Detachable Subdivision
"Rivne Professional College of
National University of Life
and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine"
For centuries, the lands of Ukraine were divided and belonged to different states: the Russian Empire, Poland, and Austria-Hungary. Therefore, the original dream of Ukrainians was to unite the disparate parts of Ukraine within the borders of one state.
In the difficult and long struggle for national liberation and the establishment of our own statehood, our people have repeatedly experienced both bitter and joyful events. One of such pages of our past is the struggle of the Ukrainian people for the unity of their lands.
The proclamation of the union was scheduled for 12:00 noon on January 22, 1919, the first anniversary of the proclamation of the fourth universal on the full independence of Ukraine.
January 22 was declared a national and state holiday. The day turned out to be fine and beautiful, with a slight frost. Kyiv was decorated with national blue-yellow flags and coats of arms. At 9:00 in the morning, services were held in all churches. The main festivities took place on Sophia Square. At the entrance from Volodymyrska Street to Sophia Square, a triumphal arch decorated with ancient coats of arms was erected. At exactly 12:00, the solemn ceremony of proclaiming the Act of Union began. At the mass meeting, the ambassador of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic L. Tsehelsky handed over the certificate of the National Council "On the unification of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic with Great Eastern Ukraine" to the head of the Directory, Volodymyr Vynnychenko.
Member of the Directory Fedir Shvets solemnly read the Directory's Universal:
"...From now on, the parts of a single Ukraine that have been separated from each other for centuries - Galicia, Bukovina, Transcarpathia and Dnieper Ukraine - are merging into one. The age-old dreams for which the best sons of Ukraine lived and died have come true. From now on, there is only one independent Ukrainian People's Republic. From now on, the Ukrainian people, liberated by a powerful impulse of their own forces, have the opportunity to unite all the efforts of their sons to create an indivisible, independent Ukrainian state, for the good and happiness of the Ukrainian people."
On January 22, 1919, the Act of Union (Union) of Ukrainian Lands was proclaimed on Sophia Square in Kyiv, certified by the Universal on the unification of the UNR and the ZUNR into a single Great Ukraine. The Ukrainian people, torn apart for centuries, were freed from slavery and reunited on their land in a single Ukrainian state.
The Act of Union, for the first time in several centuries, became a real step towards the unification of Ukrainian lands, which influenced further national-political processes in Ukraine.
Let us always remember the countless sacrifices of our compatriots, laid on the altar of independence, unity, and statehood. We believe that the territorial integrity of Ukraine, secured by the blood of millions of indomitable fighters, will be restored. We must be aware that only in unity of action and unity of souls can we achieve the great goal - the construction of an economically and spiritually rich, free, and democratic Ukraine, which our descendants will be proud of.
Today, Unity Day is celebrated in extremely difficult times for our country. These are hostilities, and increased protection of state borders, and a feeling of constant anxiety for our future. But it was these tragic circumstances that very strongly rallied Ukrainians and united all of us so much that the whole world saw - Ukraine is truly United and indivisible!
A book exhibition “My Ukraine – a United State” has been prepared in the reading room of the library and information center. We invite you to view it.
Our unity is our weapon! Happy Unity Day of Ukraine!
Svitlana ANDRIYCHUK,
Lead Librarian of the BIC
