Unava is an 87 km long river, a right tributary of the Irpin. It begins near the village of Horodysche in the Berdychiv region, flows through the Zhytomyr district, and flows into the Irpin in the Kyiv region, near the village of Pereviz. The most famous places on its banks are Romanivka with the Rylsky estate and the city of Fastiv.
Ancient Name
The Unava is mentioned in chronicles as early as the 12th century — as Unov or Unia. The origin of the name is unclear; perhaps it is Old European. Linguists compare it with Uniava in the Dniester basin and Unia in the Danube basin, linking it to an ancient root meaning water or "washed by water."
What the River is Like
The valley of the Unava is trough-like, up to 4 km wide and up to 30 m deep. The riverbed is narrow — mostly 2–10 m, with 34 km of it straightened. The river is used for water supply, irrigation, and fish farming, and the Fastiv Reservoir has been created on it. Unfortunately, the Unava suffers from garbage.
Villages on the Banks
In the Zhytomyr region, the Unava flows through Horodysche, Mostove, Lyubymivka, Sokilcha, Markova Volytsia, Velyki Lisivtsi, Kvitneve, Velyka Cherniavka, Yablunivka, Romanivka, and Koshlyaky. On the right bank in Romanivka stands the museum-estate of the Rylsky family, where the poet Maksym Rylsky grew up, and nearby, in the Porichchia tract, archaeologists found a Trypillia settlement.
How to Get There
The most convenient way to see the Unava is in Romanivka — near Popilnia. Read more about the surroundings in the articles about the Zhytomyr district and the Berdychiv district.
