On Saturday, 5 July, the team of the Media Centre Directorate organised a new fascinating bus tour for diplomats, entitled Secrets of Mezhyhiria. Representatives of the Embassies of Finland, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Slovakia, and Sweden attended the event.

The guests had the opportunity to stroll around Mezhyhiria park and garden art monument. This is a modern nature conservation facility, part of the Emerald Network of Europe, where species of flora and fauna with international protection status are preserved.

Travelling through the park’s scenic alleys in electric carts, participants enjoyed panoramic views of the Kyiv Sea, spotted animals in the local zoo, and admired the beauty of cascading lakes and waterfalls. A special part of the tour was the visit to the Khonka mansion, the former residence of runaway ex-president Viktor Yanukovych. Diplomats were struck by the extravagance of its interiors: marble mosaics, ornate furnishings, crystal chandeliers, grand mirrors, and even elevators adorned with Swarovski crystals.

Once a symbol of corruption and autocracy, the Mezhyhiria park and monument has now become a public space for Ukrainians and international guests — a place for recreation, rest, and environmental education.

Thanks to the tour, participants not only experienced the beauty of nature and unique landscape design but also felt the spirit of a space that today symbolises the restoration of justice and Ukraine’s openness to the world.