Rivne ( ; , ) 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 ...

in western

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 is 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 ...

Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast (), also referred to as Rivnenshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The surface area of the region is . Its population is: Before its annexation by the ...

(

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

), as well as the

Rivne Raion Rivne Raion () is a raion in Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Rivne Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivn ...

(

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 ...

) within the oblast.On bringing the name of Rovno city and Rovno Oblast in accordance to rules of Ukrainian spelling
.

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 ...

. 11 June 1991 It has a population of In the spring of 1919, it also served as a provisional seat of the Ukrainian government throughout the ongoing war with

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. Between

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the city was located in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

as a district-level (county) seat in

Wolyn Voivodeship Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see 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 Ukraine it is roughly ...

. At the start of World War II in 1939, Rivne was occupied by the Soviet Red Army and received its current status by becoming a seat of regional government of the

which was created out of the eastern portion of the voivodeship. During the German occupation of 1941–44 the city was designated as a

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of German Ukraine (

Reichskommissariat Ukraine The ''Reichskommissariat Ukraine'' (RKU; ) was an administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. It served as the German civilian occupation regime in the Ukrainian SSR, and ...

). Rivne is an important transportation hub, with the international

Rivne Airport Rivne International Airport () is an airport in Rivne, Ukraine. Recently LOT Polish Airlines has been in talks with the consideration of opening a Warsaw route after Bravo Airways ended flights. Airlines and destinations As of July 2020, there ...

, and rail links to

Zdolbuniv Zdolbuniv (, ; ) is a small city in the Rivne Raion of Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It has an important railway station and cement plant (there is a deposit of chalk). Population: History The town was mentioned in 1497 in the ...

Sarny Sarny (, ) is a small city in Rivne Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Sarny Raion within the oblast and is a major railway node on the Sluch River. Population: Etymology The city is named after the roe deer and can ...

, and

Kovel Kovel (, ; ; ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion within the oblast. Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runic inscriptions which were lost during World War I ...

, as well as highways linking it with Brest,

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, ...

and

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 ...

. Among other leading companies there is a chemical factory of Rivne-Azot (part of

Ostchem Holding Ostchem Holding is a holding company that unites a group of chemical factories and supporting companies. In its turn Ostchem is a part of bigger Group DF that unites several separate enterprises and other holding companies and is owned by Ukrainian ...

Names

* , also the former spelling in Ukrainian until 1991 * *

History

Middle Ages

Rivne was first mentioned in 1283 in the Polish annals ''Rocznik kapituły krakowskiej''Bovhyria, A.
Rivne (РІВНЕ)
''. ''Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine''.History of Rivne (Історія Рівне)
. Ukraine-in portal. as one of the inhabited places of Halych-Volhynia near which

Leszek II the Black Leszek II the Black (c. 1241 – 30 September 1288), was a Polish prince of the House of Piast, Duke of Sieradz since 1261, Duke of Łęczyca since 1267, Duke of Inowrocław in the years 1273-1278, Duke of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from ...

was victorious over a part of the

Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...

. Following the

Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia The Principality or, from 1253, Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as the Kingdom of Ruthenia, Kingdom of Rus', or Kingdom of Russia, also Halych–Volhynian Kingdom was a medieval state in Eastern Europe which existed from 1199 to 1349. I ...

's partition after

Galicia–Volhynia Wars The Galicia–Volhynia Wars were several wars fought in the years 1340–1392 over the succession in the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as Ruthenia. After Yuri II Boleslav was poisoned by local Ruthenian nobles in 1340, both the Gran ...

in the late

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

, it was under the rule of

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, ...

and in 1434 the

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

Švitrigaila Švitrigaila (before 1370 – 10 February 1452; sometimes spelled Svidrigiello) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He spent most of his life in largely unsuccessful dynastic struggles against his cousins Vytautas and Sigismund K� ...

awarded the settlement to a

Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...

nobleman Dychko. In 1461 Dychko sold his settlement to Prince Semen Nesvizh. In 1479 Semen Nesvizh died and his settlement was passed to his wife Maria who started to call herself princess of Rivne. She turned the settlement into a princely residence by building in 1481 a castle on one of local river islands and managed to obtain

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

for the settlement in 1492 from the King of Poland

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

. Following her death in 1518, the city was passed on to the princes of Ostrog and declined by losing its status as a princely residency. In 1566 the town of Rivne became part of newly established Volhynian Voivodeship. Following the

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 ...

in 1569, it was transferred from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

. The city had a status of a

private town Private towns in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were privately owned towns within the lands owned by magnates, bishops, knights and princes, among others. Amongst the most well-known former private magnate towns are Białystok, Zamość, R ...

held by nobles (

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

and

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 ...

families). Following the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of partitions of Poland, three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition (politics), partition occurred i ...

in 1793 Rivne became a part of 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 ...

