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Karlivka Territorial Community
Poltava
Population:
The Karlivka Community was formed on 15 December 2020 and is part of the Poltava District in the Poltava Region. Its administrative centre is the town of Karlivka. The community consists of one town and sixteen villages.
The area of the community is 333.9 km².
The population amounts to 20.3 thousand residents, namely:
Urban population: 14,045 residents
Rural population: 6,247 residents
Internally displaced persons: about 4,000 people
History
At the site of present-day Karlivka in the 17th century, settlers from the Right Bank founded the settlement of Orchyk, which was part of the First Poltava Company within the Poltava Regiment. 1731 is the year of documented references to the settlement of Karlivka. A military fortification was built in Karlivka to protect it against Tatar raids.
In the 19th – 20th centuries Karlivka became the arena of advanced economic transformations. Clothing manufactories, distilleries, construction plants, and food industries operated there. The repair and mechanical plant was famous both in Ukraine and abroad (now it is the oldest operating Karliv Machine-Building Plant in the Poltava Region).
Agriculture developed as well: seven sheep farms, three cattle farms, a horse farm where Arabian horses were bred, and three breeding cattle farms (English and Wallachian breeds), four steam and rolling mills, several windmills were built.
A railway was laid through the town; large fairs were held there.
The unique brick three throne Church of the Assumption and the Church of the Annunciation were built in that period, the latter being the only building surviving in the early 21st century and needing restoration as soon as possible.
The Karlivka Community became the first powerful centre of the struggle against serfdom resulting in a major reform that brought liberation from the serfdom in the russian empire.
Economy and Welfare
The area of agricultural land amounts to 29.2 thousand hectares (88.2% of all the lands of the community).
Soils, mainly black ones, minerals: natural gas, sand, clay. The Orchyk River flows in the east of the town; the Sukhyi Tahamlyk River. The Krasnoperivskyi forest grows on the banks of the Orchyk River on an area of 317 hectares.
A road runs through the territory of the community, providing convenient connections with the regional cities: Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipro and an intermediate railway station on the Poltava – Lozova line (Kharkiv Region)
In general, the Karlivka Community is called an agrarian region. The structure of agricultural production is dominated by crop production, the main sub-sectors of which are the cultivation of grain and oilseeds. Cattle breeding and pig breeding are developing in animal husbandry.
Among the examples of local businesses, we can highlight the largest agricultural enterprise APK Dokuchaevski Chornozemy, which unites nine stand-alone enterprises. They cultivate 12.5 thousand hectares of arable land. The main branches of the enterprise include grain production, seed production, crop production, fruit and berry production, animal husbandry, storage of agricultural products, processing. The enterprise has a workshop producing pellets, a meat processing plant with a slaughterhouse, a bakery, a grain workshop, an oil mill, an elevator, a workshop for the production of direct-pressed juices and jams, and has its own Domashnii Smak retail chain.
Other examples of the community’s businesses include the Karlivka Machine-Building Plant and the October Distillery.
Small businesses actively operate and develop in the community as well. Thirty farms are registered in the community.
Community and War
Since the beginning of the war, the community has taken on the challenges of overcoming the consequences of the destruction caused to industrial facilities and providing for the needs of internally displaced persons.
About 4,000 internally displaced persons have been registered in the Karlivka Community. To meet their needs, a headquarters for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid was formed at the town council. The headquarters actively cooperates with many international charitable foundations and non-governmental organizations.
A shelter was opened in the community for the needs of internally displaced persons; up to 300 people have lived there since the beginning of the war.
The local vulnerable population is supported by the nongovernmental organizations such as the Union of the Disabled of Ukraine and the local Christian Church – they provide humanitarian aid to them. The Points of Invincibility have been equipped and provided with essential items, and the bomb shelter has been properly arranged for the population of the community.
Volunteer groups support the Armed Forces of Ukraine thanks to the residents of the community (they regularly collect things, foods, hygiene products and medicines). Since the beginning of the war, the population of the community has been weaving nets, making trench candles, canned foods, which they deliver to the front line.
People of the Community
Since 10 December 2021, the Karlivka Community has been temporarily headed by council secretary Serhii Bobrytskyi.
Charity concerts are organized on a permanent basis, where the residents are asked to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine with their voluntary contributions. The community was selected on a competitive basis under the USAID Dream and Act program, which is implemented by IREX together with the Building Ukraine Together nongovernmental organization, and created an eco-zone for youth. Events for children are organized there: the quest “I love Ukraine”, the performance “Alice in Wonderland”; the Day of Health event has been launched.
Karlivka is famous for its motocross track, which attracts motocross riders from different parts of Ukraine. The championships of Ukraine have been held there several times. The track complies with all the standards for holding the championship of Ukraine and with international standards.
Kettlebell sports are popularized in the Karlivka Community, and comfortable conditions are created for the training of young athletes thanks to the efforts of Honoured Master of Sports of Ukraine Oleh Kolomiiets and Master of Sports of Ukraine and European Champion Mykola Tkachenko.
There is a large football field in the centre of the town, where meetings of football teams of both regional and interregional significance take place.
At the end of the 20th century, the traditions of Easter egg painting in the Poltava Region began to be revived in the Karlivka Community thanks to Honoured Craftsman of Folk Arts of Ukraine Ihor Nikolaevskyi, who created more than five thousand unique works without repeating the drawing. Craftsmen are famous for making Easter eggs using the white on white technique.
Development Strategy
In 2023, the Community Development Strategy began to be drafted. In it, the community seeks to take into account new challenges and circumstances caused by the aggression of the russian federation: namely, ensuring public security, providing high-quality social and medical services, supporting the development of medium and small businesses, taking measures in the field of energy efficiency, green energy; developing transport and road infrastructure.
The community’s greatest treasure is its residents – that’s why many measures are aimed at improving the living conditions in the community: quality education, quality medicine, new jobs. The sports and cultural development of the community plays an important role.
List of Sources
Website of the Karlivka Town Council
Official page of the Karlivka Town Council and the Executive Committee
Materials from Wikipedia, Karlivka
Department of Education, Youth and Sports of the Karlivka Town Council
Everyone Can Help volunteer association of the Karlivka Community