NOTHERN PODILLIA National Park

Nothern Podillia National Park was established on the 10th of February, 2010. It is situated on the area of 15587,92 hectares, covering the territory of Brody, Busk and Zolochiv districts in Lviv region. The main purpose is the preservation of primeval beech forests and relict steppe clusters.

The idea of National park's creation appeared in the 19th century: the reserve's management was initiated by Count Volodymyr Didushytsky (the founder of The Museum of Natural History in Lviv). In 1886 he created one of the first in Europe and the first in Ukraine Pamyatka Penyatska Nature Reserve (2 years before opening of Askaniya-Nova!) — reserve assigned not for hunting or based on religious beliefs, but created to protect ancient beech forests and for nesting of the white-tailed eagle. Thus, the establishment of Nothern Podillya National Park is actually a continuation of Volodymyr Didushytsky's work.

Nowadays, the territory of the park covers a part of physiographic regions of Holohory and Voronyaky, which jointly with Roztochia and the Krements mountains form the north-western edge of the Podilsk Upland. These low mountain ridges, which are considered to be a characteristic feature of the local relief, is a park decoration. The biggest part of the Nothern Podillya National Park territory is located at an altitude of 250-460 m. The highest mountains here are: Vapnyarka (460,8 m) and Vysokyy Kamin (440,4 m). The park lies in the most hilly and wooded part of the ridge, along which the main European watershed runs. The most valuable beech forests have been preserved here, growing on the north-eastern boundary of the geographical range. The Western Bug river originates here, carrying its waters to the Baltic Sea; also such rivers as Styr, Seret, Ikva have their source here.

The climate of the park is temperate continental, humid. Summer is warm with frequent precipitation; autumn is characterized by frequent fogs, spring is changeable and protracted. Voronyaky and Holohory contribute to the formation of clouds and precipitation, they are regulators of the temperature. The average annual temperature is +7°С. The warmest month is July (+18,1°С). During the year here falls approximately 700-800 mm of precipitation. The wettest months are June, July, September. Wind is mainly western and north-western.

More than 200 plant species are spread on the park territory. Here grows mysterious common moonwort (Botrychium lunaria), owing to this plant the legend about magic fern flower appeared. One can also see common snowdrop here, rare flowers of the thick forests  — orchids, Narrow-leaved Helleborine and Red Helleborine, find bushes of European bladdernut. There grow such delicate plants in thick forests as: Perennial honesty, henbane bell, Turk's cap lily, Orchid Twayblade, lesser butterfly-orchid, etc. Carlina onopordifolia is of special value to the park, huge star-shaped baskets of which can only be seen in Western Ukraine and Eastern Poland.

The local fauna numbers 127 species of birds, 41 species of mammals. Among them 22 are included into the Red Book of Ukraine. It should be noted that Nothern Podillya National Park is important in terms of existence of hunting animals. The fauna of the park has not been fully explored yet. Recently, 2 endangered species of birds, included in the European Red List have been discovered, these are eastern imperial eagle and corn crake.

In addition to its natural value, the territory of the park is characterised by significant historical and cultural importance. In particular, these are the monuments of Golden ring of Lviv region: castles and churches of Lviv region, Markiyan Shashkevych museum in the village of Pidlyssya; other monuments.
Workers of the park are actively involved in the development of the ecological and educational trails. One of them is "Trynih", which runs through the territory near geological and botanical nature monument — Trynih rock of interesting form, relicts of carbonaceous sandstones from the bottom of the former Sarmatian Sea.

Ecological and tourist route "Paths of Markiyan Shashkevych" is popular among young tourists: White Mountain with a commemorative cross to M. Shashkevych; the story of the major milestones in life and activity of the co-founder of "Ruska Triytsya"; a historical well and museum-kryyivka of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Kryjivka was both an action station and a place, where occasionally The Ukrainian Insurgent Army's headquarters met; operated from November 1941 to February 1947); at the end of the route there is a potter's studio where master classes on making black pottery are held.