How Was The Tunnel Of Love Formed In Klevan?

Do you want to surprise your partner? Take her to know a romantic landscape? If so, we recommend that you plan a trip to the tunnel of love in Klevan, a magical place where nature awaits lovers to listen to their wishes.

Perhaps it is true and in this place the universe agreed to receive people who love each other to make a “love spell”: hold hands and cross the tunnel so that their wishes come true!

Love tunnel story

Leaving from Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, to the west and after a 4-hour journey we arrive at Klevan, in the province of Rivne. The railway line that goes to Orzhev starts from this city and is about 6.4 kilometers long, of which between 3 and 4 kilometers are covered with forest and form the famous tunnel.

The train that circulates there 3 times a day carries goods and people. Currently, the section is operated by Ukrainian Railways.

Legend has it that the train route was planned by a Polish engineer stationed in Orzhev who was in love with a young woman from Klevan. To get from Orzhev to his beloved, the man proposed that the railway go through the forest in a straight line.

Thanks to that, the path between the two towns would be much shorter and it would be done in much less time. This allowed the couple to meet without anyone seeing them, on that wooded and romantic road that the train built for them. Unverifiable, but beautiful story right?

A movie love

Although the legend of the love tunnel is many years old, its popularity increased after the premiere of the Japanese film Klevani: Ai no Tunnel  (2014) by director Akiyoshi Imazeki.

The film tells a love story between a teacher (Kei) and his student (Kazuha) who dies in an accident. The pain of loss and a legend lead him to the tunnel, where he will seek to reconnect with his beloved. The exquisite photography and images of the tunnel in this film made it that much more popular.

How was this tunnel formed?

Beyond the romantic stories, the reality is that the tunnel of love in Klevan is the result of the invasion of the forest on the stretch of tracks. Considering that the train passes sporadically, it is thinning the branches above and to the sides, leaving the perfect shape and space for the formation to pass.

However, the foliage regenerates quickly and remains around the road, especially in the spring and summer seasons. In short, the tunnel of love is a work of natural architecture that people have transformed into an ideal space for romanticism.

Lights, shadows and colors

In addition to its curious history, the tunnel of love in Klevan is chameleonic. It turns deep green in summer, bright green in spring, reddish in fall, and white in winter, when snow covers everything.

The mutation of colors, the way the light plays with the leaves and penetrates the tunnel, the shadows, the freshness and the aroma of the forest … all add up to achieve a magical atmosphere that, according to some visitors, has a special energy.

How to get to the tunnel of love

If you are going to put this romantic place on your travel agenda, keep the following in mind:

• You can get from Kiev to Kevlan by train – direct service on Sundays – or by road – 4 hours on the E40.
• The tunnel can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 am to 12 pm
• You can go on your own or take a guided tour .

In addition to the tunnel, in Kevlan you can visit the ruins of the 14th century castle, the bell tower of the Church of the Annunciation from 1630 and the Church of the Nativity, built in 1777.

One of the most romantic places in the world

Eastern European countries are destinations that hold many surprises for visitors. There, as a tourist, you can come across real gems in unexpected places, like the tunnel of love in Kevlan.

For its fame, the British newspaper Daily Mail put this place in the list of the 10 most romantic places in the world, along with the Sculpture of Ali and Nino in Batumi, Georgia, the Trees of love on the Luzhkov Bridge in Moscow and The Meeting Place in London, among others.

Plan this romantic walk with your partner on your next travel itinerary and remember to make a wish. Surely it will be fulfilled!