"New Astrakhan, Luhansk Region, Ukraine" Nova Astrakhan' by hunterV

Nova Astrakhan' Travel Guide: 17 reviews and 89 photos

Village school is surrounded by nice flowerbeds

Old Ukrainian Village

During my stay at my parents' in the city of Rubizhne I decided to pay a visit to this picturesque village located fifteen miles to the north-east of my native city.
I had heard about this village when I was a school student.
Also, I heard about Nova Astrakhan from my student Ann who had come to our regional high school to have intensive biology and chemistry for her future medical career.
In fact, the village name is not always written as Nova Astrakhan. It can be one word on road signs: Novoastrakhan, which means New Astrakhan. I thought it was a very special name for a village. There are several other villages starting with nova in Luhansk region: Novorossosh, Novopskov, Novobyelaya, etc.
My guess was that Nova Astrakhan was founded by settlers who had come from Astrakhan area, but it was not exactly like that. History says that this village was the place of the headquarters of Astrakhan cuirassier regiment of the Russian army. It was called Novoastrakhan in 1825.
The history of the village dates back to 1787 when a Ukrainian Cossack Gooziy founded a Cossack settlement on the banks of the River Borova here. The settlement was first called Gooziyevka, then after Holy Trinity Cathedral was dedicated in 1791 there, it was renamed into Novotroitske ("New Trinity Village").
I learnt interesting things about this history when I visited the village school and the village history museum located on the second floor of the village school.

My Day Trip

Village houses are mostly nice and beautiful

I had a lot of spare time and took a sroll along Lenin Street - the main street of the village.
I visited several places here:
- the secondary school, one of the best in the district;
- the village council;
- an agricultural enterprise where Lyubov, the mother of my former student, works. It was a surprise visit for her;
- the village stadium;
- the village park;
- all the three war memorials;
- the old local church - the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Most Holy Mother of God

Splendid Scenery

Fields and meadows around the village

I admired the fresh air, the wonderful scenery, the village park, roads and ponds.
As a matter of fact, there are four ponds and the locals call them simply: the first, the second, the third and the fourth, among them the fourth one is the cleanest and would be good for bathing. The thing is that you can hardly bathe in any of them. That is, some brave local young people take a risk and bathe there, but they prefer to take a shower at home afterwards.
The village is located far from its county center - the city of Kreminne - about 45 km and 27 km from the nearest railway station of Rubizhne.
The total area of Novoastrakhan is 935 hectares.
There are 800 households with the total number of residents - about two thousand.
Also, there are about 300 seasonal residents who stay at their datchas in the village. Some of these seasonal residents have inherited houses from their relatives and turned them into datchas, others have merely bought old houses, use them as datchas and are total strangers here.

Pros and Cons

Pros:A typical Ukrainian village with long history, hard-working and hospitable residents
Cons:No hotel, no taxis; you can't bathe in the ponds there...
In a nutshell:A Hospitable Ukrainian Village

Last visit to Nova Astrakhan': Aug 2009
Intro Updated Aug 13, 2011
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (17)

A private house in the main street - Nova Astrakhan'

A Night Stroll Warnings and Dangers (1)

The thing is the streets are not necessarily all well lit, hence you would need a flashlight to be able to walk along... more travel advice

Kreminne District Favorites (1)

Here's a map for you (it is in Russian, though). As you can guess and see, one side of the village lies on the bank of... more travel advice

Liberation Day Local Customs (3)

Like many other villages and towns of Luhansk region, Novoastrakhan has its Liberation Day - the day when the village... more travel advice

On the outskirts of Novoastrakhan - Nova Astrakhan'

Ancient Burial Mounds Off The Beaten Path (1)

There were more than fifty amcient burial mounds on the outskirts of the village. As of today, most of them were... more travel advice

Comments (10)

Reply
- Report abuse
JLBG Jun 22, 2011 at 8:39 AM

Interesting little village, out of the beaten path.
Reply
- Report abuse
HORSCHECK Apr 19, 2011 at 1:24 PM

Interesting to see that you took the photo for the "A night stroll" tip during daylight. You were probably afraid of the potholes at night. *winkygrin* Fabulous page with brilliant photos here.
Reply
- Report abuse
deecat Feb 20, 2010 at 3:31 PM

Another great page that depicts everyday life. I, too, enjoyed the "cow repellent" tale. I'm always intrigued by burial mounds.
Reply
- Report abuse
sourbugger Feb 9, 2010 at 9:13 AM

if ireland make it to the euro 2012 tournament, then i hope to see a bit of this very diverse country - your pages have enlightened me !
Reply
- Report abuse
hopang Sep 16, 2009 at 8:09 AM

Interesting Nova Astrakhan' travel page complete with amazing photographs. The local church, war memorial and the Village Museum certainly sound wonderful to visit and explore. ~ho & pang
Reply
- Report abuse
yumyum Sep 4, 2009 at 5:36 AM

I really like the "cow repellant" tip! How funny :))) Lovely page, Victor!
Reply
- Report abuse
VeronicaG Aug 29, 2009 at 1:47 PM

I particularly found your tip on burial mounds interesting....here we also have many mounds constructed by early Native Americans. They are fascinating to explore!
Reply
- Report abuse
nomorewars Aug 26, 2009 at 3:45 AM

Cow repellant? I don't mean to make light of the situation, but I find it very comical that they (cows) are such pests. I guess that is one of the major nuisances of life in the country.
Reply
- Report abuse
Basaic Aug 14, 2009 at 12:16 PM

Another great page on an interesting location.
Reply
- Report abuse
Kuznetsov_Sergey Aug 14, 2009 at 9:01 AM

Very nice page of yours, Victor! It was interesting to know about a Russian Army general and village sponsor - Vladimir Poddubny. A good example to follow...