Kamin-Kashyrskyi Urban Territorial Community Volyn Region
Panoramic view of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community/source: Andrii Kunytskyi (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1626634367458234&set=a.1080023958785947)
The Kamin-Kashyrskyi community is located in the interfluve of the Stokhid and Turiya rivers in the Volyn region, the western part of Ukraine. The community has a well-developed agro-industrial complex, forest industry and service sector. It is an important economic and tourist center of the region, a place where tradition and modernity are intertwined. In the community, the authentic material and spiritual culture of the Polisians, customary and ritual characteristics, and untouched natural landscapes have been well preserved.
Unit 1: General Statistical Information about the Community
The Kamin-Kashyrskyi community is located in the Volyn region in the western part of Ukraine. The total area of the community is 1,474 square kilometers. The Kamin-Kashyrsky community includes 54 rural population centers and the town of Kamin-Kashyrskyi.
As of January 1, 2023, the population of the community was 55,898 people.
Men: 27,070
Women: 28,828
Internally displaced persons: 1,340.
Coordinates: 51.62575, 24.96514
The Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council/source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Unit 2: History
The administrative center is the town of Kamin-Kashyrskyi. The first mentions of the town date back to 1196. The most famous landmarks of the community are the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin of 1723 and the Presentation of Our Lord Mykhnivka Monastery of 1642
The Presentation of Our Lord Mykhnivka Monastery of 1642 in the village of Mykhnivka /source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin of 1723 /source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Unit 3: Economy and Welfare
About 2,000 enterprises operate on the territory of the community - usually, these are small enterprises with up to 25 employees. Most of the enterprises are engaged in agriculture, woodworking, forestry, trade, catering, and hotel services.
The community has at its disposal land plots that are potentially attractive for investment. This is especially relevant given the expectations of good transport accessibility in the short- and medium-term horizon.
From the point of view of economic development, the community can also be of interest to tourists going to Pripyat-Stokhid National Park and Dobre Lake.
There are 7 rivers, 10 lakes, 3 objects of the nature reserve fund of national importance and 31 objects of local importance on the territory of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community.
Tourists can refresh themselves in the country estates “Tam de Dobre”, “Buzakivskyi chan”, “Batkivska Khata” holiday farm, “Leader” hotel rooms.
The River Turiya / source: Andriy Kunitskiy (https://www.facebook.com/kynitskiy )
Lake Dobre/source: Nadiia Savchuk ( https://kmk-gromada.go v.ua/news/1710139228/ )
Lake Bile/source: Mykola Panasiuk ( https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/news/1710139228/ )
In the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community, the field of education works effectively, for which the largest part of funds is allocated from the community budget. On the territory of the community, there are 43 institutions of general secondary education, 25 institutions of preschool education, and 2 inclusive resource centers.
Great attention is paid to children with special educational needs who receive psychological-pedagogical and correctional services in educational institutions. Specialists of various profiles work with children. They are tasked with helping each child integrate into society.
The community also has 40 libraries, 38 cultural centers, a children's art school, and a local history museum.
There is 1 central district hospital and 17 institutions providing primary medical care in the community.
Kamin-Kashyrskyi Local History Museum/source: https://kmk.osv.org.ua/
Also, a local festival was launched in the community to preserve, restore and popularize the local cultural heritage, as well as to increase the tourism potential of the community.
The community traditional dish “Mandrychky” is its special visiting card which is included in the intangible cultural heritage.
Weaving was the most common traditional craft in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi area. All fabrics for household needs were made at home. The element “Traditional weaving in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community” is included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
The community has creative groups which participate and win in national and international art competitions.
Culture and Leisure Center of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council/source: https://kmk.osv.org.ua/
Ancient dish “Mandrychki” - intangible cultural heritage/source: https://kmk.osv.org.ua/
Celebration of Ivan Kupala, village of Buzaky, Kamin-Kashyrskyi community/ source: Andrii Kunytskiy (https://www.facebook.com/kynitskiy)
Weaver Nadiia Kryvosh from the village of Buzaky / source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
The People's Amateur Folk Song Ensemble “Rodovid” won the 1st place in the Ivan Slyota “A Lyon Tsvite” 5th All-Ukrainian Folk Choral Art Festival&Competition.
People's Amateur Folk Song Ensemble “Rodovid”/source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
On the territory of the community there are many sports grounds for various sports and football fields. The community has a children's and youth sports school, a town center for physical health of the population, a football federation, a weightlifting federation, and the all-Ukrainian society “Kolos”.
