Incredible stories, mysterious legends and interesting findings – all this creates a unique atmosphere of the city that attracts tourists. And no one knows for sure whether all those legends actually have a historical source – perhaps vivid amazing stories are no more than the fictions that people have passed on from word of mouth. However, they are listened to because it means that people are interested in the history of the city in which they live. It was the pride of the hometown that inspired Zhytomyr woman Lada Sofronova to become a guide and a good narrator of stories about Zhytomyr landmarks. Lada also told one of these stories to the Zhytomyr.Travel team

I like to talking No, I like the process of creating the material : searching, selecting a topic, laying and composing a route, submitting information. Of course, communication and acquaintance, it is a taste, because every time it is all new, unique. Once at school I couldn’t write great works or stories. Now I do my author excursions, which, of course, include stories about the prominent places of Zhytomyr, its extraordinary people. It is especially pleasing to see how things are, how events and destinies intertwine! It is a great pleasure to find out that people who listen to my stories then take friends to places where the excursion took place.
About mythology It is unlikely to find any citizen of Zhytomyr who has never been to a city park of culture and recreation, in which almost every corner is a whole story. But there is one cozy place that I love the most and know about the truly incredible events that are associated with it. This is where Artemis of Zhytomyr stands.
The story of the Greek goddess Artemis (and in Roman mythology Diana), daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo, always attracted artists. As a three-year-old girl, she wished to receive such a bow as her brother, and many more nymphs to help. And also she wanted to have eternal chastity, and in addition all the mountains in the world and one city. After receiving all that she desired, Artemis became the patron goddess of all infants and milk-fed animals, she was the patron saint of boars. She was also approached by pregnant women in order to give birth without pain, as Artemis herself gave birth to her mother-goddess Summer. People worshiped Artemis as the goddess of fertility and of childbirth. She enjoyed order in everything, but could control the number of people and transmit diseases. She always had a bow and silver arrows, nearby – hunting dogs, which were feared even by lions, and her main favorite – a fragile doe. Artemis loved the mountainous and wooded terrain, feeling free and confident there. Therefore, it does not seem surprising that in the late nineteenth century on the wooded slopes of Teteriv goddess appeared in all its glory: in the cozy park of Zhytomyr philanthropist and collector, intellectual and art historian Baron Ivan Maximilianovych Shodulyar was reinstated.
About history The most famous sculpture of the goddess, preserved to our times, is the laurel (Versailles) statue of Artemis, created by the sculptor Leohar. It is believed that it was created in about 1-2 centuries AD. Archaeologists have discovered a fine find in the town of Nemi, about 22 kilometers from the Papal residence, where during antiquity was the sanctuary of the goddess Artemis – Diana. One of the Roman priests found the sculpture as a gift to the King of France, but the gift was a hint – the king had a mistress named Diana. Later, the original sculpture will be moved to the Paris Louvre, and an empty bronze copy will take its place. But the adventures of the marble statue did not end there, because the king ordered it to be transported to Versailles, and thus her most common name – Diana Versailles – was formed. In the Shoduar family, ancient mythology was known and revered by entire generations, in every possible way supporting the development of education, science and the arts. Ivan Maximilianovych’s grandmother, a beautiful and educated woman, tried to emphasize the memory of antiquity even with festive attire. Even Metropolitan of Kyiv Eugene, a contemporary of Shoduary, wrote to her about the baron, «I always remember her in the Greek princess’s suit, which fascinated me.»
About mysteries In fact, it was not itself that appeared in Artemis Park, though it is said that it was this sculpture that Baron loved most. Maybe that’s why it is identified with treasure? But the story of the goddess does not end there, and we want to know what was next.
By Zhytomyr.Travel Edition Agree, not every city can boast of its goddess. And we are eager to know all the details of this story that our guide promised to tell right next to Artemis from Zhytomyr … So, what about you?