Sofia Pototsky was a legendary beauty, and Uman's stunning park is her husband Count Felix's monument to her physical perfection. Having bought Sofia for two million zloty from her former husband (she had been sold into slavery at an early age by her parents), the Polish count set to landscaping this 150-hectare site with grottoes, lakes, waterfalls, fountains, pavilions and 500 species of tree. The result, completed in 1802, was Ukraine's answer to Versailles.
A map available at the park entrance (10uah) highlights 60 points of interest within the park, many bearing sentimental names like Island of Love and Grotto of Venus. The marble sculptures are replicas of those that graced the park in Pototsky's time. Some of the originals are safe-kept in the atrium of the Hotel Sofiyivka near the park entrance. As it turns out, Sofia broke Felix's heart before he died, having an affair with his son.
The park is about a 10-minute walk from central Uman, down vul Sadova. Services in the park, including the ticket booth, run only from 9am until 6pm (until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays). At other times, entrance to the park is free.