Urych in Ukraine Is a 2024 Top Destination for Sustainable Travel

Urych in Ukraine distinguished itself as one of the top contenders in sustainable travel, earning a place among the 55 Best Tourism Villages for 2024, as announced by UN Tourism. The recognition highlights rural areas as significant contributors to sustainable tourism and community growth. Of more than 260 applications from over 60 UN Member States, 55 villages were selected for this list. Urych’s location in the Stryi district of Lviv Oblast, near the Urychanka River, enhances its picturesque appeal.

Key Attractions in Urych

• Tustan Historical and Cultural Reserve: established by a decree from Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers on October 5, 1994. Its purpose is to preserve and utilize the ancient rock fortress known as Tustan, situated near the village of Urych in the Stryi district of Lviv region. Tustan, located on the rugged Urych cliffs, served as a strategic fortress from the 9th to the 16th centuries. It played a crucial role in the Carpathian defence line, functioning as a customs post and an administrative and military hub. The fortress’s construction technique is unique globally, lacking known parallels. While the original wooden structures no longer survive, over 4,000 grooves and notches remain. These details have allowed researchers to reconstruct the fortress’s appearance accurately.
• Museum of Tustan’s History: This museum, which opened on May 18, 1997, is part of the Tustan Historical and Cultural Reserve. Housed in an old church presbytery, it offers exhibitions about the town’s fortress past. Nearby, the cultural hub “Khata u Hlubyokim,” or “Boykivska Khata,” displays a traditional Carpathian home from the 1920s–1930s. This centre frequently hosts ethnic gatherings and film screenings.
• House in Hlubokym (Khata u Hlubyokim – Хата у Глубокім): restored by the local reserve, the venue also features a contemporary ethnographic exhibition titled “Unnecessary? The History of Urych through Objects and Images.” This exhibition followed an expedition during which museum workers visited every house in the village. They collected old photographs and household items, engaging with residents to document their memories of the village’s public and cultural life and activities of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
• Wooden Church of St. Nicholas: Designed by famed architect Vasyl Nahirny, this church was constructed in 1910. It replaces an older wooden structure and features a unique cross-single-dome design. Surrounded by a protective awning, its painted walls add to its charm. A bell tower with a distinctive two-tier design stands nearby. Both the church and bell tower are recognized architectural monuments in Lviv Oblast.
• Historic Village Cemetery: Situated next to St. Nicholas Church, this cemetery holds mostly wooden gravestones, with few stone markers due to limited local stonework resources. Restoration efforts have been ongoing since 2015, preserving the metal crosses atop stone pedestals that dominate the cemetery landscape.

Since 2006, the village of Urych has hosted an annual festival dedicated to Old Rus and medieval culture called “Tu Stan!” This unique event focuses on the historical era of the rock fortress city of Tustan, spanning from the 9th to the 16th centuries.