Khmelnytskyi Oblast

Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western Podolia is home to Kamianets-Podilskyi, one of the most impressive fortress towns in Eastern Europe. A travel warning is in effect for Ukraine because of Russia's war of aggression; a trip to Khmelnytskyi is described here as a portrait, for a time when the situation allows it again.

Kamianets-Podilskyi

The Old Town of Kamianets-Podilskyi sits on a rocky island encircled by the Smotrych River in a deep gorge. A bridge links it to the castle, whose towers rise above the canyon. For centuries the fortress was a bulwark between Poland-Lithuania and the Ottoman Empire; at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, a minaret topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary recalls the Ottoman era. In the lanes, Armenian, Polish, and Ukrainian churches stand side by side. In summer, the castle hosts knights' festivals, and hot-air balloonists lift off above the canyon.

Landscape and Towns

To the south, the Dniester forms the boundary of the oblast; Podilski Tovtry National Park protects limestone hills, gorges, and caves. Bakota, a former cave monastery on the Dniester, now sits on a reservoir and is a popular viewpoint. Khmelnytskyi, known as Proskuriv until 1954, is a trading and administrative city with one of the largest markets in western Ukraine. To the north lies Medzhybizh, with a castle and the grave of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism.

Kamianets-Podilskyi is among the best-known destinations in Khmelnytskyi Oblast and is well suited to a stay of several days. Around the town, the Smotrych Canyon invites walks and climbing routes, and boat tours on the Dniester lead to rock formations, caves, and springs. In the village of Satanov, mineral springs bubble up, and a sanatorium offers health cures. Starokostiantyniv and Iziaslav have castles and palaces that bear witness to the eventful history of this borderland region.

Food and Getting There

Podolian cuisine includes kulish, a millet porridge with bacon, varenyky, holubtsi, and baked mlynтsi; apricots and walnuts are harvested in the Dniester area. Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi can be reached by train from Kyiv and Lviv, and buses connect the towns. Air raids are possible here as well, so be sure to follow current safety advisories. In peacetime, the best time to travel is from May to October.