, and in 1797 it was declared to be a county level (

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

) town of the

Volhynian Governorate Volhynia Governorate, also known as Volyn Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It consisted of an area of and a population of 2,989,482 inhabitants. The governorate ...

World War I

During

and the period of chaos shortly after, it was briefly under German, Ukrainian, Bolshevik, and Polish rule. During April–May 1919 Rivne served as the temporary capital of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

. In late April 1919 one of the Ukrainian military leaders

Volodymyr Oskilko Volodymyr Panteleimonovych Oskilko (; 1892 – 19 June 1926) was a Ukrainian military activist and administrator. He became famous for the "Oskilko Affair" (see below). Biography Volodymyr Oskilko was born January 12, 1892, in the village of H ...

attempted to organize a ''coup-d'état'' against the

Directorate Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence ag ...

led by

Symon Petliura Symon Vasyliovych Petliura (; – 25 May 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He was the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army (UNA) and led the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence, a pa ...

and the cabinet of

Borys Martos Borys Mykolayovych Martos (; 20 May 1879 – 19 September 1977) was a Ukrainian politician, pedagogue, and economist who briefly served as Chairman of People's Ministers of the Ukrainian People's Republic from April to August 1919. Bi ...

and replace them with

Yevhen Petrushevych Yevhen Omelianovych Petrushevych (; 3 June 1863 – 29 August 1940) was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian lawyer, politician, and President (government title), president of the West Ukrainian People's Republic formed after the collapse of the Austro-Hung ...

as president of Ukraine. In Rivne, Oskilko managed to arrest most of the cabinet ministers including Martos himself, but Petliura at that time was in neighboring

and managed to stop Oskilko's efforts. At the conclusion of the conflict, in accordance with the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921, it became a part of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Volhynian Voivodeship, a situation which would last until the Second World War. Before World War II, Rivne (Równe) was a mainly Jewish-Polish city (Jews constituted about 50% of the city's population, and Poles 35%).

World War II

In 1939, as a result of the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

and the partition of Poland, Rivne was occupied by the Soviet Union. Starting December of that year Rivne became the center of the newly established Rivne Oblast in the

Ukrainian SSR 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. ...

. On 28 June 1941 Rivne was invaded by the 6th army of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. On 20 August, the Nazis declared it the administrative center of

. A

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

prison opened on Belaia Street. Roughly half of Rivne's inhabitants were Jewish. On 6–8 November, 17,500 Jewish adults from Rivne were shot to death or thrown alive into a large pit in a pine grove in Sosenki, a nearby wooded area (sometimes referred to as Sosenki Forest), and 6,000 Jewish children suffered the same fate at a nearby site. From 8-13 November German actor

Olaf Bach Olaf Bach (1892–1963) was a German film actor.Goble p.223 Selected filmography * ''William Tell'' (1934) * ''Trouble with Jolanthe'' (1934) * '' The Lost Valley'' (1934) * '' Stjenka Rasin'' (1936) * ''Shadows Over St. Pauli'' (1938) * ''Women ...

was flown to the city to perform for the German forces. The city's remaining Jews were sent to Rivne Ghetto. In July 1942, they were sent north to

Kostopil Kostopil ( ; ) is a small city on the river in Rivne Oblast, western Ukraine (historical Volhynia). It was the administrative center of the Kostopil Raion up to 2020, but is now within the Rivne Raion. Population: History Kostopil was t ...

and shot to death. On 2 February 1944, the city was captured by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

in the Battle of Rivne, and remained under Soviet control until Ukraine regained its independence on the break-up of the USSR in 1991. Poles from Rivne were deported to Poland's new borders after 1945.

