Dniester canyon
Dniester Canyon is a national park located in the Western part of Ukraine and intersects with four of its regions: Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi. The canyon is recognized as the largest not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe, its length is 250 km, the shores sometimes reach a height of 250 meters. According to the results of the Internet voting in 2008, the Dniester Canyon took its place of honor among the 7 wonders of Ukraine. It arose naturally, due to the geographical structure of the area, as well as the processes of soil erosion.
The Dniester Canyon National Park was founded in 2010. The Dniester Canyon Landscape Park was established on this territory back in 1990, but in the late 90s it was on the verge of destruction. The official creation of the Dniester Canyon National Nature Park was hindered by some society interested in shadow privatization of land. Until that time, forests were actively cut down here, quarries were being developed, and river gravel was illegally mined.
The relief of the Dniester Canyon is peculiar and inimitable, the river flows through a canyon-like valley, forming fantastic bends at the same time. There are more than 100 monuments of living and inanimate nature of world significance on its lands, unique standards of detached rocks have been preserved here.
A considerable number of rare plants, animals and birds can be found in the Dniester territories. The warm climate in Dniester Park distinguishes this area from other regions of the country. The canyon walls trap the sun's heat, so there is almost no precipitation in summer, and in spring the natural world comes to life a few weeks earlier than in the rest of the territory.
The flora of the Dniester Canyon is represented by oak forests with an admixture of ash, maple, hornbeam, linden and birch. Currently, 65 species of rare plants grow on the slopes of the river, among which 21 species are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, 2 are on the European Conservation List. The fauna is represented by a variety of animals, where you can find a huge insect Deer beetle. The muskrat, badger, marten, weasel, ermine and many other quadrupeds feel great here.
In the coastal villages, you can find cultural monuments of the peoples who inhabited this territory in different years, including caves that housed monks of rock monasteries. In the village of Beremyany there is one of the attractions - the Red Mountain. According to legend, the Turks executed peasants here. There are also stratifications on the particularly steep banks of the Dniester River, which contain age-old fossils dating back at least 500 million years. This area is also decorated with the 16-meter Djurinsky waterfall, which is located a little further from the river. It is the largest plain waterfall in Ukraine.
Also on the territory of the park there is the Rusilovsky cascade of waterfalls, whose height reaches 12 meters, and the length of the cascade is 2 km. A unique sight is the small waterfalls – "Maiden's Tears", which flow along the rocks of the Dniester Canyon covered with thick green moss, it and both banks of the canyon can be viewed by sailing on a boat, which are rented here.
