Rovno (Rivne) is a historic city in western Ukraine. Rovno is a city and administrative center of Rovno oblast, Ukraine, on the small Ustye River. Rovno is a highway and railway junction and has an airport. Rovno population is about 245 000. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast.

Favorable climate, large forest tracts, rivers, lakes, curative peat mud and mineral waters determine the most important recreation resources of the region.

History

Rovno was first mentioned in 1282 as a town of Galytsko-Volynskoye princedom. From the second half of the 14 century Rovno was ruled by Lithuania. At the end of the 15 century Magdeburg Law was adopted in Rovno.

According to Lyublin union of 1569 Rovno passed to Poland and was long a minor Polish settlement. In 1648 there was an anti-feudal revolt. On the first partition of Poland in 1793 Rovno passed to Russia and Rovno was made a town in 1797. Growth began at the end of the 19th century when Rovno became an important railway junction. In February 1918 Rovno was occupied by Austro-German troops, between 1920 and 1939 Rovno reverted to Poland.

Economy

Previously industries of Rovno were of minor significance. In the 1960s industries developed greatly, especially machine-building and metal processing. Chemical industries are also developed in Rovno. There are the biggest textile industry works and other foodstuffs. The population of Rovno doubled over the 1960s.

Industry

During the Soviet time the provincial town was transformed into a massive industrial centre of the republic. There were two significant factories built, Machine building and Metal processing factory, capable of producing high-voltage apparatus, tractor spare parts and others, and Chemical factory, as well as a synthetic materials fabric. Light industry, presented by a linen plant and a textile fabric, as well as food industry, presented by milk and meat factories and a vegetable preservation fabric have also received development. In addition the city became a production centre for furniture and other building materials.

Attractions

Rovno has a teacher-training and water-engineering institutes and a branch of Kiev University. Among survivals of Rovno past are the Church of Assumption with a bell tower (1756, wooden), the gymnasium (1839, in classicism style). Famous writer V.G.Korolenko studied in Rovno gymnasium (1866-1871).

Being an important cultural centre, Rovno hosts a pedagogical, and a hydro-engineering institutes, as well as a faculty of the Kiev State Institute of Culture, and Medical and musical as well as Automobile construction, Soviet trade, textile, agricultural and cooperative polytechnic colleges. The city has a Historical museum and a museum dedicated to the Hero of the Soviet Union N.I.Kuznetsov.Following the fall of the Soviet Union the monument for the Soviet time hero D.N.Medvedev was removed, and N.I.Kuznetsov monument was moved to another location within the city. Instead, in order to reflect the controversial history of the region the monuments for "Soldiers died in the honour of Ukraine", and "Soldiers died in military battles" were installed.

Buildings

- Ancient Church of Assumption ( 1756)
- Cathedral of the Intercession ( 2001)
- Cathedral of the Ascension ( 1890)
- A classicism-style gymnasium building ( 1839)
- During Soviet times the centre of the city from Lenin street to Peace Avenue (1963 architects R.D. Vais and O.I. Filipchuk) was completely rebuilt with Administrative and Public buildings in neo-classical, Stalinist style.

Memorials

- Heroes of the Great Patriotic War ( 1948 by I.Ya. Matveenko)
- N.I. Kuznetsov (bronze and granite, 1961 by V.P Vinaikin)
- Victims to Fascism ( 1968 by A.I. Pirozhenko and B.V. Rychkov, architect-V.M.Gerasimenko)
- Memorial of Battle glory ( 1975 by M.L. Farina, architect-N.A. Dolgansky)
- Jewish Victims of the Holocaust (ca. 1991)

How to get to Rovno

Air - Rovno can be reached by internal flights from Kiev and other cities within Ukraine.

Road - Rovno is reached by main roads in its section of Ukraine.  See distance table below.  These distances are based on main roads wherever possible.   For distances to other cities in Ukraine, compute the distances through Kiev.

Train - Rovno can be reached by train from Kiev and other major cities in Ukraine.