Yelenovka Travel Guide

  Archangel St.Michael's Cathedral,...
by hunterV
 
  • Archangel St.Michael's Cathedral, Yelenovka
      Archangel St.Michael's Cathedral,...
    by hunterV
  • A village street, Yelenovka, Luhansk region
      A village street, Yelenovka, Luhansk...
    by hunterV
  • Old icons in the cathedral (the 18th century)
      Old icons in the cathedral (the 18th...
    by hunterV
  • Approaching the cathedral in Yelenovka
      Approaching the cathedral in Yelenovka
    by hunterV
  • A village house
      A village house
    by hunterV
 

Explore Yelenovka

Things to Do  

The Famous Village Cathedral

The Famous Village Cathedral, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  When you enter this cathedral, you feel the air of Pushkin's times. The great genius was here!(the popular local legend says so...)We were allowed to take pictures inside after I had addressed the chief lay sister.Also, now I have the blessing of the cathedral dean, Father... 

Visit the Village Forest Park

Visit the Village Forest Park, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  The village park is called Konka (Horse Road).It is located on the northern outskirts of the village in an old oak grove.The park has a one-kilometer long road built about two hundred years ago by the local peasants for the fun of the landlord and his family. It was built... 

Restaurants  

Village Club: Pilgrims' Lunch

Village Club: Pilgrims' Lunch, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  The Feast Day liturgy is over soon after 11 a.m.At the end of the liturgy Father Alexander, the cathedral dean, invites everybody to the village club for a traditional lunch. The lunch starts at about noon.As a pigrim, I was also priviged to do some obedience during the... 

Village Club: Local Cuisine

Village Club: Local Cuisine, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  We had wonderful lunch at the village club as pilgrims after the liturgy.It was great!We enjoyed the real village cuisine: Ukrainian village borshch, country porridge, potatoes, fish from the nearby pond (sponsored by the entrepreneurs of the local fishery) and different... 

Nightlife  

Village Club: Young People's Retreat
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The village club in Yelenoka
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There are not many young people in the village: perhaps two dozens of them.
There are ten school students who are taken by bus to the neighboring village of Chervony Prapor where they attend the secondary school.
Chervony Prapor is the place where the village council is located. It is about two miles to the north of Yelenovka.
The young people gather in the club in Yelenovka and arrange a disco or a concert themselves there.

Dress Code: casual

Updated Apr 8, 2011

Address: 1 Steppe Street

Related to:
 Arts and Culture
 Music
 Festivals

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Transportation  

To Yelenovka via Bayrachki

To Yelenovka via Bayrachki, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  During my third pilgrimage I took the 6.15 bus and got off at Bayrachki bus stop located right after Zorinsk.The fare was 15 UAH.There are two buses in the morning: at 6.15 a.m. and at 6.40 a.m. The latter one is a transit bus from Sverdlovsk to Donetsk.You don't have to run... 

Getting to the Village

Getting to the Village, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  I took the 6.20 bus from Luhansk. All the buses heading for Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk or Kiev from Luhansk follow the same road - E-40 motorway.You only have to pay $3 to the driver and tell him to let you get off at Bayrachki bus stop (after Zorinsk).If the weather is dry... 

The Village Location

The Village Location, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  Picture 1 and 2:You can see by this map that Yelenovka is located not far from the outskirts of the town of Zorinsk (that my American friend jokingly calls Z-town).The distance from downtown Zorinsk to Yelenovka is about five miles. Since I visited Yelenovka on November 21... 

Shopping  

Nika: Village Shop
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@ Nika shop, Yelenovka
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I went shopping to this small shop located across the field from the village club and the church.
You can buy almost anything here as to food and drink, just like at a small town shop, except liquors such as vodka or brandy.

What to buy: food and drinks and, of course, village bread (baked in the neighboring city of Brianka).

What to pay: it depends

Updated Sep 25, 2010

Related to:
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons
 Budget Travel
 Business Travel

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Local Customs  

Hard-Working Villagers

Hard-Working Villagers, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  The village is often called the village of expertsThe names implicates that many experts of different trades have lived and worked in the village. Now there are many labor dynasties, among them the coalminers’ dynasty of the Bugayovs whose total work record is 62 years in... 

Michaelmas in the Village

Michaelmas in the Village, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  St.Michael the Archangel is a very revered saint in Ukraine and Russia.He is the patron saint of Kiev, our capital, and is represented on Kiev’s coat-of-arms. There is St.Michael’s Square, St.Michael's Street and St.Michael's Cathedral in Kiev.There is a cathedral named... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Surface Coalmining

Surface Coalmining, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  As you walk or drive from Zorinsk to Yelenovka (very many turns, but a relatively good road by our standards), you will see a lot of turned stones on both sides of the road after you leave Road Street - the last street in Zorinsk - and turn left. It's not an archeological... 

