Rozhyshche is a town on the banks of the Styr River, 22 km from Lutsk, and the center of the Rozhyshche community in Lutsk district. The M19 highway passes through it. Rozhyshche is one of the oldest towns in Volyn and a former center of cloth manufacturing, founded here by German colonists in the 19th century.
From Liubart’s Gift to Magdeburg Rights
The first written mention of Rozhyshche dates back to 1322: Lutsk prince Liubart Hedyminovych gifted the village to the cathedral church of John the Theologian in Lutsk Castle. The original document has not survived, only later copies. The settlement was fortified with ramparts, and some researchers believe that a castle stood here in 1577.
In 1567, King Sigismund II Augustus granted Rozhyshche Magdeburg rights — at that time it became one of forty urban settlements allowed to hold fairs and markets. Later, due to Tatar raids, the town lost its status and became a village, but thanks to a new bishop, it was restored. In 1598, Rozhyshche received the coat of arms “two crosses.” An interesting detail of the town’s trade life: on the bridge over the Styr, townspeople collected a toll called “hrebelne” from travelers for crossing.
Cloth Town
After 1795, Rozhyshche became part of the Russian Empire. In the 1830s, German colonists in the colony of Vovnyanka founded cloth factories — this marked the beginning of cloth production in Volyn. In 1873, one of the first railways in Volyn passed through the town. By the late 19th century, 20 cloth factories operated in Rozhyshche. The town was multinational: Ukrainians, Poles, Germans, and a large Jewish community lived here, most of whom perished in the ghetto in 1942.
What to See
In Rozhyshche, churches of three traditions stand side by side — an Orthodox church, a Catholic church, and a former Lutheran church, a reminder of the town’s multi-confessional character. In the center is the “Prosvita” building, and at the entrance — a steam locomotive monument, symbolizing the town’s railway history. On the banks of the Styr is an ancient hillfort where Ivan Kupala Day is celebrated in summer.
Nearby are two architectural monuments of national significance: the Saints Peter and Paul Church of 1629 in Ivanivka and the Assumption Church of 1816 in Sokil, an old town that received Magdeburg rights as early as 1564.
Rozhyshche on Video
Nearby
Lutsk — 30 minutes away, Kivertsi and the Tsuman Forest are nearby. More in the article Lutsk District.
How to Get There
Rozhyshche has a railway station on the Kovel–Kivertsi line and lies on the M19 highway. Suburban buses and trains run from Lutsk.
