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White Elephant: observatory on the top of the mountain



Yaremche is a mountain resort which is located at the height of 550 - 585 meters above sea level. The Gorgan and Yavirnyk Mountain Range rise around it. Yaremche lies in the mountain hollow as if a pearl in a wonderful shell. The first re­cord of Yaremche was found in the documents dated 1787. It was a settlement that belonged to the old village of Dora (16th cent.) which is situated not far.

It is the most famous resort and is the center of recreation in the region. The town is located above the rapid river Prut among picturesque mountains and is the place where numer­ous tourist routes intersect. The waterfall Probiy and the bridge over it is the most interesting place to see. You can watch from here how the Prut River throws off tons of water into the narrow stone bowl, which was created by nature itself. If you are lucky enough, you will see people jumping into the whirlpool of the waterfall from the bridge, which is a fascinating sight A busy souvenir market is also situated nearby. Here you can buy amazing works of local craftsmen. There are also old many wooden churches in Yaremche that were built in late 16th - early 17th centuries.

The area of the Carpathian Mountains belonged to the mighty state of Kyiv Rus as early as in the second half of the 12th century. However, frequent internal conflicts and even wars caused weakening of the centralized state and the rise of numerous principalities.

Precarpattia had been the part Halych principality since 1144 and the part of Halych-and-Volyn principality since 1199. Halych-and-Volyn principality was weakened by inner conflicts and became the object of encroachment for steppe nomads, Tatars and Turks, as well as for militant neighbors, Hungarians. Beginning from the second part of the 14th century Precarpat­tia was under the influence of Poland and then 400 years later from Austria.

The power of foreign states revealed itself first of all by re­moving the riches of Precarpathian land and enslaving the lo­cal people. When the pressure became unbearable, the local population took up arms or ran higher to the mountains. In that way many Carpathian settlements appeared, Yaremche in par­ticular. There is a story that tells about Yarema Godovanets, a fugitive from feudal pressure, who settled here 200 years ago. He tilled a piece of land that was overgrown with thick wood, and built a house. Other fugitives who were in hostile slavery soon joined him.

The nearest villages Dora and Yamna are much older than Yaremche. Dora is situated over the Prut River, where the swift river is almost free of high mountain rapids and in the summer many tourists stay in Dora. According to researchers, this village is named after a woman who had settled in this wonderful place to find peace of mind. Another version says that the word "dora" means "gateway" or "entrance". In late 19th - early 20th centuries the village was called Dora-Yaremche and it played a very important role in public and political life of the whole community. Also, the Ukrainian writer Iryna Vilde had a sum­merhouse here.

In December 30, 1977 Yaremche received the status of the town under regional authority. Besides Dora and Yamna, Ya­remche district includes the villages of Mykulychyn, Tatariv, Yablunytsia, Vorokhta, Polianytsia and Voronenko. Yaremcha has a population of 21.4 thousand, 46 recreational facilities function here and more than 100 B&Bs render tourist services to the visitors of the region.

The nearest mountains near Yaremche are Yavirnyk-Gorgan (1432 m) and Makovytsia (985 m).The Rokyta Mountain Range rises farther to the southeast. One of the highest tops of the Mountain Range is Big Rokyta (1110 m). The Dovbushanka Mount (1755 m) is not far in the west. The Syniachka Mount 1401 m) is even closer.

Numerous tourist routes pass through Yaremche tourist zone. One of the most famous is a hiking trail along the Chornogirsky Mountain Range. All the five Ukrainian tops that are higher than 2000 meters are located on it. Subalpine meadows (polonyny) start at the height of more than 1400 m, higher than the forest line.

Information taken from
the city guide-book "Ivano-Frankivsk"