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Medzhybizh Territorial Community
Khmelnytskyi
Population:
The Medzhybizh territorial community is located on the territory of Khmelnytskyi district, Khmelnytskyi region.
The total area of the territory: 31,938.91 hectares
Population: 7,486 people (as of January 1, 2024)
Men: 3,557
Women: 3,869
Children: 1,234
People of retirement age: 2,251
Internally displaced persons: 277
The community includes 1 settlement and 11 villages and has its administrative center in the settlement of Medzhybizh.
History
The name of the settlement of Medzhybizh comes from the rivers “Boр” and “Bozhok”, which connect near the town. The hydrological reserve of local importance “Bezodnya” is located nearby. The first written mention of the town of “Mezhybozhe” can be found in the Hypatian Codex in 1146.
The town was located on the “Black Way”, so a powerful castle was built there, which was first mentioned in 1516. Now the Mezhybizh historical and cultural reserve operates in the castle-fortress. In addition to local history activities, festivals take place there, which have made Medzhybizh known far beyond the borders of Ukraine. The most famous tourist events of Medzhybizh include the festival of medieval culture “Ancient Medzhybizh”, the ethno – moto -rock festival “Ukrainian Mezhybizh”. “Night of Museums” (May) and “Pumpkin Night” (October) are mass events in the life of the community.
Medzhybizh is also a Hasidic Mecca. Pilgrims from all over the world come to the grave of Besht, the founder of his religious Jewish movement. The mass pilgrimage of Hasidim to Medzhybizh started at the beginning of the 2000s. Over the past few years, a large complex of top-class hotels, hostels, mini markets, and synagogues has been built for pilgrims from all over the world.
In the surrounding villages of the Medzhybizh community there are also many objects that can attract tourists. In particular, the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in the village of Holovchyntsi, founded in 1540 by hermit monks. On its premises, there is a monastery well with healing water, which has long been considered a shrine.
In 1733 a wooden three-dome church with a separate bell tower was built in the village of Zapadyntsi. It is an architectural monument of national importance. The temple is one of the best examples of the Volyn school of wooden monumental folk architecture.
There is also a small early modern fortress near Medzhibozh, which is overgrown with a large number of legends and fictions. It is believed to be the site where II Rakoczi Gyorgy set up his fortified camp during his campaign as an ally of Khmelnytskyi in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Economy and Welfare
The community’s enterprises mainly engage in agriculture and extractive industry.
There are 6 secondary education institutions, 6 preschool institutions, an art school (school of aesthetic education), a sports school and 21 cultural institutions in the Medzhybizh territorial community.
Medical services to the population are provided at the Center for Primary Health Care, which includes: 2 outpatient clinics, 1 medical and midwifery station and 8 medical stations.
On the territory of the community, there is a department of the Administrative Services Center and the Medzhybizh Social Services Center.
Community and War
The Medzhybizh territorial community unceasingly helps servicemen and military units. Special equipment, means of radio-electronic warfare, FPV-drones, means of communication, thermal imagers, night vision devices, weapons, etc. are being purchased here. Club institutions, educational institutions, entrepreneurs and caring residents of the community are engaged in volunteer activities.
The Medzhybizh settlement council actively helps displaced people. During the full-scale invasion, a large number of internally displaced persons passed through the community. Currently, the community sheltered 98 families (277 people). Thanks to cooperation with various charitable organizations, the displaced people receive food kits, hygiene kits, clothes, bedding, etc.
In August, during the attack of the russian federation, the enemy hit one of the critical infrastructure facilities on the territory of the community. Due to the powerful blast wave nearby windows, doors and roofs were damaged. Educational and cultural institutions, administrative buildings and industrial facilities were also affected. Thanks to the support of charitable organizations, entrepreneurs of the community, the solidarity of neighboring communities and caring residents of the community, the consequences of the destruction were minimized.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the community has lost 30 heroes who served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their sacrifice is priceless. Their courage and bravery remain in our memory. Books will be written about them and they will be talked about in schools.
People of the Community
Settlement Head Oleksandr Tkach
The head of the community took part in the Congress of local and regional authorities under the President of Ukraine. To date, it is the most effective platform for communication between the central government and communities. Current challenges facing Ukraine and ways to solve them are discussed there.
Settlement Head Oleksandr Tkach and Mayor Andrzej Kunt signed a memorandum of cooperation between Medzhybizh and the Polish town of Kostrzyn nad Odra. Historically, it so happened that on the second Sunday of June, Medzhybizh and Kostrzyn nad Odra celebrate Town Day. It was the authorities and residents of the Polish town of Kostrzyn nad Odra that supported the community from the first days of the full-scale invasion and repeatedly provided humanitarian aid to residents and defenders.
For a long time, an interdisciplinary team worked in the Medzhybizh community, which combined the efforts of social services to create the first adoptive family in the Medzhybizh community, which is ready to take care and guardianship of children in need.
The community is implementing the project “Active parks – locations of a healthy Ukraine” — this is one of the projects included in the nationwide program of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky “Healthy Ukraine”. Its purpose is to make sports accessible to citizens and to involve different groups of the population in health-improving physical activity in places of mass recreation.
The community implemented a project to create a Shelter for persons affected by from domestic violence and/or gender-based violence. Comprehensive socio-psychological and primary legal assistance, as well as social services, will be provided there.
Development Strategy
The development strategy for 2019-2025 was approved in the community. It was developed as part of the project: “Implementation of effective municipal management tools and legal assistance to communities”, with the support of the “U-LEAD with Europe” program.
Nowadays, psychological support for children is one of the important priorities of the community. Therefore, the Children’s Service of the Medzhybizh Settlement Council with the support of the Coordinator – Partnership for Every Child, Plan International and Disasters Emergency Committee (Great Britain) in cooperation with the charitable organization “Depol Ukraine” implemented a project to create a social space for children – a psychological development studio “Harmony”.
The Medzhybizh settlement council plans to implement a large number of ideas and projects, including the construction of a house for a large/adoptive family with grant funds provided by Slovenia. It was for this reason that the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine Mrs. Mateja Prevolsek visited the community. During the meeting, a number of important issues related to cooperation in the protection of children’s rights were discussed.
Also, the community plans to create an embankment on the picturesque bank of the South Buh River with recreation areas and shopping pavilions, in order to increase the number of tourists. The location of the embankment is planned to be near the tourist highlight of the community – the Mezhybizh historical and cultural reserve.