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Zviahel Звягель | |
|---|---|
 Mezentsev Palace  Church of Christ the King  Museum ofLesya Ukrainka | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Zviahel Location of Zviahel Show map of Zhytomyr Oblast Zviahel Zviahel (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:50°35′0″N27°38′0″E / 50.58333°N 27.63333°E /50.58333; 27.63333 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Zhytomyr Oblast |
| Raion | Zviahel Raion |
| Hromada | Zviahel urban hromada |
| First mentioned | 1256 |
| City status | 1795 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Volodymyr Zahryvyi |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,667 km2 (1,030 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 218 m (715 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 55,086 |
| • Density | 20.65/km2 (53.50/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 11700—11709 |
| Area code | 1811000000 |
| Website | http://novograd.osp-ua.info/ |
Zviahel (Ukrainian:Звягель,IPA:[ˈzʲwʲɑɦelʲ];Yiddish:זוויל,romanized: Zvil) is acity inZhytomyr Oblast, northernUkraine. The city serves as theadministrative center ofZviahel Raion (district).[1] According to a 2025 estimate, its population was approximately 54,3 thousand inhabitants.[2]
The city is located on the main route that linksLviv toKyiv (E40). It is located on theSluch River, which forms the eastern border ofVolhynia.
The city has previously been known asVozviahel (Возвягель),Zviahol (Звяголь),Zviahal (Звягаль), Dzwihel andNovohrad-Volynskyi (Новоград-Волинський).
Originally known asZviahel (fromPolish:Zwiahel), the city was renamed toNovohrad-Volynskyi in 1795 after annexation of territories ofPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by theRussian Empire soon after theThird Partition of Poland.[1]
Since the 1991Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine there have been several attempts to rename the city.[3] Public discussions on renaming the city to Zviahel began in April 2022.[3] On 16 June 2022 the city council renamed the city again to Zviahel.[3] The decision was supported by 22 of the 30 deputies present, while four deputies opposed and abstained.[3] The name change was then to be approved by the deputies of theZhytomyr Oblast Council[3] and the final decision on renaming the city had then to be made by theUkrainian parliament,[3] which took place on 16 November 2022.[1]
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On 31 March 2022, the city council decided to remove the letterZ (which was a reference to the name Zviahel) from its coat of arms (it was on the bell, in both the small and full version).[4] This was done because the letter Z was widely used by theRussian army during the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and has become apropaganda tool inRussia.[4]
The city was mentioned in theGalician–Volhynian Chronicle under the year of 1256 as the town of Zviahel. The original settlement was an Old Ruthenian town ofBolokhov Land located on the right bank ofSluch.[5] In 1257 it was razed byDaniel of Galicia.
The next mentioning of the settlement is found in 1432 as a rebuilt one on the left bank upstream from the original site.[5] Since 14th century it belonged to theGrand Duchy of Lithuania owned by Zwiahelski princely family.[5] In 1501 to 1554 the town belonged toOstrogski princely family.[5] In 1507Konstanty Ostrogski built here a castle.[5] After formation ofVolhynian Voivodeship, it was located in Lutsk County. Following the 1569Union of Lublin it was passed on to theCrown of Poland.[5]
During theKhmelnytsky Uprising, Cossacks destroyed portion of the city's fortification and burnt down the Catholic church (kosciol).[5] In September 1648 in the city was formed an insurgency group of local peasants led by Mykhalo Tysha.[5] In 1650s in Zwiahel existed Zwiahel Regiment.[5]
In 18th century the city belonged toLubomirski princely family.[5]
The city had an important Jewish community. In the late 19th century it was home to 9,378 Jews, more than half the population of the town. Pogroms killed approximately 1,000 Jews in 1919.[6] After theTreaty of Riga, Novohrad-Volynskyi became part of theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of theSoviet Union.
In 1936, part of the Polish population was expelled by the Soviets to Kazakhstan.[7]
By the start of World War II only 6,840 Jews remained, (30% of the total population). Hundreds of Jews were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by anEinsatzgruppen in 1941. Many survivors were imprisoned in harsh conditions in aghetto and murdered in November 1942,[8] and an important part of the town was destroyed during the war.
In February 2013, the Novohrad-Volynskyi city council decided to dismantle the monument to Lenin, which was installed in front of the city council building, and move it to Slavy Park with extra-budgetary funds.[9][10] After that, the local communists sued, but the cases were lost in the first instance and in the Court of Appeal of the Zhytomyr Oblast.[11] A sundial installation was installed instead of the Lenin monument.[12]
In 2015, Viktor Veselskyi was elected to the post of mayor. In connection with the Law of Ukraine on decommunization in the city, the Soviet names of streets, alleys, squares and boulevards were renamed.[13]
On 16 June 2022, the local council decided to return the historical name Zviahel to the city, and it was also proposed to change the name of the Novohrad-Volynskyi Raion (district) to Zviahel Raion.[14] In November, the draft law was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.[15] By the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated 16 November 2022, the historical name of Zviahel was returned to the city.[16]
Distribution of the population by ethnicity according to the2001 Ukrainian census:[17]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainians | 85.29% | |||
| Russians | 8.51% | |||
| Poles | 4.29% | |||
| Belarusians | 0.57% | |||
| Jews | 0.33% | |||
| Gypsies | 0.27% | |||
| Germans | 0.11% | |||
| Moldovans | 0.09% | |||
| Armenians | 0.08% | |||
Native language composition according to the2001 Ukrainian census:[18]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | 89.4% | |||
| Russian | 10.0% | |||
| Romani | 0.2% | |||
| Belarusian | 0.1% | |||
| Polish | 0.1% | |||
| others | 0.1% | |||
| Climate data for Novohrad-Volynskyi (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) | 0.3 (32.5) | 5.5 (41.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 12.5 (54.5) | 4.8 (40.6) | 0.1 (32.2) | 12.3 (54.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.3 (26.1) | −2.8 (27.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 8.6 (47.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 17.3 (63.1) | 19.1 (66.4) | 18.2 (64.8) | 13.2 (55.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | −2.2 (28.0) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.9 (21.4) | −5.6 (21.9) | −1.8 (28.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.1 (55.6) | 8.9 (48.0) | 4.2 (39.6) | −0.3 (31.5) | −4.4 (24.1) | 4.0 (39.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 37.8 (1.49) | 37.1 (1.46) | 37.4 (1.47) | 41.9 (1.65) | 52.6 (2.07) | 86.9 (3.42) | 92.4 (3.64) | 63.5 (2.50) | 56.6 (2.23) | 40.8 (1.61) | 44.3 (1.74) | 43.3 (1.70) | 634.6 (24.98) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 8.6 | 10.0 | 108.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 83.6 | 81.7 | 77.2 | 68.3 | 67.9 | 72.8 | 74.1 | 74.1 | 78.4 | 79.9 | 84.4 | 85.4 | 77.3 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization[19] | |||||||||||||
In Zviahel, there are 11 secondary specialized schools (including Lyceum No. 1, No. 4, and No. 11), 4 higher education institutions, 9 libraries, 3 museums, as well as music and art schools.
Among the most well-known higher education institutions are the Medical College, founded in September 1936, as well as the Zviahel Polytechnic Applied College and the Economic-humanitarian professional college.
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