Hirnyk (, ; ) is a city in Selydove municipality, Donetsk Oblast (

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

) of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Population: ; 14,207 (2001). It is located on Vovcha River on a western slope of the

Donets Ridge The Donets Ridge is a highland that is the highest northeastern part of the Donets upland. The ridge is located within the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and is partially in the Rostov Oblast (Russia). The highest point on the ridge is a hill — M ...

.Hirnyk (Гірник)

The History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR ''The History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR'' ( uk, Історія міст і сіл Української РСР) is a Ukrainian encyclopedia, published in 26 volumes. It provides knowledge about the history of all populated places ...

. Hirnyk is located west of

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...

. The city was established in 1958 in place of a miner settlement Sotsmistechko that existed since 1938 when around

Kurakhove Kurakhove (, ; russian: link=no, Курахово) is a city in Pokrovsk Raion of Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: ; 21,479 (2001). At Kurakhove, there is Kurakhove Power Station. The 11 May 2014 Donetsk Oblast independence r ...

were built several mines. Soon after construction of the Kurakhivka No.40 mine, at the end of 1938 the DonbasZhytlobud construction trust has built first 60 one-storey residential buildings. On 15 January 1939 the settlement accounted for 860 people. By summer of 1941 there were about 5,000 people. In 1939 there was built an elementary school, outpatient clinic, recreational club, and two stores. With the start of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and advancing Nazi Germany forces, both built mines were blown by local communists and most of population that has not been mobilized was evacuated to

Karaganda Karaganda or Qaraghandy ( kk, Қарағанды/Qarağandy, ; russian: Караганда, ) is the capital of Karaganda Region in the Republic of Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty (Alma-Ata), Astan ...

. The city was taken by the Nazi German forces on 20 October 1941. During occupation, the city was able to restore both ruined mines and finish the third one. There also existed small underground resistance group of local communists, but several of them in summer of 1942 were blown at a mine field. On 8 September 1943 Sotsmistechko was liberated by couple of regiments of the 257th Rifle Division. On 27 September 1958 Sotsmistechko was merged with its neighboring settlements (Prommaidanchyk, Zhovtneve, Peremoha, Pershotravneve, Komsomolske) into the city of Hirnyk. By that time in city were operating a cinder block factory, a complex in production of construction materials, bread factory, non-alcoholic drinks factory, a division of the construction holding "Artemzhytlobud". In 1969 in the city was built a bus inter-city station. The city has two coal mines: Kurakhivska and Hirnyk (deactivated). Both mines are part of the state enterprise "Selydovvuhillia". The closest train station Tsukurykha is located away from the city. From it through the city railways stretch to the

group of mines.

References

Cities in Donetsk Oblast Populated places established in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Cities of district significance in Ukraine 1938 establishments in Ukraine Populated places established in 1938 Mining cities and regions in Ukraine Pokrovsk Raion {{Donetsk-geo-stub