Rivne
Encyclopedia
Rivne or Rovno is a historic city
in western Ukraine
. It is the administrative center
of the Rivne Oblast
(province
), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion
(district
) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.
Rivne is an important transportation hub, with the international Rivne Airport
, and rail links to Zdolbuniv
, Sarny
and Kovel
, as well as highways linking it with Brest, Kiev
and Lviv
.
The estimated population was around 247,750 as of 2010.
. From the second half of the 14th century it was under the Great Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. In 1492 the city was granted Magdeburg rights
. Following the partition of Poland, in 1793 Rivne became a part of Russian Empire
, and in 1797 it was declared as a regional town of the Volhynian Governorate
.
During World War I
and the period of chaos shortly after, it was briefly under German, Ukrainian, Bolshevik, and Polish forces. In April-May 1919 Rivne served as the temporary capital of Ukrainian People's Republic
. At the conclusion of the conflict, in accordance with the Riga Peace Treaty
of 1921 it became a part of Polish
Volhynian Voivodeship
for the period between the two World Wars.
In 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
and the partition of Poland, Rivne was occupied by the Soviet Union. From December of the same year Rivne became the centre of the newly established Rivne Oblast, within the Ukrainian SSR
. On June 28, 1941 Rivne was captured by Nazi Germany
, which later established the city as the administrative centre of Reichskommissariat Ukraine
. At the time, roughly half of Rivne's inhabitants were Jewish; of these, about 23000 were taken to a pine grove in Sosenki and killed between the 6th and the 8th of November. A ghetto
was established for the remaining 5,000 Jews. In July 1942, its population was sent some 70 kilometres north to Kostopil
where they were killed; the ghetto was subsequently liquidated.
On February 2, 1944, the city was liberated by the Red Army
, and remained part of Soviet Ukraine until the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 1958 a TV tower began broadcasting in the city; in 1969 the first trolley
ran through the city; in 1969 Rivne airport
was opened. In 1983 the city celebrated its 700th anniversary.
times the provincial town was transformed into an industrial center of the republic. There were two significant factories built. The first a machine building and metal processing factory capable of producing high-voltage apparatus, tractor spare parts and others. The other a chemical factory and synthetic materials fabrication plant. Light industry, including a linen plant and a textile mill, as well as food industries, including milk and meat processing plants and a vegetable preservation plant have also been built. In addition the city became a production center for furniture and other building materials.
Being an important cultural centre, Rivne hosts a humanities and a hydro-engineering university, as well as a faculty of the Kiev State Institute of Culture, and medical and musical as well as automobile-construction, commercial, textile, agricultural and cooperative polytechnic colleges. The city has a historical museum.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union the monument for the Soviet hero D.N.Medvedev was removed, and the N.I.Kuznetsov monument was moved to another location within the city. Instead, in order to reflect the controversial history of the region the monuments for "People died in the honour of Ukraine", and "Soldiers died in local military battles" were installed.
with: Zabrze
in Poland
Vidin
in Bulgaria
Zvolen
in Slovakia
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It is the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million...
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion
Rivne Raion
Rivne Raion is a raion in Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. It has a population of 87 091.-External links:*...
(district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.
Rivne is an important transportation hub, with the international Rivne Airport
Rivne Airport
Rivne International Airport is an airport in Rivne, Ukraine.-External links:* * NOAA/NWS weather observations* ASN...
, and rail links to Zdolbuniv
Zdolbuniv
Zdolbuniv is a small city in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zdolbuniv Raion , and has an important railway station and cement plant ....
, Sarny
Sarny
Sarny translated as Deer, is a small city in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarny Raion , and is a major railway node on the Sluch River.The current estimated population is 27,700....
and Kovel
Kovel
Kovel is a city located in the Volyn Oblast , in northwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Kovelskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The current estimated population is around 65,777.Kovel gives its name to one of the...
, as well as highways linking it with Brest, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
.
The estimated population was around 247,750 as of 2010.
