A November Weekend in Vinnytsia: a Farmers' Fair and Trips around Podillia

On 14–15 November, an autumn regional farmers' fair takes place in Vinnytsia on Mykoly Vashchuka Street, between Keletska and Vasylia Poryka streets. The Vinnytsia Tourism Office has excursions lined up for this weekend and the next: to Sharhorod on 14 November, "Artistic Vinnytsia" on the 15th, and Mohyliv-Podilskyi and Busha on the 22nd. All tours require advance registration.

November in Podillia is often grey and damp, and that's exactly when you crave something warm: fresh honey, homemade cheese, a chat with a farmer who grew what they're selling. And then — the road, old walls and stories a guide tells so well that you forget about your cold fingers.

The fair on Vashchuka Street

The fair will take over the stretch of Mykoly Vashchuka Street from Keletska to Vasylia Poryka. It was announced by the city council, and drivers should note one thing: the street is closed to traffic from 15:00 on Friday, 13 November, to 20:00 on Sunday, 15 November. Detours run via Poryka, Politekhnichna and Keletska streets, so if you're driving, park a little further away and walk.

Bring a big bag and take your time: at a fair, the tastiest finds are usually in the third row, not by the entrance.

Sharhorod, Busha and the Podillia avant-garde

On Saturday, 14 November, the Tourism Office heads to Sharhorod — the tour "Sharhorod. From Heritage to Modernity" is led by Liudmyla Hararuk. This small town on the Murashka River has been known since 1383 as Kniazha Luka. It got its current name in 1579, when Jan Zamoyski built a fortress here. When the Ottomans held the town in 1672–1699, it was called "Little Istanbul".

The main reason to come is the Great Synagogue of 1589. It is a fortified synagogue with thick walls and one of the oldest in Ukraine. It is a monument of national importance and was returned to the community in 2012. Nearby stand a 1595 Catholic church and the ruins of the fortress, so in a few hours you can live through several centuries.

On Sunday, 15 November, you can stay in town. "Artistic Vinnytsia" with Kateryna Matviichuk is a walk about the roots of the Podillia avant-garde — how a provincial town raised bold artists.

On 22 November, Oksana Rozdorozhniuk leads the tour "Podillia Stories: from Mohyliv-Podilskyi to Busha". Busha is a state historical and cultural reserve near the border with Moldova. It has a fortress with underground passages, a rock-cut temple, a Cossack cemetery, the Haidamatskyi Ravine and a sculpture park — plus a pavilion of Trypillian finds around six thousand years old, dated to roughly 4000 BC.

If that's not enough, the Tourism Office programme has two more trips outside the region: "From Sataniv to Terebovlia: Through the Ages" on 21 November and "A Ternopil Journey in Time: Kremenets and Vyshnivets" on the 28th. Registration for all tours is through the Vinnytsia Tourism Office's Google forms, where you'll also find prices, times and meeting points.

And if you have a day left after the fair, visit the Grocholski Palace in Voronovytsia (26 Kozatskyi Shliakh St), not far from Vinnytsia.

Sources: Suspilne Vinnytsia; MyVin; Presspoint; LB.ua.

Photos: Eugenia Pan'kiv / Unsplash (cover); Discover.ua (Busha, Voronovytsia palace).