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Chernihiv Territorial Community
Chernihiv
Population:
The Chernihiv urban territorial community is located in Chernihiv district, Chernihiv region.
The total area of the community: 78.56 km 2
Population: 276,927 people (as of 2022)
men: 126,142
women: 150,785
children: 80,139
people of retirement age: 116,446
internally displaced persons: 10,583
The city of Chernihiv is the only population center included in the Chernihiv urban territorial community.
History
Chernihiv is a city with more than 1,300 years of history. During these centuries, the city was first the capital of the great Chernihiv principality, then the center of the voivodeship as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Cossack regiment of the Hetman state, the province as part of the Russian Empire, and the regional center since the declaration of Ukraine’s independence.
During the Second World War, Chernihiv was occupied by Nazi troops, and the city was heavily destroyed. Rebuilt in the post-war years, Chernihiv became one of the largest industrial, cultural and historical urban centers of Ukrainian Polissia.
The 1,300-year-old biography of the city includes 112 monuments of history and culture, dozens of archaeological monuments – mounds and earthen fortifications, underground cave complexes, which is why Chernihiv is called an open-air museum city. It is interesting that Chernihiv is currently home to a third of all the historical monuments of Eastern Europe that have survived from the pre-Mongol period.
In total, 23 temples are concentrated in the city.
On the premises of the monastery, there are Anthony’s Caves – a system of 350-meter underground passages, which are located in the thickness of the Boldyni Mountains. The caves lie at a depth of up to 12 meters and are located on four levels. The lower tier is of greatest interest. It was preserved in an earthen version.
Chernihiv can be considered not only the historical, administrative and cultural center of Prydesennia, but also the city of students, entrepreneurs, scientists, and even the city of cosmonautics. That’s right, because among the graduates of the Chernihiv Higher Military Aviation School are 11 pilot-cosmonauts whose names are known all over the world. Leonid Kadeniuk, the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine, studied in Chernihiv.
The city has an active Wooden Lace of Chernihiv project aimed to preserve wooden architecture. The project started with the opening of an online museum dedicated to Chernihiv, but later expanded to the region. Since 2019, one of the key activities of the initiative has been the physical restoration of lace on old houses.
Economy and Welfare
A feature of the city of Chernihiv is a developed network of small and medium-sized business entities, market infrastructure, financial institutions, educational, health care, and cultural institutions.
More than 18,000 small and medium-sized enterprises operate within the community.
The vast majority of business entities engage in trade and service provision. The first positions are also held by enterprises of the processing industry.
Rubber and plastic products, other non-metallic products, motor vehicles and equipment account for the largest share of the manufactured products here.
The Chernihiv Automobile Plant is one of the vivid examples of manufacturers of motor vehicles.
The city has developed textile production, production of clothes, leather, leather products and other materials. Enterprises for the production of food products and beverages also occupy a high place.
The warehousing industry is also developed, which provides storage of products and services to material production.
In 2020, the project of comprehensive thermal modernization of the Maternity Hospital as part of the project Partnership for Modernization: Energy Efficiency in Hospitals implemented by Germany in Ukraine through the German Society for International Cooperation GIZ, came to an end.
The implementation of this project was very important, and not only for the city, but also for the entire Chernihiv region. After all, 48% of all children born in the maternity hospital are residents of the region.
In one of the educational institutions, a hybrid solar station with 58 panels was installed on the roof, thanks to which the school can work in autonomous mode for 4 hours and save more than 30% of the annual electricity bill. The station was installed jointly with partners by the charity organization Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation.
A new kindergarten was built in order to relieve the burden from two existing kindergartens, since the district has a large territory and continues to be developed. There are 15 playgrounds on the premises of the kindergarten, each of which has modern playground equipment. There is also a modern sports ground.
The park, which is part of the historical center of the city and the protection zone of the Ancient Chernihiv”National Reserve was reconstructed.
Community and War
The city of Chernihiv came under fire from russian troops from the first day of the full-scale invasion. However, the residents of Chernihiv with decently and courageously held the defense – some in the rear, some at the front.
The residents were aware that they could lose Ukraine by letting the enemy pass through Chernihiv. So everyone stood not only for the city, but for the whole country.
Men, with and without experience, came, took up arms and stood on the defensive. They prepared Molotov cocktails, prepared for street fights and were ready to resist to the last.
Despite the daily crimes and terrible terrorist acts of the russian federation against Ukraine, the city did not surrender. During the phase of active hostilities, all utility services were active.
Chernihiv Vodokanal delivered water to areas where the water supply was interrupted. Utility workers repaired networks to restore light and communication.
The city’s food businesses baked bread during air and artillery strikes to avoid a humanitarian disaster.
The wounded began to enter hospitals from the first days of the war. Chernihiv doctors treated people with serious injuries, operated in field conditions, in bomb shelters. Doctors had to operate without light. However, people were really cohesive and did not leave their places, fought for every life.
