Dniester Canyon: natural features and historical monuments

The Dniester River stretched on the expanses of South-Eastern Europe formed one of the largest European canyons. Why is it interesting?

The Dniester River

It is impossible to start a story about this natural formation without mentioning the reason for its formation. For the Dniester canyon, this was the Dniester River, which flows through the territory of Ukraine and Moldova. The river begins in the Ukrainian Carpathians, near the village of Volchye Turkovskoe. The Dniester begins its journey on Mount Chtayivka, at an altitude of 900 meters. Stretching for 1352 kilometers in length, the river flows into the Black Sea through the Dniester estuary.

The river feeds on snow and rain, has a mountain character with a fairly rapid current. According to one of the versions, its name comes from the phrase "swift water". During the rainy period, the Dniester spills heavily, which often leads to serious flooding.

On the territory of Ukraine, the river flows next to such popular tourist sites as the rocky monastery of Bakot or Khotyn fortress. At the intersection of three Ukrainian regions is the Dniester Reservoir. On the picturesque banks of the river in the western part of the country there is a national natural park Dniester Canyon, and in the Odessa region there is a park "Dnistrovsky Plavni".

In Moldova, the Dniester stretches for 660 kilometers in length. The state border dividing Ukraine and Moldova passes along the river, as well as the border between Moldova and the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria. On the Moldovan coast of the Dniester there is the Soroca fortress, in the city of Dubossary there is a reservoir and reserve "Yagorlyk".

Dniester Canyon

The Dniester Canyon is on Ukrainian territory, passes through Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi regions of the country. Canyon is one of the largest in Europe, its length is more than 250 kilometers.

The Dniester canyon was formed due to the special geological structure of the area, which for centuries has been influenced by water currents and winds. There are various rocks of origin, which contain the remains of flora and fauna that existed 400 million years ago.

The territory from the Golden Lipa River to Zbruch is included in the landscape reserve "Dniester Canyon". It occupies Zalishchitsky, Buchach, Boshchevsky and Monastyriska districts of the Ternopil region. Here the width of the river does not exceed 200 meters. Water breaks through the canyon valley between the Podolsky Tovtras, forming natural landscapes of incredible beauty.

In the canyon formed a warm pleasant climate, which is significantly different from the typical West Ukrainian. High rocky walls do not allow to penetrate here to the winds and detain sunlight. Animal and plant worlds are represented by a huge variety, but are poorly understood due to the rugged relief.

Natural attractions

The Dniester Canyon is a unique natural formation. Within its limits on the river there are various passes and rapids formed by crystalline rocks of gneiss, granite and cuneite, which abundantly come out here on the surface.

Along the territory of the canyon are many waterfalls and mountain streams, falling right into the waters of the river. It is here that there is the largest plain waterfall - Dzhurinsky, which reaches 16 meters in height.

In the area of the villages of Trubchin, Ustechko, Vistri there are high cliffs, whose age is more than 400 million years. The rocks are the Silurian and Devonian deposits. These places are frequented by climbers and explorers.

Birch, hornbeam and oak forests grow in the reserve zone. More than 100 plant species are endemic and relic species. Forest, water and steppe biocenoses are connected in the canyon of the Dniester, which creates excellent conditions for the development and conservation of a large variety of wildlife.

Historical and architectural monuments

The valley of the river was inhabited in ancient times by people. On the territory of the Gorodenkovsky district there is one of the oldest parking lots. It refers to the Early Paleolithic, the age of the site is about 300 thousand years. Traces of Trypillian culture were found in 26 settlements within the canyon .

The Dniester canyon is full of grottoes and caves. Some of them served as shelter for ascetic monks. Bakotsky rock monastery - one of the most famous, it arose around the XI-XII centuries.

Among the historical monuments located in the villages near the canyon are churches, castle and palace ruins, ancient fortresses. The most popular sights are the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, the Church of St. Michael, the remains of the fortress in the village of Okopy, the church of the XVIII century in the village of Korolets.

Near the Djurinsky waterfall are the ruins of the old mill and Chervonogorodsky castle. He is in the middle of a huge hollow. Initially, the castle was built of wood in XIII, but in the XVII century rebuilt from stone. The slopes of the basin are bright red due to the high content of iron oxides in the ground, hence the name of the castle.

Conclusion

The incredible beauty of nature and a large number of historical monuments attract not only tourists, but also researchers of various profiles. Fans of outdoor activities come here every year to practice rock climbing or to arrange rafting along the Dniester canyon in kayaks and canoes.