Horodnia Territorial Community

History

Horodnia is a settlement from the times of Kyivan Rus. Over its centuries-old history, Horodnia was a place of intensive contacts between various ethnic groups and cultures, the epicenter of important historical events, and an arena for the struggle of powerful neighboring states. Horodnia is first mentioned in written sources in 1552.

From 1618, Horodnia was in the possession of the Polish nobles Chwozcscs. At the time of the creation of the Chernihiv Voivodeship by the government of Poland (1635), Horodnia was a town and the center of the Horodnia district.

In the mid-17th century, the people of Horodnia took an active part in the peasant -Cossack uprisings and the liberation war of the Ukrainian people led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.

After the Pereyaslav Treaty of 1654, Horodnia became an administrative and military unit – a sotnia town of the Chernihiv Regiment. The Horodnia sotnia included 55 population centers.

Later, the majestic Church of the Holy Trinity was built in the center of Horodnia. This jewel could still adorn the town today, but 70 years ago it was destroyed by the communist authorities.

In 1764, families of Cossacks, townspeople, peasants, and Jews lived in Horodnia. They were mainly artisans and merchants.

The construction of the Libavo-Romenska railway in 1873, and later the opening of a bank, played an important role in the revival of the economy and trade in Horodnia.

In the late 19th century, a People’s House was built here, where amateurs staged performances, and later a cinema theater was created. The building has been preserved and now houses a children’s and youth sports school.

During World War I and the creation of the independent Ukrainian state, Red Army units were formed in Horodnia and the ataman rebels operated.

During the forced collectivization of the 1930s, one of the largest uprisings against the communists took place. Then the rebels were defeated near Horodnia. According to communists, more than 200 peasants were killed and wounded during this battle.

In 1989, the production of “Agat” color TV sets began in Horodnia. It was the only district center in the then Soviet Union that produced such high-tech products.

For a long time, the training aviation regiment of the Chernihiv Higher Aviation School of Pilots was located in Horodnia, which was well-equipped and had an airfield, a training ground, modern classrooms, and simulators. Thousands of high-class pilots, including ten future cosmonauts, started their flying career here.

Economy and Welfare

The community has an agro-industrial specialization. The economic complex is represented mainly by agricultural production and the production of products of logging and wood processing enterprises.

The main employers are the State-Owned Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and the State-Owned Enterprise “Horodniarayagrolishosp”. Here they protect nature, grow Christmas trees, and annually harvest seeds of various trees, bushes, and shrubs to grow seedlings and saplings for future plots. 

Other large enterprises are PJSC “Etnoprodukt” and PJSC “Horodnia Compound Feed Plant”.

In general, the community’s business sector is represented by micro and small businesses – only 2-3 private enterprises belong to the medium-sized category and there are no large ones in the community at all.

The main areas of activity in the community are agriculture and forestry, the service sector, the food industry, agricultural processing, food production, and trade.

Community and War

On February 24, 2022, the residents of the community, along with the entire country, woke up to explosions – the aggressor was shelling the border area. As soon as 9 a.m., the first columns of enemy equipment were moving through the town of Horodnia. The population hostilely perceived the aggressor and resisted by going to rallies, forcing the columns turn back and building barricades on their path.

After the bridge connecting the community with the regional center was blown up, the community was virtually cut off from the rest of the country. The community could only rely on internal resources for its existence. By uniting local authorities, entrepreneurs, and citizens, a food crisis was avoided.

In the first days of the war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck an enemy convoy of equipment located on the outskirts of the town of Horodnia, as a result of which dozens of units of various equipment and a large amount of ammunition were destroyed. Due to the resulting detonation, which lasted for 2 days, 2 apartment buildings were destroyed and more than 10 private households were damaged.

Currently, the community suffers from almost daily hostile shelling of border population centers, whose residents are forced to leave their homes and evacuate to safer places.

Now, community residents continue to team up. They hold charity events to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Community People

Andrii Bohdan is the mayor who has headed the Horodnia urban territorial community since 2017.

During his leadership, he has actively worked on the development of the community, contributing to the improvement of its infrastructure, social and economic conditions. He pays special attention to solving problems related to the border situation of the community and the challenges arising from the war.

The mayor constantly promotes and supports projects in the educational and cultural spheres, healthcare and social protection of the population. In response to the challenges of martial law, the mayor provided operational support to the community, in particular in matters of security and humanitarian assistance, which contributed to maintaining the stability and resilience of the community in times of crisis.

He pays special attention to establishing international cooperation and partnerships, which allows attracting additional resources for community development, and also takes care of cooperation with national and international organizations that implement their initiatives and projects in the community.

In the Horodnia urban territorial community, both before and during the war, initiatives aimed at developing the community and supporting its residents were implemented. Before the war, projects were implemented on energy efficiency and modernization of infrastructure: schools, hospitals and cultural institutions; as well as on road repair and improvement of water supply systems.

During the war, humanitarian aid, the organization of reception and distribution points for food, medicine, and clothing, as well as ensuring security through the provision of shelters, became a priority.

At the same time, work continued on restoring damaged infrastructure, collaborating with international partners to attract assistance, and holding events that strengthened community morale.

Development Strategy

The Horodnia community has an approved development strategy for 2019-2027 which defines the following strategic goals:

• The Horodnia community is a territory of developed entrepreneurship and agriculture;
• The Horodnian community is a comfortable place to live in;
• The Horodnian community is a space for comprehensive personal development and self-realization.

The community is currently working on a new development strategy until 2027 that will take into account current realities and adapt to the challenges caused by the war. The main focus is on ensuring the resilience of the community, supporting economic development, restoring infrastructure and social protection of the population. The new strategy will take into account the needs of internally displaced persons, developing the agro-industrial complex, attracting investments, as well as introducing modern energy-efficient and digital technologies.

Local residents, entrepreneurs, public organizations, and experts are actively involved in the process of developing the strategic document. This ensures that the strategy will best meet the needs of the community and promote its sustainable development, even in difficult conditions.

List of Sources

• Town Council website
• page of the Department of Culture, Family, Youth, and Sports
• museum.cult.gov.ua 
• cheline.com.ua
• censor.net
• suspilne.media/chernihiv
• ethnoproduct.com
• facebook.com/p/Мультифункціональний-освітній-центр
• gorodnia-zosh2.cn.sch.in.ua