Neglected Old Houses

Neglected Old Houses, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  There are several neglected old houses in Yelenovka.Their owners have died and their relatives living elsewhere could not sell those houses. Thus they are in decay now and most of them are beyong repair.I explored one neglected household without entering the house itself. My... 

Unpaved Roads

Unpaved Roads, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  There are a lot of unpaved and unlit roads in and around the village.Be careful when you decide to arrive to Yelenovka by car. Better take a 4x4 and drive via Zorinsk that is located about two miles away from the village. Take the first turning to the right after Zorinsk bus... 

Tourist Traps  

Buses to Perevalsk
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The road to the motorway (on foot only)
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There are three buses to the county center - the town of Perevalsk: at about 7 a.m., at noon and at 3.30 p.m.
If you stay in the village till the last bus leaves and decide to take that bus, keep in mind that the district center is about 25 km away from Yelenovka. The bus makes a lot of stops on the way.

Unique Suggestions: meet the locals and have a good time!

Fun Alternatives: If you have to stay till lunchtime, it's better to walk two miles to the motorway than to wait for the last bus to the county center at Bayrachki bus stop.
It will shorten your way to the nearest big city.
You can catch a transit bus to Perevalsk or to Luhansk at Bayrachki bus stop.

Updated Nov 23, 2010

Related to:
 Historical Travel
 Eco-Tourism
 National/State Park

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What to Pack  

Getting Ready
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Ukrainian Cossacks, Sergey and I at lunch
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Luggage and bags: a rucksack that would leave your hands free

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: the area is very windy (about 290 meters above sea level). Think about a good jacket and good walking shoes.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: as usual

Photo Equipment: take your usual camera and a film camera, if any, with spare films

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: no swimming here, all ponds are private (fish farming)

Miscellaneous: A flashlight would be a good idea, if you are thinking of staying overnight (even if you don't, you might have to).
Take a couple of bottles of good Ukrainian vodka from where you are staying in Ukraine.
You see, once you are invited to dinner, the locals only offer you moonshine (120-140 proof) of 70 degrees alcohol. I believe it's a suicide to drink that horrible stuff, so I tend to bring vodka.
I know the locals would hate me for treating them to our "nasty city stuff" - vodka. They believe it's as good as lemonade.
As for me, I never mix my vodka with any wine (like some locals choose to do to achieve "the effect" sooner)...

Updated Apr 8, 2011

Related to:
 Eco-Tourism
 Budget Travel
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons

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Off The Beaten Path  

Village Wells
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A village well near the River Lozova
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Visit several old village wells located on the northeastern outskirts of the village.
There are more than ten meters deep, but are shallow now for there is less and less water.
It is connected with a lot of surface coalmining going on around the village.
By surface coalmining I mean quickly formed "coalmines" aimed at extracting coal from the surface layers. They dig into the soil and make mole tunnels where they get coal. It’s a very dangerous and not technologically protected work. After a tunnel is exhausted, they fill it with rocks and soil and proceed further.
Now there are a lot of debates as to the necessity of such "black coalmining".

Written Nov 23, 2008

Related to:
 Historical Travel
 Arts and Culture
 Archeology

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Sports & Outdoors  

The Village Park
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Hiking in the village park (oak grove)
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There are very good hiking opportunities in the village park called konka by locals.
It is the only even road that is more than one kilometer long running through a nice oak grove.
It would also be good for running. Bring along your stopwatch!

Equipment: a one-kilometer-long track

Written Nov 23, 2008

Address: Komsomol Street

Related to:
 Skiing and Boarding
 Hiking and Walking
 Study Abroad

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Favorites  

Learn Some History

Learn Some History, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  Slav Serbia (1753-1764) is the period of time where the village history dates back to.The Serb Hussars were invited to Russia to fight against the Turks in the Russian-Turkish war. They received the lands in this area in the middle of the 18th century for their merits. They... 

Visits to Yelenovka

Visits to Yelenovka, Yelenovka

 hunterV Says:  taking a stroll in the village park called Konka and visiting the old well in the forest park. Archangel St.Michael’s Cathedral was refurbished in 2007-2008 and got a new dome.The Most Reverend Joannicky, Metropolitan of Luhansk and Alchevsk, visited Yelenovka in July 2007... 

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Map of Yelenovka