Turka Territorial Community

History

The town of Turka was founded by the Polish king Władysław II Jagailo in 1431. After 300 years, Turka was granted Magdeburg rights and later the owner of the town moved his residence there. In 1856, the Austrian government created the Turka district. Then Turka became an administrative center for the first time.

In 1904, the first railway was built on the territory of the Turka district which connected Turka with Lviv and Zakarpattia.

There are 9 architectural monuments of national importance and 12 architectural monuments of local importance on the territory of the Turka community. The most prominent of them is the wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel (1663) which was recently renovated and the belfry (1722) in the village of Isayi

There are also hydrological monuments of local importance on the territory of the community and springs of mineral water.

The community has a people’s museum “Boykivshchyna” – a treasury of the past which preserves the authenticity of the Boykos region, including ethno-clothes, ancient embroidery, wooden products, as well as books and documents of the history of the Turka area.

Economy and Welfare

There are almost 90 legal entities and 380 individual entrepreneurs on the territory of the community. Enterprises are mainly engaged in forestry, passenger transportation, agricultural production, trade in petroleum products and food products, tourism and recreation. Individual entrepreneurs specialize in wholesale and retail trade and the sphere of services.

There are more than 15 hotel and tourist recreation complexes in the community.

Also, 5 tourist routes run through the community.

The residents are provided with medical services at the central town hospital and primary health care center.

Community and War

The war in Ukraine presented new challenges to communities and forced them to mobilize to support residents and protect the country. The Turka Town Council is one of the examples of how the community can unite and act effectively in the conditions of war.

Since the beginning of the war, extremely important tasks have fallen on the shoulders of local self-government bodies.

It is worth noting that even on the eve of the full-scale war, the level of trust in local authorities among the public was one of the highest among other institutions. And this is confirmed by the great interaction of citizens with local authorities.

With the start of the full-scale war on February 24, 2022 and the introduction of martial law, the Turka community became a place of protection for many people fleeing the aggression of the Russian Federation. As early as February 24, the operational response headquarters was created. The employees provided all necessary assistance and consultations to internally displaced persons around the clock

Vital infrastructure continued and continues to be supported to ensure the uninterrupted supply of electricity, water, heat and other vital resources.

Cooperation with medical institutions continues to ensure the availability of medical care for internally displaced persons and community residents.

Distance learning for schoolchildren and preschoolers has been organized.

Our biggest achievement is the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the transfer of cars for military needs. Thanks to the residents and volunteers of the community, there is a constant collection of funds and aid. The community organized the baking of pies, cookies, and various goodies for the military. The residents also weave camouflage nets that are passed on to the front line. The smallest inhabitants of the community also make their contribution to the victory by inspiring the soldiers with their patriotic drawings.

At the beginning of the invasion, the Turka Town Council was able to receive and accommodate about 3,000 internally displaced persons from different regions of Ukraine. In the future, we will continue to work with displaced persons regarding documents, job search and training.

On February 24, 2022, the small Carpathian community, together with the whole of Ukraine, began its fight against the enemy in the home front, because a reliable home front is the key to a successful front line. The community became a place of safety for people fleeing the war – during this period up to 6,000 internally displaced people arrived (as of January 1, 2024, 300 people remained).

A coordination headquarters for the reception, settlement of, and provision of basic necessities to, displaced persons was created in the community. The largest volunteer centers were organized by the residents of the village of Zavadivka, thereby involving all the surrounding population centers.

Cars, quadcopters, thermal imagers, walkie-talkies, bulletproof vests, generators, camera traps, weather stations, collimators and hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, especially Boykos delicacies and many individual orders and parcels are sent to defenders, as well as provided to internally displaced persons for them to feel warmth and breath of home.

People of the Community

Also, with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe program, an investment passport of community was developed.

The community won the competition of the Ukrainian Institute of Books and replenished the library fund with new books: they received 510 copies of books by Ukrainian and international authors.

Cooperation was also established with two foreign sister cities: the town of Slavków (Poland) and the town of Hranice (Czech Republic) for the joint development of culture, education and economy.

Development Strategy

The community created a working group on strategy development. In the process of preparing the Strategy, three main strategic goals were defined: raising the standard of living of the population, increasing the economic capacity of the community, and developing the tourism and recreation and health spheres.

In 2022, the investment passport of the Turka urban community was developed.

The decision of the session also approved the “Action plan for sustainable energy development and climate in the town of Turka until 2030“.

The World Boykos Fests and the Boykos Congress are important events for the development of the community.

  Starting from 1992 and every 5 years, the international holiday – the World Boykos Fests –  has been held here and makes a grandiose Boykos forum.

Also, since 2005, and every 5 years, the World Boykos Congress – an international ethnic festival of boikos – has been held in the community. 

The main goal of these events is the revival of folk traditions and customs of the Boykos of Ukraine, the preservation of authentic folklore, the development of folk art and folk crafts, as well as the cultural and artistic heritage of the Boykos region and the multiplication of successes in the development of the Ukrainian state.

6 Boykos Fests have been held since 1992 and 3 Boykos Congresses have been organized since 2005. They were attended by over 1 million people, including participants and guests.

Sources

• facebook.com
• turka-mrada.gov.ua