Sophia Park

Sophia Park (Sofiyivka) - dendrology park in Uman-known far beyond Ukraine, for over 200 years is amazing its visitors a combination of gems of landscape architecture, engineering and technical ideas, embodied in the wonderful fountains, waterfalls, caves and underground rivers, which seems to have merged together with the stunning beauty of the natural landscape! Annually it is visited by about 500,000 people, the area of ​​the park - 179.2 hectares.
 As conceived by the architect L. Mettsel Park is a perfect illustration of the individual parts of the poems of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey." "Sofiyivka" and is famous for the fact that based on a classical basis, because it is almost materialized in specific sites of the park Homer's "Odyssey." Any composition or a small architectural form is not only beautiful outwardly, but also contains a specific plan, the idea is a myth or an event, and everything is so well thought out and linked together, that in general, is discharged into a symphony of beauty.

Sophia Park starts at the main entrance to the street Gardening, followed by a central avenue.
The upper part of the roof konusopodobnoy entrance towers finishing decorations, which resemble a torch. In one version, the main entrance to the park resembles the entrance to the Athens market, and the details that complete the watch-tower, taken from the temple of the goddess Vesta in Tivoli (Italy). On the right, near the entrance to the park, behind a wall of arborvitae is a building of the Museum of the history of the park. In places where the museum is located, overlooking the granite rocks and a small lake of Geneva, which appeared in 1930.
 The central alley of the park "Sofiyivka" ends the pavilion of Flora. Near the pavilion of Flora is sought, due to its precise architectural forms, high in the Doric style columns, bas-relief on the frieze, which depicts the leaves and grapes. In between the white columns of the panorama of Lower Lake.
 Front of the pavilion of Flora, right, is the source - "Silver Springs". Making it holds in the classical style. This podkovopodobnoe building of granite, on the edges of which two vases with ornamental plants. In the middle of the vertical wall mounted decorated with bronze tube, from which spring water flows. To the right of the pavilion "Flora" is filled with granite stones klinopodobnyh arch set the so-called Venetian bridge. The bridge is decorated with granite piers, between which hang heavy wrought-iron chain.

 In the middle of the Lower Lake of the widely open mouth of a snake wriggling on the stone hits the water column - a fountain "Snake." Water comes into the fountain on the underground water pipe, lined with hewn granite stone along the road that leads from the academy and conservatory to the pavilion of Flora. From the mouth of the snake cast-iron water jet hits to a height of 18 meters, and the fountain - the largest and most beautiful in the "Sofievka", famous for its brilliant simplicity of the design: no pumps, water pressure created by the difference in height between the upper and lower ponds.
Through the Lower Lake to the collecting area is a metal bridge, which overlooks the Grand Falls. Water enters here through the underground river Acheron from the Upper Lake. The area is decorated with a variety of charges architectural elements of the park track. The area is framed by wooden benches. It is situated on a peninsula oval in the center of the pool, which is placed in the middle of a large granite vase. The pool swim ornamental fish.
Living Above fees are granite steps along the large granite blocks up. To the left is the Western Grotto (Grotto Scylla). Mainsail is made of pink granite, there are granite benches and desks. Next, right, is a playground, carved into the rock at the edge of the cliff. Area called the Belvedere, because it was a while a statue of Apollo Belvedere. Plato. The park is also the busts of Plato, Aristotle, Homer and Sokrata.Chut above Belvedere rocks adjacent to the site it is called Caucasian mountain.
The next part of the park called Elysian Fields. Near the entrance to the Champs-Elysees is a form of natural granite boulder, and beside it hewn four-sided polishing granite column. Deep into the Champs Elysees, on the left side of the green meadow on a granite pedestal stands a granite vase. On the right side of the meadow is the site with a vase of stones of different sizes. The stones are covered with moss growing between the two lonely trees and shrubs, and without direction go the path. At the beginning of construction of the park this place called the Cretan labyrinth.
In the most north-eastern part of Lake Superior is Sophievka. It is an island on which stands a pavilion lined with exotic plants. This is Love Island (formerly known as the island of Anti-Circe). Anti-shore of the island of Circe, as the lake, lined with granite. Communication with the island, first performed with the help of a ferry or boat, and in 1853 between the northern coast and the island was built on stone piers wooden bridge for pedestrians.
 On the shore of Lake Superior posted Amsterdam gateway. Gated equipment is installed in the first period of construction of the park and is intended for the passage of boats from Lake Superior to the underground river Acheron and back, as well as to drain water from the lake. The underground river Acheron was built in the first period of construction of the park, its length is underground - 211 m, and from Lake Superior - more than 223 m, width W m and a height of 3 m water depth in the channel reaches 1 m
 English park, arboretum or the VV Pashkevich, is located in the northern part of Sophievka. It occupies a small area in the form of a triangle, an area of ​​about 2 hectares. In areas Arboretum, grows the largest number of exotic trees and shrubs, and ornamental stock, and in the forest for their number in 1987 was more than 100 species and forms.
 Fountain Semistruy built in the first period of construction of the park. The Fountain - a small round pool with an openwork bronze vase in the middle. From the center of the vase digging up seven powerful jets of water. The water in the fountain is fed by underground gravity water supply from Lake Aherontiyskogo. Due to the drop area, the height of the central fountain jets up to 5 m.
Sophia Park was founded in 1796 by Count Stanislaw Potocki, Felix Project Belgian military engineer Mettsel L., and presented to the birthday of his wife, the beautiful Greek woman, Sofia in 1802, the park operates a research institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In 1985, a minor planet number 2259 was named "Sofiyivka" in honor of Uman park.