Lypova Dolyna Territorial Community

History

The first settlement was organized in the area of Lypova Dolyna about fifteen thousand years ago. There are several burial mounds there. A Neolithic settlement was also discovered near the village of Ivanivka in the Lypova Dolyna Community, which is still to be explored.

The first documentary mention of Lypova Dolyna dates back to 1627, and in 1647 French Ambassador Guillaume-Levasseur de Beauplan recorded his impressions of his trip to Ukraine in the book “Description of Ukraine”. The work contains a map where the settlement of Lypova Dolyna is marked.

Historical data show that during the campaign to Ukraine, the Swedish troops, moving to Poltava, passed through the territory of the Community. Swedish King Charles XII had his headquarters and a hospital there.

In the late 19th century and in the 18th century, churches were built and functioned in most villages of the present-day Community, but the buildings of none of them have survived, apart from the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Rusanivka built approximately in 1800 – 1810 in the centre of the village. The building is made of stone, except for the dome, which is lined with wood.

The Community was located on the trade route and fairs were held there three times a year.

The premises of the former parish council can also be found in the centre of the village of Rusanivka. The one-story stone building was built in the 1890s. Currently, the Rusanivka Village Culture Centre is located there.

The active development of culture began in the 19th century: a parish school and a ministerial one-class rural folk school were opened. Later, a paramedic station was opened in the territory of the present-day Community, which provided services to the population of the entire parish.

Then, just as now, the Lypova Dolyna area was a region of agricultural production. However, in the 19th century, weaving, shoemaking, and carpentry developed as well; windmills, oil mills, and blacksmiths worked, too.

The village of Hrabshchyna has a local architectural landmark dating back to the late 19th century, preserved to this day: a mill built on a hill.

There are not only historical, but also interesting natural sights and places in the territory of the Community. Popiv Stone is a geological natural landmark of the Sumy Region, a granite stone-boulder brought down by the Dnipro Glacier more than 180 thousand years ago. It has special scientific, educational and historical significance. Its area amounts to one hectare.

According to a local legend, there is an area called the Buhaivka Triangle near the village of Buhaivka, where mystical stories and strange things that cannot be explained sometimes happen: an anomaly of time, disorientation and a loss of a sense of reality can be observed there. Old stories say that it was actually because of regular paranormal phenomena that the village was abandoned by people. Researchers claim that mechanisms (clocks, tractor engines) do not work well in the territory of the triangle.

Economy and Welfare

The Lypova Dolyna Community is engaged in the development of agriculture: cultivation of grain and technical crops, animal husbandry. The local land is rich in fertile soils. Hydrocarbons are extracted in the territory of the Community. Agricultural production is the key area of local economic activities. The agro-industrial complex includes thirteen agricultural enterprises and sixty-two farms.

Operations of the industrial enterprise Zavod Kobzarenka LLC, which is engaged in the production of tractor trailers and agricultural machinery, is promising and significant for the Community. The company runs its production units in the town of Romny and the neighbouring country of Poland. The plant operating in Lypova Dolyna has 850 workers. In 2023, the volume of sold industrial products amounted to 1,392.9 million hryvnias.

Community and War

Despite the full-scale invasion, the Settlement Council has never stopped its work. All the residents have come together to do their best to ensure that life does not stop and the enemy does not achieve its goal.

Russian troops entered the territory of the village of Bairak and as a result of the hostilities one of the buildings of the local agricultural company was damaged.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, a volunteer movement has developed in the Community, the Settlement Council does not ignore any appeal or request for help coming from the military and communities that have suffered the most and are suffering from the military aggression of the russian federation.

The Oberih volunteer association works in the Community. Its team regularly collects and delivers to the front lines foods, medicines, thermal imagers, spare parts, drones, generators, military ammunition, overalls and other things. Active residents of the Community weave nets, knit warm clothes, cook food, collect vegetables and fruits.

1,081 internally displaced persons have been registered in the territory of the Lypova Dolyna Community. Special attention is paid to providing support and assistance to persons who have arrived from the areas of active hostilities and occupied territories.

The Lypova Dolyna Community sends humanitarian goods to communities affected by the russian invasion – the communities of Sumy and the Sumy Region, Kharkiv, Kherson. Foods have been delivered to the hospitals of those cities.

The Department of Culture and Tourism holds charity concerts, at which more than 1,300,000 hryvnias have been raised for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The war has pushed the Community to further digitalization: part of administrative services has become available online; the number of administrative services provided by the local Administrate Services Centre has increased.

People of the Community

A traditional event for the Community is the Day of the Settlement of Lypova Dolyna, which is celebrated every year in June. On this day, a number of sports and cultural events, concerts, awarding of local residents in various categories are traditionally held in the settlement.

Another important event is the annual Pokrova Fair event where traditional fair trade is combined with a concert program of professional, amateur, and children’s teams of the Community.

The residents of the Lypova Dolyna Community care about ecology and the environment, so they organize spring and autumn clean-up days every year. They willingly participate in sports competitions and win prizes at regional and national championships of Ukraine. The most popular sports include sections of freestyle wrestling, football, arm wrestling, chess, and tennis.

The Community runs a children’s and youth sports school of the Lypova Dolyna Settlement Council of the Sumy Region.

The Community has a well-developed sports infrastructure: the football stadium of the Alliance Arena football club, a sports club for practicing various sports, children’s sports grounds.

Development Strategy

The Lypova Dolyna Community has an approved Development Strategy for 2021-2027.

The mission of the Lypova Dolyna Settlement Territorial Community: “Community of general welfare, promising for young people, Provence of Slobozhanshchyna.”

The strategic vision of development encompasses:

1. Inclusive community, involvement of residents in decision-making, openness of local authorities.
2. Development of regional identity, unique traditions, preservation of historical and cultural heritage.
3. Wide opportunities for personal development.
4. Sustainable development (clean environment, personal safety, alternative energy).
5. Developed agricultural sector and conditions for innovative production.
6. Leader in the development of sports in the region.
7. Community comfortable for living.

Over the past year, attention has been paid in the Community to establishing cooperation with Ukrainian and foreign municipalities. The Lypova Dolyna Community already has a written agreement on cooperation with the Ukrainian community – the Ralivka Rural Territorial Community of the Sambir District of the Lviv Region and is working hard to find sister towns abroad.

List of Sources

• Official website of the Lypova Dolyna Territorial Community: ldol-gromada.gov.ua
• Facebook page of the Lypova Dolyna Territorial Community: facebook.com
• Volunteer’s Facebook page: facebook.com
• Facebook page of Oberih volunteers:  facebook.com
• Facebook page of the Culture and Leisure Centre of the Lypova Dolyna Settlement Council: facebook.com
• Website of Zavod Kobzarenka LLC: kobzarenko.com.ua
• Wikipedia :
• 1)commons.wikimedia.org
  2)commons.wikimedia.org
  3)wikipedia.org
  4)wikipedia.org
  5)wikipedia.org
  6) ldol-gromada.gov.ua
• Romny 24 online edition: romny24.info