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Voloka Territorial Community
Chernivtsi
Population:
The Voloka community is located in the western part of Ukraine, in the Chernivtsi region. The total area of the community is 56 square kilometers. The Voloka community includes 4 rural population centers.
As of January 1, 2024, the population of the community was 7,059 people.
Men: 3,265
Women: 3,794
Internally displaced persons: 52.
Children: 1,590
Elderly people: 1,328
History
In Bukovyna, near Chernivtsi, on the Dereluy River, there is a picturesque Romanian-speaking village of Voloka – the center of the Voloka community and the home to famous people and hardworking workers and peasants.
Voloka is surrounded by Ukrainian villages or villages with a mixed population. Neighbors have called the residents of Voloka “Wallachians” for a long time. Others called Voloka – “Wallachian land”, that is, the country (land) of the Wallachians.
A landmark of Voloka is Bykovyna’s largest wooden church of St. Nicholas, built in 1831.
The community takes care of its shrine and constantly updates it, because it is an active church, where services are held every Sunday and every Orthodox holiday.
It is interesting to compare the growth of the population in the village: in 1775, there were 53 houses in the village of Voloka, now – 988.
Economy and Welfare
The community’s economy is shaped by small and medium-sized business, in particular, the production of wedding dresses and agriculture.
Voloka is jokingly called a wedding salon the size of a whole village. This population center, 12 kilometers from Chernivtsi, is known in Moldova, Italy and France, and even in the Arab Emirates, because local craftsmen sew wedding dresses, no worse than by famous fashion designers.
The village has a long and rich history and a magical nature.
Manufacturers of wedding, evening and children’s dresses supply exclusive products to the Ukrainian and European markets.
They are engaged in the production of wedding dresses, evening and children’s dresses for wholesale and retail. They also manufacture accessories for wedding dresses in Voloka.
More than 495 individual entrepreneurs are registered on the territory of the Voloka rural territorial community. There are 52 commercial establishments, including shops, pharmacies, hairdressers, catering establishments, hotels, etc.
There are also many enterprises in the community, in particular “Chernivtsi Poultry Factory”, which employs more than 20 residents of the community, the communal enterprise “Valiakuzmynske”, which bottles spring water, 7 workshops for the provision of sewing services (production of wedding paraphernalia), and a workshop for the production of concrete products, an oil depot and a mill.
The first school in the village of Voloka started working during the times of the Austrian Empire in 1859 with only 5 children studying there.
Today, there is an education institution “Voloka Lyceum” in the Voloka community, which has 3 more branches covering each population center of the community.
There are also 3 kindergartens in the Voloka community, 2 of which are new as they were built during the decentralization period.
The health care sector in the Voloka community includes two outpatient clinics of general practice of medicine employing 4 family doctors and one health center. All of them are equipped with modern facilities for conducting outpatient examinations.
The community is rich in its cultural life. People in the community are quite religious and therefore many traditions related to the celebration of Christmas, Easter and other holidays have been preserved.
In addition, there are two festivals in the community: “Pоmana porcului” (“Pig Almsgiving”), which symbolizes the end of the winter holidays, and according to local villages’ traditions, everyone who helps to slaughter a pig is given a piece of meat, and all guests are treated to fresh food; and also, the festival “Ziua roadei” (“Harvest Day”) during which schoolchildren organize a fair where they sell their own prepared dishes, beaded paintings, and watercolor drawings. The celebrations are held with the participation of art groups operating on the basis of the cultural center.
Community and War
Since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, the Voloka community began to actively receive internally displaced persons and help the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 2,000 IDPs were accepted in the Voloka community and were provided with humanitarian aid. From the first days of the war, volunteers sent humanitarian aid from abroad and helped the Armed Forces.
More than 20 cars and one armored personnel carrier, spare parts for cars, walkie-talkies, food, generators, drones, etc. were donated to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 1 million UAH was allocated from the village council budget to support military units.
Many residents of the community joined the defense of Ukraine from the first days of the war. Unfortunately, 4 soldiers died defending their native land and their families from the savage russian invasion.
People of the Community
The head of the Voloka rural territorial community – Valentyn Hlopina – was first elected to the post of village head in 2010. Since then, he has been re-elected to the post of village head 3 times. He has been the permanent village head since the creation of the Voloka United Territorial Community.
The great full-scale war rallied the community in the struggle for victory. The Voloka community actively communicates with European municipalities to establish friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. In 2022, they signed the Declaration on Community Cooperation with the German community of Thierhaupten, and in 2024, with the Romanian commune of Dumbrăveni.
Development Strategy
The development strategy of the Voloka territorial community for 2024-2027 was adopted in 2024.
The strategic plan for the development of the Voloka territorial community is aimed at the economic, infrastructural, tourist and social development of the community. The main areas include support of traditional crafts, development of tourism and entrepreneurship, modernization of infrastructure, environmental initiatives, improvement of education, medicine and conditions for leisure. Special attention is paid to the creation of an industrial park, a logistics center, promotion of the community brand, energy efficiency and activation of public life. The plan is aimed at improving the quality of life of residents and attracting investments.
List of Sources
- Official website of the Voloka community – voloka-gromada.gov.ua
- Historical and regional portrait of the Chernivtsi region – bukportret.info