Pryluky: Churches, Museum and City History

If you are looking for a hotel in Pryluky, you can plan your trip around different interests: churches spanning several centuries, the history of the Cossack regiment and walking tours through the city offer specific starting points. The buildings and exhibitions of the W. I. Maslow Museum of Local Lore offer different ways to explore Pryluky’s history.

Churches and Architectural History

The St. Nicholas Church with bell tower is an Orthodox church and a monument of Ukrainian Baroque architecture from the first half of the 18th century. The Transfiguration Cathedral is also a religious building from the 18th century in the Ukrainian Baroque style; it is built of masonry. These two buildings can be compared both in terms of their shared period and style and their individual architectural features.

The Sretensky Cathedral is an architectural monument of 19th-century Ukrainian church architecture. The Church of the Three Hierarchs also dates from this century: it was built in 1865, is made of wood and stands on the outskirts of Pryluky. Its construction and location set it apart from the Baroque buildings described above. Together, the churches provide a timeline from the 18th to the 19th century, while retaining their distinct architectural features.

Regimental Treasury and Museum of Local Lore

The Regimental Treasury was built in 1714 with financial support from Hnat Galagan, colonel of the Pryluky Regiment. It is described as Pryluky’s oldest monumental masonry building. Its construction date and the colonel’s support link the building to the history of the Pryluky Cossack Regiment, a topic also covered on a museum tour.

The W. I. Maslow Museum of Local Lore is housed in a building in the Art Nouveau style. It was built in the late 19th or early 20th century as the estate of Mykola Ivanovych Kyslovskyi, a merchant of the third guild and mayor of Pryluky. Kyslovskyi served as mayor from 1903 to 1917. The period when the building was constructed and his years in office are two distinct chronological reference points in the history of the house.

The museum’s exhibition comprises five halls. Its thematic scope spans from early human settlements to the present day and covers the history of the Pryluky region. This complements the focus on individual churches and buildings with a broader regional historical perspective.

The Grave of the Unknown Cossack is also among the city’s historic memorial sites: a reburial took place in 1995. Museum staff erected a small monument at the grave, with a cross and the inscription “Unknown Cossack of the 13th Century.”

Walking Tours and Digital Resources

The W. I. Maslow Museum of Local Lore offers various excursion routes through Pryluky. On a guided tour, you can learn about the history of the Pryluky Cossack Regiment and the historic city center with its points of interest. One described walking tour devotes most of its route to the city’s centuries-old oak trees. Contact the museum before your trip to arrange a specific tour.

The “Pryluky Open” mobile app is available for self-guided walks around the city. As the availability of digital resources may change, check in advance whether the app is still available. The website of the W. I. Maslow Museum of Local Lore also offers a virtual tour of Pryluky’s lost fortress, which dates from the 17th to the 19th century. If you would like to use this online resource, check its current availability in advance as well.

Discover more destinations: Snov'yanka, Borshna, Orlivka, Korop, Khotyn, Oleshnya, Yerkiv, Zelenyi Hai.

For the regional travel overview: Chernihiv Oblast.