Post-war era

In 1958, a TV tower began broadcasting in the city; in 1969, the first trolley ran through the city; in 1969,

Rivne airport Rivne International Airport () is an airport in Rivne, Ukraine. Recently LOT Polish Airlines has been in talks with the consideration of opening a Warsaw route after Bravo Airways ended flights. Airlines and destinations As of July 2020, there ...

opened. In 1983, the city celebrated its 700th anniversary. On 11 June 1991, the

officially renamed the city Rivne according to the rules of

Ukrainian orthography The Ukrainian orthography () is the orthography for the Ukrainian language, a system of generally accepted rules that determine the ways of transmitting speech in writing. Until the last quarter of the 14th century Old East Slavic orthography wa ...

. It had previously been known as Rovno. In 1992, a memorial complex was established at the site of the World War II massacre to commemorate the 17,500 Jews murdered there in November 1941 during

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, marking the mass grave with an obelisk inscribed in

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and Ukrainian. On 6 June 2012, the World War II Jewish burial site was vandalised, as part of an

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

attack.

Russo-Ukrainian War

On 14 March 2022, Rivne TV Tower has experienced heavy missile attack by Russian troops. The tower was damaged and an administrative room was destroyed. As a result of attack 20 people were killed and nine injured.

Population

Ethnic groups

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 census: According to a survey conducted by the

International Republican Institute The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and funded and supported by the United States federal government. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. Its public mission is to a ...

in April–May 2023, 96% of the city's population spoke Ukrainian at home, and 3% spoke Russian.

Geography

Climate

Rivne has a moderate

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

with cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Snow cover usually lasts from November until March. The average annual precipitation is June and July being the wettest months and January and February the driest.

Industry

During

Soviet 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 ...

times the provincial town was transformed into an industrial center of the republic. There were two significant factories built. The first was a machine building and metal processing factory capable of producing high-voltage apparatus, tractor spare parts and others. The other was a chemical factory and synthetic materials fabrication plant. Light industry, including a linen plant and a textile mill, as well as food industries, including milk and meat processing plants and a vegetable preservation plant, have also been built. In addition the city became a production center for furniture and other building materials.

Landmarks

As an important cultural center, Rivne hosts a humanities and a hydro-engineering university, as well as a faculty of the Kyiv State Institute of Culture, and medical and musical as well as automobile-construction, commercial, textile, agricultural and cooperative polytechnic colleges. The city has a historical museum. Following the

fall of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of Nationalities, Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. :s: ...

, the monument for the Soviet hero

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

was removed, and the Nikolai Kuznetsov monument was moved to another location within the city. Instead, in order to reflect the controversial history of the region the monuments for "People who died in the honor of Ukraine", and "Soldiers who died in local military battles" were installed.

Buildings

*Church of the Assumption (1756) *Cathedral of the Intercession (2001) *Cathedral of the Ascension (1890) *A classicism-style gymnasium building (1839) *During Soviet times the center 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

The following memorials are found in Rivne: *Monument to the 25th Anniversary of the Liberation of Rivne from the Fascists, Mlynivs'ke Highway *Monument to the Victims of Fascism, Bila Street Square (1968, by A.I. Pirozhenko and B.V. Rychkov, architect-V.M.Gerasimenko) *Bust on the Tomb of Partisan M. Strutyns'ka and Relief on the Tomb of Citizens S. Yelentsia and S. Kotiyevs'koho, Kniazia Volodymyra Street, Hrabnyk Cemetery *Monument to the Perished of Ukraine, Magdeburz'koho Prava Plaza *Communal Grave of Warriors, Soborna Street *Monument of Eternal Glory, Kyivs'ka Street *Monument to

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

, T.G. Shevchenko Park; Statue on Nezalezhnosti Plaza *Memorial to Warriors' Glory, Dubens'ka Street, Rivne Military Cemetery (1975, by M.L. Farina, architect-N.A. Dolgansky) *Monument to the Warrior and the Partisan, Peremohy Plaza (1948 by I.Ya. Matveenko) *Monument to Colonel Klym Savura, Commander of the

Ukrainian People's Army The Ukrainian People's Army (), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or by the derogatory term Petliurivtsi (, ), was the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1921). They were often quickly reorganized units of the former I ...

, Soborna Street *Monument to

, Symon Petliura Street *Monument to N.I. Kuznetsov (bronze and granite, 1961 by V.P Vinaikin) *Monument to the Jewish Victims of the Holocaust - mass grave site (ca. 1991)
The memorial was desecrated on June 8, 2012, by breaking parts of it and spraying

swastikas The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

. The teenagers in charge of the antisemitic action were caught and trialed. *Monument to the victims of the

Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...

