Kamianske Territorial Community

Dnipropetrovsk

Population:

Kamianske is the third largest city of the Dnipropetrovsk region, divided by the Dnipro River into the right-bank industrial and left-bank residential parts.
The total area of the territory is 138 km2.

Population: 233.7 thousand people (statistical data as of 01.01.2022)
There are also 28,800 internally displaced persons, including:
– people of working age: 14.3 thousand;
– children: 6.4 thousand;
– people of retirement age: 6.5 thousand.

History

The unique face of Kamianske was formed in the nineteenth century. Kryvyi Rih ore, Donetsk coal and Dnipro water were the factors that contributed to its birth.

Photo from the archive of the metallurgical combine museum Source

The city owes its origin and development to the Dnipro plant, and it, in turn, to the railway, which connected the coal-bearing Donbas with the ore-bearing Kryvbas in 1884 and caused the rapid development of the metallurgical industry in the Dnipro region. These places were chosen in 1887 for the construction of the factory with foreign (mainly Belgian) capital, which would start operating two years later and immediately win a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. Neighboring Kamianske is an ancient Cossack village, the first mention of which dates back to 1750. In 1917, the population of Kamianske, together with the factory districts, was already 60,000 people, and in the same year it finally received the status of a city.

The Upper Colony district became the nucleus from which the modern city of Kamianske developed. On the spacious square, which to this day bears the name of the first managing director of the Dnipro plant, the outstanding industrialist and philanthropist Ignatius Yasiukovych, stands the elegant building of the plant’s head office.

Next to the head office is a historical building – now a puppet theater, and originally – a factory club, built in 1899 on the personal initiative of Ignatius Yasiukovych. The main hall with beautiful moldings – the famous Odesa and Lviv theaters were built in a similar style – remains the most interesting part of the building. To improve the acoustic qualities of the space, numerous champagne bottles were installed in the stage during construction.

The main hall of the Puppet Theater Source

The Dnipro plant was built on the basis of equipment transported from Warsaw. Poles were the vast majority of management and qualified personnel here, which explains the presence of such an outstanding building as the St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the city. It was built according to the design project by the architect Harmanskyi in a style close to English Gothic. In 1898, the first church service was conducted here.

The Lesya Ukrainka Academic Music and Drama Theater is the real center of Kamianske’s cultural life. On the basis of the theater, whose building is a monument of local history, a unique artistic event, which has no analogues in Ukraine, was held here in peacetime – the International Theater Festival “Classics Today”. Theaters from Ukraine, European countries and the world took part in the festival.

The twenties of the last century began with destruction and starvation in the city, like everywhere in the country. The population of Kamianske shrank many times – numerous residents left the city in order to survive. The factory was in desolation and became operational only in 1925. The story of the creation of the monument “Prometheus” – the future symbol of the city – seems all the more amazing. The architect Oleksiy Sokol proposed the idea of a monument in the form of a column crowned by a statue of Prometheus in broken shackles, with a torch in his hand and a downed eagle at his feet.

The image of Prometheus is also present on the modern coat of arms of the city. The representation of the monument runs through the entire novel “The Cathedral” by Oles Honchar which was, by the way, written based on local material.

Economy and Welfare

The economic potential of the Kamianske community is characterized by a powerful multi-branch industrial complex with a high concentration of industrial enterprises (about 30 large and medium-sized enterprises).

The leading branches of industry are metallurgical production, chemical and coke-chemical industry, mechanical engineering and electric power industry. Cast iron, steel, rolled steel, coke, cement, mineral fertilizers, industrial and mainline wagons, paint products – this is far from a complete list of products manufactured at Kamianske enterprises.

Today’s difficult times are a significant challenge for the city’s enterprises of all industries, which operate with different levels of loading and the introduction of downtime, taking into account logistical and economic factors.

Kamianske is among the leaders in the manufacture of metallurgical products. KAMET-STEEL is a city-forming enterprise with a full metallurgical and coke-chemical production cycle which has been treading its steel path for 135 years. The plant is the only producer of rolled axle billets in the world. The company’s products are in demand among domestic and foreign consumers – in addition to the domestic market, they are supplied to more than 20 countries around the world. Despite the trials and challenges of wartime, KAMET-STEEL remains a stable manufacturer of metal products which are essential for the country’s economy.

