Andrushivka Territorial Community

History

The territory of modern Andrushivka was inhabited as far back as the 1st millennium BC. Near the town, tools of the Bronze Age were found, and the remains of the early Slavic population of the Chernyakhiv culture were discovered. In historical sources, Andrusivka was first mentioned in 1683 under the name Andrusovka. Two hundred years later, the famous Tereshchenkos will build one of their palaces here.

The first palace, as well as the first sugar factory, were built in Andrushivka by its then owners, the Berzhynski magnates. Their family owned these lands from the 17th century. After the land reform of 1861, Hlukhiv merchant Artemiy Tereshchenko, who was nicknamed Karbovanets for his commercial flair, began to actively buy up land here.

The community’s tourist attractions include the architectural monument of national importance – the Palace of the Tereshchenko family (second half of the 19th century), the architectural monument of the Church of St. Clare (the early 20th century) in the village of Horodkivka, where the famous Eustachy Iwanowski – Polish writer, publicist, historian, memoirist, philanthropist, known under the pseudonym Heleniusz (Ukrainian: Геленіуш) – was born.

The ancient dish of the Andrushivka region – “krupky” – was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage.

Economy and Welfare

The community’s economy is quite diverse, but agricultural production (plant growing), production of hard cheeses, production of bakery products, and trade dominate. The total land area is 52.6 thousand hectares.

About 46 business entities are engaged in the production of agricultural products. The main crops grown by the community’s farmers are wheat, corn, soybeans, sunflower, rapeseed and sugar beet.

The most famous enterprise with European technologies for growing vegetables and potatoes is “Impak” working under the trademark “Ovochysta”.

Also innovative is the enterprise “Sirius”, which specializes in growing grapes, berries, nuts and other fruit trees. More than a year ago, the company started producing grape wine under the trademark “Mon Craft”. 9 varieties of grapes are planted in the farm.

“NERZH-STAL” has been on the market for over 10 years and has vast experience in manufacturing high-quality stainless-steel products. The company provides design, implementation, installation and assembly services throughout Ukraine.

This year, the enterprise “NERZH-STAL” received an order for the welding of the coat of arms of Ukraine on the Motherland Monument in the city of Kyiv. It constantly provides assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Hedgehogs” were made for the territorial defense of the community, and potbelly stoves known as “burzhuykas” were supplied to the front lines to insulate dugouts. The enterprise is recognized as one of the best among small business industrial enterprises of the Zhytomyr region.

Since the beginning of the year, agrarians have actively provided assistance in solving the urgent needs of the territorial community by providing funds, medical equipment, assistance in the repair of social facilities, carrying out work on the improvement of the population centers for a total amount of 3.5 million hryvnias.

The community has the “Andrushivka Town Hospital”, which has proven its ability to fully operate in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic and martial law.

There are 11 secondary education institutions, 13 preschool education institutions, 1 cultural education institution – a children’s art school, and an “Inclusive Resource Center” on the territory of the community.

The community is trying to actively develop the sports industry and is famous for the sporting achievements of its young residents. The Andrushivka Children’s and Youth Sports School, a communal enterprise, operates here, whose students participated in regional, all-Ukrainian and international competitions during 2023, winning 157 medals and taking 1st and 2nd places (in kettlebell sports, arm wrestling) at the European Junior Championship.

The community also has the Fortuna football club – a sports calling card of the Andrushivka community. The team of young football players is constantly improving and developing, achieving the desired victories under the leadership of young coaches.

The All-Ukrainian festival of decorative and applied arts “Towels of my land” is held every two years on the territory of the Andrushivka area, within the framework of which an exhibition of towels and embroidery prints of the regions of Ukraine is organized.

Community and War

In the first days of the war, the population of the community increased by 6,000 people due to its proximity to Kyiv. Taking into account the difficult situation with citizens who were forced to leave their homes due to hostilities, the Town Council took the initiative to set up a center for the temporary stay of internally displaced persons. Temporary shelter was provided by communal institutions and the private sector. Residents of the community provided significant help. They brought warm clothes, basic necessities, and food, and offered their homes to shelter those who needed a roof.

