Zviahel District is the western part of the Zhytomyr region, a land of forests, the Sluch River, and old porcelain factories. Its area is 5.3 thousand square kilometers, and its population is about 165 thousand. The district was formed in 2020 from the former Novohrad-Volynskyi, Baranivka, and Yemilchyne districts, and in 2022 it was named after the city of Zviahel.
Zviahel
Zviahel is the center of the district and the birthplace of Lesia Ukrainka. Here you will find her memorial museum, the remains of a castle above the Sluch, the Mezentsev estate, and an old post station.
Baranivka
A town on the Sluch, first mentioned in 1565. Legend links the name to local potters who made glazed tableware. Since the early 19th century, Baranivka has been known for its porcelain factory, whose products are prized by collectors. In the center stands the Church of Saint Stanislaus.
Horodnytsia
Horodnytsia on the Sluch is another porcelain town with an ancient history, the Church of Saint Anthony, and a multinational past.
Yemilchyne and Dovbysh
Yemilchyne is a settlement amid the forests in the north of the district, the center of a hromada, from where mushroom and berry-picking spots begin. Dovbysh is a settlement with a Polish history, where a Polish national district existed between the wars.
Nature
The north of the district features continuous Polissia forests and swamps, while the south boasts the Sluch River valley with cliffs and old mills. In autumn, people gather mushrooms here; in summer, blueberries. Near Zviahel, 1930s Stalin Line pillboxes have been preserved.
Stalin Line
In the 1930s, the Novohrad-Volynskyi fortified region was built near Zviahel as part of the defense line on the then western border of the USSR. Concrete pillboxes stand in the fields and forests around the city. Some of them can be viewed from the outside, but entering them is dangerous.
Yarun and the Sluch
Yarun is a village on the Sluch River, the center of a hromada, offering views of the river valley. In the south of the district, the Sluch flows between rocky banks, making it a great place for kayaking and pitching tents. Further downstream are Baranivka and Horodnytsia, allowing travelers to follow a river route through the porcelain towns.
District Hromadas
The district includes 12 hromadas: Baranivka, Barashi, Bronnyky, Horodnytsia, Dovbysh, Dubrovka, Yemilchyne, Zviahel, Pishchiv, Stryiiva, Chyzhivka, and Yarun.
Day Trip Itinerary
In the morning — Zviahel and the Lesia Ukrainka museum; in the afternoon — Baranivka and Horodnytsia with their churches and porcelain history. The regional center is Zhytomyr.
