Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

(

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 northern

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 ...

. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

soon after the

third Partition of Poland The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polis ...

. On 16 June 2022 city council renamed the city again to Zviahel.Novohrad-Volynskyi was renamed Zviahel - deputies returned the historical name of the city
Suspilne Movlennia (16 June 2022) The decision on renaming the city was approved by the

Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

on 16 November 2022.In Ukraine, the city of Novohrad-Volynskyi was renamed

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...

(16 November 2022) The city serves as the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Zviahel Raion (

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

). Population: The city is located on the main route to

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

() near its crossing at the Sluch River. Located on Sluch, the city geographically is located on the eastern border of historical

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. The ...

(Volyn) or Volhynia Superior.

Name

The city has previously been known as: Возвягель ''Vozviahel'', Звяголь ''Zviahol'', Zviahel, Звягаль ''Zviahal'', Dzwihel, Novohrad-Volynskyi. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' in 1795 after annexation of territories of

by the

soon after the

. Since the 1991 Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine there have been several attempts to rename the city. Public discussions on renaming the city to Zviahel began in April 2022. On 16 June 2022 city council renamed the city again to Zviahel. The decision was supported by 22 of the 30 deputies present, while four deputies opposed and abstained. The name change was then to be approved by the deputies of the Zhytomyr Oblast Council. And the final decision on renaming the city had then to be made by the

. The decision on renaming the city was approved by the Ukrainian parliament on 16 November 2022. Coat of arms of Novohrad-Volynskyi 1994

On 31 March 2022 the city council had removed the letter Z (which was a reference to the name Zviahel and it was placed on the bell symbol) from its coats of arms. This was done because letter Z was widely used by the invading

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

and has become a propaganda tool in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

.Change of symbols: in Zhytomyr region the letter "Z" was removed from the coats of arms of one of the communities
Suspilne Movlennia (31 March 2022)

History

The city was mentioned in the Galician-Volhynian Chronicle under the year of 1256 as the town of Zviahel. The original settlement was an Old Ruthenian town of '' Bolokhiv Land'' located on the right bank of Sluch.Zvizdetskyi, B.
Vozvyahl (ВОЗВЯГЛЬ)
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2003 In 1257 it was razed by

Daniel of Galicia Daniel of Galicia ( uk, Данило Романович (Галицький), Danylo Romanovych (Halytskyi); Old Ruthenian: Данило Романовичъ, ''Danylo Romanovyčъ''; pl, Daniel I Romanowicz Halicki; 1201 – 1264) was a King ...

. The next mentioning of the settlement is found in 1432 as a rebuilt one on the left bank upstream from the original site. Since 14th century it belonged to the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

owned by Zwiahelski princely family. In 1501 to 1554 the town belonged to Ostrogski princely family. In 1507 Konstanty Ostrogski built here a castle. After formation of Volhynian Voivodeship, it was located in Lutsk County. Following the 1569

Union of Lublin The Union of Lublin ( pl, Unia lubelska; lt, Liublino unija) was signed on 1 July 1569 in Lublin, Poland, and created a single state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest countries in Europe at the time. It replaced the per ...

it was passed on to the

Crown of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includi ...

. During the Khmelnytsky Uprising, Cossacks destroyed portion of the city's fortification and burnt down the Catholic church ( kosciol). In September 1648 in the city was formed an insurgency group of local peasants led by Mykhalo Tysha. In 1650s in Zwiahel existed Zwiahel Regiment. In 18th century the city belonged to Lubomirski princely family. The city had an important Jewish community. In the late 19th century it was home to 9,378 Jews, more than half the population of the town. Pogroms killed approximately 1,000 Jews in 1919. After the

Treaty of Riga The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga ( pl, Traktat Ryski), was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, among Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish–Soviet War. ...

, Novohrad-Volynskyi became part of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. By the start of World War II only 6,840 Jews remained, (30% of the total population). Hundreds of Jews were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by an Einsatzgruppen in 1941. Many survivors were imprisoned in harsh conditions in a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...

and murdered in November 1942, and an important part of the town was destroyed during the war.

Climate

Notable people

* Lesya Ukrainka (1871–1913), poet and writer *

Valerii Zaluzhnyi Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi ( uk, Вале́рій Фе́дорович Залу́жний; born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general who has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 27 July 2021. He is ...

(1973), general and

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Головнокомандувач Збройних сил України, Holovnokomanduvach Zbroynykh syl Ukrayiny) is the professional head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The positi ...

* Peter Krasnow (1886–1979), artist *

Elena Yakovleva Elena Alexeevna Yakovleva (russian: Еле́на Алексе́евна Я́ковлева; born 5 March 1961) is a Soviet and Russian actress known for her roles in such films as ''Intergirl'' and ''Encore, Once More Encore!'' as well as for the ...

(born 1961), actress * Baruch Korff (1914-1995), Jewish activist known as "Nixon's rabbi" * Oleksandr Kovalchuk (1974), politician

Twin towns – sister cities

Zviahel is twinned with: *

Bełchatów Bełchatów () is a city in central Poland with a population of 55,583 as of December 2021. It is located in Łódź Voivodeship, from Warsaw. The Elektrownia Bełchatów, located in Bełchatów, is the largest coal fueled power plant in ...

, Poland *

Dolyna Dolyna ( uk, Доли́на, pl, Dolina, yi, דאלינע) is a city located in Kalush Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (region) in south-western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Dolyna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Popul ...

, Ukraine *

Halych Halych ( uk, Га́лич ; ro, Halici; pl, Halicz; russian: Га́лич, Galich; german: Halytsch, ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; yi, העליטש) is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the P ...

, Ukraine * Khashuri, Georgia *

Łomża Łomża (), in English known as Lomza, is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship ...

, Poland * Myrhorod, Ukraine *

Rahachow Rahachow or Rahačoŭ ( be, Рагачо́ў, ; russian: Рогачёв, Rogachyov, also transliterated Rogachev; pl, Rohaczów; yi, ראגאטשאוו, ''Rogatshov'', ) is a town in the Gomel Region of Belarus. It is center of Rahachow Distric ...

, Belarus *

Suomussalmi Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland and is located in the Kainuu region about northeast of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu and south of Kuusamo. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The popul ...

, Finland

Gallery

File:Дворец Мезенцева.jpg, Mezentsev Palace File:Вокзал залізничний в Новограді.jpg, Railway station File:Меморіальний музей Лесі Українки.JPG, Lesya Ukrainka's house File:Denkmal für die Opfer des Faschismus auf dem Massengrab für die im 2. Weltkrieg erschossenen Juden.jpg, Holocaust monument File:Atlas Cosmographicae (Mercator) 102.jpg, Dzwihel is between Teteriv and Sluch File:Осінній псевдозамок Звягеля.jpg, Novohrad Fortress File:Фортеця, р. Случ..jpg, Novohrad Fortress over Sluch River

References

External links

Official Web Site
(expired)

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' ( uk, Енциклопедія українознавства, translit=Entsyklopediia ukrainoznavstva), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was creat ...

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