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Artsyz Territorial Community
Odesa
Population:
The Artsyz community is located in the Odesa region in the southern part of Ukraine. The total area of the community is 761.56 sq km. The Artsyz community includes 13 population centers: 1 town and 12 rural population centers and has its administrative center in the town of Artsyz.
As of January 1, 2024 the population of the community was 30,793 people.
Men: 14,661
Women: 16,132
Internally displaced persons: 940.
History
The Artsyz community, like the entire Bessarabian area, has a rich historical past. Over the centuries, this land has witnessed numerous historical events and processes related to the multinational peoples who inhabited it.
From ancient times, the territory of the present community was inhabited by various tribes. Mounds scattered throughout the territory bear witness to the life of the Scythians, Sarmatians and the bearers of the Chernyakhiv culture. Goths, Huns, Antis, Mongols and Turks passed through these lands. During the period of Kievan Rus, the Transnistrian steppes played an important role in the history of the Slavs. After Bessarabia was captured by the Ottoman Empire, nomadic Nogai and Tatar tribes settled here, leaving behind the names of rivers such as Chaha and Kohylnyk.
From the beginning of the 19th century, the Black Sea steppes began to be inhabited by refugees from various regions. In 1813, a group of immigrants founded the village of Tashlyk, now Kamianske, which preserves the burials of the Don Cossacks. In the same period, the community became a home for German colonists who were invited to develop the region. Founded in 1816, the town of Artsyz got its name in honor of the victory of Russian troops over Napoleon in the battle near Arcis-sur-Aube. In the 19th century, Artsyz became a center of handicrafts and trade, famous for its horses, grain, wine, ceramics and silkworms.
In the 20th century, the history of the community underwent significant changes. In 1940, most of the German colonists left the region, and their places were taken by immigrants from different regions of Ukraine. Later, the community became multinational, uniting Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Romanians and representatives of other nations.
Today, the Artsyz community preserves unique historical monuments. One of the oldest is the Scythian mound on the right bank of the Chaha River, excavated in 1972. It contains burials from the Eneolithic, Bronze, and Scythian periods, including an inventory of gold artifacts.
The community is also famous for its religious monuments. The “Golden Ring of Churches” includes churches of the 19th century, such as the Holy Dormition Church in Delen, the Ascension Church in Hlavani, and the Holy Trinity Church in Kholmskyi. Special attention is drawn to the construction of a unique temple in Artsyz in honor of the icon of the Mother of God, “The Joy of All Who Sorrow”. This basilica, reminiscent of the architecture of early Byzantium, symbolizes the unity of the Orthodox peoples.
The Artsyz community is a place where history, culture and spirituality come together, creating a unique legacy for future generations.
Economy and Welfare
Advantages of the Artsyz community:
- 7 river and sea ports of Odesa are located within a radius of 140 km
- developed social infrastructure
- an extensive network of highways
- a junction railway station and a rolling stock depot
- 2.8 km long runway with the possibility of extending it
- 460 hectares of communally owned airfield infrastructure
- convenient location near the border with Moldova and the EU
- vacant land plots for industrial purposes of the GREENFIELD type
About 1,700 subjects of small and medium-sized business of various forms of ownership operate on the territory of the community. Most of the enterprises are engaged in agriculture, processing (production of meat, bakery, textile products, production and canning of fruits, production of concrete products for construction), auto transportation, warehousing, trade, and public catering.
The community has at its disposal land plots that are potentially attractive for investment. This is especially relevant given the short- and medium-term expectations of good transport accessibility.
In terms of economic development, the community has the potential to attract tourists interested in learning the history of multi-ethnic Bessarabia. Hotel and restaurant facilities are already operating on its territory, which indicates the possibilities for the development of a tourism-oriented economy.
The leadership of the Artsyz community has experience in attracting foreign investments:
– in 2018, solar power plants with an area of 27 hectares were installed with a 99% share of foreign investment (remained on the territory of the neighboring community after the formation of communities);
– there is a ready-made investment project for the installation of a wind power plant with a 100% share of foreign investment (Elementum Energy Ukraine). The implementation of the project is planned for 2025.
The field of education works effectively in the Artsyz community, for which the largest part of funds is allocated from the community budget. On the territory of the community there are 14 institutions of general secondary education, 14 institutions of preschool education, 2 institutions of extracurricular education (Artsyz Center for Children and Youth Creativity, Children and Youth Sports School), 1 Inclusive Resource Center, 2 education institutions in the field of culture (Artsyz School of Arts and Artsyz Art School).
Great attention is paid to children with special educational needs who receive psychological, pedagogical and correctional services in education institutions. Specialists of various profiles work with children, who are faced with the task of helping each child integrate into society.
The community also has 1 town and 12 village libraries, 14 school libraries, 11 cultural centers, and 1 museum.
The local festival “Vinogradovka Country Fest”, the highlight of which was the championship in fast manual shearing of sheep, as well as the regional folklore and ethnographic festival “Arciz Open Fest” were established in the community to preserve, restore, and popularize the local cultural heritage and increase the tourist potential of the community.
The community has on-stage performance groups that participate and win in national and international art competitions.
On the territory of the community there are many sports grounds for various sports and football fields. The local youth football team became the winner of the district football tournament.
Community and War
From the first days of the war, the residents of the Artsyz community rushed to defend their Motherland from russian aggression. To date, 48 soldiers from the community have fallen, 29 are considered missing, and 2 are in captivity.
Those residents of the community who cannot fight at the front today join various volunteer organizations and help the Ukrainian military by working in the home front.
The priority task of the Artsyz Town Council is to support military personnel and their families. In March 2022, a decision was made to provide material financial assistance to residents of the Artsyz urban territorial community who belong to this category.
The Artsyz Town Council initiated the collection of humanitarian aid for the communities of the Mykolaiv region that suffered as a result of hostilities. As part of this initiative, several trucks were sent with humanitarian cargo.
The territory of the Artsyz community has repeatedly come under rocket fire. As a result of the attacks, energy infrastructure facilities, industrial enterprises and residential buildings were destroyed.
People of the Community
Serhii Parpulanskyi was elected as Mayor of Artsyz in 2020 to become the first Mayor since the creation of the Artsyz urban territorial community.
The Artsyz community successfully cooperates with international donors and financial institutions:
– The USAID Governance and Local Accountability (HOVERLA) Activity until March 2026;
– Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, project “EU Strong Regions Program – a Special Support Program for Ukraine” until June 2025;
– European Investment Bank, implementation of two infrastructure projects within the framework of the Ukraine Recovery Program, namely: reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities in the town of Artsyz and reconstruction of the lyceum in the town of Artsyz.
Development Strategy
The basis of the effective activity of the Artsyz community is strategic planning of its activities. In January 2022, the Artsyz Town Council approved the Development Strategy of the Artsyz Urban Territorial Community for 2022-2027.
Since September 2022, the Artsyz community has been a participant in the Governance and Local Accountability (HOVERLA) Activity, which is financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which testifies to the successful and effective work of the Town Council in the area of decentralization of local self-government in Ukraine.
The main tasks of local authorities are:
- development of green energy
- creation of an industrial park
- thermal modernization of education institutions and health care facilities of the community
- modernization of community infrastructure
- creation of a sports complex and an international cultural center.
List of Sources
- Official website of the Artsyz Town Council
- Official Facebook page of the Town Council
- odesa.name
- News — Elevatorist.com
- Website of the “Bessarabia INFORM” editorial office
- Website of the “Odessa Courier” editorial office
- Website of the “Ukrainian Bessarabia” editorial office