Kachanivka is a village of Ichnyan district Chernigiv region. It is located on the left bank of the nameless river, which flows into the Smosh River after 5 km.
In 1770, the village was purchased by General – Governor P. Rumyantsev-Zadunayskyi, who began the construction of a garden-palace complex here.
In 1808, Rumyantsev sold the estate to the landowner G.Ya. Pochetsa and his wife Paraska Andriivna. Under the new owners, the manor is undergoing a second construction period. The territory of the manor is expanding, the palace is being rebuilt in the style of Russian classicism, new buildings are being erected, and a landscape park is being laid. After the death of Hryhoriy Yakovych in 1824, the estate was inherited by his wife’s son from his first marriage, Hryhoriy Stepanovych Tarnovskyi, and for more than 70 years the manor belonged to the Tarnovskys.
In 1897, Vasyl Tarnoiskyi was forced to sell his beloved estate to the millionaire sugar planter Pavel Kharytonenko. The palace was thoroughly renovated and partially rebuilt, which acquired a modern appearance: new manor buildings appeared, most of which have survived to this day; the interiors were completely changed, the fashionable at that time Moscow painter August Tomashka was invited to perform the works.
The last owners of the estate during 1914-1918 were the eldest daughter of the “sugar king” Olena and her husband Mykhailo Oliv. During their time, the manor flourished as before. It housed an art gallery, a large library, respected the best traditions of the past, and was visited by interesting people (in particular, in June 1915, the estate was visited by the artists M. Dobuzhynskyi and K. Petrov-Vodkin. Despite this, the cultural life of Kachanivka gradually died down .
In 1918, the estate was nationalized by the Soviet authorities. In 1925-1933, a children’s commune named after Vorovsky
During the Soviet-German war, evacuation hospitals No. 2030 and No. 6050 were located on the territory of the manor, and in the post-war period – a hospital for convalescing disabled people, as evidenced by the memorial plaque on the administration building.
Subsequently, until 1981, the manor complex was used for health and medical purposes.
By the decree of the President of Ukraine dated February 27, 2001, the reserve was given the status of National.
Scientific, search, research, cultural and educational and exhibition work is carried out in the reserve. Thanks to the efforts of the descendants of the former owners of the Tarnovsky manor, who live in Great Britain, Germany, and Kyiv, the International Society “Friends of Kachanivka” was created and actively operates, which aims to attract funds and sponsors for the revival of the palace and park ensemble and its transformation into an international cultural center.
