Pidberiztsi Territorial Community

Lviv
Population:

The Pidberiztsi territorial community is located in the Lviv district, Lviv region.

The total area of the territory: 12,455.1 ha
Population: 7,272 people
Men: 3,490 
Women: 3,782 
Children: 1,308 people
People of retirement age: 1,256
Internally displaced persons: 103

The community consists of 11 rural population centers with the administrative center in the village of Pidberiztsi.

History

The first written references to settlements on the territory of the Pidberiztsi village community date back to the late 13th – early 14th centuries. The proximity to the princely city of Lev had a significant impact on their development: the area was settled by representatives of different ethnicities (which determined and shaped the traditions of local residents with “interspersed” customs of other ethnicities), as well as different hierarchical affiliations (not only peasants, but also nobles).

The territories of the modern Pidberiztsi community are particularly interesting for archaeological research. Settlements of numerous cultures were found there, in particular, there is the first settlement of the Veneds (Zubrytska culture) in the administrative center of the community.

There are monuments of cultural heritage in the community. The pride of the community and its residents is the Church of Archangel Michael, the works by outstanding artists Ivan Levinskyi and Modest Sosenko. According to the testimony of the villagers, Modest Sosenko used 25 kg of gilding to paint the temple. The unique stained-glass windows of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were also designed by Modest Sosenko and produced at a factory in Krakow. Instead of the usual church iconostasis, 12 figures of apostles brought from Rome were installed in the temple. In Soviet times, local residents had to hide them in the attic and paint over the artist’s signatures.

The church in Pidberiztsi is known as one of the model Ukrainian churches of Galicia, decorated in the national style. This is evidenced by the fact that the clergy and creative intelligentsia from Lviv liked to come to Pidberiztsi to see the temple paintings by Modest Sosenko. Andrey Sheptytskyi visited here in 1913, showing the temple to his foreign guest, Archduke Maximilian of Bavaria.

Church of Archangel Michael
Church of Archangel Michael Source
Church of St. Wojciech in the village of Verkhnia Bilka
Church of St. Wojciech in the village of Verkhnia Bilka
Church of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, 1880
Church of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, 1880

Economy and Welfare

The Pidberiztsi community has a favorable economic and geographical location: it borders the Lviv community and two important regional highways of international importance cross the territory of the community. Therefore, the community is attractive for entrepreneurs and there is also potential for the development of agriculture, transport, warehousing, and processing industry.

The system of social services to the population is actively developing in the community. There is an extensive network of preschool education institutions and six institutions of general secondary education. A stable increase in the number of students is being monitored. The village council is actively working to improve the condition of the buildings of educational institutions.

Pidberiztsi Lyceum
Pidberiztsi Lyceum

A network of health care facilities was created in the community: two dispensaries of general family medicine and three paramedics.

Dispensaries in the community
Dispensaries in the community

Dispensaries in the community

The village council actively works to ensure the well-being of residents and provide them with high-quality social services. For this purpose, they actively work on the cooperation with international partners. In particular, the community received a school bus from the Polish International Solidarity Fund (as part of the “School Buses for Ukraine” solidarity campaign with the financial support of the European Commission in cooperation with the Bank of the National Economy). And this is just one example of cooperation and support.

A school bus from a Polish foundation
A school bus from a Polish foundation

A hot-dip galvanizing plant of the Ekran Company, one of the leading enterprises in the field of metal processing and the hot-dip galvanizing process which protects metal from corrosion, was launched in the community.

CLAAS Company
CLAAS Company

The warehouse logistics of the Levitrade Company is developing. The company has been operating since 2016 and has been successfully developing in the Ukrainian food market of imports from Europe.

Levitrade Company
Levitrade Company

Community and War

Since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pidberiztsi Territorial Community, like most of the rear communities, received and supported internally displaced persons, organized humanitarian headquarters and support for military personnel and their families.

In the two-year period, the community has actively supported servicemen who defend Ukraine on the front line with the enemy. During this time, the village head and representatives of the village council visited the East of Ukraine several times, delivering humanitarian goods, aid, technical equipment and cars to our defenders. In total, the community, patrons, and residents have purchased and donated 35 vehicles since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Preparation of the trip of the head of the community to the East of Ukraine
Preparation of the trip of the head of the community to the East of Ukraine
Trips to the East of Ukraine (in total, the village head organized more than 7 large-scale trips to the front line with the transfer of humanitarian aid, including vehicles)
Trips to the East of Ukraine (in total, the village head organized more than 7 large-scale trips to the front line with the transfer of humanitarian aid, including vehicles)
One of the most extreme trips to the front line (handover of three more vehicles and humanitarian aid)
One of the most extreme trips to the front line (handover of three more vehicles and humanitarian aid)
Weaving camouflage nets for the military
Weaving camouflage nets for the military
Collection and transfer of humanitarian aid to communities of the Kharkiv region
Collection and transfer of humanitarian aid to communities of the Kharkiv region

A good friend of Ukraine and the Pidberiztsi community, Mr. Kees Stoppelenbur, was received as a guest. He, together with volunteers from the city of Schoonhoven (the Netherlands) has repeatedly delivered humanitarian aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Friends from the Netherlands on Ukrainian soil
Friends from the Netherlands on Ukrainian soil

People of the Community

The head of the Pidberiztsi community is Vasyl Koval. He has been leading the community since its formation in 2017 and is actively working on the implementation of development projects, attracting business, establishing cooperation with foreign and Ukrainian partners, working with youth and the public.