, Simon Petliura Street *Statue and Plaza dedicated to Maria Rivnens'ka, Soborna Street

Popular culture references

*In his memoir ''

A Tale of Love and Darkness ''A Tale of Love and Darkness'' ( ''Sipur al ahava ve choshech'') is a memoir by the Israeli author Amos Oz, first published in Hebrew in 2002. The book has been translated into 28 languages and over a million copies have been sold worldwide. ...

'', Israeli author

Amos Oz Amos Oz (; born Amos Klausner (); 4 May 1939 – 28 December 2018) was an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. He was also a professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. From 1967 onwards, Oz was a pro ...

describes Rivne through the memories of his mother and her family, who grew up in the city before emigrating to Israel in the 1930s.Oz, Amos, 2004, ''

'', pp. 132-190. *Rivne was mentioned several times in ''The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors'', a 1992 episode of the Canadian-American TV show ''

Are You Afraid of the Dark? ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' is a children's horror anthology television series created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from August 15, 1992 to February 3, 1996, and also o ...

'', being referred to by a variation of its pre-1991 name (either Ravno or Rovno). *In

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

's operetta

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

, the character of The Old Lady sings an aria "I am easily assimilated", in which she refers to her father having been born in Rovno Gubernya

Sport

Rugby

RC Rivne RC Rivne () is a Ukrainian rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 play ...

(1999)

Speedway

The Rivne Speedway Stadium hosts the speedway club Rivne Speedway. The stadium opened on 24 May 1959. The venue has hosted significant speedway events including a qualifying round of the

Speedway World Championship The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...

in 1962. and 1991.

Notable people

Anna Walentynowicz with Paula Dobriansky cropped

* Anna Belfer-Cohen (born 1949),

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i archaeologist and paleoanthropologist *

Dahn Ben-Amotz Dan Ben-Amotz (; April 13, 1924 – October 20, 1989) was an Israeli radio broadcaster, journalist, playwright, and author, as well as a former Palmach member. Despite having immigrated from Poland in 1938, he was often considered the epitome ...

(1924–1989), Israeli radio broadcaster, journalist, playwright and author *Ancestors of

(1918–1990), the American composer include his father, Samuel, who was born in Berezdiv and his mother, Jennie, born in Sheptevoka in the Rovno region. In Bernstein's operetta ''

'', the character of ''The Old Lady'' sings an aria, ''"I am easily assimilated"'', in which she refers to her father as having been born in ''Rovno Gubernya'' *

Zuzanna Ginczanka Zuzanna Ginczanka, ''pen name'' Zuzanna Polina Gincburg (March 22, 1917 – 1944) was a Polish people, Polish-Jews, Jewish poet of the Polish culture in the Interbellum, interwar period. Although she only published a single collection of poetry i ...

,(1917–1945),

Polish poet List of poets who have written much of their poetry in Polish. See also Discussion Page for additional poets not listed here. Three 19th century poets have historically been recognized as the national poets of Polish Romantic literature, dubbe ...

of the interwar period. * Erast Huculak (1930–2013), Canadian businessman, public figure and philanthropist *

Artem Kachanovskyi Artem Volodymyrovych Kachanovskyi ('' ukr.'' ''Арте́м Володи́мирович Качано́вський'', born 12.12.1992) is a 2-dan professional go player from Ukraine. He was the fifth player to be awarded professional status by t ...

(born 1992), 2-dan professional Go player, three-time

European Champion A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers to a ...

, Editor-in-chief of the European Go Journal. *

Jan Kobylański Jan Kobylański (21 July 1923, Równe, Poland – 27 March 2019, Montevideo, Uruguay) was a Polish-Paraguayan businessman. He was the founder of the Union of Polish Associations and Organizations in Latin America ( pol. ''Unia Stowarzyszeń i Or ...

(1923–2019), Polish-Paraguayan businessman, founder of the Union of Polish Associations and Organizations in Latin America *

Olga Kulchynska Olga Serhiivna Kulchynska (; born July 12, 1990) is a Ukrainian soprano opera singer. Early life Olga Kulchynska was born in Rivne, Rivne Oblast into a family of musicians. Her grandfather, Yaroslav Kulchynskyi, is an Honored Artist of Ukraine ...

(born 1990), Ukrainian soprano opera singer *

Sophie Irene Loeb Sophie Irene Loeb (July 4, 1876, Rivne, Volhynia, Russian Empire (now part of Ukraine) – January 18, 1929) was an American journalist and social-welfare advocate. Biography She was born Sophie Irene Simon. She was a school teacher in McKeespor ...

