Verkhnya Khortytsia, Historic district in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Verkhnya Khortytsia is a historic settlement on the Dnieper riverbank in Zaporizhzhia, featuring residential buildings from the late 1700s. The houses sit on large plots of land with traditional gardens and cultivated fields around them.
The settlement was founded in 1790 as the capital of the Chortitza Colony, a Mennonite community. It marks the start of organized religious settlement in southern Ukraine by people fleeing persecution.
The houses reflect Mennonite family life with spacious layouts designed for both living and farming activities. You can see how the buildings and land plots were organized to support self-sufficient communities.
The area is best explored on foot or with local guides organized through the nearby Khortytsia National Reserve. Wear comfortable shoes since walking routes go through fields and between houses.
Some original irrigation ditches from the 1700s are still visible, showing how settlers cleverly channeled river water to their fields. These simple but effective systems allowed them to turn flat steppe land into productive farmland.
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