The head of the community and children at the commemoration of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred “Angels of Memory”
The head of the community and children at the commemoration of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred “Angels of Memory”

During the last two years, various charity fairs, festivals and other events to raise funds for the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are often held in the Pidberiztsi community. Such events are also organized in schools, people’s houses, and the central squares of population centers. Children and adults, as well as regional authorities, participate in the organization of events.

Big hearts of little Ukrainians: the children of the community actively donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the two years of the war
Big hearts of little Ukrainians: the children of the community actively donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the two years of the war
St. Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas Day
Participants of a charity concert in support of the Ukrainian army
Participants of a charity concert in support of the Ukrainian army
Memorial service for the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred (“Angels of Memory”)
Memorial service for the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred (“Angels of Memory”)

The charity Christmas festival, Let’s carol to God – let’s bring Victory closer! was held in Verkhnia Bilka. Talented teams and performers of the Pidberiztsi community sang vibrant carols. Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy dishes at the fair.

 Christmas festival Let's carol to God - let's bring Victory closer!
Christmas festival Let's carol to God - let's bring Victory closer!
Christmas nativity scenes in the community
Christmas nativity scenes in the community

Residents of the population centers of the Pidberiztsi community, adults and young people caroled, held festive nativity scenes, thereby joining the raising of funds for the needs of soldiers-compatriots on the front lines.

Community children collect funds for the military
Community children collect funds for the military
Children's art for Ukrainian defenders (Event on Children's Day)
Children's art for Ukrainian defenders (Event on Children's Day)

It has already become a good tradition in the community to organize a drawing competition and invite participants to a tour and award ceremony at the local self-government body. The children dedicated their works of art to our brave soldiers. Therefore, the head of the community, Vasyl KOVAL, handed over all the drawings to the military from the Pidberiztsi territorial community who are currently defending Ukraine on the front line.

Pidberiztsi community on Flag Day of Ukraine
Pidberiztsi community on Flag Day of Ukraine
Signing of a memorandum with the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration
Signing of a memorandum with the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration

The community is proud of its residents. The following public figures were born in the villages of the community: Sofya Yablonska – Ukrainian and French writer, world traveler, journalist, photographer and director; Yosyfa (Viter) – the first Ukrainian woman to be recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations for rescuing Jewish children during the Holocaust; composer Andrii Hnatyshyn, opera singer Roman Prokopovych-Orlenko and others.

Development Strategy

The community is finalizing the Development Strategy of the Pidberiztsi Rural Territorial Community for the period until 2027.

The strategic goals of community development are defined as follows: ensuring the quality of life of residents, developing a competitive economy, creating a comfortable living environment.

The strategic goals are planned to be achieved through the implementation of important socio-economic projects , in particular: construction of sewage networks and treatment facilities; repair of premises of executive bodies; a community building for the accommodation of internally displaced persons in two villages of the community; educational institutions equipped with anti-radiation shelters; boiler house of communal facilities for diversification of supply sources in conditions of energy threat; the building of the dispensary for the treatment and rehabilitation of servicemen, internally displaced persons and other persons who suffered as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation; projects for the improvement of the territory and arrangement of public spaces ; environmental measures.

Over the past three years, the Pidberiztsi Village Council has implemented the following main projects:

The buildings of the Pidberiztsi Lyceum were reconstructed and the premises for a kindergarten seating 40 children were completed.

Pidberiztsi Lyceum
Pidberiztsi Lyceum

The renovated school

Myklashiv school
Myklashiv school
Junior school in the village of Chornushovychi
Junior school in the village of Chornushovychi

Heating systems in schools and kindergartens of the community were modernized.
Football fields with artificial turf were built.

Equipped football fields in the community
Equipped football fields in the community

A high-quality public space has been arranged in the center of the largest village of Verkhnia Bilka

Public space in the largest village of the community, next to the park
Public space in the largest village of the community, next to the park

Today, the reconstruction project of the building of the Bilochka kindergarten in the largest village of the community is being implemented. The project is financed by the European Investment Bank within the framework of the “Extraordinary Credit Program for the Reconstruction of Ukraine”

Kindergarten design project in the village of Verkhnia Bilka
Kindergarten design project in the village of Verkhnia Bilka
International partners - Gmina Ciechanowiec (Poland)
International partners - Gmina Ciechanowiec (Poland)

List of Sources

If you want to contact an Ukrainian community or have additional questions regarding the project please contact us: [email protected]