TAS DNIPROVAGONMASH, a machine-building enterprise with the widest model range among wagon builders, has been operating on the rail car building market for more than 90 years. The company designs and manufactures all types of mainline and specialized freight cars intended for use both on mainline railways and on the tracks of industrial enterprises. The production facilities make it possible to manufacture up to 9,000 wagons per year.

Located on the territory of the city, DNIPROAZOT is one of the largest enterprises of the chemical industry and the only producer of liquid chlorine in Ukraine, which is used for sterilization of drinking water and wastewater treatment. Before the full-scale russian invasion, the company was a leading supplier of chemical products to the domestic market, to neighboring countries and far abroad. It manufactured products that are in constant demand in agriculture, chemical and energy industries, metallurgy and mechanical engineering. Taking into account the security factors, the enterprise is currently unable to carry out production and economic activity.

ZIP is among the city’s leading enterprises. It is a modern high-tech manufacturer of paints, adhesives and chemical materials for a wide range of applications in everyday life and production sector. The company owns the trademarks “Triora”, “Zebra”, “Malva”, “STAR Paint”, “Grizzly”, “Magnum”, and “Ruta”.

There is also the Seredniodniprovska HPP in the city which is one of Ukraine’s most powerful hydroelectric plants.

The local government comprehensively supports the functioning of a developed network of small and medium-sized businesses and enterprises in the community. 1,473 shops and supermarkets, 352 restaurant facilities, 12 food production enterprises, 16 market facilities, and 359 household service enterprises operate here.

Administrative Services Center of Kamianske Source

The community has a front office of the Administrative Services Center, 2 territorial divisions, a separate workplace has been created in the village of Karnaukhivka, and the “Mobile Office” service is also available. The list of services is constantly updated, their number now reaches 638. Methodical and consultative assistance is provided to business entities on an ongoing basis. The operation of the SVOI chatbot is ensured, whereby it is possible to get a consultation 24/7, find out the work schedule, order an online service, etc.

Community and War

After February 24, with the beginning of the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the aggressor country, everything changed in the community’s life. The community rallied to support the defenders who defend our freedom and independence at the cost of their lives every day, to help Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes and came to Kamianske in search of shelter, many of the people of Kamianske engaged in volunteerism and charity.

Due to hostile attacks by the aggressor country on critical infrastructure facilities, the city was completely cut off several times, and there were emergency shutdowns of heat and water supply. On the basis of hospitals, educational institutions and other administrative buildings, 305 protective structures and temporary shelters and 25 “points of invincibility” were opened, 20 wells were installed to provide residents with water.

The Kamianske urban territorial community is a near-front-line territory and has become a host community for more than 29,000 forcibly displaced people. The city authorities faced the need to consolidate efforts to resolve issues related to the placement of internally displaced persons, their employment, placement of children in educational institutions, relocation of businesses, creation of safe and sufficient living conditions for both internally displaced persons and city residents.

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, powerful volunteer points were set up on the basis of sports facilities, where they organized the collection and distribution of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable categories of the population, weaving camouflage nets and charity collections for the needs of our military.

Kamianske is one of the few cities of Ukraine, which managed to adapt almost all educational institutions to the conditions of martial law and ensure their work in offline mode from the beginning of the educational process.

Shelter in an educational institution Source

Medical institutions of Kamianske accept wounded fighters from the combat zone for treatment and rehabilitation, therefore considerable attention is paid to the organization of specialized treatment and provision of hospitals with appropriate modern medical equipment.

In September 2023, the first newly built Mental Health and Medical Rehabilitation Center in the region, designed for 25 inpatient and 25 outpatient rehabilitation places, was opened in Kamianske.

The city authorities provided premises on the basis of which the Hub for the NGO “Families of fallen heroes of Kamianske” was opened. It is also planned to create a center for support, reintegration and psychosocial adaptation of war veterans, family members of fallen Defenders of Ukraine, families of prisoners of war and missing persons.

