Stari Kuty: Mountain Scenery and Places of Remembrance

Stari Kuty combines a distinctive mountain backdrop with traces of local history. The Hnylytsia and Kamenets streams flow through the village; Mount Ovid, at 729 metres, and the Khomynskyi Ridge, at 879 metres, rise above it. A nature trail and several memorial sites complement these landscape features. When planning, you can consider whether you are particularly interested in nature, historical places of remembrance, or both.

Mountain scenery, streams and nature trail

Kamenets features in two natural settings: as a stream flowing through Stari Kuty, and as a geological outcrop in the surrounding area. The outcrop lies on the left bank of Kamenets stream, on the southern slope of the Halych Ridge. The elevations above the village offer a clear comparison: the Khomynskyi Ridge is higher than Mount Ovid. The Kamenets Forest Reserve is also part of Stari Kuty’s natural heritage. Together, the stream, outcrop, reserve and mountain ridges paint a varied picture of the landscape, without implying any particular visitor activities.

The ecological and nature trail entitled «Na horu Ovyd ta Baba-Zhbyr» runs through Stari Kuty, as well as through the Kobakske forestry district of «Raiagrolis» and the Kutske forestry district of the «Kutske lisove hospodarstvo» forestry enterprise. These areas are part of the «Hutsulshchyna» National Park, without being taken away from their permanent users. Check the current route before your visit.

Local history and places of remembrance

Stari Kuty was first mentioned in writing in 1448. Among its older buildings is the Pokrowa Church, dating from 1882. A cross in Stari Kuty commemorates the abolition of serfdom in 1848. The «Skorbotna Maty» monument was created in 1967 in memory of the victims of the Second World War. The sculptor was I. Andriikanych. These sites mark different historical reference points: an early written mention, a 19th-century building and memorials to later events.

Several monuments and graves are also among the local places of remembrance. The grave of the Sich Riflemen is in Stari Kuty. The symbolic grave of the fighters for Ukraine’s freedom was consecrated on 22 June 1994 by UGCC Bishop Pavlo Vasylyk. The Taras Shevchenko monument was unveiled on 22 May 1994 and created by Vasyl and Volodymyr Odrekhivskyi. The monument to Colonel Yevhen Konovalets was added on 10 January 2010; Petro Shtaier from Lviv is named as its sculptor.

A memorial relief commemorates Ivan Franko’s stay in Stari Kuty. It replaced, in the summer of 1993, a plaque that had been installed on 11 July 1989 on the house of lawyer D. Kulyk. The Demchuk (Kurchyk) family’s mill also stands by Kamenets stream. Its waterside location provides another link between local history and the streams that flow through Stari Kuty.

Choose the right focus for your trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Stari Kuty, your planned interests can guide your choice: the ridges, forest reserve and nature trail lend themselves to a nature-focused trip, while churches, monuments and places of remembrance offer a historical perspective on the village. If both are part of your trip, these different themes can help you decide in advance what you would like to explore in more depth.

Discover more places

Discover more destinations: Cheremkhiv, Markovtsy, Snyatyn, Verkhnii Yaseniv, Horodenka, Richka, Dzvynyach, Tysmenytsya.

For the broader travel overview: Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.