(1876–1929), American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and

social welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...

advocate *

Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko (; born 14 December 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Interior Minister and entered the Armed Forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His most recent position was Prosecutor General of Ukraine (f ...

(born 1964), politician and

Prosecutor General of Ukraine The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also ''Procurator General''; , ) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (, or, before 2020, ). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by th ...

, 2016 to 2019 *

Oksana Markarova Oksana Serhiyivna Markarova (; born 28 October 1976) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and the current Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States since February 2021. Markarova is also a former Ministry of Finance (Ukraine), Minister of Finance ...

(born 1976),

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, 2018 to 2020 and diplomat *

Nazar Nebozhynskyi Nazar Volodymyrovych Nebozhynskyi (, 23 January 1999, Rivne – 30 March 2022, Chernihiv Oblast) was a Ukrainian athlete, soldier, junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a participant of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Hero of Ukraine (20 ...

(1999–2022), Ukrainian athlete, soldier, Hero of Ukraine *

Natalya Pasichnyk Natalya Pasichnyk (Ukrainian: Наталя Пасічник), born February 13, 1971, is a Swedish-Ukrainian classical pianist. She lives in Stockholm. Biography Born in Rivne, Ukraine, Natalya is the daughter of Igor and Jadwiga (née Antonovich ...

(born 1971), Swedish-Ukrainian classical pianist, she lives in Stockholm * Olga Pasichnyk (born 1968), Polish-Ukrainian classical soprano singer, she lives in Poland *

Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł Prince Stanisław Albrecht "Stash" Radziwiłł (21 July 1914 – 27 July 1976) was a Polish prince, later a British citizen, as well as a socialite and a businessman. He served as director of the Olympic Airways. Career Radziwiłł was a ...

(1914–1976) Polish nobleman, a scion of the

House of Radziwiłł A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

* Shmuel Shoresh (1913–1981), Israeli politician, member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

from 1955 until 1969 *

Boris Smolar Boris "Ber" Smolar (May 27, 1897 – January 31, 1986) was a Russian-born Jewish-American journalist and newspaper editor from New York. Life Smolar was born on May 27, 1897, in Rivne, Russia, the son of Leivia Smolar and Miriam Shearer. Smolar r ...

(1897–1986), American journalist and newspaper editor * Mira Spivak (born 1934), member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

representing

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Anna Walentynowicz Anna Walentynowicz (; ; 15 August 1929 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish trade union, trade unionist and co-founder of Solidarity (Polish trade union), Solidarity, the first recognised independent trade union in the Eastern Bloc. Her firing from he ...

(1929–2010), Polish free trade union activist and co-founder of

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

Brenda Weisberg Brenda Weisberg (1900–1996) was a Russian-American screenwriter active from the late 1930s through the early 1950s. Her body of work spanned a wide range of genres, from monster movies to thrillers to family films. She wrote several films for t ...

(1900–1996), Russian-American screenwriter of monster movies, thrillers & family films *

Wladimir Wertelecki Wladimir Wertelecki is a board certified pediatrician, clinical geneticist and cytogeneticist. In 1974, he established one of the first free-standing Departments of Medical Genetics at the new South Alabama University College of Medicine in Mob ...

(born 1936),

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

, medical geneticist and teratologist in the US * Yaroslav Yevdokimov (born 1946), baritone singer. * Vsevolod Zaderatsky (1891–1953), Russian Imperial and Ukrainian Soviet composer, pianist and teacher * Yana Zinkevych (born 1995), Ukrainian member of parliament and military veteran *

Moishe Zilberfarb Moishe Zylberfarb (, ) was a Ukrainian politician, diplomat, and public activist of Jewish descent. He was one of the authors of the Law of Ukraine about national-individual autonomy (1918) which later was canceled by the Communist regime. Brie ...

(1876-1934), Ukrainian politician, diplomat, and public activist *

Maksym Kryvtsov Maksym Oleksandrovych Kryvtsov (; 22 January 1990 – 7 January 2024) was a Ukrainian poet, photographer, public figure, volunteer and soldier. He was a Junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and participant in the Russian-Ukrainian wa ...

