Sofiyivsky Park
| Sofiyivka (Софіївкa) | |
| National Arboretum | |
 Plan of the park
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| Country | Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Region | Cherkasy Oblast |
| Urban areas | Uman |
| Landmarks | Grotto "Mushroom", Rose garden, English Garden, Three Drops Waterfall |
| Lakes | Lower Pond, Zheneva Lake |
| Building | Building of Scientists Artistry |
| Rivers | Kam'yanka River, Akheront River |
| Coordinates | 48°45′51″N 30°14′37″E / 48.76417°N 30.24361°ECoordinates: 48°45′51″N 30°14′37″E / 48.76417°N 30.24361°E |
| Area | 1.79 km2 (1 sq mi) |
| Plants | Taxodium, Eastern White Pine, Liriodendron tulipifera, Ginkgo biloba, Platanus, Spruce |
| Arboretum | 1991 |
| - State Sanctuary | 1929 |
| - Main School of Gardening | 1859 |
| - Private Park | 1796 |
| Management | National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| - location | Kiev |
| Visitation | 500 |
| IUCN category | IV - Habitat/Species government Area |
| Author | Ludwik Metzel |
| Original owner | |
| Recognition | Seven Wonders of Ukraine |
| Website: www.sofiyivka.org.ua | |
Sofiyivsky Park (Ukrainian: Софіївський парк; Polish: Zofiówka) is an arboretum (type of botanical garden) and a scientific-researching institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU Department of Biology). The park is located in the northern part of the City of Uman, Cherkasy Oblast (Central Ukraine), near the Kamianka River. Some areas of the park are reminiscent of an English garden. Today the park is a popular recreational spot, annually visited by 500,000 visitors.
Sofiyivka is a scenic landmark of world gardening design at the beginning of the 19th century. The park accounts for over 2,000 types of trees and brush (local and exotic) among which are taxodium (marsh cypress), Weymouth Pine, tulip tree, platanus, ginkgo, and many others.
Since 1980 director of the park is the member-correspondent of the Academy of Sciences, doctor of biological sciences Ivan Kosenko. In 1985 small planet #2259 was named "Sofiyivka" after this park.
It was founded in 1796 by Count , a Polish noble who rebuilt Uman after the Koliyivschyna. The city of Uman at that time was part of the Russian Empire. The park is named after his Greek wife Sofia () and was built in 1802, it was a gift of Stanislaw Potocki to his wife on her birthday.
The cost of the original park was estimated at roughly 15 million złoty, a fortune by contemporary standards. The main contractor was , a Polish military engineer who imported many rare plants from all around Europe. He employed the local serfs as his main labor force. The land for the park was highly undeveloped with numerous ravines and divided by the Kamianka river. The main composition of the park is located by the very same river with series of artificial basins and ponds (Upper-8 ha, Lower-1.5 ha, and others), waterfalls (the highest one is 14m tall), locks, subterranean river Akhenront (length-224m), fountains etc. The opening ceremony was also honoured by Stanisław Trembecki, who wrote a poem praising the park and its namesake. The park is decorated with a number of sculptures, mostly antique ones, and artificial cliffs, grottoes, and gazebos.
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Wikipedia