Rivne
Template:Infobox Ukrainian City Rivne (Ukrainian: Рівне, Russian: Ровно, translit. Rovno) is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivnensky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.
Rivne is an important transportion hub, with an international airport, and rail links to Zdolbuniv, Sarny and Kovel, as well as highways linking it with Brest, Kiev and Lviv.
The current estimated population is around 249,900 (as of 2004).
History
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Rivne was first mentioned in 1283 as one of the inhabited places of Halych-Volhynia. From the second half of the 14th century it was under the Great Duchy of Lithuania and from 1569 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1492 the city was granted Magdeburg rights. Following the partition of Poland, in 1793 Rivne became a part of Russian Empire, and in 1797 it was declared as a regional town of the Volyn Guberniya.
During World War I and the period of chaos shortly after, it was briefly under German, Ukrainian, Bolshevik, and Polish forces. In April-May of 1919 Rivne served as the temporary capital of Ukrainian People's Republic. At the conclusion of the conflict, in accordance with the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921 it became a part of Poland for the period between the two World Wars.
In 1939, as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the partition of Poland, the Western Ukraine was annexed by the Soviet Union and reunited with the Ukrainian SSR, and from December of the same year Rivne became the centre of the newly established Rivne Oblast. On June 28, 1941 Rivne was captured by the Nazi German invaders, which later promoted the city as the administrative centre of Reichskommissariat Ukraine. A Jewish ghetto of some 5,000 people was established in November 1941 and liquidated in the following July.
Following the invasion, partisan resistance immediately began, and a whole division under the command of D.N.Medvedev and espionage agent N.I.Kuznetsov participated in raids on the Nazi occupiers. Also in the city itself there were underground patriotic organisations under command of T.F.Novak, P.M.Miryushchenko, and N.M.Ostafova, and in the Rivno Oblast an underground oblast-committee was active under the first secretary V.A. Begma. The city was finally liberated by the Red Army on February 2, 1944.
In 1958 a TV tower began broadcasting in the city; in 1974 the first trolley ran through the city; in 1977 Rivne airport was opened. In 1983 the city celebrated its 700th anniversary.
Industry
During the Soviet time the provincial town was transformed into a massive industrial centre of the republic. There were two significant factories built, Machine building and Metal processing factory, capable of producing high-voltage apparatus, tractor spare parts and others, and Chemical factory, as well as a synthetic materials fabric. Light industry, presented by a linen plant and a textile fabric, as well as food industry, presented by milk and meat factories and a vegetable preservation fabric have also received development. In addition the city became a production centre for furniture and other building materials.
Attractions
Being an important cultural centre, Rivne hosts a pedagogical, and a hydro-engineering institutes, as well as a faculty of the Kiev State institute of Culture, and Medical and musical as well as Automobile construction, Soviet trade, textile, agricultural and cooperative polytechnic colleges. The city has a Historical museum and a museum dedicated to the Hero of the Soviet Union N.I.Kuznetsov.
Following the fall of the Soviet Union the monument for the Soviet time hero D.N.Medvedev was removed, and N.I.Kuznetsov monument was moved to another location within the city. Instead, in order to reflect the controversial history of the region the monuments for "Soldiers died in the honour of Ukraine", and "Soldiers died in military battles" were installed.
Buildings
- Ancient Church of Assumption (1756)
- Cathedral of the Intercession (2001)
- Cathedral of the Ascension (1890)
- A classicism-style gymnasium building (1839)
- During Soviet times the centre of the city from Lenin street to Peace Avenue (1963 architects R.D. Vais and O.I. Filipchuk) was completely rebuilt with Administrative and Public buildings in neo-classical, Stalinist style.
Memorials
- Heroes of the Great Patriotic War (1948 by I.Ya. Matveenko)
- N.I. Kuznetsov (bronze and granite, 1961 by V.P Vinaikin)
- Victims to Fascism (1968 by A.I. Pirozhenko and B.V. Rychkov, architect-V.M.Gerasimenko)
- Memorial of Battle glory (1975 by M.L. Farina, architect-N.A. Dolgansky)
Famous people from Rivne
- Sophie Irene Loeb, a US journalist and social-welfare advocate.
- Mira Spivak, a member of the Canadian Senate representing the province of Manitoba
- Serhiy Honchar, a professional road racing cyclist
External links
- Template:Uk icon Official website of Rivne City Council and Rivne City Administration
- Template:Uk icon Non-Official website of Rivne City
