Khorol can be explored through two distinctive themes: memorial sites connected with the Second World War, and a landscape shaped by the Zubanivskyi Stream, a cascade of ponds and the Botanical Garden. The collection at the local history museum also offers a broad view of history spanning many eras. When planning your trip, you can give different weight to these interests: historical memorial sites, nature, or both.
Memorial sites and their distinct connections
The “Mohyla radianskykh viiskovopolonenykh” monument stands over the grave of more than 22,000 prisoners of war. It features a life-size sculpture of a soldier and is located at the corner of Vokzalna and Molodizhna Streets. The grave, sculpture and location give this memorial site a clearly recognisable form.
The “Bratska mohyla radianskykh voiniv ta zhertv fashyzmu” mass grave commemorates 17,000 Soviet soldiers tortured between 1941 and 1943, as well as soldiers who died in 1941 during defensive battles against the fascists. It is on Vokzalna Street, near the oil depot. It therefore honours both those tortured during the specified period and the soldiers who died in the 1941 battles.
The “Khorolska yama” memorial complex commemorates the victims of the “Khorolska yama” death camp (Dulag 160). The camp operated from October 1941 to September 1943; the complex is also located at the corner of Vokzalna and Molodizhna Streets. Unlike the monument at the prisoners-of-war grave, this memorial site specifically concerns the camp’s victims. The street details help distinguish this shared location from the mass grave near the oil depot.
Stream, cascade of ponds and Botanical Garden
Khorol Botanical Garden was established in 2009, is located within the city and covers 18 hectares around the Zubanivskyi Stream. It is a nature reserve of national importance and also a research institution. Its area, protected status and scientific function give the garden a distinct role among the city’s natural attractions.
The Zubanivskyi Stream, formerly known as Doshtschowa Producha, shapes Khorol’s landscape and feeds a cascade of ponds. If you come across its former name, you can identify it as the same stream. The stream and garden can be considered separately: the stream shapes the landscape and supplies the pond cascade, while the garden is an 18-hectare protected area and a research institution.
A broad view of Khorol’s history
A 2017 city report describes the collection at the local history museum in Khorol as featuring artefacts from the Stone Age, Eneolithic and Bronze Age through the early Slavs and Kyivan Rus to the present day. This timespan differs from that of the memorial sites, each of which relates to specific events and periods of the Second World War. Khorol thus brings together different ways of exploring the past: a collection spanning a long history and individual, clearly identified memorial sites.
If you plan to visit the Botanical Garden or local history museum, check visiting arrangements in advance. When choosing a focus for your trip, consider whether you would like to spend more time at the memorial sites, in nature or exploring the historical collection.
Discover more destinations: Olenivka, Balakliia, Nedoharky, Novaky, Velyka Bahachka, Shyposhi, Pishchane, Berezova Rudka.
For the broader travel overview: Poltava Oblast.
