Varva () is a
rural settlement
The definition of a rural settlement depends on the country, in some countries, a rural settlement is any settlement in the areas defined as rural by a governmental office, e.g., by the national census bureau. This may include even rural towns. ...
in
Pryluky Raion, Chernihiv Oblast of
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 ...
. It hosts the administration of
Varva settlement hromada, one of the
hromada
In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...
s of Ukraine.
Population:
History
Varva was founded at the site of an ancient settlement called Varyn which was referenced in 1079 within the "Instructions of
Vladimir Monomakh
Vladimir II Monomakh (; Christian name: ''Vasily''; 26 May 1053 – 19 May 1125) was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1113 to 1125. He is considered a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is celebrated on May 6.
Family background
His father wa ...
", which was apparently the name of the village.
For various reasons from the 14th to 16th century. Varva was a part of Lithuania and Poland which had the
Magdeburg Laws. In the 17th century. population of the town was approximately 6,500 people, with about 200 being Cossack.
During the famine of 1932-1933 called the
Holodomor
The Holodomor, also known as the Ukrainian Famine, was a mass famine in Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. The Holodomor was part of the wider Soviet famine of 1930–193 ...
about 350 people were killed in the area with another 104 people suffering other punishments under the Stalin regime throughout the late 1930s.
On February 27, 1943, the village was the center for an anti-fascist uprising, during the time of the Nazi occupation of Ukraine however this small uprising only extended existed within two Oblasts, Chernihiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
During World War II, Varva was temporarily occupied by Nazi forces from September 17, 1941, until September 17, 1943. After the February 27, 1943 anti-fascist uprising, the participants formed guerilla groups to resist the occupying force from March 1943 until the end of the war.
During the later part of the 1960s the discovery of oil and gas in the Varva Raion contributed to the successful socio-economic development of the whole region.
Until 18 July 2020, Varva was the administrative center of
Varva Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernihiv Oblast to five. The area of Varva Raion was merged into Pryluky Raion.
Until 26 January 2024, Varva was designated
urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...
. On this day, a new law entered into force which abolished this status, and Varva became a rural settlement.
Geography
Varva is located in the southeast part of Chernihiv, on the southern Poltava plains. Basically the entire area is a smooth, flat surface, sometimes dissected with passable valleys, gullies and ravines. The climate is continental with an average January temperature of 10 degrees and a summer July temperature of 25. The annual precipitation is about 550 mm, the snow cover is 15–20 cm and lasts about 100 days.
Soils in the area are predominantly black (84% of the area), there are some places where the group is composed of
chernozem
Chernozem ( ),; also called black soil, regur soil or black cotton soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compounds. Chernozem is very fertile soil and can ...
, peat and saline. The area contain 6,000 hectares of forest (growing mostly oak, maple, birch, linden, alder, aspen, pine).
Varva altitude - 153 meters (501.969 ft) above sea level.
Varva is located on the left bank of the river Udai which has a length of 327 km. In the village created two artificial reservoirs, so-called first and second vodopidyomy.
Demographics
The area is populated by ethnic Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Tatars and others.
1. Ethnic groups:
* Ukrainian: 94%; 7,809 people
* Russians: 4%; 332 people
* Belarusians: 0.7%; 58 people
* Tatars: 0.06%, 5 people
* Others: 1.24%, 103 people
2. Employment status:
* Employed: 4,106 people
* Unemployed: 2,625 people
* Unemployed including pensioners: 4,201 people
3. Age Range:
* Children under 18: 1,938
* Aged 18-35: 1,532
* Aged 36 to 59: 2,469
* 60 and older: 2,395
4. Religion:
Orthodox (Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate) and adherents of other churches: Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists and others.
''*The above data has reporting gaps where not all the population is represented.''
Economy
Varva was known in the second half of the twentieth century for its oil and gas reserves that have been commercially explored in the past.
Currently there are two major employers within the town. First is a gas processing plant, Hnidyntsivsky Gas, which has been in operation for several decades and currently employs about two-thousand people. Second is the JV Agricultural Enterprise, "Druzhba-Nova", which includes the company "Kernal" and collectively employs another two-thousand people.
Culture
There are several catering and private bars in Varva and while tourism is not well developed there are several hiking trails around and throughout the city.
In Varva there is a community school (zemstvo school) built in 1912, which contains characteristic features of Ukrainian architectural modernism. (Architect:
Opanas Slastion
Opanas Heorhiiovych Slastion (, – September 24, 1933) was a Ukrainian graphic artist, painter, and ethnographer.
He was born in the port town of Berdiansk (now Ukraine) on the Berdyansk Gulf of the Sea of Azov. He studied at the Imperial ...
) The school building has decorative large cornices and ornaments, trapezoidal windows and doors. The school is designed for 200 students, who can be taught in four classrooms.
Each year on the 17th of September there is a "village day", where traditionally a fair is held where residents participant with collective art shows.
In the center of the village square is a "Fairy-tale Village", made in 1924, with gazebos, children's playgrounds, place of registration for special town events and several memorial signs.
Along 'Peace Street' is the Park of Glory, made in 1967, which has the Obelisk of Glory, Alley of Glory and several of memorials.
Infrastructure
Varva is an urban-type settlement which is located 200 km from the regional center, Chernihiv and 35 km from the railway station in
Pryluky
Pryluky ( ) is a city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality located on the Udai River in Chernihiv Oblast, north-central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Pryluky Raion (Raion, district). Located nearby is the Pryluky (a ...
. The only transportation system is over its roads both domestic and long distance.
Today Varva has 49 multi-storey buildings, 93 streets and alleys, 1856 residential buildings and 1810 individual households.
The settlement has two artificial reservoirs, called Reservoir 1 and 2.
Notable people
*
Osip Bodyansky
Osip Maksimovich Bodyansky (; ; 31 October 1808 – 6 September 1877) was a Russian Slavist of Ukrainian Cossack descent who studied and taught at the Imperial Moscow University. Bodyansky's close friends included Nikolai Gogol, Sergey Aksakov, Mi ...
*
Alla Ghilenko (born 1992), Moldovan biathlete
*
Mykola Mykhaylenko
*
Denys Nahnoynyi
*
Alexey Voyevoda
Alexey Ivanovich Voyevoda (; born 9 May 1980) is a Russian bobsledder, professional arm wrestler and politician.
Bobsleigh
A professional bobsleigher since 2002, Voyevoda won silver in the four-man bobsleigh event with teammates Philippe Egor ...
(born 1980), Russian bobsledder, armwrestler and politician
References
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Rural settlements in Pryluky Raion