Zhytomyr Oblast

Zhytomyr Oblast stretches from the forests and marshes of Polissia on the Belarusian border to the fertile forest-steppe. Because of Russia's war of aggression, a travel warning is in effect for Ukraine; a trip to Zhytomyr is described here as a portrait, for the time when conditions allow it again.

Zhytomyr and Berdychiv

Zhytomyr is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine; legend dates its founding to the 9th century. The city on the Teteriv River is the birthplace of Sergei Korolev, chief designer of the Soviet space program; the Cosmonautics Museum displays rockets, spacesuits, and capsules. Granite cliffs line the river, and Gagarin Park has a suspension bridge. Berdychiv was one of the largest Jewish centers of the Russian Empire in the 19th century; the Carmelite monastery with its fortress walls and the grave of the Hasidic rabbi Levi Yitzchak are well-known sights. Honoré de Balzac married Ewelina Hańska here in 1850.

Landscape and Nature

The north of the oblast is Polissia: pine and birch forests, bogs, peat meadows, and small villages with wooden houses. Drevlianskyi Nature Park and the rocks near Korosten, the old capital of the Drevlian tribe, invite you to go hiking. Farther south, near Chudniv and Radomyshl, you will find castles, mills, and manor estates; Radomyshl Castle houses a museum of icons. Part of the oblast was a combat zone in 2022 during the advance on Kyiv; the area has been under Ukrainian control since then, but air strikes still occur.

In Zhytomyr, the Regional History Museum preserves icons and folk art, and the Catholic cathedral recalls the large Polish community that lived here into the 20th century. There are swimming spots along the Teteriv, and granite cliffs invite you to climb. The poet Lesya Ukrainka was born in Novohrad-Volynskyi, and a museum commemorates her.

Food and Getting There

The cuisine of Polissia relies on mushrooms, berries, potatoes, and fish: deruny (potato pancakes) with mushroom sauce, potato babka, and blueberry vareniki are typical. Zhytomyr lies on the road and rail line from Kyiv to Rivne, about two hours west of Kyiv. Check current safety advisories before any trip; in peacetime, late summer, with its mushroom and berry season, is the best time to visit.