Volyn region - an area in the north-west of Ukraine within the
Polessky lowland (more than 3/4 of the territory) and the Volyn upland.
It borders in the west with the Lublin Voivodeship of the Republic of
Poland, in the north - with the Brest region of the Republic of Belarus,
in the east - with Rivne, in the south - with the Lvov regions of
Ukraine. In total, 395 kilometers of the state border lie within the
region.
The Volyn region includes 4 districts: Lutsk, Vladimir,
Kamen-Kashirsky and Kovelsky districts.
There are 9 crossing
points on the border: Ustilug, Yagodin, Izov, Domanovo, Dolsk, Food,
Pulemets, Rimachi, Zabolotye.
Lutsk
Kovel
Assumption Cathedral (1157-1160), Vladimir
Basil's Church
(XIII-XIV centuries), Vladimir
Church of Joachim and Anna (1752),
Vladimir
Nicholas Church (1780), Vladimir
Church of the Despatch
of the Apostles (1718-1755), Vladimir
Zimnensky Svyatogorsky
Assumption Monastery (X—XI centuries), Zimnee, Vladimirsky district
Assumption Cathedral (with the miraculous image of the Zimnenskaya
Mother of God) (1495), Zimnee, Vladimirsky district
St. Nicholas
Church (1601), Ludin, Vladimirsky district
Collegiate Church of the
Holy Trinity (1635-1640), Olika
Church of St. Peter and Paul (1460),
Olika
Castle of the Radziwills (1558), Olika.
Stretenskaya Church
(1784), Olika
Church of the Intercession (1740), Poddubtsy, Lutsk
region
St. Nicholas Church (1678), Borochiche, Gorokhovsky district
Church of St. Dmitry (1905), Zhuravniki, Gorokhovsky district.
Church
of St. George (late 13th century), Lyuboml
Church of the Holy Trinity
(1412), Lyuboml
Church of St. John the Evangelist (1777), Shtun,
Lubomlsky district
Demetrius Church (1674), Zgorany, Lyuboml district
Assumption Church (col. Church of St. Michael) (1752), Radekhiv, Lyuboml
district
Gate of the Czarniecki Palace (XVIII century), Lyubeshev
Church of St. Anne (1771), Kovel
Dmitrovskaya Church (1567), Gishin,
Kovelsky district
Church of St. Paraskeva (1723), Lukov, Turiysky
district
Church of Saints Anne and Stanislaus (16th century), Lukiv,
Turiysky district
St. Nicholas Monastery (1542), Miltsy,
Starovizhevsky district.
Assumption Church (1589), Kachin,
Kamen-Kashirsky district.
Dominican church (1741-1753), Old
Chortoryysk, Manevytskyi district.
Church of the Transfiguration
(1600), Chetvertnya, Manevitsky district
Church of the Assumption
(1643), Nizkinichi, Ivanichevsky district
Church of the Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin (1760), Novy Zagorov, Lokachinsky district
Church
of the Holy Trinity (1642), Zaturtsy, Lokachinsky district
Monastery
and church of the Carmelites (1720), Kisilin, Lokachinsky district.
St. Michael's Church (1777), Kisilin, Lokachinsky District
Church of
the Holy Trinity (1711-1733), Berestechko.
Cathedral of the Holy
Trinity (1910-unfinished construction), Berestechko
Chapel of Saint
Tekli (XVII century), Berestechko
Castle of Lubart (XIII-XIV
centuries), Lutsk.
Cathedral of St. Apostles Peter and Paul
(1616-1637), Lutsk
Synagogue (1626-1629), Lutsk
Holy Trinity
Cathedral (1752-1755), Lutsk
St. Michael's Church (1636), Bialystok,
Lutsk region
St. Nicholas Monastery (XVIII century), Zhydichin,
Kivertsovsky district
St. George's Church (1783), Goloby, Kovelsky
district
The relief is predominantly flat. Almost three-quarters of the
territory of the Volyn region is located within the Polesskaya lowland
(140–150 m), the smaller, southern one, occupies the northwestern
marginal part of the Volyn Upland (height 220–290 m), which breaks off
to the north with a ledge of 20–60 m.
The climate is temperate
continental. Winter is mild, summer is warm. The average temperature in
January is −4.5 °C, in July 18.6 °C. Precipitation is 550-600 mm per
year. The growing season is about 200 days.
The Pripyat River
flows in the northern part of the Volyn region. Its right tributaries
Turya, Stokhod, Styr cross the Volyn region from south to north. In the
west, the Western Bug River flows along the border with Poland. There
are 220 lakes in the Volyn region. The largest and deepest is Svityaz.
The richest lake territory is the Shatsky Lakes.
The total length
of the rivers is 3293 km. All rivers belong to the basins of the Dnieper
and the Western Bug. Most of the region's rivers originate outside its
territory.
The soils of the forest-steppe part of the region are
podzolized dark gray and gray, as well as chernozems; In the middle lane
there are sod-podzolic in combination with humus-carbonate (the most
fertile).
