Kurylivka Territorial Community

History

The Kurylivka rural territorial community is relatively young. It was created in 2019-2020 by unification of village councils of Kupyansk district, Kharkiv region. However, the villages included in the community have a long history, most of them were founded in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The name of the community comes from the name of the central village – Kurylivka whose history is quite interesting. Beekeepers brought beehives to this area for the summer and once decided to build here not only summer housing, but also winter lodge. And then stayed here forever. Smoke from stoves rose above the houses of the first settlers in winter, hence the name – Kurylivka.

The jewel of the community was the wooden church of St. John the Theologian, built without a single nail. The date of its creation is not known for sure. Some researchers call the year 1625, others – 1864. The fact is that the Kurylivka Church, if you believe the legends and some experts, was a great traveler. It was built in Kupyansk, more precisely in the Kupyntsi settlement, after some time it had to be dismantled and moved to another village, and in 1854 (according to some data – 1864) the church was bought by the Kurylivka community. So the temple moved a second time – and has stood in one place for more than 160 years.

In 2008, during the renovation of the church’s roof, an unexpected discovery was made: images of the apostles were found on the roof logs, which did not lose the brightness of their colors even after centuries. The layout of this church is cross-shaped, which is characteristic of the Sloboda folk school of architecture.

The picturesque Oskil River flows through the territory of the community, on which the large Oskil Reservoir is located. There are several recreation centers on the shore of the reservoir, where you can go boating or yachting, swim, and fish. Unfortunately, due to the undermining of the dam by enemy troops, the reservoir became shallow.

Also on the bank of the river is Sosnovy, an out-of-town health and recreation facility, where children not only from the Kurylivka community, but also from all over Ukraine had the opportunity to fully rest and improve their health in the summer in the pre-war years.

On the northwestern outskirts of the village of Senkove, near the reservoir, the historical and architectural complex Ostap Vyshnia’s Spring was opened in 2001 in honor of the outstanding Ukrainian satirist and humorist, who once liked to rest here. The complex included a spring and a house-museum where he stayed and wrote his works. Now the spring is partially connected to the local water supply system. The Senkove village library has a local history corner, where the writer’s books, memories of the village residents, books about the writer and his photos are collected.

On September 1, 1986, a museum of aviation and cosmonautics was opened in the village of Kurylivka, which became the trademark of the local lyceum. The museum was located in the premises of the educational institution, so during the break between lessons, the children had the opportunity to join the world of aviation. The museum was destroyed by enemy shelling.

Economy and Welfare

The basis of the community’s economy is agricultural enterprises, which specialize, for the most part, in the cultivation of grain and oil crops, as well as in animal husbandry, breeding not only traditional livestock and poultry, but also exotic ostriches. These unusual birds have long adapted to the climate of the community: they grow and reproduce well. The ostriches were especially loved by local children, so regular tours were held for them during the school holidays so that they could  see the birds that had long been native to them.

The largest enterprises of the Kurylivka community are Mriya and Nadiya which cultivate large areas of agricultural fields, have modern animal husbandry and production complexes, which allows for the production of high-quality products. Trade establishments also function in the community. Public catering establishments, service sectors and gas stations have not yet resumed their work.

The community actively cares about the health of its residents. Before the start of russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, medical services in the community were provided by 5 dispensaries and 5 medical and obstetrical stations, which are part of the communal non-profit enterprise Kupyansk Center of Primary Medical Care.

The Kurylivka territorial community provides quality education for its residents by offering a variety of educational opportunities. There are 2 preschool institutions and 4 secondary education institutions in the community. All education institutions operate remotely. There are no higher educational institutions on the territory of the community.

Residents of the Kurylivka community are very cohesive. Celebration of Village Days, Cheese Fare Week, organization of sports competitions and Olympic Days, organization of holiday fairs are traditional here.

Community and War

In February 2022, as soon as the third day of the full-scale invasion, the community found itself under occupation. A lot of local residents were affected by cruelties of war: lack of food, medicine, telephone and Internet connection, as well as constant terror and intimidation. People held on and helped each other.

Today, the territory of the community is de-occupied, but continues to be subjected to regular enemy shelling. Significant damage and destruction are constantly caused to the housing stock, infrastructure facilities, buildings and property of enterprises. People die and are injured.

During the liberation, when the Russian troops withdrew, the unique wooden St. John the Theologian Church was completely destroyed, only the bell survived, which was handed over to the Kharkiv Historical Museum. The building of the village council was also ruined.

Many residents of the community were forced to evacuate to safer areas, and those who remained, despite the numerous shelling, continue to clean, repair and rebuild their lives. To date, about 3,827 people live in the community, 66% of residents have left.

People of the Community

Larysa Fesenko, Director of Lisna Stinka Lyceum has been working here for 40 years. During the occupation, the woman did not betray Ukraine and her profession and did not agree to cooperate with the occupiers, for which she was imprisoned and spent 45 days in captivity. Of course, this hardship had its consequences. Mrs. Fesenko did not leave her house yard for almost a month, because she needed time to move away from everything that happened to her. At home, she mostly lay down, because her legs had weakened from sitting in the cell for a long time.

Father Oleh Usov is the abbot of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Hlushkivka and a music teacher at a local school. During the occupation, he refused to work in a school with the occupation authorities. During the 7-month occupation, Father Oleh, through fear and risk, continued serving in the church, praying for Ukrainian soldiers, for the liberation of Kupyansk area and all of Ukraine. When defenders of Ukraine entered the village of Hlushkivka, Father Oleh together with the residents and patriots of the village raised the flag of Ukraine. For his fruitful work and patriotism, Father Oleh was awarded the Order of Saint Nicholas by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and a reward and certificate by Head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Oleh Syniehubov. At the moment, he has resumed working at the school and conducts the Divine Service in a small village church every holiday and Sunday.

Also, the Kurylivka community is rich in talented people. Thus, the famous master of micro miniatures, poet, philosopher, and sportsman Mykola Siadrystyi was born in the village of Kolisnykivka in 1937. The artist, known far beyond the borders of Ukraine, began his life in this community. The micro miniatures by Mykola Siadrystyi are exhibited in many museums of the world and every time cause extraordinary admiration of visitors.

The description of each of the miniatures impresses with numbers measured not in millimeters but in thousandths of a millimeter. Siadrystyi’s hands created the world’s smallest operating electric motor. This device is almost 20 times smaller than a poppy seed. Among the micro miniatures presented in the exhibition, almost every one is unique and unrepeatable.

Development Strategy

The Kurylivka community will continue to build a successful business environment.

It is planned to restore and develop agriculture, trade, and fields of services and catering, attraction of investments in the community and creation of new enterprises. Capital, current repairs will be carried out to damaged administrative buildings, educational, cultural, and social institutions. It is also planned to construct a new administrative services center and a school as well as to restore a unique wooden church.

The main strategic area of community development are:

– Sustainable economic development and investment attractiveness of the territorial community;
– Development of a comfortable and safe living environment;
– Humanitarian development and community cohesion

List of Sources

• Own photo materials of the village military administration
• Slobidskyi Kraі
•  Collection of monuments of history and culture of Ukraine: Kharkiv region. Kupyansk city and Kupyansk district. Encyclopedic edition / Editor. V. H. Maryonkina, Ya. V. Likholetov. — X: Cursor, 2018. — 156 p.
• microart.kiev.ua
• Navigato Ukraine
• delo.ua
• Facts
• Zmina.info
• atn.ua
• Network of local mass media of the Kharkiv region “Gromada.group”
• Portal Kupyansk.City
• Father Oleh Usov’s own photo archive.