Uman' has a population of over 100,000.
One of the main tourist attractions in Uman' is the Sophia Park (1796); referred to as "Sofiyivka". One of the most beautiful parks in Europe, originally built by the leading architects and park engineers of Western Europe for one of the magnates of Poland Count Pototsky or, rather, for his Greek wife Sophia. Later it was rebuilt to match the tastes of the new owners — the Royal family of Russia
The town used to be the HQ of the Uman' Cossack Regiment.
There are several museums in the city. The Museum of Fine Arts is located in a former Polish palace, which is almost 300 years old.
The building of the Uman art gallery, which used to be a Catholic cathedral till the Soviet period, is situated next door to City Hall.
Another Uman' site of tragic interest memorialises a terrible event — a Jewish massacre. It was in occupied Uman that up to 25,000 Jewish residents of the city were massacred by Germans during World War II.
The Jews were slaughtered over a three-day period and the bodies of men, women and children were left in a ravine, Sukhy Yar, just outside of town. |
