Slavutych
Encyclopedia
Slavutych is a new city
in northern Ukraine
, named after the Old Slavic
name of the nearby Dnieper River
. As of 2007, its population was 24,549.
, 45 kilometers from the city of Pripyat, 50 from Chernobyl
(both in Ivankiv Raion) and 200 kilometers from Kiev
. While geographically Slavutych is located in Chernihiv Raion (part of Chernihiv Oblast
), administratively it belongs to Kiev Oblast
, being an administrative exclave, not belonging to any raion
.
to host personnel of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and their families, evacuated from the abandoned city of Pripyat. As of 2005 Slavutych has about 25,000 inhabitants. The economic and social situation of the city is still heavily influenced by the power plant and other Chernobyl zone
installations because most of the residents worked or still work there.
after it was evacuated thirty-six hours after the nuclear disaster due to the nuclear fallout
. There is a memorial in Slavutych to remember the victims of the disaster, especially those who lost their life immediately after the event from radiation-related diseases.
The city is mostly home to survivors of the disaster who had to be relocated from the evacuation zone around the reactor
, among them about 8,000 people who were children in 1986. As a result, the number of people who have some radiation-related illness is rather high. Many inhabitants still work at the site of the former plant for monitoring, maintenance or scientific purposes. They commute to the zone on a regular basis, and a railroad line (twice crossing the international border with Belarus) runs directly from the city to the site of the plant.
Slavutych is located about 50 kilometres east of the former plant. The site had to be well outside the Chernobyl zone to ensure the workers' health, but other factors that contributed to choosing this site was the availability of a ready railroad infrastructure due to a "forgotten railroad station" called Nerefa, and the vicinity of the Dnieper River to bring in supplies over water. In order to build the city, the ground was covered with a two-metre layer of uncontaminated soil.
From the start, Slavutych was planned to become a "21st century city". Compared to other cities in Ukraine, Slavutych has a modern architecture with pleasant surroundings, and the standard of living in the city is much higher than in most other cities in Ukraine. During the construction of the city, workers and architects from eight former soviet republic
s became involved: Armenian SSR
, Azerbaijan SSR
, Estonian SSR, Georgian SSR, Latvian SSR
, Lithuanian SSR
, Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR
. As a result, the city is divided into eight districts named after the capitals of the contributing republics, each with its own unique style and atmosphere. All eight kindergartens are equipped with an indoor swimming pool. In addition, the city has a youth center, a modern community center, a town hall, an Internet cafe
, numerous sports facilities, modern clinics, and a hotel. About 80 percent of the apartments were constructed as houses with four to six floors while the remaining 20 percent are small one- or two-family houses, some terraced and some detached. The population of the city has a uniquely high birth rate as well as surprisingly low mortality. As a result, the average age in Slavutych is by far the lowest of any city in Ukraine. More than one third of its inhabitants are children.
The infrastructure and public facilities of the city are mostly paid for by the company which operated the plant. Because the remaining units of the nuclear power plant were shut down in 2001, the city faces significant social problems and an uncertain future. Until then, approximately 9,000 people or about half of the adult population worked at the plant. Since the shutdown, this number has dropped to about 3,000, who mostly work on monitoring and maintenance. Also, about 85 percent of the city budget was funded by the operator of the plant. In order to support the settlement and establishment of new companies, Slavutych was declared a Special Economic Zone
. In addition, substantial vocational retraining programs are provided by the government to improve the occupational outlook of those who lost jobs. Despite these efforts, about 1,500 people have already left the city, a trend which is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future.
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
in northern Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, named after the Old Slavic
Old East Slavic language
Old East Slavic or Old Ruthenian was a language used in 10th-15th centuries by East Slavs in the Kievan Rus' and states which evolved after the collapse of the Kievan Rus...
name of the nearby Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
. As of 2007, its population was 24,549.
Geography
Slavutych is situated on the left bank of the river, 40 kilometers from ChernihivChernihiv
Chernihiv or Chernigov is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
, 45 kilometers from the city of Pripyat, 50 from Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
(both in Ivankiv Raion) and 200 kilometers from Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. While geographically Slavutych is located in Chernihiv Raion (part of Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv Oblast
Chernihiv Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv.-Geography:The total area of the province is around 31,900 km²....
), administratively it belongs to Kiev Oblast
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
, being an administrative exclave, not belonging to any raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
.
History
The city was built in 1986, shortly after the Chernobyl nuclear disasterChernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
to host personnel of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and their families, evacuated from the abandoned city of Pripyat. As of 2005 Slavutych has about 25,000 inhabitants. The economic and social situation of the city is still heavily influenced by the power plant and other Chernobyl zone
Zone of alienation
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Alienation, or simply The Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of...
installations because most of the residents worked or still work there.
Overview
In an interview with Pravda published on October 10, 1986, Erik Pozdyshev, the newly appointed Director of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, officially announced that a new city was to be built. Construction of the town started shortly thereafter, and the first inhabitants settled in during October 1988. The city was intended to replace Pripyat which became a ghost townGhost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
after it was evacuated thirty-six hours after the nuclear disaster due to the nuclear fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
. There is a memorial in Slavutych to remember the victims of the disaster, especially those who lost their life immediately after the event from radiation-related diseases.
The city is mostly home to survivors of the disaster who had to be relocated from the evacuation zone around the reactor
Zone of alienation
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of Alienation, or simply The Zone The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone, which is sometimes referred to as The Chernobyl Zone, The 30 Kilometer Zone, The Zone of...
, among them about 8,000 people who were children in 1986. As a result, the number of people who have some radiation-related illness is rather high. Many inhabitants still work at the site of the former plant for monitoring, maintenance or scientific purposes. They commute to the zone on a regular basis, and a railroad line (twice crossing the international border with Belarus) runs directly from the city to the site of the plant.
From the start, Slavutych was planned to become a "21st century city". Compared to other cities in Ukraine, Slavutych has a modern architecture with pleasant surroundings, and the standard of living in the city is much higher than in most other cities in Ukraine. During the construction of the city, workers and architects from eight former soviet republic
Republics of the Soviet Union
The Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically-based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...
s became involved: Armenian SSR
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
, Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
, Estonian SSR, Georgian SSR, Latvian SSR
Latvian SSR
The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...
, Lithuanian SSR
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. As a result, the city is divided into eight districts named after the capitals of the contributing republics, each with its own unique style and atmosphere. All eight kindergartens are equipped with an indoor swimming pool. In addition, the city has a youth center, a modern community center, a town hall, an Internet cafe
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
, numerous sports facilities, modern clinics, and a hotel. About 80 percent of the apartments were constructed as houses with four to six floors while the remaining 20 percent are small one- or two-family houses, some terraced and some detached. The population of the city has a uniquely high birth rate as well as surprisingly low mortality. As a result, the average age in Slavutych is by far the lowest of any city in Ukraine. More than one third of its inhabitants are children.
Special Economic Zone
A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...
. In addition, substantial vocational retraining programs are provided by the government to improve the occupational outlook of those who lost jobs. Despite these efforts, about 1,500 people have already left the city, a trend which is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future.