Forgotten parks, old manor houses: a journey through the palaces of Ukraine

“Forgotten Parks, Old Manor Houses” is a book that invites readers on a journey through the palaces of Ukraine: classicist and art nouveau, famous and forgotten, preserved and neglected.

The book offers a look at the palaces from several angles. The first is the most obvious, historical: who lived here and what happened, what palace life looked like in different eras, where the owners got their ideas about what their estates should be like, and who embodied these ideas. The second is related to historical continuity and identity: how the palaces influenced the areas where they were located, how (and why) they survived during the Soviet era, what they can tell about our cultural heritage. Finally, the third is protective, because in order for monuments not to turn into ruins, they need to be talked about, reminded in public about their value, and told stories that will make them recognizable to the widest possible audience.

Against the background of everyday life in palaces, which Iryna Pustynnikova describes, the specific fates of their inhabitants emerge, interwoven into the history of Ukraine, which is not very well known to the general public. However, it is not only about history: the book also tells about the current state of buildings and encourages a real journey to them, because monuments live only when they are visited and interested in them.

An illustrated publication for a wide range of readers.