Zviahel (, ; ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast (), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna (), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr. Its population is approximately H ...

, northern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. The city serves as the

administrative center An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Zviahel Raion Zviahel Raion () is a raion (district) of Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. Until 2022, it was known as Novohrad-Volynskyi Raion (). Its administrative centre is located at Zviahel, Ukraine. The raion covers an area of . Population: History ...

(

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, municip ...

). According to a 2025 estimate, its population was approximately 54,3 thousand inhabitants. The city is located on the main route that links

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

( E40). It is located on the Sluch River, which forms the eastern border of

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

Name

The city has previously been known as ''Vozviahel'' (), ''Zviahol'' (), ''Zviahal'' (), Dzwihel and ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' (). Originally known as ''Zviahel'' (from ), the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' in 1795 after annexation of territories of

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

soon after the Commonwealth's Third Partition.In Ukraine, the city of Novohrad-Volynskyi was renamed

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(16 November 2022) Since the 1991

Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (''Verkhovna Rada'') on 24 August 1991.Novohrad-Volynskyi was renamed Zviahel – deputies returned the historical name of the city

Suspilne Movlennia The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine JSC (, ''NTSU''), also known as Suspilne (, , ) or previously UA:PBC, is the national public broadcaster of Ukraine. As such it was registered on 19 January 2017. On 16 June 2022 the 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 The Zhytomyr Oblast Council () is the regional oblast council (parliament) of the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) located in northern Ukraine. Council members are elected for five year terms. In order to gain representation in the council, a party m ...

and the final decision on renaming the city had then to be made by the

Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capi ...

, which took place on 16 November 2022. Coat of arms of Novohrad-Volynskyi 1994

On 31 March 2022, the city council decided to remove the letter Z (which was a reference to the name Zviahel) from its coat of arms (it was on the bell, in both the small and full version). This was done because the letter Z was widely used by the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

and has become a propaganda tool in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

.Change of symbols: in Zhytomyr region the letter "Z" was removed from the coats of arms of one of the communities

Suspilne Movlennia The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine JSC (, ''NTSU''), also known as Suspilne (, , ) or previously UA:PBC, is the national public broadcaster of Ukraine. As such it was registered on 19 January 2017.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 Romanovich (1201–1264) was Prince of Galicia (1205–1207; 1211–1212; 1230–1232; 1233–1234; 1238–1264), Prince of Volhynia, Volhynia (1205–1208; 1215–1238), Grand Prince of Kiev (1240), and King of Ruthenia (1253–1264). B ...

. 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 sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

owned by Zwiahelski princely family. In 1501 to 1554 the town belonged to

Ostrogski princely family The House of Ostrogski (; ; ) was one of the more prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The family spanned from the 14th century Ruthenian noble Daniil Ostrogski t ...

. In 1507

Konstanty Ostrogski Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski ( – 10 August 1530) was a Ruthenian prince and magnate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He later had the title of grand hetman of Lithuania from 11 September 1497 until his death in 1530. Career Ostrogski began ...

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 (; ) 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 personal union of the Crown of the Kingd ...

it was passed on to the

Crown of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (; ) was a political and legal concept formed in the 14th century in the Kingdom of Poland, assuming unity, indivisibility and continuity of the state. Under this idea, the state was no longer seen as the pa ...

. During the

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack–Polish War, Khmelnytsky insurrection, or the National Liberation War, was a Cossack uprisings, Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of the Poli ...

, 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 The House of Lubomirski is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family. The Lubomirski family's coat of arms is the Drużyna coat of arms, which is similar to the Szreniawa coat of arms but without a cross. Origin and the coat ...

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 Treaty of Riga was signed in Riga, Latvia, on between Poland on one side and Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus) and Soviet Ukraine on the other, ending the Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921). The chief negotiators of ...

, Novohrad-Volynskyi became part of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

World War II

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 (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the imp ...

in 1941. Many survivors were imprisoned in harsh conditions in a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

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

21st century

In February 2013, the Novohrad-Volynskyi city council decided to dismantle the monument to Lenin, which was installed in front of the city council building, and move it to Slavy Park with extra-budgetary funds. After that, the local communists sued, but the cases were lost in the first instance and in the Court of Appeal of the Zhytomyr Oblast. A sundial installation was installed instead of the Lenin monument. In 2015, Viktor Veselskyi was elected to the post of mayor. In connection with the Law of Ukraine on decommunization in the city, the Soviet names of streets, alleys, squares and boulevards were renamed. On 16 June 2022, the local council decided to return the historical name Zviahel to the city, and it was also proposed to change the name of the Novohrad-Volynskyi Raion (district) to Zviahel Raion. In November, the draft law was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. By the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated 16 November 2022, the historical name of Zviahel was returned to the city.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Distribution of the population by ethnicity according to the

2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.Lesya Ukrainka Lesya Ukrainka (, ; born Larysa Petrivna Kosach, ; – ) was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active political, civil, and feminist activist. Among her best-known works are ...

