Solone Settlement Community

History

The territory of the community has been inhabited since long ago. The first settlements on the site of the present-day village of Solone emerged in the 3rd millennium BC. Remains of ancient settlements were found during archaeological excavations on the outskirts of the village.

The Solone Community has a unique garden-park maintained by landscape designer Svitlana Kulbashna, which won the First National Award for landscape architecture and garden design as the best public space site.

In Solone, the center of the community, there is an architectural landmark dating back to the late 19th century – the Bergman estate built in the Gothic style. This building is a bright and isolated example of German-Mennonite estates built in the second half of the 19th century.

Economy and Welfare

The Solone Community is located in Central Ukraine and has access to the right bank of the largest Ukrainian river, the Dnipro.

Its good geographical location makes it attractive for production facilities of many enterprises in the territory of the community.

Agricultural enterprises and manufacturing enterprises are the most developed entities in the Solone Community. The community is also known for the cultivation of grain and oil crops, poultry farming, berry growing, and meat production.

Community and War

From the first days of the war, the Solone Community has been taking an active part in Ukraine’s resistance to the aggressor and provided assistance to the residents of the territories affected by active hostilities.

All work is being carried out in the two main areas: support for internally displaced persons and assistance to the Ukrainian Army.

And for this purpose, six educational institutions, a hospital and a private cafe were equipped with temporary accommodation for people who found shelter in the community.

Residents of the community received refugees into their homes, arranged living spaces in vacant houses and homes.

According to estimates, as of November 1,650 internally displaced persons lived in the community.

The village council initiates and coordinates cooperation with charitable foundations and nongovernmental organizations to provide aid to people affected by the war.

Thanks to the solidarity and proactive attitude of its residents, the Solone Community has become a reliable rearguard for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. People raise funds and buy cars, walkie-talkies, thermal imagers for the military.

A volunteer movement was launched here to make camouflage nets and cook food for the front.

People of the Community

Mykhailo Kopeiko is the head of the Solone Community. He has been in charge of the development and welfare of the community for 37 years. Such a long period of work was entered into the Book of Records of Ukraine for “The longest continuous period of office in the same position”.

Since 24 February, the head of the community has been side by side with the residents of the community actively helping everyone who needed help.

Mykhailo Kopeiko’s team is working on creating good socio-economic living conditions for the residents.

Thus, special attention is paid to education.

In 2016, the Solone Main School was created – a space for new educational opportunities where students’ skills and talents are monitored and developed in every way.

A unified educational, cultural and sports space functions in the Solone Community.

In partnership with the regional authorities, a sports complex was built, which includes: large and small football pitches with artificial surfaces, volleyball and basketball courts, and a workout area.

As a result, the residents of the community are better motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle and step up their physical activity.

Sports life is going on despite the hostilities. The community set up its own children’s and youth sports school.

And the local football team reached the first league of the Dnipropetrovsk Region.

Development Strategy

The Solone Settlement Territorial Community is an investment-attractive community.

The main vector of sustainable development in the community is the acceleration and development of the economy, infrastructure and the creation of high standards of living.

The Solone Community already has a bank of investment proposals and project ideas.

The Public Budget is also in place. And the idea of the winners of 2021, i.e. creating a center of social activity of the population, a center of free space, is already being implemented, with a modern center of residents’ activity scheduled to be opened for 2023.

In the near future, it is planned to implement a project of an interactive information hall at the Museum of History “Tourist Locations of the Solone Area”.

Economic development in the community is ensured by participation in the national project “Victory Gardens” and “Flowers for School”.

A community where education is developed / photo – Solone Community

The community’s activity is awarded in various regional and national competitions:

• 2nd place in the competition “Best practices of local self-government” in the nomination “Improving the quality of educational services” in the implementation of STEM education, where great attention is paid to creative, spatial development and focus on the imagination of students.
• The community won in the “Education” nomination at the “Good Neighbourhood Fair”. 
• 3rd place in the Ukrainian national competition of the Association of Cities of Ukraine “Child-Friendly Cities”, “Accessible inclusive education for the children of the Solone area” for the inclusive resource centre project. The Centre’s philosophy relies on accessibility, development and rehabilitation of children. A special feature of the centre is its interactive floor. With the help of modern technologies, an image is reflected on the floor and creates a virtual “carpet”. – 3rd place in 2018.
• Award in the competition of the Ministry of Regional Development and Housing and Utility Services.

List of Sources

• Official website of the Solone Community
• Official website of the Solone Community on Facebook 
• Historical and cultural landmarks of the Solone area
• Website of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration “The main school in Solone is turning into a European-level educational institution – Valentyn Reznichenko”