Velyka Bahachka offers different ways to explore the landscape and the history of the town. An English oak is designated as a botanical natural monument; the Bairakivskyi landscape protection area lies on the left bank of the Psel. The local history museum covers regional history, while memorials recall the Cossack era. Nature and culture can therefore be considered as distinct points of interest.
Nature: a tree and a landscape protection area
The English oak at 73 Shevchenko Street in Velyka Bahachka is designated as a botanical natural monument. Here, the focus is on a single tree at a specific location. By contrast, the Bairakivskyi landscape protection area is a protected landscape covering 770 hectares on the left bank of the Psel. It lies between Velyka Bahachka and the villages of Zatin and Bairak. This is equivalent to 7.7 square kilometres. The nature-related sites thus differ both in their spatial extent and in what they comprise: the oak is a single botanical natural monument, while the protected area is a larger landscape with links to the riverbank and the settlements named above.
Regional history and the Cossack era
The Velyka Bahachka local history museum is in the town centre and covers the region’s history from ancient times to the present. Exhibition topics include the town’s founding during the Cossack era and the participation of Cossacks from the Bohachka Company in the wars of that period. The broad historical scope and these specific topics complement each other: the exhibition goes beyond the founding period while also highlighting a particular chapter in the town’s history. Those interested in the town’s origins will find a direct connection to the Cossack era; for a broader perspective, regional history from ancient times to the present provides the framework. In this way, the exhibition considers both the town’s founding and the wider regional historical context.
At the southern edge of Velyka Bahachka, a Cossack stone and a Cossack figure serve as memorials recalling the Cossack era. This period is therefore represented both in the local history museum’s exhibition topics and by local memorials. Their locations differ: the museum is in the centre, while the two memorials are at the southern edge. A historical overview and specific places of remembrance thus offer two different ways to explore the Cossack era.
Reports from 2025 also mention a monument to the kobzar Fedir Kushneryk in Velyka Bahachka, as well as a commemorative plaque for him installed there. This personal memorial is distinct from the references to the Cossack era. Together, these sites offer a range of cultural themes: regional history, memorials to the Cossack era, and remembrance of Kushneryk.
Your options therefore include both a single natural monument and a protected landscape, as well as a regional historical overview and specific memorials. If you are planning a visit to the protected area, the museum, or one of the memorials, check access arrangements in advance; for the museum, also check current opening hours.
Discover more destinations: Omel'nyk, Nedoharky, Kam'yani Potoky, Balakliia, Poltava, Velyki Sorochyntsi, Karlivka, Kremenchuk.
For the broader travel overview: Poltava Oblast.
