VENDYCHANY TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY

Vinnytsia
Population:

The Vendychany Settlement Community is located in the territory of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi District of the Vinnytsia Region.
The distance to the regional centre of Vinnytsia is 103 km; the distance to the town of Mohyliv-Podilskyi (the border with the Republic of Moldova) is 22 km.

Population of the community: 11 111
Men: 4 661
Women: 5 449
Children: 987
Pensioners: 4 134
Internally displaced persons: 336
The territorial community includes 25 settlements. The settlement of Vendychany is its administrative centre.

History

Vendychany was first mentioned in the historical documents of the first half of the 16th century.

There are two versions based on legends regarding the origin of its name. The first, official, version says that its name comes from the name of the Vendychanka River. According to the second version, long ago there were two large families of Vendy and Chany living in the village on both sides of the river. But they became relatives, united, and, thus, gave the name to the village.

The Chatskyi Palace (Serebryntsi village), a national landmark of the late 18th century, is located in the territory of the community. The palace was built in 1770 – 1780, on a fairly high base and built of brick, and its columns, capitals, and slabs of the balcony were carved from sandstone. The stucco decoration of the interiors is partially preserved, some of which having been made of polished alabaster.

       There was a landscape park next to the palace; it was created after 1831 by gardener Dionysius Mikler, a creator of parks and gardens in Volyn and Podillia.

Chatskyi Palace in the village of Serebryntsi
Chatskyi Palace in the village of Serebryntsi Source
An auction to raise funds for the restoration of the Chatskyi Palace (Serebryntsi village)
An auction to raise funds for the restoration of the Chatskyi Palace (Serebryntsi village)

The first (wooden) Roman Catholic Church in the village of Vinozh was built in 1764 at the expense of Mykhailo Zhevuskyi, the Voivode of Podillia, but in 1840 the temple was destroyed by fire. Later, a brick Neo-Gothic church was built on its site.

In 1919 – 1966, the temple was closed. At present, the church is used by about three hundred Roman Catholics from Luchynets and the surrounding villages.

Roman Catholic Church in the village of Vinozh
Roman Catholic Church in the village of Vinozh

There is an interesting building in the village of Vinozh – the Kolosovskyi manor. Built in the middle of the 19th century, it was the property of local landlady Kolosovska.

There is a wonderful park with fruit trees around the house and a beautiful spruce alley with the spruces being around 100 years old. Until recently, the architectural landmark served as premises for a local school. But it has not been used for more than 10 years and is falling into disrepair due to a lack of funds for the restoration of the ancient building.

Kolosovskyi manor in the village of Vinozh
Kolosovskyi manor in the village of Vinozh

There is a very interesting landmark in the village of Nemerchi: a landscape park. The area of the park is 20 hectares. The ancient park is a national landmark of garden and park art.

The Nemerchi Park was founded in 1866 within the boundaries of a natural forest massif on the slopes of a stream near the Liadova River. The park has three ponds with a system of dams, 200-year-old oaks and ash trees, Weymouth pine trees, ornamental forms of apple trees and various forms of hawthorn. A total of 60 species and forms of trees and shrubs grow there. The park currently needs restoration.   

Landscape Park dating back to 1866 in the village of Nemerchi
Landscape Park dating back to 1866 in the village of Nemerchi

The Maliovana Khata (Painted House) plein air event is held in the territory of the community. The first plein air event took place in 2012 in the village of Slidy of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi District pursuing the renaissance of the traditions of Ukrainian folk painting and aimed at popularizing the wall painting of houses in the rural settlements of Podillia.

The fifth regional plein air event took place in 2020. For five days in a row, from September 21 to 26, artists painted the buildings in the village of Serebryntsi of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi District. Now, 24 masterpieces of wall painting made in the Podillia folk style are showing off on Serebryntsi houses. Artists painted houses in the centre of the village as well as its school and village club.

It should be noted that the Vinnytsia area is the only region in Ukraine where the Painted House unique cultural and artistic project is organized as a creative platform for amateur and professional masters of folk painting, who reproduce the beauty of their native land, preserve the traditions of wall painting and nurture young craftsmen.

Maliovana Khata (Painted House) in the village of Slidy
Maliovana Khata (Painted House) in the village of Slidy
School in Serebryntsi (back wall)
School in Serebryntsi (back wall)

The Olha Leonova Museum is located in the territory of the community. Olha Leonova (1898 – 1980) was an outstanding artist of Ukrainian folk painting.

