10 Interesting Facts About Uman

For those planning to have a good time and wondering where to go in Uman, it is worth learning interesting facts about this city. For many people, this city is associated with the famous Sofiivka Park and news that every year thousands of Hasidic pilgrims come here. But Uman is not just a small town with one of the best parks in Ukraine, it is a city with its own secrets and many interesting sights.

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Interesting facts:

1. One of Ukraine’s main sights – Sofiivka Dendropark has an asteroid namesake. In 1984, asteroid No. 2259 was named after the park “Sofiivka”.
2. Uman’s flourishing dates to the 18th century, when the Potocki family came to the city. First Franciszek Potocki, and later Stanislav. They made considerable efforts for the city’s prosperity. During their time, the number of workers and traders in Uman grew, and the “Sofiivka” park was built.
3. Despite its small size, Uman is a developed educational center. According to statistical data, 15% of the city’s population are students. This is explained by the large number of educational institutions of various kinds: the European University, P. Tychyna Pedagogical University, a branch of Cherkasy Cooperative Economic and Law College, a branch of the Kyiv Institute of Technologies, and others.
4. Catacombs run under almost the entire central part of the city. The width of some passages is so great that not only people could pass through them, but also a horse-drawn carriage. Most of the underground passages are built of brick and date to the 17th-18th centuries.
5. According to the will of the tzadik Rabbi Nachman (the great-grandson of the founder of Hasidism, Baal Shem Tov), his grave is located in one of Uman’s cemeteries. That is why about 30 thousand Hasidic pilgrims come here every year to honor his memory.
6. A favorite place for fishermen is Ostashivskyi Pond, which was artificially created in the 16th-17th centuries. The uniqueness of the reservoir lies in its size. The pond is 2,15 km long, and 410 m wide at its widest point.
7. Uman is a superstitious city, since there is no trolleybus No. 13 here (although there are trolleybuses numbered up to 27 on the route), just as there was no School No. 13, which existed even during the prewar years.
8. Thunderclouds do not like the city and often bypass it. That is why rain is not a frequent occurrence in Uman.
9. In the 19th century, more than 50% of Uman’s population were Jews.
10. Every year, more than half a million tourists come to Uman.

Uman is not an ordinary provincial town, but in fact an interesting tourist destination. So for those who want to have a good time but do not know where to go in Uman, it is worth paying attention to its special places, which are linked to the most interesting stories.