Ivano-Frankovsk region

Square: 13.9 ths. sq. km.
Center of the region: town of Ivano-Frankovsk.
Administrative and territorial division: 14 districts.
Population: 1 380.1 ths. people.

Geographical position

The region is situated in the west of Ukraine. Landscape of the region is variable: mountain peaks of the Carpathian mountains and heights of piedmont pass into plains. 50% of the territory is occupied by mountains and 43% by forests. Dniester and Prut are the main rivers of the region.

Borders

Ivano-Frankovsk region occupies north-eastern part of Ukrainian Carpathian mountains, Transcarpathian area, and partially Opolye. The region borders on Lvov, Zakarpatye, Ternopol, and Chernovtsy regions. It borders on Romania in the south.

Transportation network

The total length of railways is 479 km and motorways – 4,4 ths. km. Ivano-Frankovsk, Kolomya, and Kalush are the largest railway junctions. There is an airport in Ivano-Frankovsk.

Economic potential

Electric power engineering, fuel, chemical, petrochemical, and food industries are the most important in regional industrial production. The share of foodstuffs makes 50% in the pattern of consumer goods’ production.

Food industry unites different kinds of activities, in which meat industry and production of dairy output prevails. Food and processing industries of the region consists of 10 sectors, more than 1.4 ths. business entities.

Agriculture: cattle breeding is the main direction of development. Its share in the total volume of agricultural production is 53%.

Dairy cattle breeding, pig farming, sheep breeding, poultry industry, and beekeeping are leading industries in cattle breeding. Measures to attract investments to development of cattle breeding industry are taken in the region. These measures resulted in resume of all poultry factories and some pig farms’ operations. Services in the sphere of breeding and reproduction of agricultural animals are provided. Qualitative operation of artificial insemination centers has been tuned up.

Flax, sugar beet, and grain crops are the most important in plant growing. A network of seed farms was created in the region. It enables to supply all agricultural commodity producers with high quality pedigree seeds.

Natural and recreational potential

The region is relatively small in terms of territory, though it is one of the most picturesque in Ukraine by relief character. Carpathian mountains occupy one third of the region’s territory. Meanwhile, foothill and flat zones occupy two thirds of the region. Flat zone is located in the north-west and is adjacent to the Dniester. Regional center Ivano-Frankovsk (255 m above sea level) is situated here. Hilly foothills lay in piedmont area. Mountainous part of the region is occupied by Eastern Carpathian mountains, which are divided into mountain ranges Chernogora/Black mountain, Grinyava, and Chivchiny. The highest peak of Ukraine Goverla (2,061 m) is here at the border with Zakarpatye region in Chernogora ridge. Climatic conditions of the region (mild winter with temperature reaching -5 °С and warm summer (+18 °С) promote organization of all-year-round rest and treatment. Snow on slopes of Carpathian mountains lays for several months that is important for development of ski mountaineering sport. Rivers in the region are swift-flowing with cascades and waterfalls and this is valuable for water tourism.

There are ten resort areas in the region. Climatic treatment and mineral baths are used for resort therapy. Low hill Tatariv, Yaremcha and Mikulichin of Yaremcha town council, Myslivka and Novyi Mizun’ of Dolina district, as well as Sheshory of Kosov district and mountainous Vorokhta and Yablunitsa of Yaremcha town council and balneo-mud resort of Cherche foothill in Rogatin district are among resorts of the region.

Well-known tourist center Yaremcha is situated in picturesque hollow between mountains on the banks of Prut river. It has more than 30 tourist recreational establishments and more than 100 farmsteads of village green tourism.

Carpathian region of Ukraine is famed for richness of mineral springs. The most famous Ivano-Frankovsk region mineral spring is situated in the village of Novyi Mizun’ of Dolina district. It is spring Goryanka similar in its action to Truskavets Naftusya water. Curative features of Berkut spring for treatment of internals were known back in XIX century. Peat muds and mineral waters of Cherche resort are used for treatment of locomotorium. Waters of Sheshory resort with high content of organic substance are promising for treatment.

Historical and cultural potential

There are 10 state and more than 60 public museums, as well as national reserve Ancient Galich. Their funds keep more than 162 ths. exhibits. Sarcophagus of Galich prince Yaroslav Osmomysl is kept in Ivano-Frankovsk local lore museum. Building of the museum (town hall) is a business card of the town. The following objects are also interesting: Museum of wooden architecture and paintings of ХVІ–ХVІІ centuries in Rogatin, town hall of 1695, Roman catholic church of 1703 and collegium, Armenian cathedral of 1763 in the town of Ivano-Frankovsk, Kolomya museum of Gutsul folklore, Manyavskiy skit/hermitage of ХVІІ century, Rozhdestva/Christmas church of ХІІ century, Svyatodukhovskaya/the Holy Spirit church of 1598, Blagoveshchenya/ Annunciation church of 1587, and Rozhdestva/Christmas church of ХVІІ century in urban settlement of Vorokhta.

Unique monuments of Galich icon paintings and baroque sculpture, paintings of Ukrainian masters of the second half of XX century, as well as works of Polish, Austrian, and Italian masters of ХVIII–XX centuries, masters of baroque topics Thomas Gudder, Conrad Kutchenreiter, Ioann Georgiy Pinzel, etc. are collected in Ivano-Frankovsk fine arts museum.

Kolomya Gutsul and Pokutye local lore museum after Kobrinskiy (storage of Prikarpatye arts and crafts) is included into Royal Great Britain encyclopedia as a museum of world masterpieces.

The following materials were used for preparation of the article:
Ivano-Frankovsk regional state administration,
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine,
Ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine