Zhytomyr Territorial Community

History

Zhytomyr is a city with a rich history and traditions of self-government, which was one of the first in Eastern Europe to receive the Magdeburg Law.

Zhytomyr is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine. Since the Middle Ages, Zhytomyr has been and is the administrative center of the region, and in 1918 the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic worked here.

Archaeologists have discovered settlements and burial mounds from the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Within the city limits, burial grounds from the 7th century and the remains of an Old Russian settlement from the 10th to 13th centuries have also been excavated.

A large number of creative groups and ensembles perform in the city.

There are a large number of museums, including the only memorial house-museum of academician Sergei Korolev in Ukraine. The space technology pavilion “Cosmos” is open. The building with an area of ​​over 600 sq. m houses an exhibition on the theme “Space science and technology in the service of peace and progress”. 9 monuments of cultural heritage of national importance and 179 – of local importance.

“Polissya” is a Ukrainian football club from Zhytomyr. Founded in 1959. It ceased to play in the Ukrainian championships in 2005. It was revived in 2016 as MFC “Zhytomyr”. In early 2017, it returned the name “Polissya”. Starting from the 2023/24 season, it plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Zhytomyr is the city where the Dragons live. GOLD of the World Championship (2024 ICF Dragonboat World Championship) in the 200-meter mixed class was won by Ukrainian rowers on Dragon boats. The main achievement was not only the awards won, but also the license to participate in the 2025 World Games. This means that the Ukrainian dragonboat has officially entered the world arena of the highest level.

Economy and welfare

The development of small and medium-sized businesses is one of the main priorities of the economic development of the community, which is a significant source of self-employment and the creation of new jobs, investment, replenishment of the community budget, as well as the economy’s resilience to external influences.

• Food industry;
• Light industry;
• Woodworking;
• Construction industry (production of windows, doors, other structural elements for construction, concrete products);
• Metalworking (production of non-metallic mineral and finished metal products);
• Production of pharmaceutical and chemical products
• Mechanical engineering, instrument making;
• IT industry

About 100 industrial enterprises of the main circle operate in the city of Zhytomyr. The structure of product sales is dominated by the processing industry, which accounts for more than half of the total volume in the city. Food and beverage production (food industry) plays a leading role in the territory of Zhytomyr.

The community’s enterprises have a high level of competitiveness in the regional, national and international markets, as evidenced by the growth in the production of food products, hosiery and footwear, wood processing, production of windows, doors and other structural elements for construction, etc.

The sphere of production of non-metallic mineral and finished metal products, products of the pharmaceutical, chemical and mechanical engineering industries is developing. The volume of industrial products sold in 2021 amounted to 24.8 billion UAH, per inhabitant of the community is 94.8 thousand UAH.

Zhytomyr is a city of equal opportunities for the implementation of bold business ideas. American, Italian, Polish, German, Swiss, and Greek investments are already successfully operating at the city’s industrial sites.

In 2023, a training program for entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector registered in the Zhytomyr urban territorial community “EXPORT SCHOOL” was implemented in Zhytomyr.

The Export School was implemented by the Zhytomyr City Council together with the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, as part of the broader international cooperation program EU4Business: Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalization of SMEs, which is jointly funded by the European Union and the German government and implemented by GIZ GmbH.

Since 2021, Zhytomyr has been actively implementing measures to support the development of small and medium-sized businesses. In particular, the “DoBre” brand has been developed for better recognition of Zhytomyr products. Thanks to the “DoBre” labeling in retail chains, it is easier for buyers to find products produced by local entrepreneurs.

The event was implemented within the framework of the EU4Business: Business Recovery, Competitiveness and Internationalization Internationalization International Cooperation Program, which is jointly funded by the EU and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by GIZ Ukraine.

The community’s business focuses on the implementation of “green” technologies, the transition to a circular economy and the introduction of innovations.
The community has 83 educational institutions, including extracurricular education, 9 cultural institutions, 5 medical institutions and 1 social protection institution.

Community and War

In February 2022, Zhytomyr turned into a fortress. The city, which had always been calm and peaceful, suddenly became a center of defense. The streets, which were previously filled with people, became blocked by checkpoints, and residents prepared for the worst.