History
Rivne was first mentioned in 1283 as one of the inhabited places of Halych-VolhyniaHalych-Volhynia
The Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia or Kingdom of Rus or Galicia–Vladimir was a Ruthenian state in the regions of Galicia and Volhynia during 1199–1349. Along with Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, it was one of the three most important powers to emerge from the collapse of Kievan Rus'...
. From the second half of the 14th century it was under the Great Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. In 1492 the city was granted Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
. Following the partition of Poland, in 1793 Rivne became a part of Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and in 1797 it was declared as a regional town of the Volhynian Governorate
Volhynian Governorate
Volhynian Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit initially of the Russian Empire, created in 1792 after the Second Partition of Poland from the territory of the Kiev Voivodeship and Wołyń Voivodeship...
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the period of chaos shortly after, it was briefly under German, Ukrainian, Bolshevik, and Polish forces. In April-May 1919 Rivne served as the temporary capital of Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
. At the conclusion of the conflict, in accordance with the Riga Peace Treaty
Peace of Riga
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, between Poland, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish-Soviet War....
of 1921 it became a part of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship
Volhynian Voivodeship or Wołyń Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1566 till 1569 and in the Kingdom of Poland since 1569 till the partitions of Poland in 1795...
for the period between the two World Wars.
In 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
and the partition of Poland, Rivne was occupied by the Soviet Union. From December of the same year Rivne became the centre of the newly established Rivne Oblast, within the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. On June 28, 1941 Rivne was captured by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, which later established the city as the administrative centre of Reichskommissariat Ukraine
Reichskommissariat Ukraine
Reichskommissariat Ukraine , literally "Reich Commissariat of Ukraine", was the civilian occupation regime of much of German-occupied Ukraine during World War II. Between September 1941 and March 1944, the Reichskommissariat was administered by Reichskommissar Erich Koch as a colony...
. At the time, roughly half of Rivne's inhabitants were Jewish; of these, about 23000 were taken to a pine grove in Sosenki and killed between the 6th and the 8th of November. A ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
was established for the remaining 5,000 Jews. In July 1942, its population was sent some 70 kilometres north to Kostopil
Kostopil
Kostopil is a town, originally named Ostlec Wielki or Ostaltsi, on the Zamchysko river in Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kostopil Raion. Population: 30,467 .-History:...
where they were killed; the ghetto was subsequently liquidated.
On February 2, 1944, the city was liberated by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, and remained part of Soviet Ukraine until the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 1958 a TV tower began broadcasting in the city; in 1969 the first trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
ran through the city; in 1969 Rivne airport
Rivne Airport
Rivne International Airport is an airport in Rivne, Ukraine.-External links:* * NOAA/NWS weather observations* ASN...
was opened. In 1983 the city celebrated its 700th anniversary.
Industry
During SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
times the provincial town was transformed into an industrial center of the republic. There were two significant factories built. The first a machine building and metal processing factory capable of producing high-voltage apparatus, tractor spare parts and others. The other a chemical factory and synthetic materials fabrication plant. Light industry, including a linen plant and a textile mill, as well as food industries, including milk and meat processing plants and a vegetable preservation plant have also been built. In addition the city became a production center for furniture and other building materials.
Attractions
Following the fall of the Soviet Union the monument for the Soviet hero D.N.Medvedev was removed, and the N.I.Kuznetsov monument was moved to another location within the city. Instead, in order to reflect the controversial history of the region the monuments for "People died in the honour of Ukraine", and "Soldiers died in local military battles" were installed.
Buildings
- Church of the Assumption (1756)
- Cathedral of the Intercession (2001)
- Cathedral of the Ascension (1890)
- A classicism-style gymnasium building (1839)
- During Soviet times the centre of the city from Lenin street to Peace Avenue (1963 architects R.D. Vais and O.I. Filipchuk) was completely rebuilt with Administrative and Public buildings in neo-classical, Stalinist style.
