Pip Ivan ( uk, Піп Іван; pl, Pop Iwan) is the third highest peak (after Hoverla and Brebeneskul) in the Chornohora (Czarnohora) range, with a height of 2022 meters (6,634 ft) above sea level.''Ukraine: The Bradt Travel Guide'' Andrew Evans - 2007 - 1841621811 Page 247
The mountain town is a good point from which to hike the lower Chornohora (Pip Ivan and Smotrych), and head off on some walks across the Carpathian countryside. Although not inside the boundaries of the national park, Verkhovyna is the transfer point between buses and taxis to and from Yaremche and Ivano-Frankivsk with Kosiv and Kolomiya. Eight buses go to and from Yaremche every day as well as Kosiv (1 hour).
In the interwar period (1918–1939) the peak marked the
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
-
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
, from March 1939 Polish - Hungarian border and numerous skirmishes between OUN and Polish border troops took place in the area.
On the peak (then in Polish called Pop Iwan), from 1936–1938 the Polish government built an astronomical and meteorological observatory, which was commonly called "
Biały Słoń
Biały Słoń (English: ''White Elephant''; Ukrainian: Білий слон, Bily slon) is a Polish name for an abandoned campus of the former Poland, Polish Astronomical and Meteorological Observatory of University of Warsaw, located at remote area ...
" ("White Elephant").
Observatory history
In 1936, the Ministry of Air Defense of Poland laid the first stone for the observatory's foundation on Pip Ivan.
Stone and wood were brought to a height of 2028 meters from the neighboring villages, and the equipment was brought from all over the world.
Hutsuls
The Hutsuls (sometimes the spelling variant: Gutsuls; uk, Гуцули, translit=Hutsuly; pl, Huculi, Hucułowie; ro, huțuli) are an ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș). They ...
worked mainly on construction. The scale of the project was enormous, and the working conditions were strenuous: 800 tons of building materials were delivered by train to
Vorokhta
Vorokhta (, ) is an urban-type settlement located in the Carpathian Mountains on Prut RiverVorokhta in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
In July 1938 the observatory was opened. It consisted of the hotel, business facilities, and astronomical tower. The hotel had 2 levels on the east side, and 5 on the western side. On the first floor screw-mounted stairs led to the tower itself. Atop the tower, a giant copper cast dome with a diameter of 10 meters was installed.
The entire building was built with 43 rooms and 57 windows. Bread was baked on-site, and food stocks had to be renewed only twice a year. The observatory had its own greenhouses, with conditions suitable for growing vegetables. The capabilities of the communications facility were minimal.
The main equipment in the observatory was the
astrograph
An astrograph (or astrographic camera) is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are mostly used in wide-field astronomical surveys of the sky and for detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, a ...
, whose lens was 33 cm in diameter. It was imported from Edinburgh. Thanks to the astrograph, scientists were able to study large and small planets and comets, and observe and photograph various stars.
The telescope was driven by automatically-regulated engines equipped with an ultra-precision timer. The dome of the tower had its own electric motors.
With the start of the Second World War, the observatory began a period of decline. The research station personnel were urgently evacuated, while sensitive equipment was dismantled and taken away.
In 1939, when Chornohora became a part of the USSR, attempts were made to continue the study of the weather, but after two years, all experimental activity on Pip Ivan was stopped. In 1941, the top of the mountain was initially used as an observation point by Hungarian troops. Since 1944, this stone viewpoint has been abandoned to the elements.
The walls of the building are so strong that they have stood for more than 70 years without any additional care or repair: the observation center has almost no internal walls - some were destroyed by people, while others collapsed on their own. In 2012, the restoration of the premises began. As of 2014, the roof has been replaced, floors, strong doors, and metal-plastic windows were installed, and a fireplace was built. Plans also included the restoration of a stone fence that previously surrounded the observatory, in order to install solar cells on it to electrify the building.
Today, the former observatory is a popular destination for many tourists.