Fastiv district

The Fastiv district with an area of 896,25 km2, or 3.1% of the total Kyiv region area, was established in 1923 with the town of Fastiv as its center. Historically the Fastiv district included much more lands and had no permanent boundaries, since it covered almost all of the southern Kyiv region or the so-called Palii region in the late seventeenth century.

The district has existed since the times immemorial, when primitive men settled here. Over 150 archeological sites remain since those times. Among them are the Fastiv site of mammoth and wild horse hunters of the late Stone Age (20—15 thousand years ago); the Neolitic Age settlements near the village of Koschiivka and at the hamlet of Mlynok (eight-five thousand years В. С). Close to the township of Kozhanka and the villages of Mala Snitynka, Olenivka and Trylisy remains of Trypillia culture settlements (four-three thousand years В. С.) were discovered. Found on the bank of Unava river, stone implements from the early Stone Age sites are the irrefutable evidence that the primitive people settled here 40—30 thousand years ago. Scythean townships and tumuluses, Roman and ancient Rus’ settlements — these unique finds of archeological excavations have added new pages to the ancient history of the land.

Together with young Prince Sviatoslav, Princess Olga and their troops passed through the Fastiv district. Prince Volodymyr troops used to come here as well.

Permanent sudden attacks of Tatars in the thirteenth-fifteenth centuries drove the local residents out of their cultivated lands; however, in the early sixteenth century people began re-settling here again.

The Fastiv lands are connected with the Cossack Colonel Semen Palii (Gurka) — a national hero and a prominent Cossack leader, the person, who initiated a resettlement and economic reconstruction in the Kyiv region.

Great Ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko spent some time in the Fastiv lands. In June 1846 he was a member of the archeological commission, leading excavations at the Perep’iat tumulus in the village of Fastivets’ and the Perep’iatikha tumulus near the village of Mar’ianivka. Now these two tumulusus are located in different districts (Fastiv and Vasyl’kiv districts respectively), the distance between them is six kilometers, however, the legend about the events of the sixth century В. С links them.

For a long time Fastiv district, a large land property, belonged to a family of rich Polish magnates. Over a thousand of tithes of the best lands in Motovylivka, Olenivka, and other villages belonged to the Rulikovs’ki, and almost half of the modern lands in the district — to the Branyts’ki. Polish nobleman I. Khaets’kyi was a big landowner as well. One of his numerous estates has remained to our times in the village of Tomashivka. The former manor house is being restorated now, but one can already see its wonderful and unusual architecture! People from everywhere come to have a look at it. Soon the monastery of the Laying of the Holy Robe is going to be opened here.

The town, called Khvastiv in the past, has many interesting historical sites as well.

Established in 1390, the town of Fastiv is located 80 km from Kyiv. It used to be the western outpost of the capital, as well as its satellite town. The historical past of Fastiv is closely tied with the destiny of «The Mother of the Russian Towns». In the ancient times the borders of Kyiv lands would go exactly through the area of the modern Fastiv district. The territories of the two great eastern Slavic tribes (Drevlians and Polians) bordered it even earlier. At the same time Fastiv has its own original and unique history.

The town was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1390. At that time the official document of Lithuanian Prince Volodymyr (the son of Olherd) stated the right the family of Rozhanovs’ki to own Fastiv.

In the late sixteenth century – the early seventeenth century Fastiv Colonel Semen Palii made the town famous and facilitated the noticeable enhancement of its economic and political life. From the 80’s on, it was him who managed to achieve an autonomous control of the lands, which belonged to the Cossacks since the old times and ranged from the Dnipro to the Sluch. Historians say that in his time the Cossacks’ rule on the right bank of the Dnipro gained characteristics of state development, and that area with clearly defined borders was called the State of Palii.

A wooden church, called by name of Palii, still remains in Fastiv. The urgent issue of establishing peace and integrating Ukrainian and Western Ukrainian lands was destined to be solved in that town as well. In December 1918 at a special troop train on the lines of Fastiv railway station representatives of the Directorate, Volodymyr Vinnychenko, Symon Petliura and others, have signed a draft Agreement on Unification between the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic. It became a landmark in the history of Ukraine. The railway carriage, in which that event took place, acquired a memorial importance. One can see it by the Fastiv railway station now.

The National Regional Studies Museum is located in the center of the town. It displays archeological sites, works of art, and pictures that shed light upon the past of Fastiv. An unusual collection of local birds is demonstrated in a special hall. This museum floor is the one, which that attracts the children the most.

Courageous and talented people have been living and working in the Fastiv land during many years and centuries: the writer Stepan Vasyl’chenko; ethnographer, researcher of the land, amateur and archeologist E. Rulikovs’kyi; a prominent architect and painter B. Krychevs’kyi; a well known inventor M. Benardos; academician A. Aleksandrov, and many others.

The name of the well-known Ukrainian composer Kyryl Stetsenko is closely connected with Fastiv of the nineteenth and the mid-twentieth century. His marvelous music has been played in Ukraine and beyond for over a century now.

If you have an opportunity to visit Fastiv district, come by one of its picturesque places – the village of Vepryk. And while visiting the memorial estate of the composer, which was inaugurated in May 1982, you can bow to the grave of Kyryl Stetsenko, and learn about his life and creative works.

It is in Vepryk that this glorious son of Ukrainian nation spent the last years of his life full of suffering. Dire need of money forced Kyryl to accept the invitation of Vepryk community, looking for a Ukrainian priest, and take over the local parish.

Vepryk memorial consists of the house, which functions as the museum and the graves of Kyryl Stetsenko and his wife.

The building at the site of an old wooden house beyond repair, houses the museum of K. Stetsenko, in which the things that help recreate the atmosphere of the times, when Kyrylo lived and worked, are collected.

Situated in the northern Fastiv district, the village of Dorohynka has an interesting history. It used to be called «Doroshynka» after Cossack Dorosh, who had lived in this area. The settlement was razed to the ground by the Mongols.

The archeological excavations proved its existence back in the eleventh – twelfth centurie s.

After these lands were resettled, the St Michael Church was built in the village around 1600 and became renowned as a monument of wooden architecture. It has survived till our time. However, the ancient Dorohynka Church can now be visited only on the outskirts of the capital. It was pulled down, taken to Kyiv and reassembled in the open-air museum of Pyrohovo. The village of Dorohynka is still buried in forests. The Dorohynka forestry covers an area of 4,129 hectares. The village houses a Kyiv region sports school that trains future sportsmen in canoe- and kayak-paddling.