Borodyanka district

The district of Borodianka is located in the western part of the Kyiv region. Forests are its main attraction. Pine-trees, birches, oaks and alder-trees not only fill the air with healing fragrance but are good for mushroom picking as well. That is why, when the so-called «quiet hunting» starts, people from all over the Kyiv region flock here to enjoy the rest among the trees. One can reach the local forests by car and by train. Klavdievo, Nemishaevo, and Piskivka — these railway stops at the villages with the same names are familiar to those, who prefer an unhurried and thoughtful walk to an impedious and flash-like car ride.

Some archeological finds in the district date back to the late Stone Age (25—20 thousand years В .С.) In 1150 the chronicle of Ipatii Monastery mentions the Teteriv and Zdvyzh rivers for the first time. The settlement at the site of present-day Borodianka was first mentioned in written documents in 1190. It was called Koziatychi at those times, and in 1240 the Mongol hordes destroyed it. In the course of time the settlement was rebuilt and in 1509 it is mentioned under the name of Borodianka in an official document of a Polish king. Borodianka was the property of Het’man Ivan Vyhovs’kyi till 1660, and the Russian tzar Oleksii presented it to the St Michael monastery in Kyiv later on. In 1793 the Borodianka lands were incorporated into the Kyiv province of the Russian empire. In 1866 the district of Borodianka was established, which included 15 villages, 12 hamlets and one land estate. In the early twentieth century the Kyiv-Kovel’ railway that ran through Borodianka was put into operation.

In 1963 Borodianka district was abolished as an administrative entity and incorporated into Makariv district and the Irpin’ town council, however, its status quo was restored in 1967.

The district lies within the boundaries of Kyiv Polissia, which is a warm agroclimatic area with insufficient humidity. Under such conditions plant cultivation is special. In 1912, for the first time in Ukraine a primary agricultural school was established in the village of Myrots’ke, which became the Nemishaevo Agricultural College later on. The college trains professionals in agriculture, who get hands-on trainining on agricultural lands in Borodianka district. The lands in Polissia are good for potato growing. It is no coincidence that the Potato Research Institute was established in the township of Nemishaevo, since all new technologies are implemented in the district and adjusted to Polissia conditions.

Flat lands without hills in Polissia are ideal for constructing aircraft runways. Thus, it is no wonder that the district map shows Borodianka airfield, which is put on the National Register of civilian airfields. However, this one is special.

Sixty hryvnias can buy a parachute jump from a plane for anybody. This service is provided by the AC Company under a license from the State Committee for Youth Development Policy, Sports and Tourism of Ukraine. After a short briefing you can fulfill your «parachute dream» — throw yourself down at an altitude of 1,200 metres (or 4,000 metres,: if you are not a novice), where a helicopter takes you in 20 minutes. Parachute jumping is performed from April till November from 10 a.m. at weekends and on holidays. To get more information, as well as book a necessary number of seats, please call at (8-044-77) 5-15-22, 5-17-02.

There is a village of Myhalki in the western part of Borodianka district. There lives the family of Koriakyny, who are famous for their artistic talent. Amazing things are made from the pine-tree roots, which have been crushed into straw: pine-tree macrame, wooden wicker-work, which differ from similar works made from flax by their durability and extraordinary finesse. Inventive people of Polissia managed to find «soul» in the pine-tree, which is so common in this land.

As for their own soul, the local artists instilled it into decorations of a new church in Borodianka, the Church of the Archi-strategist Michael, which was built in 2000. The red brick building of the church brings the landscape to perfection and fills it with special meaning.