GET THE TRAVEL DISPATCH NEWSLETTER  Essential news on the changing travel landscape, expert tips and inspiration for your future trips.

Thousands of civilians were killed and injured, broken families were left in the lurch, and millions of refugees had already fled as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The destruction of a country's culture is a second tragedy that comes into focus. Dozens of historic buildings, priceless artworks and public squares are being destroyed by Russian rockets, missiles, bombs and gunfire.

The Church of St. Andrew’s in central Lviv, dating from the 17th century, reflects a number of architectural influences. It is among Ukraine’s many historic churches that face the possibility of wartime damage and destruction.
ImageThe Church of St. Andrew’s in central Lviv, dating from the 17th century, reflects a number of architectural influences. It is among Ukraine’s many historic churches that face the possibility of wartime damage and destruction.
The Church of St. Andrew’s in central Lviv, dating from the 17th century, reflects a number of architectural influences. It is among Ukraine’s many historic churches that face the possibility of wartime damage and destruction.Credit...Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times

In 2010, I saw some of Ukraine's vibrant culture firsthand while writing a travel article about the beautiful, centuries-old wooden churches in the western region of Zakarpattia. The Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin, an immense woodwork construction dating from 1619, which I visited in the village of Novoselytsia, is one of the highlights of the area. The wooden churches of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine and nearby Poland were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List a few years later.

A Russian missile struck near the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Site in Kyiv. Above, visitors at the site’s Mirror Field last year.
ImageA Russian missile struck near the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Site in Kyiv. Above, visitors at the site’s Mirror Field last year.
A Russian missile struck near the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Site in Kyiv. Above, visitors at the site’s Mirror Field last year.Credit...Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

Many important sites have already been damaged, if not destroyed, and seven of them are in grave danger. There is a memorial near a ravine where the Nazis massacred more than 33,000 Jews in two days in 1941, followed by an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 others over subsequent years.

Independence Square in Kyiv was the scene of the Orange Revolution protests surrounding the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. A decade later, more protests would follow, resulting in the ouster of the Russia-supported president, Viktor F. Yanukovych.
ImageIndependence Square in Kyiv was the scene of the Orange Revolution protests surrounding the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. A decade later, more protests would follow, resulting in the ouster of the Russia-supported president, Viktor F. Yanukovych.
Independence Square in Kyiv was the scene of the Orange Revolution protests surrounding the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. A decade later, more protests would follow, resulting in the ouster of the Russia-supported president, Viktor F. Yanukovych.Credit...Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times

The Palace of Industry, a building dating from 1928 that is currently on a UNESCO list, is one of the landmarks that Russian attackers hit in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. The opera and ballet theatre were destroyed.

On March 1, Kharkiv’s sprawling Freedom Square was bombed; there were many casualties and several notable buildings around the square were either destroyed or heavily damaged, like the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building, above.
ImageOn March 1, Kharkiv’s sprawling Freedom Square was bombed; there were many casualties and several notable buildings around the square were either destroyed or heavily damaged, like the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building, above.
On March 1, Kharkiv’s sprawling Freedom Square was bombed; there were many casualties and several notable buildings around the square were either destroyed or heavily damaged, like the Kharkiv Regional State Administration building, above.Credit...Pavel Dorogoy/Associated Press

President Zelensky spoke to the European Parliament about the destruction of one of the largest public squares in Europe.

Can you imagine two cruise missiles hitting Freedom Square? Dozens of people were killed. The price of freedom is this. He said that every square in the country will be called Freedom Square after today.

The Armenian Cathedral, more than 600 years old, is one of Lviv’s oldest buildings.
ImageThe Armenian Cathedral, more than 600 years old, is one of Lviv’s oldest buildings.
The Armenian Cathedral, more than 600 years old, is one of Lviv’s oldest buildings.Credit...Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times

Teams are racing to protect monuments. The statue of Jesus Christ was taken to a bomb shelter for protection after it was removed from the cathedral.

