Verkhivnya and Honore de Balzac

Welcome to a small village of Verkhivnya (Zhytomyr region) that once filled a prominent French writer Honore de Balzac with happiness of sensual and tender last love of his life.

Coming here you will find an estate of count of Ghana who after buying the village built a beautiful Palace (currently, this is a place of Agro-Technical college) and transplanted a picturesque park with rare trees. Walking along park alleys and silent corridors of the Palace you will learn about romantic love story of Evelyn, count’s daughter, and a famous writer Honore de Balzac. The young girl wrote him and without any reason the writer marked her letter and answered it. After being in correspondence for some period of time Monsieur Honore came to the estate and stayed in the Palace (the rooms, he lived in, are currently served as a museum that you can visit too). Their relations developed. After death of Evelyn’s husband they got married in Berdychiv St.Barbara Cathedral (according to laws of those times that marriage deprived her husband’s state). However, they did not live together for a long time. Death of Balzac separated them forever (people say that the next ten years a countess spent on paying debts of her famous husband). Walk along shady streets of Verkhivnya that inspired the writer for creating his masterpieces, and visit a tomb of Ghana family where one can find a grave of Honore and Evelyn’s daughter.

This calm place will bring you closer to understanding of a secret soul of Slavonic woman. Being in love she disdains any conditions and rules, overcomes any obstacles of laws and society, feels herself free from opinions and rational interest. She more than loves a man – she lives for him! He is her universe and that is why she pays no attention to the world.

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