In October 2024, I was able to visit Berdychiv and its surroundings.
To begin with, it is not known for certain in what year the city was founded and why it was named that way. There are a lot of theories and assumptions, and I will not load the reader with encyclopedic data, but will tell my impressions from the inside.
Berdychiv, which is in no hurry
No one is in a hurry in Berdychiv. Although the streets are crowded, there is no sense of bustle. Teenagers and older people go about their business without any stress. And even in lines, people stand calmly, waiting for their turn without nerves, whether at the post office, the market, or waiting for shawarma to be cooked (shawarma is delicious here, even without potatoes, unlike in Dnipro city).
The roads are also calm. Drivers are not in a hurry, so the average speed on the roads here is 40-50 km/h. The roads are good, not perfectly smooth, but there are no potholes. If you’re a little late at a traffic light or letting cars pass at an intersection, no one will hastily honk their horn and try to get through.
Berdychiv station wagon cars
While walking around the city, especially as a pedestrian, I noticed an interesting detail – a lot of station wagons. I don’t know how to explain it. Perhaps it’s the culture of motorists here, or large families to accommodate everyone.
Old and new Berdychiv
No one knows the exact date of the city’s foundation, but its heyday was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many fairs were held in the city, and the majority of its population was Jewish. That’s why there is a lot of old architecture here. These are residential buildings and buildings for public use. Some were built at the expense of patrons, and some were built by the city.
We can even say that Berdychiv can compete with Odesa itself in terms of the number and color of its courtyards!
Here, architectures of many centuries and generations are intertwined – old-fashioned Jewish mansions stand mixed with Soviet tiled houses and panelized high-rise buildings, and then there is a modern new building with panoramic windows. A shopping center can be inside an old house, and next to it, a building of the most modern style.
Moreover, it is as if there is an “old” and a “new” city – everything is mixed.
Berdychiv streets
The streets that I liked are named after the city’s heyday – Torhova, Tyshkevycha, Fabrychna – which reflects the essence of what was happening on these streets. There are also streets with directions – Odeska, Vinnytska, Zhytomyrska.
You know immediately where they will lead if you follow them.
Berdichev cuisine
Berdychiv is a modern city. Here you can find establishments for every taste, budget and cuisine. European, Ukrainian, Asian cuisine, pizza, rolls, pastry shops, bars, hookah lounges, coffee shops, cafes, restaurants – all this is at every step and young people have a place to go.
Berdychiv beer
The only thing that confused me was that it was difficult to find local beer from the Berdychiv Brewery. Berdychiv beer is praised, but you can’t find it in large national retail chains. Nor was it available in small grocery stores. Local chains such as “Nash Krai” and “Polissia Products” helped out. Here I found Berdychiv beer in bottles and plastic containers.
Ukrainian and Russian in Berdychiv
The Zhytomyr region is on the right bank of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian language prevails here, but it is not the same language as in Lviv and Ternopil or Uzhhorod, which is more understandable to me as a Russian-speaking person. However, Russian is also spoken and understood here, and people do not refuse to provide services or facilities for its use.
People in Berdychiv are friendly and happy to help, even if they are not asked to, and they are also very patient and not in a hurry. It was comfortable to communicate. The same can be said about the region.
What to see in Berdychiv
There will be a separate article for this section. I can say in advance that there are more interesting places than most websites tell you. To do this, you need to know the places where to find out information. And then you will have more routes for walking.