The comprehensive service “I am a Veteran” has been implemented in the Administrative Services Center, which has created all the necessary conditions for Defenders, veterans of the russo-Ukrainian war, their family members and members of the families of the deceased to quickly resolve urgent issues and receive services based on the “one-stop” principle.

People of the Community

Kamianske City Mayor Andrii Bilousov Source

Andrii Bilousov has been the mayor of Kamianske since November 2015. He has many years of experience in public and political activities.

During this time, a number of projects were launched in the city to reconstruct roads and improve the quality of utilities. Attention is paid to the development of educational and cultural institutions and active support is provided to the development of small and medium-sized businesses. Projects are implemented to put into practice energy-efficient technologies, reclaim the territory and protect natural resources.

It was under the leadership of Andrii Bilousov that the city underwent a complex improvement, which includes the arrangement of parks, squares, embankments, sports grounds and other public spaces to meet the needs of residents in recreation and entertainment.

Even during the difficult economic situation in Ukraine, the city is doing everything possible to continue attracting investments.

Reconstruction of city hospital buildings Source

Since 2015, with the help of the Mayor, 29 important social investment projects have been implemented in the city and the implementation of 14 projects is ongoing. The total amount of involved investments is EUR 97.2 million. Successful implementation of the projects is achieved by creating a transparent investment environment and an attractive investment image

The Mayor provides constant and comprehensive assistance to military units, social protection to military personnel and the families of fallen defenders, rehabilitation and treatment, repair of defense structures and shelters, etc. In particular, Andrii Bilousov personally visited war zones and handed over aid to the military a few times.

Meeting with Ukrainian Heroes, veteran defenders of Ukraine residing in Kamianske Source

Demobilized from the ranks of the Armed Forces, a well-known coacher in power sports of arm lifting and arm wrestling, a volunteer, an Honored Donor of Ukraine, today works as an electrical fitter in the workshop of KAMET-STEEL networks and substations.

Eduard is a person with an active civic position. Since 2004 (that’s when he became a donor for the first time), he has donated blood plasma more than 140 times. He provides volunteer assistance to his comrades at the front. Since 1993, he has been coaching in arm lifting and arm wrestling, over the years he has trained many high-level athletes.

His fate has been connected with the metallurgical enterprise KAMET-STEEL for almost 40 years, and he served two and a half of them in the Armed Forces, defending the independence and freedom of Ukraine in the hottest points of military operations. A few months ago, he was demobilized and returned to the enterprise to work in the agglomeration workshop.

Development Strategy

On December 18, 2020, the Development Strategy of the city of Kamianske for the period until 2027 was approved, which is the main strategic document that defines the goals, tasks, priorities, and areas of the economic and social development of the community in a long term, taking into account national and regional priorities.

The strategy is aimed at introducing mechanisms for creating conditions for the effective use of available community resources, applying innovative projects and SMART technologies, ensuring sustainable socio-economic and environmental development to attract investments and improve the quality of life of residents.

The programs of the Strategy Implementation Plan for 2024–2027 coincide with the strategic goals defined the Strategy:

Economic growth, favorable conditions for business and transparent government
Environmental safety and energy efficiency
A safe environment and high standards of living

Working with investors, creating safe conditions and supporting the implementation of investment projects, improving internal investment attraction processes and presenting investment potential are the key factors in the process of rebuilding and restoring the Kamianske community.

EU and UNDP delegation in Kamianske Source

In cooperation with world and regional international organizations, the Kamianske urban territorial community implements priority infrastructure projects to increase efficiency and stability in wartime. Long-term partners for the implementation of projects in the fields of education, health care, energy saving, transport, social protection of the population, culture and sports include: the German Society for International Cooperation GIZ Gmbh, the The Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO), the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children (INGO), the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH Foundation), the Cultural Heritage Foundation of the German Ministry of Culture and the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum, the KUSANONE Program of the Government of Japan, the Project of the Government of Sweden “Creation and Implementation of an Integrated Model of Community Recovery and Development”, The UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, European Investment Bank, Ukrainian Social Investment Fund.

List Sources

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