The first sirens sounded early in the morning of February 24, and the city froze. People who had never heard such a sound felt fear and anxiety. But instead of panic, the people of Zhytomyr united. They organized, helped each other, and prepared to defend the city.

The curfew changed the rhythm of life. At night, the city trembled from shelling, and during the day its residents worked, helping each other and preparing for new challenges. Rocket strikes from the Belarusian side hit near residential buildings.

On March 1, 2022, at about 10 p.m., a tragedy occurred – the Bohuniya residential area, an airstrike, 10 residential buildings were destroyed, 40 were damaged, three had fires, 100 rescuers extinguished them. 2 medical facilities, 3 stores were damaged. There are victims. 4 dead.

March 4, 2022 8:57 – direct missile strike on Lyceum No. 25, part of the educational institution was destroyed, 5 nearby residential buildings were damaged. Two airstrikes were carried out on the armored vehicle factory and the village of Ozerne.

The city became an important humanitarian hub, receiving refugees and providing them with everything they needed. Buses from Makariv and Kyiv region brought people who had lost their homes. Zhytomyr residents rallied to help those who had lost their homes and continued to fight for their city.

Another airstrike in the Korbutivka area hit a military dormitory with civilians, killing four people

But even in the darkest moments, when the city was in mourning, the people of Zhytomyr did not give up, the city continued to defend itself, building defensive structures and detaining saboteurs. The people of Zhytomyr helped the victims, cleaned up the consequences of the shelling and continued to hold the defense.

Later, another bomb hit the boiler house of “Zhytomyrteplokomunenergo”, damaging the water supply and destroying a residential building. The broken windows in two hospitals reminded of the danger that hung over the city.

Thus, with the support of international partners, the local authorities organized the evacuation of children with severe forms of cerebral palsy and neurological disorders, who went for treatment to Austria. Buses with children with cancer were sent to Switzerland. Families of servicemen of the 95th brigade were evacuated to Italy. Fifty Zhytomyr people (families of servicemen) were sent to the Netherlands.

From partner cities, Zhytomyr received tons of humanitarian aid, which was directed to support families in need, part of the aid was redirected to other cities of Ukraine.
With the support of the National Committee of the Red Cross in Ukraine, 56 modular houses were installed in the Zhytomyr community. In November 2024, 56 families who suffered from the military aggression of the Russian Federation settled in new houses.

Community People

The duties of the mayor have been assigned to the Secretary of the Zhytomyr City Council, Halyna Shymanska, since September 2024.

The program “Housing for Internally Displaced Persons and the Restoration of Liberated Cities in Ukraine” is being implemented in Zhytomyr, which is funded by the European Union and implemented under the management of the Nordic Environmental Finance Corporation NEFCO. The construction of the complex on Krasny Lane is the largest project in this area – the new housing will provide shelter for 116 families.

Development Strategy

The strategic planning of the Zhytomyr community is aimed at ensuring sustainable development and improving the quality of life of residents.
The vision of Zhytomyr is a green, safe, sporty city, in which modern design and natural landscapes are harmoniously combined, in which everyone is comfortable, in which talents are born and grow. The center of creative industries, entrepreneurship and organic products. The Eurasian transport and logistics hub. A city of equal opportunities for self-realization, which is proud and admired.

Priority areas according to the program of socio-economic development of the Zhytomyr community for 2024:

• Energy efficiency;
• Infrastructure security and sustainability;
• Support for defense forces;
• Business support;
• Support for veterans;
• Providing support for internally displaced persons;
• Creating safe conditions for participants in the educational process in educational institutions;
• Housing;
• Organizational capacity and participation.

PRIORITIES OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

• Development of alternative, green energy and increasing the reliability of the local energy system;
• Construction and rehabilitation of housing for internally displaced persons;
• Development of the urban water supply and sewage system;
• Development of medical infrastructure;
• Development of vocational and technical education;
• Development of electric transport infrastructure;
• Development of urban gardening and horticulture.

Sources

• Here are the sources from which the information/photo was taken
• Official website of the Zhytomyr City Council, Facebook page of the Zhytomyr City Council.
• zt-rada.gov.ua
• Investment portal of Zhytomyr
• investinzhytomyr.com/chomu-zhitomir
• Integrated development of Zhytomyr 2030
• 2030.zhitomir.ua