The Ivanivka Village Council: Ivanivka, Vesele, Prohres

There are quite a few villages in Ukraine named in honour of the bearers of one of the most widespread names. Thanks to the enterprising and hard-working pioneers with the name Ivan, settlements and farmsteads named in memory of their founders appeared on the uninhabited lands in all the regions of our state. The village of Ivanivka in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region is the centre of a village council to which small settlements are subordinated: Vesele, Vovche, Yevhenivka, Lysyche, Lozuvatske, Novotoretske, Prohres, Svyrydonivka, and Serhiivka.

Ivanivka and the Ivanivka village council. Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region.

Dachne. How Do You Live in a Village Where All Is Closed?

"My dear and guiltless land!

For what does the Lord punish you,

Punish you so hard?"

T. H. Shevchenko. Hosea. Ch. XIV.

Travelling around the corners of our country, meeting people, getting to know the history and the notable sights of towns and villages, you always see something moving that surprises and astonishes you. The Ukrainian people are famed for their industriousness and hospitality, for their rich traditions and centuries-old history. The nature of Ukraine has been sung by writers and painters. But most of our villages frighten you with their empty streets and abandoned houses. The infrastructure in the small settlements has been destroyed, there are no pharmacy points and no shops, the schools and kindergartens are closed. How unlike Ukrainian villages are to the European hamlets with their chalet-style villas.

The village of Dachne of the Mezhova district of Dnipropetrovsk region lies on the bank of the Vovcha river.

 

The Vovcha river. Sources and course. Stories and legends

Toponymic legends are linked to famous personalities who were the founders of cities or the discoverers of unexplored lands. Oral folk art has from ancient times brought down to our day the stories of the origin of geographical features. One of the most famous and ancient of the world's legends tells of the Capitoline she-wolf, which suckled two brothers, one of whom would become the founder of Rome. In honour of the mother of the Romans a bronze sculpture was created, copies of which are a source of pride in many countries of the world. In Ukraine there is also a stone statue of a local predator, the progenitress of a hydronym.

Prohres, Pokrovsk district, Donetsk region. Monument to the she-wolf - founder of the name of the watercourse

Pavlohrad. We stroll, we look, we get acquainted

We know little of the history and landmarks of the provincial cities of Ukraine, remote from the capital and the regional centres. Pavlohrad is one of those cities that tourists do not aspire to visit. For travellers the stereotype of an industrial city without landmarks kicks in. If fate casts you into the centre of the coal basin of the Western Donbas, you will find much of interest. Let us begin with the religious buildings, whose number approaches twenty.

Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region. The Holy Dormition Church

The Vovcha River. The Bakai Reserve

The Vovcha is a small river of the Black Sea basin.

The Vovcha River. The settlement of Vasylkivka, Dnipropetrovsk region