It’s not so easy to find parking and water in Ukraine, but on our way to Chernihiv we were lucky, we met friendly Jura and his family at the little tire repair shop on the highway. We refilled our water tank there and later he guided us to the best parking location in the city – just in front of the theatre at the main square. This nice historical city in north-central Ukraine, on the Desna River, was first mentioned in 907. It was one of the chief towns of Kievan Rus and the center of a princedom. Chernihiv lost importance after the Tatar invasion (1239–40) and remained a minor provincial center until modern times when it developed as a railway junction. The oldest church in the city and one of the oldest churches in Ukraine is the 5-domed Transfiguration Cathedral, commissioned in the early 1030s by Mstislav the Bold and completed several decades later by his brother, Yaroslav the Wise (tower entrance 5 UAH). At the end of our sightseeing, we have visited the caves of the Eletsky Monastery (entrance 40 UAH, photo 15 UAH) – a magnificent 6-pillared cathedral was erected at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. The wall, monastic cells, and bell tower all date from the 17th century.
Parking location – Chernihiv: 51.491235N 31.299421E