(1871–1913), poet and writer *

Peter Krasnow Peter Krasnow (20 August 1886 – 30 October 1979), born Feivish Reisberg, was a modernist and colorist artist known for his abstract wood sculptures and architectonic hard-edge paintings and drawings which were often based on Hebrew calligraphy ...

(1886–1979), artist *

Sam Muchnick Samuel Muchnick (born Jeshua Muchnick, August 22, 1905 – December 30, 1998) was an American professional wrestling promoter from St. Louis, Missouri. He is often regarded as wrestling's equivalent of Pete Rozelle (the forward-thinking commissio ...

(1905–1998), professional wrestling promoter (

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

) * Baruch Korff (1914–1995), Jewish activist known as "Nixon's rabbi" *

Elena Yakovleva Elena Alexeevna Yakovleva (; 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 main role in the popular TV-series ''Kamenskaya''. She ...

(born 1961), actress *

Oleksandr Pavliuk Oleksandr Oleksiiovych Pavliuk (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Олександр Олексійович Павлюк; born 20 August 1970) is a Ukrainian general serving as commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces from 11 February 2024 until 29 ...

(born 1965), general and commander of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

Valerii Zaluzhnyi Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (; born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general and diplomat who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2 ...

(1973), general and

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () is the professional head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The position was created by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 28 March 2020, before which the Chief of the General Staff was the c ...

Oleksandr Kovalchuk Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Kovalchuk (; born 5 February 1974) is a Ukrainian public figure and politician. He serves as People's Deputy of Ukraine of the 9th convocation. He serves as Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax ...

(1974), politician *

Oleh Mikats Major General Oleh Mykhalovych Mikats (Ukrainian: Олег Михайлович Мікац; born 23 October 1975), is a Ukrainian army officer who is the commander of the Operational Command "East" since 9 August 2021. Mikats had served as the de ...

(born 1975), general and serving as the commander of the

Operational Command East The Operational Command East ( OC East, ) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in eastern Ukraine. Its headquarters is currently located in Dnipro. History When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there were three ...

* Dmytro Kostiuk (born 1993), Ukrainian journalist and politician * Oleh Hychko (1996–2022), soldier

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, southwest of Warsaw. The Bełchatów Power Station, Elektrownia Bełchatów, located in Bełchatów, is the largest ...

, Poland *

Dolyna Dolyna (, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, south-western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Dolyna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: In 2001, population was around ...

, Ukraine *

Halych Halych (, ; ; ; ; , ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; ) is a historic List of cities in Ukraine, city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the Principality of Halych, the historic province of Galicia (Eastern Europe), ...

, Ukraine *

Khashuri Khashuri ( ka, ხაშური ) is a city in the central part of Georgia and is the 9th largest settlement in Georgia. It is the administrative centre of Khashuri Municipality. It is located on the Shida Kartli plain, on the Suramula river ...

, Georgia *

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

, Poland *

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...

, Germany *

Myrhorod Myrhorod (, ) is a city in Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine. It serves as the Capital city, administrative center of Myrhorod Raion. Myrhorod also hosts the administration of Myrhorod urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It is locate ...

, Ukraine *

Rahachow Rahachow or Rogachev (, ; ; ; , ) is a town in Gomel Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Rahachow District. Rahachow is located between the Drut (river), Drut and Dnieper rivers. As of 2025, it has a population of 31,490. H ...

, Belarus *

Suomussalmi Suomussalmi () is a municipality in Finland 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 population ...

, Finland

Gallery

File:Дворец Мезенцева.jpg, Mezentsev Palace File:Вокзал залізничний в Новограді.jpg, Zviahel 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, Zviahel Fortress File:Фортеця, р. Случ..jpg, Zviahel Fortress over Sluch River File:Площа Лесі Українки у Н.-Волинському.jpg, Lesya Ukrainka Square

References

External links

Official Web Site
(expired)

Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...

Find out Novograd-Volynskyi @ Ukrainian.Travel
{{Authority control Cities in Zhytomyr Oblast Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine Ostrogski family Mass murder in 1919