Summer Rest in the Carpathians

Hello! My name is Liliya, and today I will tell you about my summer camp in the Carpathian Mountains. The camp is called “Happy Land”, and I stayed there for two weeks. I didn’t go there alone; I went with my friend Polina who is my classmate.

Our trip started from Kyiv. We had to meet the counselors who would accompany us on the train. Our camp is located in the south of the Lviv region, in the village of Slavske. Our train departed in the evening, and we arrived at our destination early in the morning. Our journey was far from pleasant because we hardly slept due to noisy neighbors. My friend and I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn’t fall back asleep, so we enjoyed tea and the amazing mountain views at sunrise.

It’s Interesting to Know

Slavske is a small town of Skole district, Lviv region, which is situated in the Carpathian mountains at the altitude of 590 m above sea level in the picturesque valley of rivers Opir (“resistance”) and Slavko. This is in an area traditionally inhabited by the Boyko highlanders. The Boykos (Ukrainian: бойки), or simply Highlanders (верховинці, verkhovyntsi), are an ethnolinguistic group located in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Along with the neighbouring Lemkos and Hutsuls, the Boykos are considered a sub-group of Ukrainians and speak a dialect of Ukrainian language. Within Ukraine the Boykos and other Rusyns are seen as a sub-group of ethnic Ukrainians. Boykos differ from their neighbors in dialect, dress, folk architecture, and customs.

Slavske is a very popular place of mountain ski sports, tourism and rest, because the famous Carpathian mountains are located around it. The mountains surrounding Slavske are of volcanic origin with forest cover, with an average height of about 1,200 m to 1,400 m.

They say that Slavske takes its name from a tribe of Early East Slavs (Drevliany) who inhabited the territories of Polesia and right-bank Ukraine, west of the eastern Poliany, between the 6th and the 10th centuries. Their name is derived from Slavic drevo/древо and may be rendered “the dwellers in the forest“.

The other version of the name ‘Slavske” is derived from the name of Slavko river, which received its name from the heroic battle of Zakhar Berkut fighters with the Tatar-Mongol hordes of Batu Khan in 1241. These events are beautifully described in “Zakhar Berkut” by Ivan Franko. The grave of Zakhar Berkut is located on the mountain peak in Tukhlya village near Slavske. The surrounding territory is covered with old legends. Near Slavske in Svyatoslav village the Drevlyan prince Svyatoslav is buried. He was killed by his own brother Svyatopolk in 1015. One more version of the origin of the village name is connected with the legend about Prince Svyatoslav. His fighters, who settled here after his death, were called “slavni” (glorious).

Slavske is a colorful town where everyone will find entertainment to their liking. There is a cable car up to Vysokyi Verkh, where you can admire the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains, and from the top of the mountain you can see such a breathtaking panorama that you can even see the Zakarpattia region.

Slavske has a unique local microclimate: a constant windless weather with big amount of snow in winter. This snow cover stays here almost till April.

Transport connection of Slavske is well-developed. There is a railway station and trains from all regions of Ukraine and from abroad (Hungary, Slovakia, Austria) stop there.

Slavske also attracts tourists in summer, when they can see beautiful landscapes with forests on the mountain slopes.

Based on: https://truskavets.ua/en/leisure/slavske/

I made new friends from Kyiv, Mariupol, and Donetsk. My friends from Mariupol and Donetsk, cities currently occupied by russia, had to move to the city of Dnipro with their families, fleeing from russian aggression. They had a deeply saddening experience of war.

We had three counselors at the camp: David, Valera, and Zhenya. They were responsible for supervising and organizing activities for us, ensuring our safety, and providing guidance and support throughout our camp experience. At the summer camp, we had plenty of activities. We went hiking, swam in pools, played a big game of hide and seek, made movies, and even rode jeeps to Mount Zakhar Berkut. It was fantastic! The views were amazingly beautiful and spectacular, and our experience was filled with positive emotions. The weather was great, with sunny days throughout. But perhaps everyone’s favorite activity was shopping. It was a lot of fun, and everyone enjoyed it.

Do you know?

Zakhar Berkut is a legendary figure from Ukrainian folklore and literature rather than a historical figure in the traditional sense. He is the protagonist of the novel “The Stone Host” (Kaminnyi Hospodar) by Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko, published in 1883. The novel portrays Zakhar Berkut as a brave and noble Ukrainian warrior fighting against foreign invaders in the Carpathian Mountains during the medieval period. His character has become symbolic of Ukrainian resistance, courage, and patriotism. The mountain named after him, Mount Zakhar Berkut, serves as a tribute to this legendary figure in Ukrainian culture.

In conclusion, I can say that I brought unforgettable impressions after my stay at the summer camp. Such camps aren’t only in Ukraine; there is a chain of them in several countries. They are available in other European countries such as Poland, Greece, and Italy. I hope I get to go back to this camp again! It would be great to have a rest in a summer camp in Greece.😊😊😊

Have you ever been to a summer camp like this? Leave your comment to share your impressions.