orthodox church.

Photo: Navigator Ukraine

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe, built in 1820, is the only monument in Ukraine dedicated to the victory over Napoleon. At the time of Viktor Kochubey, it was the main entrance to the palace located in the forest.

It underwent a major restoration in 2008, but unfortunately, some elements have not been preserved.

The models for the Ukrainian triumphal arch were Roman analogues. According to an unofficial version, the architect was Luigi Rusca.

Holy Trinity Church

This church, built in 1780, was described by Nikolai Gogol in his works. It will appeal to lovers of Baroque style and local fortifications - it was under this church that passages were made to escape from the Tatar invaders.

What else can you visit in Dykanka?

- Giant oaks that are almost as old as Dykanka itself - they are several centuries old;

- Parasotskyi tract;

- Lilac grove - planted in the 19th century.

Photo: 7 wonders of Ukraine

What does Dykanka look like at Christmas?

Dykanka became extremely popular thanks to the efforts of Mykola Gogol, a native of Poltava region. His work ‘Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka’ has travelled the world, translated into dozens of languages and reprinted dozens of times. Perhaps the most famous work is The Night Before Christmas. Solokha, the devil, the priest, the Cossack Vakula - we have known them since childhood.

Dykanka on Christmas Eve is a world of ancient Ukrainian traditions, nativity scenes and rituals. And Solokh is everywhere. Almost every street has something that points to the unsurpassed ‘Gogol's’ handwriting. Visit Dykanka for Christmas - it will be an unforgettable experience.

How to get to Dykanka?

From any city in Ukraine, you should head to Poltava. It is a transport hub, so you can get there by bus, train or motorway M 03 ‘Kyiv-Kharkiv’.

Regular buses run from Poltava to Dykanka. The first one leaves at 5:55 am and the last one at 6:30 pm.

Tickets for all types of transport can be purchased here.

Photo: Ukr-Day

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