In Ukraine the popularity of recreation in the Carpathians is growing at a furious pace. Odessa heat and Crimean dryness are categorically not suitable for people with cardiovascular problems, and crowded Black Sea beaches will never help those who decided to restore a couple of meters of their nerves. In this case, only a vacation in the Carpathians will do. The climate here is much milder, the daily temperature amplitudes are not so sharp, and the profiles of local mountains look much prettier than the Crimean Cuesta.
One of the most effective in Western Ukraine is considered to be a vacation in Skole. This town is located in the southeastern part of Lviv region and closely approaches Ivano-Frankivsk region. It is hidden from possible negative manifestations of weather in a depression, a mountain valley of the Beskidy Range. A ring of mountains — Korchanka, Dobryana, Kliwa, Chudilov and Zelemin — protects the peace of Skole. Part of this guard of honor belongs to the National Park «Skole Beskidy», which is a guarantee of the purity of the surrounding nature and proof of the value and relics of the local forests.
Moreover, the diverse sights of Skole with their qualitative characteristics are not inferior to the famous domestic and European cities. For example, only on vacation in Skolevy you can see perfectly preserved church dedicated to St. Panteleimon. It is built of wood and is recognized as one of the best examples of Boykovo architecture. Staying in Skole, on vacation in the Carpathians, you can be treated with local mineral waters. There are 37 springs in the valley, 10 of them are actively exploited, 3 of them exude Naftusya type water. Besides the mountains, waters and sacral architecture, the town is very proud of its own traditions of secular development. Local wooden villas should have been protected by UNESCO long ago, like Italian trulli houses. The palace of the Baron Gredelijs has been waiting for world fame and glory.
The palace is located on Demna, a district of the city in which the Germans, invited by Isabella Lubomirsky Countess intrigant of European scale, compactly settled. The address of the most monumental landmark of Skole, except for the surrounding mountains, is as follows: Knez Sviatoslav Street 40. It was built by Baron Gredel and his brothers. Or rather they rebuilt the wooden castle, left from the reign of Count Kinsky, according to their own project in 1886.
Barons Gredel were Austrians, so thanks to their efforts the snow-white palace looks against the background of the Carpathian Mountains no worse than the famous castles of the Austro-Hungarian subjects against the background of the Alps. The palace can’t be attributed to any known architectural style — it is not Renaissance, Gothic or Baroque. It is a good lord’s house, built with a hint of German romanticism. The palace is designed to accommodate a large family and servants in comfortable conditions. Among other buildings of this plan, it stands out by the presence of two semi-towers that have a logical conclusion on the roof in the form of solid towers with roofs reminiscent of Turkish minarets. Under the Gredels, a clock was built into the facade of each tower. Both mezzanines and the base of the roof are flanked by pseudo-balconies, which add a certain amount of grace and beauty to the monumental structure.
The area around the palace can also be used for recreation in Skole. During the Baron’s reign, a park was planted around the house and greenhouses were built. Some of the expensive and specially imported plants from all over Europe survived the Soviet occupation. When Western Ukraine was occupied by the Red Army in 1939, the palace, as the most powerful landmark of Skole, was quickly occupied by the NKVD. For their dark purposes, the house of Baron Gredelei was used until 1948, and after that it was given to a boarding school for orphans.
In addition to the palace of Gredelei, those who come to vacation in Skole, will be able to see the still working power plant, a working ceramic water pipe, repair shops and quarry, built by the household barons. Staying on vacation in the Carpathians, you will be able to find traces of narrow gauge railroads with which they transported timber. By building the industrial and architectural sights of Skole, the Gredeli barons initiated the development of tourism, relying on the natural resources of the region. Experience the legacy of the Barons Gredeli on your vacation in Skole!