"The Ceramic Heart of Ukraine": a Map Made of Pottery in Dunaivtsi

In Dunaivtsi, Khmelnytskyi region, workers at a local ceramics factory have assembled a map of Ukraine from finished tableware — jugs, coffee pots, teapots and vases — and named it "The Ceramic Heart of Ukraine". It's a photo spot for tourists at the factory, which opened in September 2026. Besides taking pictures, you can watch production, buy pieces and get your hands on the clay.

Potter Ihor Shelhorin, who told the story of the project, doesn't hide his pride: as he puts it, there's no other map like it. It's easy to see why — maps of Ukraine are usually drawn, embroidered or laid out in flowers, but this one is literally made of things that stand in your kitchen every day. Every region is someone's future teapot or vase, which is why you'll want to linger longer than a single shot to see what your own region is made of.

The factory is young but already has its heroes. Painter Halyna decorates up to two hundred pieces a day. If you're lucky enough to see her at work, watch her hands: stroke after stroke, without hesitation, as if writing a familiar word.

From makitras to coffee pots: what's left of Podillia pottery

One honest detail worth knowing: most of the pieces on the map are not part of the traditional Podillia range. Historically, potters in the Khmelnytskyi region made simpler, more practical things — makitras (mixing bowls), bowls, small pots and milk jugs.

There were many pottery centres here. Historian Ihor Petrash names Zinkiv, Adamivka, Minkivtsi, Smotrych, Medzhybizh and Letychiv. So the Dunaivtsi map is a good reason to recall the wider story — especially as it may continue: the grant project "Podillia Manufactory" plans a pottery route through Zinkiv, Adamivka, Minkivtsi and Smotrych.

What else to see in Dunaivtsi

Dunaivtsi is a town on the Ternavka River, a tributary of the Dniester, in Kamianets-Podilskyi district. It was first mentioned in 1403, and in the 1870s there were as many as 54 factories here. So the town's industrial streak is old, and the new ceramics factory fits right into its story.

Walk to the Capuchin Monastery at 24 Krasinskykh St. It's late Baroque with a difficult history: the monastery was closed in 1832, and in Soviet times the church housed a cinema and a warehouse. Another interesting building is the early-20th-century Lutheran church at 13 Mohylivska St, a reminder of how diverse this town's community once was.

Sources: Suspilne Khmelnytskyi; Podillyanews; Pragmatika.media.

Photos: Nastia Petruk / Unsplash (cover); Discover.ua (Capuchin Monastery, Lutheran church).