Beresan (укр.- Березань, рус. – Березань) is a small town in Kiev region. It reports directly to the Kiev region, although located in the area of Baryshevsky district.

Sights of Berezan, Kiev region

Plundered Grave mound. We know a few about the mound. In fact, this sight of Berezan is interesting just because this place in 1843 has visited ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko. Seeing how Russian soldiers provide some earthworks on the grave (though it was just archaeological excavations), the poet was very impressed by what he saw and wrote defiant anti-Russian poem «Plundered Grave». In his honor at the mound a memorable character was installed.

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T-34 battle tank. This battle tank was built during the Second World War, with the money raised by residents of Berezan. Captain Kolosok, our countryman, participated in the capture of Berlin on this tank. Now battle tank is attraction of Berezan, installed in the heart of the city.

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AN-2 plane. The plane was passed from 410 Civil Aviatio factory team to residents of Berezan as ever living monument of history Berezan’s rezidents participation in World War II. This attraction was established in Berezan in the year 2007. Is located at the Naberezhna street.

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Armored train monument. At this point, on September 23, year 1941, after putting of Kiev Nazis during the Second World War, the division of the five Soviet armored trains has been undermined, in order not to leave them to enemy as a trophy. Trains tried to broke out of the encirclement, but there was a destroyed bridge over the Supy river and ammunition and materials for restoration paths have already been exhausted. Equipment had to be destroyed, and staff of the armored train joined partisan troops of Chernigov region.

Sights of Berezan in hystorical context

In the early seventeenth century the migrants from the Right-bank Ukraine, who came here to escape from the yoke of the feudal lords, founded the town of Berezan. For the first time it is mentioned in official documents of the Kyiv voyevodstvo (province) in the year 1616.

The town is located in the western part of the Kyiv region on the Nedra river, the left tributary to the Trubizh. It is possible that the settlement was called after the birch groves, which grew in this locality («birch» in Ukrainian is «bereza»). One can find a lot of birch trees in the town as well, they decorate it and make the landscapes of Berezan unique.

In 1843, when Taras Shevchenko visited Berezan, he wrote the poem The Plundered Grave. His impressions from the excavation of the tumulus that had been going on at that time provided him with an impetus to create that poem.

You can see the remains of that tumulus even now if you drive from Berezan for approximately five kilometers in the direction of Yagotyn, stop where the railway crosses the asphalt road, and then walk to the right almost half of kilometer along the railway. In the past there was a trade route to Poltava region somewhere here, and in Taras Shevchenko times it was easy to reach the tumulus. The local researchers even show the place, where the Kobza-Player was writing his poem, justifying their statements by accidental artifacts of recent years (during the rain storm in the center of Berezan at the site of a former estate, whose owner did invite Shevchenko in 1843 to visit him, the ground collapsed, revealing wooden remains of the building).

Berezan used to be the district center for 37 years, and on 30 June 1994 it was granted the status of a town with regional subordination. Its area is 0.33 км², which makes 0.12% of the total area of the Kyiv region.

The town has a regional studies museum with an unusual exhibition hall. It displays the diversity of flora and fauna of this part of Kyiv region. Here you can not only see animals that are rare nowadays, but also listen to the sounds of nature, which have been recorded and reproduced during the tours.

Berezan is considered to be a Cossacks’ town by right. Many glorious names are connected with it. The freedom — loving character of Cossacks went along with the town’s layout: broad streets, open space, river air! Even now it is pleasant to feel the breath of the glorious past in this nice town; one must not forget it, because it is the Cossacks’ past!