Location:
Kniazhdvir village, Kolomyia district
Botanical reserve of national importance "Kniazhdvirskyi" is the largest plantation of common yew in Ukraine. The reserve has the largest number of the common yew trees in Ukraine, occupying the territory of 70 hectares. Common yew is a rare tree, a relict of the tertiary period, whose life span is near 4000 years. Individual specimens reach a height of 25 m. The tree is growing very slowly; the annual growth of the wood in diameter does not exceed 1.5 mm. The first flowering and fruiting of common yew comes in 20-30 years and occurs in April and May, the edible red berries ripen in late August. The exceptional quality of common yew wood had attracted ancient people attention. They often used it for the bows manufacture, because of its firm, durable and resilient wood. One of the Berlin museums still has a carved from yew wood head of Pharaoh Amenhemhet III dated nearly 1400 BC.
In 1914, a group of scientists had spoken in defense of the Kniazhdvirskyi Tract, which at that time had up to 30,000 of the common yew trees.
In 1978, the Museum of Natural History was opened here. Its exposition introduces the species of rare and endangered animals, birds and plants of the Carpathians. Rest areas, equipped with ecological and educational trails, are located on the territory of the reserve