A centuries-old statue of Christ was removed from the Armenian Cathedral in Lviv for safekeeping.
ImageA centuries-old statue of Christ was removed from the Armenian Cathedral in Lviv for safekeeping.
A centuries-old statue of Christ was removed from the Armenian Cathedral in Lviv for safekeeping.Credit...Global Media Group/Sipa USA
In Lviv, and elsewhere in Ukraine, many statues have been wrapped in plastic and other forms of insulation for protection.
ImageIn Lviv, and elsewhere in Ukraine, many statues have been wrapped in plastic and other forms of insulation for protection.
In Lviv, and elsewhere in Ukraine, many statues have been wrapped in plastic and other forms of insulation for protection.Credit...Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The golden-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral and Monastery, near the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv, is one of the city’s landmark buildings, dating from the 12th century.
ImageThe golden-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral and Monastery, near the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv, is one of the city’s landmark buildings, dating from the 12th century.
The golden-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral and Monastery, near the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Kyiv, is one of the city’s landmark buildings, dating from the 12th century.Credit...Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times

Other flagships of Ukrainian culture were damaged before their safety could be ensured. The museum in Ivankiv, a town northwest of Kyiv, had been destroyed, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The Church of the Ascension in the village of Bobryk was damaged a week later. In a video President Zelensky posted on March 7, he called out the shelling of another church and the targeting of a bakery, saying that Ukraine will take revenge for each destroyed civilian object.

Think about it, to fire at a bread factory. The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin was built in the Zhytomyr region in the 19th century.

The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, was built in the 19th century by the Czech architect Josef Hlávka. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and part of the city’s university.
ImageThe Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, was built in the 19th century by the Czech architect Josef Hlávka. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and part of the city’s university.
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, was built in the 19th century by the Czech architect Josef Hlávka. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and part of the city’s university.Credit...Frances D'Emilio/Associated Press

Those of us watching the destruction are left to wonder what will happen next. Will the Great Choral Synagogue be hit by the next wave of rockets? Will the Zhovkva Synagogue survive? Is the Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans' residence in Chernivtsi going to come under fire? Is the wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian Mountains going to last another year?

The Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, originally dating from the 11th and 18th centuries, was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt some 50 years later.
ImageThe Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, originally dating from the 11th and 18th centuries, was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt some 50 years later.
The Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, originally dating from the 11th and 18th centuries, was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt some 50 years later.Credit...Joseph Sywenkyj for The New York Times

The destruction of cultural landmarks by an invading army cuts to the heart of Ukrainians. Oksana Pelenska, a journalist at the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe, called the loss of the Pryimachenko paintings an art genocide.

She asked what else should be called. That is how we take it. The people of Ukraine look at it that way.

The foothills of the Carpathian Mountains reveal treasures like this wooden church with a tall bell tower, partly covered in tin, in the village of Izki.
ImageThe foothills of the Carpathian Mountains reveal treasures like this wooden church with a tall bell tower, partly covered in tin, in the village of Izki.
The foothills of the Carpathian Mountains reveal treasures like this wooden church with a tall bell tower, partly covered in tin, in the village of Izki.Credit...Tamas Dezso for The New York Times
The wooden Resurrection of the Lord church in Mizhhiria in western Ukraine.
ImageThe wooden Resurrection of the Lord church in Mizhhiria in western Ukraine.
The wooden Resurrection of the Lord church in Mizhhiria in western Ukraine.Credit...Tamas Dezso for The New York Times

She said that her greatest fear was for the safety of St. Sophia.

She said that the memory of the nation is almost 10 centuries old. Our art history is held by it. It has the history of how it survived. The Cathedral of St. Sophia is still standing.

Europe's unified response to Russia's attack on Ukraine has been commented on. The country's nature could be to blame. One of the largest Jewish populations in Europe can be found in Ukraine, which is located at the top of the Black Sea and wedged between the European Union and Russia. Much of the region was once part of Czechoslovakia, creating bridges to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Mariupol and other cities are well known for their Greek populations. Though often ancient in origin, the cultural ties between Ukraine and other countries help explain why so many around the world are moved by what is happening to the people and monuments in that country.

The mayor of Novoselytsia said it was not our culture to have a 400 year old wooden tserkva in his village. Everyone's culture is this. It is a part of the world.

Follow New York Times Travel on social media. Sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Are you thinking about a future vacation or just armchair traveling? We have a list of 52 places.

divsource srcsetspansrcset
Related News
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs prevail against Buffalo Bills, win wild AFC divisional game in overtime
Popular on TVN
Stay In Touch

All Rights Reserved © 2024