Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast
Hirnyk (Ukrainian: Гірник, pronounced [ɦ⁽ʲ⁾irˈnɪk]; Russian: Горняк, romanized: Gornyak) is a city in Kurakhove urban hromada, Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It has a population of 10,357 (2022 estimate).[2] It is located on the Vovcha River on a western slope of the Donets Ridge. Hirnyk is located 40 km (25 mi) west of Donetsk.[3]
Hirnyk Гірник | |
|---|---|
Hirnyk Hirnyk | |
| Coordinates: 48°03′N 37°22′E / 48.050°N 37.367°E | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Oblast | Donetsk Oblast |
| Raion | Pokrovsk Raion |
| Hromada | Kurakhove urban hromada |
| Founded | 1938 |
| City status | 27 September 1958 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
| • Total | 10,357 |
| • Density | 2,000/km2 (5,300/sq mi) |
History edit
20th century edit
Hirnyk has its origins in the miner's settlement Sotsmistechko[a] (sometimes referred to as Sotshorodok[b][1]), which was founded in 1938 parallel to the construction of coal mines around the city of Kurakhove. By the end of 1938, the "Donbaszhytlobud" construction firm had built sixty one-storey houses for the miners to lived in. By 15 January 1939, 860 people lived in Sotsmistechko. During 1939, an elementary school, an outpatient clinic, recreational club, and two stores were built in the settlement. By summer 1941, the population had grown to 5,000.[3]
During World War II, as the forces of Nazi Germany advanced on Sotsmistechko and the threat of Nazi occupation loomed, the non-mobilized population was evacuated to Karaganda in Kazakhstan, and any industrial equipment that could be moved was taken inland. Anything that could not be taken out was destroyed, and both of the functioning mines were blown up by local communists. The city was captured by Nazi German forces on 20 October 1941, who instituted a repressive and violent occupation, murdering prisoners of war at a hill near Sotsmistechko. The Nazis forced the locals as well as prisoners of war to begin rebuilding the destroyed mines, but were unable to actually return either of them to functionality during the occupation. Small groups of Soviet partisans fought back against the occupation, but several of them were killed in a minefield near Rai-Oleksandrivka, Donetsk Oblast. On 8 September 1943, Sotsmistechko was liberated by detachments of the 257th Rifle Division of the Red Army.[3]
After the end of the war, the reconstruction of the economy began, with the mine passing pre-war production levels by 1946 according to Soviet sources. On 30 May 1947, Sotsmistechko was given urban-type settlement status.[3]
On 27 September 1958, Sotsmistechko was administratively merged with its neighboring settlements (Prommaidanchyk, Zhovtneve, Peremoha, Pershotravneve, Komsomolske) to create a new city named Hirnyk. Industry developed in the city with the construction of a cinder block factory, a complex in production of construction materials, a bread factory, a non-alcoholic drinks factory, and division of the construction holding "Artemzhytlobud". In 1960, Hirnyk residents erected a monument at the site where the Nazis had murdered Soviet prisoners of war. In 1969, an inter-city station was built in Hirnyk.[3]
21st century edit
In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine that brought in a more pro-Western government, Russia initiated the war in Donbas, sponsoring pro-Russian militant proxy groups that seized territory in eastern Ukraine. On 29 October 2014, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a group of three militants loyal to the pro-Russian militant organization Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), and seized a militant weapons cache.[4] On 13 February 2015, pro-Russian militants shelled Hirnyk with Grad missiles, killing three civilians.[5] On 30 September 2018, the Hirnyk TV Tower was built in the city, with the purpose of broadcasting Ukrainian television programs to the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast. With a height of 190 metres (620 ft), it is the tallest of its kind built since the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991.[6]
On 12 June 2020, as part of Ukraine's 2020 administrative reforms, Hirnyk was assigned to Kurakhove urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.[7] On July 18 the same year, Hirnyk, along with the rest of the hromada, became part of an expanded Pokrovsk Raion.[8]
On 12 December 2022, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia shelled Hirnyk, killing two people and wounding ten others. Ukrainian authorities begun investigating the shelling as a war crime.[9] On 3 January 2024, Russia shelled Hirnyk again, injuring a sixteen-year-old boy.[10]
Economy edit
The city contains the "Kurakhivska" coal mine, which is owned by the state enterprise "Selydovvuhillia".[1] It also used to have another coal mine named "Hirnyk", but that one is now defunct.[citation needed]
The closest train station Tsukurykha is located 7 km (4.3 mi) away from the city. From it through the city railways stretch to the Kurakhove group of mines.[3]
Demographics edit
As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, Hirnyk had a population of 14,207 people, who mostly self-identified as ethnic Ukrainians and Russians. In terms of religion, there are followers of several denominations, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Evangelical Christian Baptists, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[1]
Notable people edit
- Denys Kozhanov (born 1987), Ukrainian footballer
- Serhiy Mazur (born 1970), Ukrainian footballer
- Vasyl Mazur (born 1970), Ukrainian footballer
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Архипенко, В. Г. (2006-02-01). "Гірник" [Hirnyk]. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Vol. 5. NASU Institute of Encyclopaedic Research. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
- ^ a b Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Гірник, Донецька область" [Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast]. The History of Cities and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR (in Ukrainian).
- ^ "СБУ знешкодила групу бойовиків та вилучила арсенал зброї на Донбасі". Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ "МВС: Терористи обстріляли селище Гірник на Донеччині, загинуло троє людей" [MVC: Terrorists shelled the town of Hirnyk in Donechchyna, killing three people]. Espreso TV (in Ukrainian). 13 February 2015. from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "На Донеччині з'явилась телевежа, яка забезпечить українське мовлення в ОРДЛО" [In Donechchyna, a television tower has been established that will provide Ukrainian broadcasting in the ORDLO]. Rubryka (in Ukrainian). 2018-09-30. from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
- ^ "Про визначення адміністративних центрів та затвердження територій територіальних громад Донецької області" [Regarding the determination of administrative centers and extents of territorial hromadas of Donetsk Oblast]. Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України (in Ukrainian). from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів" [Regarding the formation and liquidation of raions]. Holos Ukrayiny (in Ukrainian). 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ "Обстріл Гірника на Донеччині: загинули двоє цивільних, ще десять поранені" [Shelling of Hirnyk in Donechchyna: Two civilians were killed, ten others injured]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 12 December 2022. from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
- ^ "Армія РФ з артилерії обстріляла Гірник на Донеччині, поранений підліток" [The army of the Russian Federation struck Hirnyk in Donechchyna with artillery, injuring a teenager]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ a b c d "Україна / Ukrajina" (in Ukrainian and English). Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2019.