The war rallied all the residents of the community – everyone contributes their share to the victory: the women of the community united in the “Baking” volunteer group and since the beginning of the war have been making cookies and various delicacies every day and handing them over to Ukrainian soldiers. The second group of volunteers makes trench candles, weaves camouflage nets, organize fundraisers to help soldiers at the front. Charity auctions, concerts and other events are constantly held in the community in order to raise funds for the needs of the military.

People of the Community

Halyna Biletska was elected Head of the Andrushivka community at the end of 2020, simultaneously with the creation of the Andrushivka urban territorial community.

From the first day of the large-scale armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine, the head of the community continuously led a 24-hour shift of responsible workers at her workplace, took measures to properly ensure the defense of the territory of the Andrushivka Territorial Community, and protect the safety of the community’s residents.

She keeps under constant control the issue of the location and arrangement of the residence for the guard company, provision of servicemen with quality food and proper living conditions, and the operation of INVINCIBILITY POINTS. She facilitates the work of volunteers in providing the necessary things and food products to the residents of the community, internally displaced persons and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the results of the selection in the competition for support of social initiatives, the Town Council, under her leadership, became the winner and received grant funds. These funds were used to purchase furniture, plumbing, household appliances and carry out repairs in 9 rooms of a social hostel, where internally displaced persons will be settled. Support was provided within the framework of the “ShelterUkraine” initiative, which is implemented by SiLadUkraine organizations, charitable organizations “Warm City”, “Influence” and public organization “Institute of Creative Innovations”.

Also, as part of attracting international technical assistance with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the “U-LEAD with Europe” program, the Andrushivka Urban Territorial Community received humanitarian aid for the arrangement of temporary bases for internally displaced persons and for the implementation of restoration and emergency works.

As of now, the implementation of the investment project “Reconstruction of outdoor lighting systems in Andrushivka” with the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) has been completed. As part of the project, work was carried out on the installation of LED street lights, brackets, metal supports, replacement of existing outdoor lighting networks with self-supporting insulated wires, arrangement of ground protection circuits and surge protectors, replacement of control cabinets.

On the initiative of the mayor and thanks to painstaking work, the construction of the sewage treatment plant in Andrushivka was completed and put into operation in 2022.

On the initiative of Halyna Biletska, a monument to the Defenders of Ukraine was made and installed and a square and the Alley of Glory were arranged.

At the beginning of 2024, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation was signed with the Representation of the United Nations Children’s Fund in Ukraine (UNICEF) in the fields of education, health care, social protection, communal economy, culture and tourism.

The community team took part in the project, which is carried out in partnership between the public organizations “Dialogue for Understanding eV” and “EAF. Diversity in Leadership” (Germany) and NGO Association “Educational Policy Development Agency” (Ukraine) with the grant support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany. The project aims to motivate, educate and unite active women in the regions of Ukraine to promote their equal rights in local self-government, politics and sustainable cooperation with civil society and German municipalities.

Development Strategy

As of today, the preparation of the community development strategy has been suspended, as the proposed tasks and projects have lost their relevance. Before the war, the community planned to develop tourism, ecotourism, as well as continue to modernize the infrastructure and improve the quality of medical and educational services. But, despite all the challenges of today, the community continues to live. The main tasks of local authorities in the near future are:

• reconstruction of the hydraulic structure
• repair and maintenance of communal roads
• construction of a bridge which is of vital importance for the community
• construction of civil protection structures 
• repair of education and pre-school institutions of the community.

List of Sources

• Official website of the Andrushivka Town Council andrushivka.info
• Facebook page of the Andrushivka Town Council facebook.com
• Collection of photographs of the Andrushivka Town Council
• Natalia Dehurko’s photo collection
• Collection of photos of “Sirius” LLC
• Collection of photos of “Impak” PE