Olha Leonova portrait
Olha Leonova portrait
Works by Olha Leonova
Works by Olha Leonova

Economy and Welfare

The Vendychany Territorial Community is agrarian, with developed plant and animal husbandry. There are registered agro-industrial and farming companies in the community. Production specialization: cultivation of plant and animal products, processing of agricultural raw materials, processing industry and production of building materials.

The community is rich in minerals and other natural resources (clay, sand, water), has good natural and climatic conditions for farming and fertile soil. There are also industrial enterprises (confectionery, sunflower production facility, sawmill, brick factory, production of packaging containers) and three industrial solar power plants. 

Epicentre elevator in Vendychany
Epicentre elevator in Vendychany
Vendychany-Made Bricks
Vendychany-Made Bricks
Vendychany rural pond
Vendychany rural pond

Community and War

On 24 February 2022, the residents came face to face with the war. People were forced to leave their homes to escape shelling, evacuate their children, and escape from the invaders.

The community quickly rallied and made an action plan. The leadership organized round-the-clock patrolling, arranged temporary overnight accommodation and food for people fleeing the war. And the community received 336 people. They were registered at the 24-hour operational headquarters. Municipal facilities and the private sector provided temporary shelter.

  Considerable aid was provided by the residents of the community. They brought warm clothing and basic necessity items, food, provided shelter in their homes. They also found opportunities to support not only the displaced people, but also Ukrainian defenders: they cooked and packaged foods and fast food for the front.

People dream of returning home – to their Ukrainian towns and villages. However, as long as this is impossible, they are trying to live on in the new community. And the authorities are looking for opportunities to cope with new challenges and help people who have suffered.

Humanitarian aid provided to internally displaced people by UNICEF
Humanitarian aid provided to internally displaced people by UNICEF
Children’s sports competitions on Children’s Day
Children’s sports competitions on Children’s Day

The territorial centre of social services in one of the villages of the community receives elderly people and people with disabilities from the Donetsk Region, where hostilities are taking place.

Receiving people from the Donetsk Region
Receiving people from the Donetsk Region

The community also collected humanitarian aid (food and seasonal items), which were sent to the residents of the de-occupied city of Kherson.

Collecting aid for Kherson
Collecting aid for Kherson

Educational institutions did not stop their work during the war. In 2021/2022, 1 151 children, including 76 internally displaced persons, went to schools and preschool educational institutions of the community. In 2022, the educational process was conducted using remote technologies.

The creative team of the lyceum collects funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The creative team of the lyceum collects funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine

People of the Community

Anatolii Yefremov is the head of the community elected in November 2020, the first to head the newly formed Vendychany Territorial Community.

During the two years of his leadership, the head tries to do as much as possible for the residents of the community and has implemented the following projects:

So, they managed to carry out an overhaul of the sports ground of the school and grammar school; an overhaul of the premises of the cooking section for healthy nutrition of schoolchildren.

Sports ground
Sports ground

They also managed to purchase a school bus to transport schoolchildren. The bus is equipped with an elevator for transporting children with disabilities.

School bus
School bus

Two buses and a tractor for a utility company were also transferred to the community at no charge with the assistance of the settlement head.

School bus from a charity fund
School bus from a charity fund

High-speed Internet became available in the villages of the community. And they also completed and launched a water supply line in one of the villages of the community. The community authorities also started reconstruction and repaired water supply lines in other villages.

Launching a water supply line
Launching a water supply line Source

The premises in the village of Suhaky have been repaired for the opening of the Police Station. The station was also equipped with furniture and computers at the cost of the settlement council budget, and two cars were received from the National Police for patrolling and maintaining order in the community within the framework of the “Community Police Officer” state program.

Deputy head of the community and police officers
Deputy head of the community and police officers Source

The Vendychany Community has a good tradition of celebrating the summer solstice, which coincides with the Ivan Kupala Day. Teams of artists of the community give performances and competitions are held for everyone on the celebration day.

Celebration
Celebration Source

Development Strategy

In 2021, the community approved its development strategy for the period until 2030.

One of the priorities is the automation of works involving the collection, transportation, and disposal of household waste and garbage. Repair of utility facilities is also planned.

Another area of development is ecology. Within the framework of the strategy, a “Let’s create forests together” campaign was held. 3 200 oak seedlings have already been planted in the Vendychanska Dubyna nature reserve.

Planting oaks
Planting oaks Source
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