Koriukivka is a city in Koriukivka district of Chernihiv region, the center of the namesake hromada. It has a history spanning over three and a half centuries, but remains in Ukraine's memory primarily because of the tragedy of March 1943 — one of the largest punitive actions against civilians in Europe during World War II.
Foundation and Sugar Factory
According to historian Oleksandr Lazarevskyi, the settlement was founded in 1657, during the hetmanate of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, by settlers from the Right Bank who were looking for lands free from serfdom; they were led by the Cossack Omelian Karuk. Hence, likely, the old name Karukivka. In the late 1850s, there were 156 homesteads and over a thousand residents here, and in 1858, entrepreneur Karl Rauch built a sugar factory on the eastern outskirts. Since 1923, Koriukivka has been a district center.
Koriukivka Tragedy
During the German occupation, the forests around Koriukivka were the center of the Soviet partisan movement in Chernihiv region. On the night of February 27, 1943, partisans attacked the local garrison, which consisted mainly of Hungarian servicemen, and freed people from prison. In response, on March 1–2, 1943, a unit of the Hungarian gendarmerie perpetrated a mass murder in Koriukivka. About 6,700 residents died.
By the number of victims, this is a crime dozens of times larger than Belarusian Khatyn or Czech Lidice. The partisan unit, which outnumbered the punitive force, did not come to the city's rescue.
Memory
In 1977, a granite memorial depicting fallen women, children, and the elderly was erected in the city. For a long time, its official name spoke only of the "heroic resistance of the population," and only in independent Ukraine did people begin to openly honor the victims of this specific tragedy here. In 2013, for the 70th anniversary, the victims were honored at the state level for the first time. The Day of Remembrance is March 1.
Tip
Koriukivka is a place of mourning. Be restrained near the memorial; it is best to come here with a local guide or on days of remembrance to hear the history from the residents of Koriukivka.
Coat of Arms and Flag
On the golden coat of arms of Koriukivka, there is a gnarled oak with a red trunk and green crown and three silver maces crossed in the shape of a star. The oak "speaks" the name: it is associated with the surname of the founder Koriuka and the words "bark" (kora), "roots" (korin). The flag repeats these symbols.
How to Get There
Koriukivka lies in the northeast of Chernihiv region, 80–90 km from Chernihiv. Nearby are Mena with a zoo and Sosnytsia with Dovzhenko's museum.
