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Teterivka Territorial Community
Zhytomyr
Population:
The Teterivka Community is situated in Zhytomyr Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast.
Total area: 296.760 sq km.
Population: 10,315
Women: 5,467
Men: 4,848
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): 96
It consists of 15 settlements. The administrative centre of the community is located in the village of Teterivka, 7.9 km west of the city of Zhytomyr.
History
The Teterivka Community is a unique combination of natural beauty and deep history. Its land became part of the territory where the great state of Rus once flourished. Numerous monuments reminiscent of ancient times have been preserved here.
One of the special points on the community map is the village of Tryhiria, mentioned as early as 1598. Then the nobleman Oleksandr Voronych handed it over to an Orthodox monastery for maintenance. Today, the Tryhiria Holy Transfiguration Monastery is located here, which is an important religious and cultural centre.
The historical heritage of the community also includes the village of Denyshi, known since the 18th century. In the XIX century, a blast furnace plant operated here, and since 1903 the territory belonged to Oleksandr Tereshchenko. Today, the ruins of his palace have been preserved in the village, which is an important part of the local heritage. The village of Vysoka Pich founded on the site of iron mining is also impressive for its history, including the presence of a space museum operating in a former school.
An interesting archaeological heritage is the village of Korchak, which gave its name to the Korchak archaeological culture of the 6th-7th centuries. These lands preserve traces of the ancient Slavs and many historical and cultural sites. There is the Church of Blessed Vladyslav, the Bondarchuk Memorial and Mineralogical Museum, and the ruins of the Tereshchenko estate.
The community is famous for its natural beauty: the Tereshchenko Castle and Nad Terevom forest reserves, the Tryhiria Tract botanical nature monument with centuries-old oaks create a unique landscape.
The community’s natural wealth is not limited to local nature reserves, as the area is part of the shadow list of the European Emerald Network, which underlines its importance as a nature conservation area.
The Teterivka Community also became the location for the filming of the TV series The Slavs (2021). This is a historical series with fantasy elements about the life of the Slavs at the turn of the 6th-7th centuries. And this once again emphasises its picturesqueness and authenticity. The community not only preserves its natural and cultural heritage, but also actively promotes tourism, offering visitors exciting routes and interesting places to explore.
The Teterivka Community combines a rich historical heritage, unique natural landscapes and opportunities for tourism development. Its cultural and natural heritage creates a special atmosphere that attracts both researchers and travellers. By combining traditions and modernity, the community opens up new perspectives for historical preservation and sustainable development.
Economy and Welfare
The Teterivka Community is located 148 km from the capital of Ukraine, the city of Kyiv. It has a developed economic base with 225 legal entities and 378 individual entrepreneurs. The main areas of activity are industry, public sector, agriculture and trade, as well as a significant share of religious organisations. The industry is represented by two key sectors: furniture production and granite mining and processing.
LLC ‘Fabryka Klasum’ specialises in the production of furniture sets for homes, hotels and sanatoriums made of solid wood (oak, alder, ash) and all kinds of modern board materials for individual orders. A leader in the domestic market of similar products. Their products are well known in Ukraine and, since 1998, abroad.
Local small businesses are mainly focused on trade, services and transport. Despite the active development of entrepreneurship, the public sector, in particular the public administration and education sectors, provides the bulk of local budget revenues. There are no agricultural cooperatives in the community yet, but there are three horticultural cooperatives.
The proximity to Zhytomyr opens up additional opportunities for the deployment of production facilities and the development of logistics. The community has a favourable location near the H-03 motorway, 48% of the territory is covered by forest resources.
One of the most promising areas is the farm in the village of Staroshyika, which specialises in raising Aberdeen Angus cattle using 100% GRASS FED technology. The farm is located on 10,000 hectares and keeps more than 300 heads of cattle. The founders of the company combined European experience with their own innovations to create the production of attachments and trailers under the A.TOM Attachments brand, which is used both in Ukraine and abroad.
The economic potential of the community is based on a combination of natural resources, entrepreneurial initiative and favourable geographical location. It has all the prerequisites for further development of the agricultural sector, industry and infrastructure, which creates prospects for investment and the well-being of residents.
The Community and the War
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the Teterivka Community has become a refuge for internally displaced persons. In 2022, 512 IDPs lived here, most of whom found temporary shelter with relatives and friends.
To provide humanitarian aid, the community has intensified cooperation with charities, NGOs, volunteers and international partners from Poland. One of the important decisions was to convert two unused administrative premises into temporary housing for IDPs, which was renovated at the expense of the local budget and furnished with furniture provided by residents and benefactors. In 2023, the community received additional humanitarian aid to set up a shelter in the village of Pokostivka.
From the first days of the war, the canteens of educational institutions prepared meals for the military, which were sent to checkpoints and the frontline. Educators, local deputies and concerned community members joined this initiative.
In addition, the community participates in volunteer initiatives to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the community organised the collection and delivery of literature for wounded soldiers undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in hospitals and civilian medical facilities in Zhytomyr Oblast.
In the difficult conditions of war, the Teterivka Community demonstrates unity and willingness to support those in need. Volunteering, humanitarian initiatives and cooperation with international partners help the community to remain resilient and support the military and civilians in this difficult time.
Community People
Since 2015, Valentyna Ilnytska has been the head of the Teterivka Community. She was one of the first to undergo the decentralisation process in Ukraine, together with the community’s structural units. During the period of her activity, she has supported and maintained public initiatives and signed a number of memorandums of interregional cooperation. Actively participates in the public life of the community.
Before the full-scale invasion began, the community hosted various cultural events: entertainment evenings, themed concerts, village days, master classes, fairs and festivals.
In 2018, the first regional fish festival ‘Fish Food Fest’ was held in the village of Perliavka, featuring a variety of fish dishes by professional and amateur chefs.
There are regular festivals of children’s creativity ‘Sunbeams’ and the regional multi-genre festival ‘Mi-si-sol’. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, most events have been held online. And with the start of the full-scale invasion, all events have a charitable focus to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Development Strategy
In 2024, the community approved its Development Strategy and Action Plan until 2027. The documents were developed with the expert support of the Endshpil NGO as part of its project ‘Support to Strategic Planning for the Development of Territorial Communities in Rivne, Zhytomyr, and Poltava Oblasts’, made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the USAID HOVERLA Activity.
The strategy has three main objectives:
- Innovative, diversified economy.
- A cohesive community with a high quality of life.
- Attractive environment and quality services.
From 2017 to 2022, within the framework of the cross-border cooperation agreement, the Teterivka Community cooperated with the Gmina Jabłonna, Lublin Voivodeship, Republic of Poland. A visit to the Gmina Jabłonna is planned for March 2025 to sign a new cooperation agreement.
As part of the cooperation, the delegation of the Gmina Jabłonna, including students of educational institutions, also visited the Teterivka Community in 2018.