Sports stadium in the town of Kamin-Kashyrskyi / source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Athletes of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community are multiple winners of all-Ukrainian competitions and international tournaments. In 2024, the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community became the champion among urban territorial communities in the Regional Festival of Physical Culture and Sports for the fourth time.
Regional festival of physical culture and sports/source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
In 2024, the athlete of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community, Sofia Kozak, became the absolute champion of Europe, having won 3 golden medals.
European champion Sofia Kozak/source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122117647544318160&set=a.122109204266318160
Unit 4: Community and War
From the first days of the war, residents of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community rushed to defend their Motherland from russian aggression. The men who worked abroad returned to protect their land. With the beginning of the russian invasion, the community united under the leadership of Mayor Viktor Pas.
He rallied people around him and set a pattern to be followed. Everyone stayed up making Molotov cocktails. They were ready for whatever comes. Everyone did it of their own free will because they had someone to look up to. Those residents of the community who do not have the opportunity to fight at the front today join various volunteer organizations and help the Ukrainian military by working in the home front.
Volunteer hubs started working in three educational institutions of the community.
110 residents of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community died defending their Motherland.
Alley of Glory in the town of Kamin-Kashyrskyi / source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Residents raise funds for military vehicles, drones and other ammunition. Charity auctions and other events are constantly held in the community, the purpose of which is to collect funds for the needs of the military.
A lot of attention in the community is given to helping internally displaced persons. Since the beginning of the war, more than 2,000 internally displaced persons have found shelter in the Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community.
Unit 5: People of the Community
Viktor Pas was elected as Mayor of Kamin-Kashyrskyi in 2020.
Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Mayor Victor Pas
Before the war, the Town Council had a sister town, Mendziżec-Pidłaski, the Republic of Poland.
During 2022, Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Mayor Viktor Pas and Head of the Project Activity and International Cooperation Department of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council Nadiia Savchuk established international relations with the following municipalities:
- Sindelfingen, Böblingen (Germany),
- Langford (Canada),
- South Kurzeme Municipality (Latvia)
- Gmina Bielany (Poland).
International partners actively helped the Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community in the conditions of martial law.
Recreation of children from the Kamin-Kashyrskyi community in the South Kurzeme Municipality of Latvia/source: https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Unit 6: Development Strategy
At the session of the Town Council of December 9, 2022, the deputies approved the Development Strategy of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Territorial Community for 2022-2032.
The main tasks of local authorities include:
- repair and maintenance of community roads.
- thermal modernization of educational and club institutions of the community.
- reconstruction of water and wastewater treatment facilities in the town of Kamin-Kashyrskyi.
- construction and arrangement of shelters in educational institutions.
- improvement of the provision of equal access to medical care by purchasing innovative medical equipment, transport and carrying out repair work in medical institutions.
- development of rural green tourism cluster “Water Meadows of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Area”.
Lake Oziurko / source: Andriy Kunitskiy (https://www.facebook.com/kynitskiy/posts/pfbid02ytVz5duUExNtZP7WKAzRA5h28oAEdjjcvNGZJgCRSAGCrmijYWsbxrTKQkcJfSB9l)
Unit 7: List of Sources
Official website of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/
Facebook page of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066393320767
Development strategy of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community for 2022-2032
https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/news/1670830756/
Presentation video about the Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community https://cutt.ly/rNEFCUR
Electronic publications about the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Territorial Community https://cutt.ly/PByjrjL
The article “The Kamin-Kashyrskyi territorial community: international relations, agroclusters and green tourism” published in the English-language publication by Olesia Moroz and Iryna Okolovych entitled: "Despite the war and other difficulties: how rural communities of Ukraine are developing” https://kmk-gromada.gov. ua/news/1707122982/ https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/news/1677250749/
The article "Rural tourism cluster “Water Meadows of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Area” published in the fifth issue of the electronic magazine "Green Rural Tourism” https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/news/1670841108/
Page “International and interregional cooperation of the Kamin-Kashyrskyi Town Council” https://kmk-gromada.gov.ua/mizhnarodna-spivpracya-11-33-53-16-08-2021/
Official website of the Humanitarian Policy Department of the Town Council https://kmk.osv.org.ua/
Nadiia Savchuk, Head of the Department of Project Activities and International Cooperation of the Kamin- Kashyrskyi Town Council
