Happy TravellerWelcome to Sarny, a small city located in the Rivne Oblast province of western Ukraine. Despite its size, Sarny has a rich history and is a major railway node on the Sluch River. The city’s name, which means ‘Does’ in Ukrainian, is derived from the wild goats that once roamed freely in the area.
Sarny has a long and complex history, having been part of various empires and states throughout the centuries. It was originally a small village on the Polesia-Wolhyn border and was later annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 1795, it was considered part of the Russian Empire and later became part of the estate of General Felix Dzerzhinsky.
The railway reached Sarny in 1885, and the city was formally constituted as a city the same year. It became an important junction between railways of Rivne-Luninets and Kovel-Korosten, particularly after the construction of a railroad station in 1901. Concurrently, a large locomotive depot was constructed, and Sarny became a center of railroad activity, resulting in a need for new housing for railway employees.
Sarny was one of a series of towns and cities designated as railway station locations at key area boundaries. These municipalities were distinguished by the extent to which they were associated with manufacturing and markets, including being points for the concentration of agricultural produce for export. Lumber manufacturing also became an important and growing industry in Sarny, given that it was surrounded by forests.
Sarny became a focal point of the settlement of Russian Jews, commencing as of 1903, following the pogroms at Kishinev, when Sarny was under Russian rule. Russian Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve published a list of villages in which Jews were given permission to live, one of which was Sarny. General Dzerzhinsky traveled to St. Petersburg and obtained a permit to constitute Sarny as a permitted town for Jewish residents.
During World War II, Sarny was occupied by both Russian and German forces and was the site of several massacres, including the Sarny Massacre in 1942, in which between 14,000 and 18,000 people, mostly Jews, were systematically executed.
Since 1944, Sarny has been a part of the Ukrainian SSR and later independent Ukraine. Today, the city has predominantly an agriculture-based economy, though it was once considered an industrial and transportation center. Sarny was also affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, despite its distance from it.
Despite its tumultuous past, Sarny is a charming and welcoming city with much to offer visitors. Its rich history, beautiful landscapes, and friendly locals make it a must-visit destination for anyone traveling to western Ukraine.