(1990–2024), Ukrainian poet, public figure, volunteer, soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war * Grygorii Tsekhmistrenko (1994–2023), Canadian civic activist, volunteer medic of Ukrainian origin, soldier of the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, participant of the Russian-Ukrainian war

Sport

Serhiy Honchar Serhiy Gonchar (; born 3 July 1970) is a Ukrainian former professional road racing cyclist. He won the World Time Trial Championship in 2000. Due to a temporary spelling error in his passport, he is often incorrectly called Honchar. Career G ...

(born 1970), professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most comm ...

* Serhiy Lishchuk (born 1982), basketball player,

Valencia BC Valencia Basket Club S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup, and his women's team was created in 2014 and promoted to Liga Femenin ...

legend, nicknamed "the Ukraine Train" *

Mykhailo Romanchuk Mykhailo Mykhailovych Romanchuk (; born 7 August 1996, Rivne, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian swimmer. Career At the Singapore World Cup leg in October 2016, he set a world cup record of 14:15.49 in the 1500 meter freestyle ( short course), breaking t ...

(born 1996), swimmer, silver & bronze medallst at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Viktor Trofimov Viktor Ivanovich Trofimov () (22 March 1938 – 1 October 2013) was a Soviet international speedway rider. Career Trofimov born in Leningrad, Soviet Union. reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in 1972 and 1975. He also ...

(1938–2013), former Soviet international speedway rider * Alla Tsuper (born 1979), Ukrainian and Belarusian aerial skier and gold medallist at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

*Ancestors of

Demian Maia Demian Augusto Maia Baptista (born 6 November 1977) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, submission grappler and 5th degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. Maia competed in both the Welterweight and Middleweight divisio ...

(born 1977),

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Fighter, BJJ Champion and ADCC Champion. His grandfather Stefan Szwec came from Rovno, village of Shpaniv to Brazil in 1926. Demian Maia’s grandmother, Eugenia Kirilchuk, also came from Rovno region.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Rivne is twinned with: *

Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Kobuleti Kobuleti ( ka, ქობულეთი, ) is a town in Adjara, western Georgia (country), Georgia, situated on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. It is the seat of Kobuleti Municipality and a seaside resort. It was known as ''Çürüksu'' durin ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Oberviechtach Oberviechtach () is a town in the Schwandorf (district), district of Schwandorf, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated southeast of Weiden in der Oberpfalz, and northeast of Schwandorf. It is famous for being the birthplace of Johann Andreas Eise ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by #Etymology, alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Piotrków County and the second-largest city in the Łódź Voi ...

Radomsko County __NOTOC__ Radomsko County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its a ...

Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: , full form: , , ) is an industrial city put under direct government rule in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the western part of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of around 2 m ...

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Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Federal Way Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States and part of the Seattle metropolitan area. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the 10th most p ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

East Brunswick, New Jersey East Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York metropolitan area and is located on the southern sho ...

in the

Sievierodonetsk Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately to the northwest from the administrati ...

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

Pankow Pankow () is the second largest and most populous Boroughs and quarters of Berlin, borough of the German capital Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform, it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weissensee (Berlin), W ...

Jelenia Góra Jelenia Góra (; ; ) is a historic city in southwestern Poland, within the historical region of Lower Silesia. Jelenia Góra is situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, close to the Karkonosze mountain range running along the Polish-Czech bo ...

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

Kupiansk Kupiansk or Kupyansk (, ; , ) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kupiansk Raion. It is also an important railroad junction for the oblast. Kupiansk hosts the administration of Kupiansk urban hromada, ...

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

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Gallery

File:Prospekt Miru-Rivne.jpg, Prospect Myru (Peace Avenue) File:Soborna Street in Rivne.jpg, Soborna (Cathedral) Street File:Maidan Nezalezhnosti-Rivne.jpg, Independence square with cinema and statue of

File:Railway Station-Rivne.JPG, Railway terminal File:Костёл Петра и Павла, фасад.JPG, Saint Peter and Paul church File:Ровно. Свято-Николаевский монастырь..JPG, Saint Nicholas Monastery

Notes

References

Maps

* Рівне, план міста, 1:12000. Міста України. Картографія.
infomisto.com — map of the Rivne, information and reference portal.

External links

Official website of Rivne City Council and Rivne City Administration

Rivne Bird webcam

Rivne Places of Interest

* ttps://dbs.bh.org.il/place/rivne-rovno The Jewish Community of Rivne,

The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

* {{Authority control Cities in Rivne Oblast Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine Oblast centers in Ukraine