We are now in the very heart of the canyon section of the Southern Bug. From this point, for nearly forty kilometers, the river flows between steep, rocky banks, forming a narrow canyon-like valley. Granite cliffs rise here to heights of several dozen meters.
Before us stands one of them. Protychanska Rock, also known as Vysoka Rock, is a geological natural monument located on the left bank of the Southern Bug, near the southeastern outskirts of the village of Myhiia. It rises to a height of about thirty-five meters. This granite outcrop is part of the Ukrainian Shield – a geological formation more than two billion years old. Here, you can clearly observe exposures of granites belonging to the Kirovohrad geological complex, while ancient metamorphic rocks – gneisses – are visible in the shallows along the riverbank. For millions of years, the swift currents of the Southern Bug have carefully shaped the appearance of this cliff that we see today.
Now is a fitting moment to move from geology to history. These rapids, islands, and cliffs have witnessed Zaporizhian tales and Haidamak legends. It was here that the borders of the Bug-Gard Palanka once ran – one of the largest administrative units of the Zaporizhian Sich.
There is also an unusual historical detail. In June 1889, a meteorite weighing nearly eight kilograms fell near Myhiia. Witnesses described it as a dark sphere, its fall accompanied by smoke and a swirling trail.
Protychanska Rock is covered with petrophytic steppe vegetation – plant communities that grow exclusively on rocky ground or directly on exposed stone. This is a natural habitat that requires protection and restoration. Five plant species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine grow here, including Klokov’s cherry, Bug pink, small pasqueflower, feather grass, and spring pheasant’s eye. Among rare animal species, you may encounter the European green lizard – a swift and cautious inhabitant of the rocky slopes.
Protychanska Rock has not merely observed history. Frozen in time, shaped by wind and rushing water, it is itself a story written in stone. But it is time to continue.