In March, the occupying forces targeted the Chernihiv City Hospital, where a large number of wounded civilians and soldiers were staying. As a result of shelling, 95% of the hospital’s windows were broken, but despite this, medical assistance continued to be provided there.
During active hostilities, 137 children were born in the city. All deliveries took place in a bomb shelter. Thanks to the professionalism of the doctors, all children were born healthy.
Women and children, being in basements and storage rooms, wove camouflage nets for the soldiers.
Despite the destroyed bridge over the Desna River, which remained the only way out of the city, volunteers, at their own risk, transported people by boat across the river under fire.
In the city of Chernihiv, along with other assets, about 150 multi-apartment residential buildings were damaged due to the direct impact of bombs and shells, and more than 700 multi-apartment residential buildings were damaged due to the indirect effects of explosions. 2 schools, a vocational school, a children’s dental polyclinic were completely destroyed, in addition, 25 schools, 37 kindergartens, 4 schools, 5 health care facilities (with a degree of destruction up to 45%), a summer theater, and 2 libraries were damaged. This list is not exhaustive and is still being updated.
Due to military actions during February-April 2022, 20 out of 30 cultural monuments of national importance, and 20 out of 39 cultural monuments of local importance were damaged; two monuments (“Schors Cinema” and “Tarnovsky Museum of Antiquities”) are in a state of emergency and beyond restoration. Affected cultural monuments of the city of Chernihiv.
According to the conclusions of specialists of the Kyiv School of Economics, as of May 10, 2022, Chernihiv was one of the three cities after Mariupol and Kharkiv that suffered the greatest damage as a result of attacks by the russian army. In general, the estimated amount of damages in the city of Chernihiv is about USD 4.2 billion.
People of the Community
Oleksandr Lomako has performed the duties of the head of the Chernihiv City Council since February 1, 2023.
Oleksandr Lomako continues already started projects and programs and implements new ones, the main goal of which is to restore the city. Today, all decisions and actions of local self-government bodies are aimed at continuing the course that the city had taken before the start of the full-scale invasion, and, of course, eliminating the consequences of hostilities.
In cooperation with sister cities, Chernihiv receives significant assistance for development and recovery in these difficult times, therefore, establishing partnership relations is an important part of the activity of the head of the municipality.
The community has recently received three minibuses from the Latvian city of Ogre, which have already been handed over to the water supply company, the territorial defense and the tank brigade
Restoration of private housing destroyed by the russians is a priority task for the city. Unfortunately, it is unaffordable for Chernihiv’s budget. Therefore, meetings with international organizations, municipalities of European countries and governments are regularly held, where the process of the city’s restoration is discussed in detail.
As a result of military operations, public transportation in the city suffered considerable damage, so Oleksandr Lomako wrote a letter to his Latvian colleagues. The deputies of the Riga City Council have already approved the decision and soon the city will receive 10 buses that will improve the quality of services for the transportation of residents.
Development Strategy
The priority directions of the city’s development remain the recovery from the consequences of russian aggression, the development of tourist infrastructure, the attraction of investments for the implementation of social projects, These particularly include the construction of a new gymnasium school instead of two schools destroyed as a result of the russian air strike, the construction of a rehabilitation center for military personnel and victims of war.
The community has a Sustainable Development Strategy of the Chernihiv Region for the period until 2027. The city has about 70 local programs in various fields of activity.
The city is interested in the development of its recreational structure and the use of its ecological potential. This is precisely what is emphasized in the City Development Concept – Chernihiv as a sustainable city. Steadfast spirit. Sustainable development.
In August 2023, the presentation of the Development Concept – Chernihiv as a sustainable city – took place jointly with Yakusha Studio architectural bureau. The plans are to make Chernihiv the historical and ecological center of Ukraine.
In addition, the Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the Chernihiv City Territorial Community is currently being created.
Recently, a project for the restoration of a city artesian well was implemented with the construction of a new ground pavilion and installation of modern equipment. One of the artesian wells, which was completely destroyed by a direct hit, was restored thanks to the help of the international organization Save the Children.
Many people lost their homes as a result of the russian military aggression against Ukraine, so the project, Modular town for internally displaced persons, was implemented in the city with the participation of the Red Cross Society of Ukraine.
As of September 1, 2023, more than 90% of damaged educational institutions had been restored. 85% of students attend off-line schools.
Over 30 charitable foundations and non-governmental organizations provided assistance in the restoration of educational institutions.
Thanks to fruitful cooperation with Save the Children, digital educational centers were equipped in 4 schools of the city. In addition, the Swiss government provided the city with 1 million francs for the restoration of the school building, and the Eastern Europe Foundation set up a model shelter in the kindergarten. Also, the Foundation provided assistance to 6 other facilities in the arrangement of shelters of 250,000 for each facility.
The priority project in the field of education is the construction of a new school in the Podusivka neighborhood, where 2 schools were completely destroyed.
Also, the community sees one of the priority directions in updating the city’s critical infrastructure, because the equipment, pipes, etc. are already outdated and need modernization.