21 June 2026
Ukraine's Tunnel of Love: Nature's Romantic Railway
Hidden in the forests of north-western Ukraine lies a place that seems less like a real location and more like a setting from a fairy tale (at least at first sight). Near the small town of Klevan, in Rivne Oblast, a leafy green corridor stretches into the distance, its walls and ceiling formed entirely by living trees. It is known simply as the Tunnel of Love - "Тунель кохання" (Tunel Kokhannia). Ask anyone in Kievan for The Green Mile Tunnel as it is sometimes referred to on the internet, and they will look at you blankly. Ask for The Tunnel of Love and a local will immediately know where you want to go. They might even give you a knowing wink if you are with your loved one. Image
At first glance, you can see exactly why the place acquired the name. The word кохання (kokhannia) means romantic love, rather than the broader word for affection or liking. So, the name carries a distinctly romantic meaning, and you might assume the tunnel was deliberately designed as a romantic attraction. If I was a filmmaker, I would want to shoot my happy ending here.
The reality is rather different. The site is in
north-western Ukraine, and it is hundreds of kilometres from the main
front lines. So, one might assume it was created as a place of romantic getaway,
a secret green sanctuary hidden among the forests of Rivne Oblast. The truth,
however, is considerably less poetic, even though the result might inspire a few
lines of verse.
The tunnel owes its existence to a railway line built during
the Soviet era to serve nearby industry. For decades, trains travelled along
the track – and still irregularly do - carrying supplies to factories in the
region. As the years passed, trees and shrubs grew alongside the railway.
Whenever a train passed (and they are tall), it trimmed the vegetation back,
shaping the branches into a perfectly arched corridor.
The result is one of those rare times when nature and industry intersect to create something wonderful. During spring and summer, the track disappears beneath a canopy of green leaves. Sunlight filters through tiny gaps in the foliage, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow on the ground. (As an aside, the Japanese have a word for that - komorebi - referring to the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground. This is full komorebi.)
In autumn, the tunnel transforms into a
golden passageway, while winter reveals a skeletal archway often dusted with frost
and snow.
Visitors often tie ribbons to the trees. Over time, these fragments of cloth have accumulated
into a quiet visual archive of human emotion, woven into the landscape. These are informal “wish tokens”, left by
couples and travellers as symbols of love, hope, memory, or simply to mark the
moment that they were there. People like me left something here.
Although the tunnel’s origins are strictly twentieth
century, folklore – like nature – never needs long to spring up. As such, the tunnel's beauty has inspired regional
legends. Local folklore claims that couples who walk through the tunnel hand in
hand may make a wish, and if their love is genuine, the wish will come true.
Whether anyone's wishes have been granted is impossible to say (and one in
particular is taking its time coming true), but the legend has certainly helped
turn the site into a popular destination for romantics.
Unlike many famous attractions, however, the Tunnel of
Love was not created by architects, landscape designers or artists. It
emerged naturally from the interaction between machinery and vegetation. In a
sense, it is an accidental masterpiece – a case of delightful serendipity -
shaped by decades of routine industrial activity and nature’s sheer obstinacy.
Despite its dreamlike appearance, the tunnel is still used
by trains three or four times a day. Young lovers who don’t wish to be squished
need to listen for the sounds of any oncoming locomotive behemoth (these are not
small trains). The experience could turn
into something considerably less romantic if the senses are completely diverted
by love. It may be blind, but should never be deaf.
The Tunnel of Love has also become a symbol of resilience.
Ukraine has endured immense challenges during its war with Russia, yet this
remarkable green corridor continues to attract visitors from around the country
and beyond. Its enduring appeal lies not only in its serene beauty but also in
what it represents: the ability of nature to create wonder in the most
unexpected places.
Part railway, part forest, and part fairy tale, the Tunnel
of Love is, in my mind, one of Europe’s most unusual landmarks. The tracks
endure beneath their canopy, neither fully reclaimed nor fully abandoned, but
suspended in a long, quiet negotiation between what was built and what
continues to grow.
