Rivne

The town developed out of a settlement around a fortress in the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia. It is first mentioned in historical documents in 1282, as the site of a battle between the Polish prince Leszek Czarny and the Lithuanian noble Vitenas. In the second half of the 14th century it became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and by the end of the century it had been granted the rights of Magdeburg law. Because of its convenient location on the Kyiv–Volodymyr-Volynskyi trade route the town prospered as a commercial center. In 1518–1621 it was owned by the Ostrozky princes. With the Union of Lublin (1569) Rivne became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. With the partitioning of Poland in 1793 it was annexed by Russia and was made a county center of Volhynia gubernia (from 1797).

Toward the end of the 19th century Rivne developed from a small administrative and trading town into a major railway junction on the Odesa–Warsaw (1873), Lviv–Zdolbuniv–Rivne, and Rivne–Lunynets–Vilnius–Saint Petersburg lines. Its population jumped from 6,300 in 1870 to 24,600 in 1897 and 33,700 in 1911. From the 1890s over half the population was Jewish.

In 1917–19 the city was controlled intermittently by the Ukrainian National Republic government. It was awarded to Poland by the Treaty of Riga in 1921. Rivne was occupied by the Soviet Army in 1939 and set up as the center of a new oblast. In 1941 it was captured by the Germans and turned into the administrative center for Reichskommissariat Ukraine. In November 1941 and July 1942 respectively the Germans killed approximately 18,000 and 5,000 local Jews. Soviet troops reoccupied Rivne in 1944.

Since the 1950s Rivne has developed rapidly as an industrial center. Its main industries are machine building (tractor assemblies, high-power equipment), the metalworking industry, the building-materials industry, the construction industry, light industry (linen manufacturing), and food processing (meat packing, fruit canning, and confectionery). Rivne remains an important railway junction. It has seven special secondary schools, eight vocational schools, and three higher educational institutions, including Rivne State Humanities University, Rivne National University of Water and Nature Resources Management, and Rivne International University of Economics and the Humanities. The city supports the Rivne Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater and a puppet theater, a philharmonic orchestra, and five museums, including the Rivne Regional Studies Museum. It had two oblast papers, Chervonyi prapor and Zmina. Now its city paper is Rivne vechirnie. Its chief architectural monuments are the Dormition Church and belfry (1756), the gymnasium building (1839), and the Resurrection Cathedral (1890).

Rivne features

Rivne is among the most beautiful and clean cities in Ukraine. It has repeatedly won prizes at national competitions for city improvement. Around the city there are forests with rich flora and fauna.

It is located in a temperate climate zone. The average temperature in July is plus 18.9 degrees Celsius, in January - minus 3.5 degrees Celsius. The city has a favorable geographic location at the intersection of international highways and railroads. The main industries are mechanical engineering, chemical, light, food, and peat industries.

There are more than a dozen institutions of higher education in Rivne, the largest of which are the National University of Water Resources and Nature Management and the State Humanitarian University.

Rivne is an important cultural center. The city has a regional academic Ukrainian musical and drama theater and a regional puppet theater, a chamber and organ music hall (with one of the best organs in Europe), a movie theater “Ukraine”, a zoo of national importance, 3 schools of aesthetic education, 16 libraries.

Church of the Assumption (1756) and the gymnasium, built in the classical style in 1839, are among the oldest preserved buildings of Rivne. There are monuments of history and architecture of different historical epochs.

Rivne doesn’t have a lot of architectural sights, tourists are more interested in the Rivne Zoo. In the partly reconstructed city center there are several good hotels and restaurants, which makes Rivne an attractive stopping point.

The City Day of Rivne is celebrated on the last Sunday of August.

Museums

Rivne Regional Museum (1839). The museum occupies the building of the former men’s gymnasium built in the style of classicism. During the Second World War, the building served as the Reichskommissariat of Ukraine. The bunker of General E. Koch was built near it (preserved).

In total, there are about 140 thousand exhibits, including archaeological finds, ethnographic exhibition, numismatic collection, objects of the Cossack era, icons. There is an exposition of military equipment. Drahomanova Street, 19. Opening hours: 10:00-18:00. Day off: Monday.

Amber Museum (1903). This museum is located in the building of the Rivne House of Scientists - a two-story mansion built in the Art Nouveau style. Among the exhibits of the museum are pieces of amber up to 40 million years old, found at different times in the territory of the Rivne region, as well as jewelry and works of art made of it.

In particular, the most ancient amber product in Ukraine is exhibited - an amulet disc of about 2,5 thousand years old. The jewels of the museum are stones, in which ancient insects are crystallized. Another interesting exhibit is a large piece of amber weighing about 2 kg.

The exhibits tell not only about the history of amber mining in the region, but also about the only enterprise in Ukraine that is engaged in its processing. Symona Petlyury Street, 17. Opening hours: 10:00-18:00. Days off: Monday, Saturday.