Right in the center of Zhytomyr, near Zhytniy Rynok square, a building has survived whose history is completely unlike that of an ordinary city house. More than a century ago, there were no shops and offices here. People who found themselves in hardship came here to find a job, learn a craft, get a meal, or spend the night.
This was the House of Industry (also referred to in sources as the House of Diligence) — an institution established to help the poor, the unemployed, and the homeless. The building was erected in 1897–1898 at the expense of the Zhytomyr City Committee for Temperance Promotion.
The history of this structure is also interesting because in 1911 it housed the Volyn Museum, the future foundation of Zhytomyr's museum affairs.
The House of Industry stands at the corner of modern Khlibna and Hoholivska streets, not far from the current Zhytniy Rynok square. At that time, this part of the city looked completely different: the area was marshy and only just being built up.
Hoholivska was then named Mylovska — in honor of engineer Mylov, who was involved in draining the marsh and Khluhove Lake. It was precisely on this territory that the modern Zhytniy Rynok market later formed.
Khlibna street also underwent name changes. The planned name Tverska did not stick, and the historical name Khlibna has been known since the second half of the 19th century. In 1919, an attempt was made to rename the street in honor of Hryhoriy Skovoroda, but this name did not take hold. In 1930, it became Tenth Anniversary of the Committees of Poor Peasants Street, in 1937 it was named after Maksym Gorky, and only in 1993 was its historical name — Khlibna — returned to it.
The House of Industry itself was conceived not just as an ordinary urban structure. A whole complex was created here to help people who found themselves in a difficult situation. A teahouse, a nursery, a theater, a library, and workshops operated under one roof. People could get food, leave their children under supervision, learn a craft, or earn a living through their own labor.
Thus, the history of this building is closely connected not only with the development of Zhytomyr in the late 19th century, but also with the history of the Zhytniy Rynok district and the streets that have repeatedly changed their names over more than a century.
1897 and 2023
What the House of Industry was
In the late 19th century in the Russian Empire, special institutions began to be established where people who had no work or means of subsistence could not simply receive alms, but earn money through their own labor.
The first such establishments appeared back in the 1880s, and by the end of the century their number had increased significantly. The Zhytomyr House of Industry was opened in the late 1890s.
Its construction was financed by the Zhytomyr City Committee for Temperance Promotion.
The main idea was simple: to give a person the opportunity to independently earn a living.
1970s. Photo by Kostiantyn Halaktionov
They did not just give money here
In the House of Industry, there were workshops where those in need could master various crafts and work.
People were paid for their work every day. According to historical descriptions, earnings were approximately 15–30 kopecks per day.
However, assistance was not limited to work.
People were fed for free twice a day. Overnight accommodation was provided for the homeless. Nurseries operated for single mothers so they could leave their children while they worked.
The building also featured a tea room, a library, and premises for cultural events. In other words, it was effectively a complete social center for people who found themselves at the very bottom of society.
1990s. Photo by Dmytro Saiko
How the institution was maintained
The House of Industry survived not only through city funding.
Funds came from donations by residents of Zhytomyr, the sale of items made in the workshops, charity concerts, lotteries, fees for certain clubs, and state subsidies.
Thus, the system tried to combine charity with the principle of self-sufficiency.
People were not simply given money — conditions were created for them so they could work, acquire a profession, and gradually return to independent living.
Where the museum business of Zhytomyr was born
One of the most interesting pages in the building's history began in the 20th century.
In 1911, the Volyn Museum moved to the House of Industry. On January 1 of that year, the museum celebrated its housewarming in the premises at the corner of Khlibna and Hoholivska streets.
In fact, this building became one of the first important centers of museum work in Zhytomyr. Old photographs from the early 20th century capture the building already as the premises of the Volyn Museum.
Therefore, the same structure performed completely different functions in different periods: initially, it helped poor people find work, and later it became a place for preserving the historical and cultural values of the region.
What happened after the revolution
After the Bolsheviks came to power, the system of houses of industry ceased to exist. Such charitable institutions were closed because the Soviet authorities proclaimed that social problems should be handled by the state.
However, the building itself continued to be used.
According to historical descriptions, the museum existed here in the following decades as well. After World War II, the premises housed a collective farm hotel and the local market administration.
Later, the historic structure received a much more prosaic modern purpose.
What is here now
Today, the former House of Industry is building No. 19 on Khlibna Street, near Zhytniy Market Square. Commercial premises operate in the building, including shops and offices.
The building has survived as part of the historical development of Zhytomyr and holds the status of an architectural monument of local importance. It does not have museum status, so you can only view the landmark from the outside.
At first glance, this is an ordinary city building next to the market. But behind its walls, a completely different life once boiled.
Here, people who had no work and no roof over their heads could get food, overnight lodging, and earnings. Crafts were taught here. Nurseries for the children of single mothers operated here. And later, a new page began in this very building — the history of Zhytomyr's museum business.
A building worth noticing
Walking past Zhytniy Market, hardly everyone will pay attention to this structure. Especially today, it does not look like a museum or a tourist attraction.
But its history shows how much the purpose of a single building can change over more than a century.
Once, people came here for work and help. Later, the history of Volhynia was kept here. Afterwards, the building was adapted for a hotel and administrative needs.
Today, it is simply a part of city life.
And that is precisely why the House of Industry is interesting — its history tells not only about architecture, but also about how Zhytomyr in different eras treated poverty, labor, charity, and the preservation of its own history.
How to get there
The building stands in the center of Zhytomyr, at the corner of Khlibna and Hoholivska streets, next to Zhytniy Rynok square. It is easy to walk here from the city center; nearby is the Zhytniy Rynok bus station.