Forests occupy 32.5% of the entire territory of the
region. They are distributed mainly in Polissia (pine occupies 60% of
the forested area, oak - 13%, alder - 13%, birch - 10%); in the south of
the region there are small tracts of oak and hornbeam forests. Elk, roe
deer, wild boar, badger, lynx are found in the forests; in the
forest-steppe - hare, fox, rodents; muskrat is acclimatized, which has a
commercial value.
The pre-Slavic population of the region is the Baltic and Finnish
tribes.
Until the 5th century, the Wielbar culture was widespread
in the region.
In the 6th - early 7th centuries, Volyn was
inhabited by associations of Duleb tribes. At the beginning of the 10th
century, Volhynia formed close ties with Kiev. In the same century,
Volyn land became part of the Vladimir-Volyn principality of the Old
Russian state.
In 1227, the son of Prince Izyaslav Ingvarevich
Yaroslav was forced to cede his inheritance to Daniil Romanovich of
Galicia.
In the 14th century, Volyn was captured by the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania, Russia, Zhemoitsky and others. After the Union of
Lublin in 1569, it passed into the possession of Poland. In the middle
of the 17th century, it was engulfed by the Khmelnytsky uprising.
After the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century
(1772-1795), Volyn was annexed to Russia - the Volyn province was formed
on its territory. In 1921, according to the Treaty of Riga, western
Volyn, including the modern Volyn region, was ceded to Poland.
During the period when the modern Volyn region was part of Poland, its
territory was divided into 6 povets: Vladimir-Volynsky, Gorokhovsky,
Kamen-Kashyrsky, Kovelsky, Lutsky and Lyubomlsky.
After the entry
of Western Ukraine into the USSR, by the Decree of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 4, 1939, the Volyn region was
formed. In 1940, the povets were abolished, and the region was divided
into 28 districts: Berestechkovsky, Vladimir-Volynsky, Golobsky,
Golovnyansky, Gorokhovsky, Zabolotevsky, Kamen-Kashirsky, Kivertsovsky,
Kovelsky, Kolkovsky, Lokachinsky, Lutsky, Lyubeshovsky, Lyubomlsky,
Manevichsky, Matseevsky, Ozyutichevsky, Olyksky, Poddubtsevsky,
Poritsky, Ratnovsky, Rozhishchensky, Sedlishchevsky, Senkevichevsky,
Torchinsky, Turiysky, Ustilugsky and Shatsky. At the end of the year,
the Poddubtsevsky district was abolished, and the Verbsky, Teremnovsky
and Tsumansky districts were also formed.
As a result of
collectivization in Volhynia, 1036 farms were liquidated and officially
deregistered in connection with the resettlement of residents to
villages.
In 1946, the Matseevsky district was renamed Lukovsky,
Ozyutichevsky to Zaturtsevsky, Sedlishchevsky to Starovyzhevsky,
Poritsky to Ivanichevsky (1957-1962 - Novovolynsky), Verbsky to
Ovadnovsky.
In 1957, the Zaturtsevsky, Olyksky and Ustilugsky
districts were abolished, in 1958 - Ovadnovsky and Teremnovsky, in 1959
- Berestechkovsky, Golobsky, Golovnyansky, Zabolotevsky, Lukovsky and
Senkevichevsky, in 1962 - Kolkovsky, Lokachinsky, Lutsky, Lyubeshovsky,
Manevichsky, Novovolynsky , Ratnovsky, Starovyzhevsky, Torchinsky,
Turiysky, Tsumansky and Shatsky.
In 1965, Lokachinsky,
Lyubeshovsky, Manevichsky, Ratnovsky and Turiysky districts were formed,
in 1966 - Ivanychevsky, Lutsky and Starovyzhevsky, in 1993 - Shatsky.
In 1967, the Volyn region was awarded the Order of Lenin.
There are 1,310 registered religious organizations in the Volyn
region, of which the overwhelming majority are Christian, with the
dominant position of the UOC-MP. Half of them are Orthodox of various
subordination. The other half is shared between Protestants and
Catholics.
The total number of Christian monasteries is 14 units,
6 spiritual institutions with 1203 novices.
Ukrainian Orthodox
Church (Moscow Patriarchate): 556 churches, 7 monasteries, 1 educational
institution and 180 Sunday schools at churches.
Ukrainian Orthodox
Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate: 268 churches, 3 monasteries, 1 seminary
and 150 Sunday schools at churches.
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox
Church: 14 parishes.
Roman Catholic Church: 29 congregations of
believers.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: 18 parishes.
Evangelical Christian Baptists: 118 congregations.
In addition, there
are evangelical Pentecostal and Seventh-day Adventist organizations.
Independent socio-political newspaper "Volin" (issued since September
1939. Circulation 206,000 copies, published 3 times a week).
The
newspaper "Volinsky goloshennya" is a reference book of goods and
services on the market of Volyn. (issued since 2004, published once a
week, distributed by retail and subscription, circulation 12,000
copies).
Weekly advertising and information newspaper "Afisha Volyn"
(published once a week, circulation is 22,000 copies)