Stepanky brings together two memorial sites, a park project and a tourist circular route. The themes range from remembering victims of war, to the first step towards a place for recreation, to a plan involving several places that is still in development. When planning your trip, it is worth distinguishing between the local memorial sites, the aim of the park project and the multi-stop route.

Memorial sites with different associations

There is a mass grave of Soviet soldiers in Stepanky. It is unclear whether the mass grave is currently open to the public. A memorial commemorates villagers who lost their lives during the Second World War. The two sites thus represent different forms of remembrance: the mass grave relates to Soviet soldiers, while the memorial commemorates the village residents who died in the war. When considering Stepanky’s historical associations, this distinction helps ensure that the memorial sites and the groups remembered at each are not conflated. They are two separate points of reference, not a single, shared memorial.

A park project aiming to create a place for recreation

The “Green Labyrinth” park project began with the planting of more than 500 shrubs. It is unclear whether the project is currently open to the public. This planting was the first step towards creating a place for recreation. The beginning and the aim of the project can be distinguished: the shrubs were part of the first step, while the intended purpose is to create a place for recreation. This places a different emphasis from the memorial sites. Here, the focus is not on a group being commemorated, but on the plan to create a place for recreation.

A tourist route through several places

A tourist route has been developed for the municipality, starting and ending in Stepanky. Along the way, it passes through Buzukiv, Huliaihorodok (Shaieva Hora), Holovyatyno, Malyi Buzukiv (Lysa Hora), Zalivky (Kholodnyiarskyi Zorepad) and Khatsky (Plesovel). Stepanky is therefore both the starting point and the return point; the route also passes through other places and does not lie entirely within the village. The route is still in development. This status matters when planning your trip: it should be understood as a proposal with a named sequence of places, not as a finished visitor itinerary.

What these themes mean for your plans

The themes differ both in content and in their geographical scope. The memorial sites relate to Stepanky, the park project aims to create a place for recreation, and the circular route covers several places. When looking for a holiday apartment in Stepanky, you can therefore consider which focus is most relevant to your trip: the local memorial associations, the recreation-oriented park project, or a route that starts and ends in Stepanky but is still in development. This distinction helps you consider the village itself separately from the multi-stop route project.

Discover more destinations: Rodnykivka, Medvedivka, Zolotonosha, Chesnivka, Kaniv, Kamjanka, Verkhnyachka, Sunky

For the regional travel overview: Cherkasy Oblast.