Memorials
- Monument to the 25th Anniversary of the Liberation of Rivne from the Fascists, Mlynivs'ke Highway
- Monument to the Victims of Fascism, Bila Street Square (1968, by A.I. Pirozhenko and B.V. Rychkov, architect-V.M.Gerasimenko)
- Monument to the 30th Anniversary of the Liberation of Ukraine from German Fascist Occupation, Soborna Street
- Hero of the Civil War—M.M. Bohomolov, Pershoho Travnja Street Square
- Bust on the Tomb of Partisan M. Strutyns'ka and Relief on the Tomb of Citizens S. Yelentsia and S. Kotiyevs'koho, Kniazia Volodymyra Street, Hrabnyk Cemetery
- Monument to the Perished of Ukraine, Magdeburz'koho Prava Plaza
- Communal Grave of Warriors, Soborna Street
- Monument of Eternal Glory, Kyivs'ka Street
- Bust of Olenko Dundych, T.H. Shevchenko Park
- Monument to Taras ShevchenkoTaras ShevchenkoTaras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
, T.G. Shevchenko Park; Statue on Nezalezhnosti Plaza - Memorial to Warriors' Glory, Dubens'ka Street, Rivne Military Cemetery (1975, by M.L. Farina, architect-N.A. Dolgansky)
- Monument to the Warrior and the Partisan, Peremohy Plaza (1948 by I.Ya. Matveenko)
- Monument to General Klym Savura Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army, Soborna Street
- Monument to Symon Petliura, Symon Petliura Street
- Monument to N.I. Kuznetsov (bronze and granite, 1961 by V.P Vinaikin)
- Jewish Victims of the Holocaust (ca. 1991)
- Monument to the victims of the Chernobyl disasterChernobyl disasterThe Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, Simon Petliura Street - Statue and Plaza dedicated to Maria Rivnens'ka, Soborna Street
Famous people from Rivne
- Sophie Irene LoebSophie Irene LoebSophie Irene Loeb was a US journalist and social-welfare advocate.She was born Sophie Irene Simon. She was a school teacher in McKeesport, PA, at the East End Public School before she married A.F...
, U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and socialSocialThe term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
-welfare advocateAdvocateAn advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man... - Mira SpivakMira SpivakMira Spivak is a former member of the Canadian Senate representing the province of Manitoba.Born in Rivne, Ukraine , Spivak received a Bachelor of Arts, Honours Degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Manitoba.She was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of...
, member of the Canadian SenateCanadian SenateThe Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
representing the provinceProvinceA province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other... - Serhiy HoncharSerhiy HoncharSerhiy Honchar is a Ukrainian former professional road racing cyclist. He is a former world time trial champion. In the 2006 Tour de France, Honchar lead the general classification after a time-trial win in stage 7....
, professional road racingRoad racingRoad racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
cyclist - Dan Ben Amotz, Israeli writer
- ancestors of U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim... - Andrzej Milczanowski, born in Rivne in 1939. Polish politician, parliamentarian and member of anticommunist opposition, Minister of Internal Affairs of Poland (1992–1995)
- Jan KobylanskiJan KobylanskiJan Kobylański is a Polish-Paraguayan businessman. He is the founder of the Union of Polish Associations and Organizations in Latin America the largest Polish immigrant organization of South America...
, Polish-Paraguayan businessman, founder of the Union of Polish Associations and Organizations in Latin America - Ancestors of Amos OzAmos OzAmos Oz is an Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist. He is also a professor of literature at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva....
, famous Israeli writer - Anna WalentynowiczAnna WalentynowiczAnna Walentynowicz was a Polish free trade union activist. Her firing in August 1980 was the event that ignited the strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk that very quickly paralyzed the Baltic coast and a giant wave of strikes in Poland...
, trade unionist, member of Solidarity
Twin towns — Sister cities
Rivne is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Zabrze
Zabrze
Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
Zvolen
Zvolen
Zvolen |Slatina]] rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. With its ancient castle, the town has a historical center, which represents the seat of an okres .-History:...
in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...