Archeological discoveries prove that more than 100 years ago
primitives have already inhabited the territory of Zhytomyr oblast’.
The most ancient palaeolithic places are Radomyshlske on the river of
Teteriv and places not far from villages of Dovchynychi, Klyntsi
Ovrutsjkogo and Kolodyazhne – Dzerzhynsky regions. People lived here in
primitive communities and were engaged primely in hunting.
Memorials of tripoly culture have been found on the territory of
villages of Troyanov of Zhytomyr oblast’, Rajky of the Berdychiv
region, Pavoloch of the Popilnyanskogo region and also in other places.
Memorials of copper and bronze epochs have been found in Dzerzhynsky and
Zhytomyrsky regions, outskirts of Zhytomyr.
In the 5-7 centuries the ancient Eastern Slavic tribes inhabited the
territory: the north-drevlyane, the central part and the south – polyane,
engaged in cattle-breeding and agriculture. Drevlyane occupied also with
hunting trade, beekeeping, produced jewel. In the 9 century appear cities, trade and
commerce centers: Vruchyj (Ovruch), Iskorost’ (Korosten’).
In the early feudal period (the 11 – beginning of the 12 century) the present-day territory
of Zhytomyr region was a part of Old Russian Eastern Slavic State – Kyiv
Rus (with the capital of Kyiv). According to the well-known historian
I.P.Kryp’yakevych, Volyn and Polissya were part of Slavic forefatherhood,
cradle of Ukrainian nation.
In the second part of the 12 century, as a result of Kyiv Rus collapse the
territory of the region belonged to the Kyiv princedom. In the 13 century
Zhytomyrshchyna and other Slavic lands got into dependence of horde
conquerors. In 1350-1360 the Lithuanians got control over the Eastern
Volyn.
In the 14-16 centuries the major part of Zhytomyrshchyna was a part of the
Kyiv province, established in 1471 instead of the Kyiv princedom. After
the Lublin union (1569) Lithuania united with Poland in one state – Rich
Pospolyta. Since this period Polish kings occupied the Volyn lands. The
nation got under oppression of Polish gentry. That’s why the history of
the region begins since the end of the 16 century and is characterized by
mass village revolts (Severyn Nalyvajko, Semen Palij, liberation war
under Bogdan Khmelhytsky, Hajdamaks etc.).
As a result of Polish division (1772, 1793, 1795) Volyn, Kyivshchyna
and Podillya have been adjoined to the Russian Empire. The territory of
the region was a part of Volyn and Kyiv provinces, established according
to the Tsar Decree in 1797. Since 1804 Zhytomyr became a center of Volyn
province.
At the beginning of the 19 century the economy development of Volyn
province was involved in the unified all-Russian market, it was a process
of serfdom and feudal system and capitalist relations development. It
intensified social division of labour, developed trade, raised the
quantity of urban population.
Political division
The oblast’ comprises: 23 regions, 4 regions
in the towns: Zhytomyr, Berdychiv,
Korosten’, Novograd-Volynsky; 5 districts
in the towns: Andrushivka, Korosten’,
Malyn, Ovruch, Radomyshl’; 45 urban villages; 1631 villages.
Authority
Zhytomyr
regional state administration leadership is composed of the Head, the
first deputy of the Head, deputy of the Head of information sphere,
religion, nationalities, culture, sport; deputy of the Head of energy,
industry, transport, and communication; deputy of the Head of building,
communal services and motor road economy; deputy of the Head on territory
development and foreign economic relations; deputy of the Head of
agriculture and food, trade, consumer services of the population; deputy
of the Head on political and legal issues and deputy of the Head on
organizational staff activity of regional state administration on
organization, legal, personnel and inspection work.
Heads
of local state administrations according to the Law of Ukraine on local
state administrations form the composition of local state
administrations.
Within
budget assignments, prescribed for corresponding local state
administrations support, their heads define the structure of local state
administrations.
Enumeration of offices,
departments and other structural subdivisions of local state
administrations as well as typical provisions are ratified by the Cabinet
of Ministers of Ukraine.
Borders
Zhytomyr
oblast’ is situated in the central part of the East European plain, on the
north of the Right-Bank Ukraine. Its area is 29,9 thousand sq. km., that
is 4,9% of the Ukrainian territory. It is one of the largest regions in
Ukraine after Odesa, Dnipropetrovs’k, Chernigiv and Kharkiv oblast’. In
order to image its territory better, one might say, that Zhytomyrshchyna
is larger than Albania, Israel, Cyprus or Lebanon.
Its
extension from the west to the east is 170 km, and from the north to the
south – 230 km.
Population
The
Population of the oblast’ is 1432,7 thousand ; townspeople 806,3 thousand
people (56,3%), rural population – 626,4 thousand (43,7%). Density of
population (on 1 sq. km.) – 47,9. Dominant quantity of population have
regional towns: Zhytomyr – 296,9; Berdychiv – 90,2; Korosten’ – 65,3;
Novograd-Volynsky –56,5 thousand people. In districts in the towns:
Andrushivka – 14,3; Korostyshev – 27,7; Malyna – 34,2; Ovruch – 21,5;
Radomyshl’ – 17,7 thousand people. The greatest quantity of population
among districts have Ovrutsky – 55,2 thousand people, the lowest quantity
of population have such districts as Narodnytsky – 10,5; Brusylivsky –
18,3; Lugansky – 21,3 thousand people.
Economic potential
Industry
In
the structure of industry production of the region the greatest relative
density have food industry, mechanical engineering and metal-working,
woodworking industry and building materials industry. The region produces
48% of national porcelain-delft ware volume, 33% linen clothes and
legwear garments. Segment of foodstuffs in the structure of ware
production of national consumption is 61%. In general there are 403
industry enterprises in the regional that have their independent balance
besides there are 372 small industry enterprises.
Agriculture
Zhytomyrshchyna
is a region of hop and flax production. 75% of Ukrainian hop and 30% of
long-fibred flax are gathered here. In 1999 the gross grain yield was
about 1481,9 thousand tons, sugar beets – 1809 thousand tons, sunflower
seeds – 38,3 thousand tons, potatoes – 1008,5 thousand tons. It also
produced 99,7 thousand tons of meat, 729,4 thousand tons of milk and 264
million eggs. At the beginning of 1999 there were 360 farms in the
region.
Culture and traditions
Zhytomyr
oblast’ has cultural and architectural memorials in Ovruch, Zhytomyr,
Novograd-Volynsky referring to the period of the Kyiv Rus; landscape
art, museum of porcelain in Baranivtsi, country estate and landscape park
in the town of Verkhivnyansky, where the prominent French writer O. de
Balzak lived and worked, museum of cosmonautics named after S.P.Korolyov.
It
is known that the famous French writer Onore de Balzak and Evelina Hanska
were married in the town of Berdychiv in the St.Varvara Roman-Catholic
church.
Nature and ecology
Landscape
of Zhytomyr oblast’ - flat ground, on the south with dense ravines, river
valleys. Water resources: more than 200 small rivers, the major of which
is – Teteriv (inflow of Dnipro). Soil - sod-podzol, gray forestry,on the south – podzol black earth and
typical low humus soils. Climate: moderately continental, rainfall
600-650 mm. Minerals: extraction of ore, silica quartzite, color
semiprecious stones – beryl, topaz, quartz; uncurtailed resource of
ornamental stones (labradorite, granite, habro); deposits of high-quality
pyrophyllite, unique quartzite deposits.
