Zoria Territorial Community

History

The history of the village began in the 1950s. Zoria was built on the site of the Smorzhiv farmsteads scattered over the hills. Its general plan was to become an experimental window-dressing village. In one of his books, Ukrainian poet Petro Shkrabiuk wrote that this was a “village from the future”.

The Biliv hills are a unique site in the territory of the community. This is the territory of an ancient Rus settlement being home to archaeological landmarks of national importance. Two burial mounds have been preserved next to the settlement. There was a small fortress at this place. Research has shown that the fortifications were built in the second half or at the end of the 10th century, and were used throughout the 11th century.

At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, the Biliv settlement began to decline. The coordinates of the Biliv hills: 50.685914, 25.9729.

Another architectural landmark of national importance is the St. George Church in the village of Hrabiv. It was built in 1755 at the expense of the local parishioners. A stone cross stood nearby marking the location of an older temple. Today it is a wooden, three-log, three-story church.

 Economy and Welfare

The Zoria Community is engaged in the development of plant and animal husbandry. The land is rich in fertile soils there. The Community has a large agricultural sector specializing in the cultivation of corns, soybeans, rapeseeds, sunflowers and the breeding of new varieties of grain crops.

Agroconcern grows red and pink tomatoes on 8.3 hectares of greenhouses. There, 130 highly qualified workers use the latest technologies and adapt to modern working conditions. Agroconcern tomatoes can be found in the markets of the local area, the neighbouring regions and on the shelves of well-known Ukrainian supermarkets. Part of the products is exported to Poland.

The largest industrial enterprise in the territory of the Community is Verallia Ukraine PJSC, the flagship of glass container production in Ukraine and the world’s third largest manufacturer of packaging for drinks and food products. It specializes in the production of exclusive bottles and cans made of colourless “flint” glass.

The Verallia brand represents a group of 32 glass factories, 3 decoration factories and 8 glass processing centres (glassmakers) in 11 countries. Verallia Ukraine PJSC is located in the village of Zoria. The factory uses modern technologies and equipment necessary for the production of European quality products. The annual production volume is 200 million units of products, depending on the range. The plant uses Ukrainian raw materials, and its customers include leading manufacturers of beverages and products.

Community and War

From the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, the residents of the Zoria Community showed solidarity and loyalty to their country. Ordinary residents of the community became volunteers.

Dumplings, pies, and various tinned foods are made in the cooking units of the educational institutions. All the meals are delivered to the Ukrainian military on the frontline. The Community’s residents organize the collection of food, hygiene products, clothes and other necessary items for IDPs and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The men and women of the Community have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defend Ukraine. The residents believe that their contribution to the defence of Ukraine and future victory is invaluable.

People of the Community

Since 2015, the Zoria Village Council has been run by Mykhailo Oliinyk: a graduate of the Kyiv Theological Seminary, the Rector and the Head of the Parish Council of the St. Michael Church in the village of Starozhukiv.

Mykhailo is interested in the development of the Community: he attracts investments, supports local businesses and cultural initiatives.

A traditional event in the Community is the Dancing Polissia festival of amateur choreographic groups. The participants present choreographic performances based on Ukrainian folk dance traditions of the Volyn Polissia.

The residents care about the environment, so initiative groups regularly clean up the community.

The residents of the Zoria Community always take part in sports competitions. Football practice is being developed at the youth sports school of the Zoria Village Council.

Development Strategy

The Zoria Village Council is developing the updated Community Development Strategy. Its priority goals include the improvement of living conditions in the Community and the development of tourism. The community is actively working on the creation of a tourist route at present.

Since the strengths of the Zoria Community consists in its powerful industrial potential, supporting its local businesses remains an important task. The Community leadership is considering increasing the funding of local programs to develop cooperation and rural areas, provide opportunities for young people to start their own businesses.

The Community has a large amount of territories for the launch of new enterprises. Therefore, there are plans to increase its industrial potential by way of developing new infrastructure and attracting investors.

List of Sources

• Official website of the Zoria TC
• Facebook page of the Zoria TC
• Facebook group of the Community
• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia 
• Facebook page of the “Palace Zoria” Culture and Leisure Centre
• Website of Verallia Ukraine PJSC
• 7 Days online media