From afar, it resembles a giant animal: the history of the building, which was of strategic importance and is the highest building in Ukraine (PHOTOS).

The Carpathians are home to the most amazing joint project of man and nature.

On the border of two regions

The tallest building in Ukraine is located at an altitude of 2028 meters above sea level. It is a former astronomical and meteorological observatory.

The building, which has 43 rooms, resembles a giant animal from afar. That is why it was popularly called "White Elephant". The observatory is located almost on the border between Zakarpattia and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, Depo.Zakarpattia reported .

The history of the creation of a strategic object

Before World War II, the observatory was of strategic importance. The creation of the observatory was initiated by the Polish military. General Leon Berbecki suggested that the University of Warsaw set up an astronomical department there, since the old Warsaw Observatory was no longer suitable for observations. In 1936, the construction of the observatory began. The place for construction was chosen by the general himself.

Materials for construction were delivered from the railway station "Vorokhta" along forest paths. The stone was brought to the mountain by horses, and sometimes on their own shoulders. Most of the effort was spent on transferring thirty-three chests with dome elements and other details to the top of Mount Pip Ivan. The largest of the elements weighed 950 kg. Peasants from the railway and to the mountain itself - 70 km - carried everything in their hands.

During the construction, the task was set to create a structure that would embody the greatness of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The building was erected in the style of constructivism and had the shape of a mirror print of the Latin letter "L", and an astronomical dome was located at the top. The thickness of the walls, made of limestone blocks, is 1.5 m. The observatory had 43 rooms and 57 windows.

The construction was completed in 1938. There are rumors among local residents that the observatory itself was located deep in the bowels of the mountain, and the building on the top of the head was only for decoration.

It had several owners

Despite the fact that the research was carried out at the observatory for a little more than a year, this period went down in Ukrainian and Polish history. The observatory had several owners, who very rapidly replaced each other.

After the outbreak of World War II, the Poles took the equipment to Budapest and the object became the property of the Soviet occupiers. And in 1944, the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR recognized the observatory as destroyed. The premises were abandoned, and the locals stole everything from the observatory that was of any value, leaving only the mount from the astrograph, which they could not move. After that, the activities of the observatory were no longer resumed.

It has become unnecessary, but attracts tourists

Rain, snow, frost have been destroying the building for more than 60 years. This is a kind of revenge of nature on people who do not know how to appreciate. But the White Elephant stands despite nature and people.

In summer, you can meet tourists hiding from bad weather and shepherds. The illustrious past of the observatory is known only to old-timers.

With Ukraine's independence, the authorities began to take an interest in the White Elephant, but the matter did not move further than interest. Polish scientists also undertook the restoration of the structure, but it never came to significant work here.

All they did was brick up the windows to drain the room, which is already being completed. A permanent copper roof was installed over the main building of the observatory and a temporary roof to dry on the rotunda, where the telescope once stood.

A joint conference of Ukrainian and Polish scientists and specialists was held in Ivano-Frankivsk region, at which the work plan for 2015-2018 was approved. The goal is to restore the authentic appearance of this object by 2018. The conference was also attended by patrons who want to help with funding, because the project is extremely expensive. But, again, so far everything looks very "sad".

The most amazing joint project of man and nature in the Carpathians is being destroyed by them.

Reference:

To see the White Elephant Observatory, you need to take a bus from the Vorokhta-Verkhovyna highway to either the village of Shybene or the village of Dzembronya. Then on foot. Going from Shybene, you need to focus on the hamlet of Pohorilets, then the Shchurin meadow and Lake Maricheika. And from Dzembronia - to the Smotrych meadow, then to the mountain Vuhatyi Kamin, and later - through the mountain Balzatul (1851 m above sea level). You can also get there from the side of Rakhiv. Go by bus to Luhy village. Further landmarks are the Komen tract, Vertopy meadow and Vaskul mountain.

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