The Lugansk region appeared on the map of Ukraine as administrative economic territorial unit in June 1938 as a result of division of Donetsk region into two regions: Stalin (Donetsk region to-day) and Voroshilovgrad (Lugansk region to-day). The region is located in the south-western part of Ukraine in the basin of the middle Seversky Donets river. The river Seversky Donets, the tributary of the great Russian river Don, divides the territory of the region into two parts - the northern and the southern one. The northern part of the region is mainly agricultural and the southern one is famous for its industrial centres. The region lays in the forest-steppes and most of the terrain is hilly and interwoven with deep ravines. 60 lakes and small tributaries to the main river Seversky Donets are very picturesque. Climate is moderate continental with rather short and cold winters that have little snow and hot summer.

     The area of the region is 26,700 square km. The number of population is 2.5 mln. It belongs to the regions with high population density.

     The history of the region is alike the history of its neighbouring Donetsk region. The first settlements appeared here during the late Palaeolithic Age (40-12 thousand years ago). During the Copper and Bronze Ages the land was settled by cattle-breeding and agricultural tribes. Archaeological excavations testify to the fact that at that time the copper ore was here in the VIII-VII cc. B.C. They were pursuited by the Scythians and later by the Sarmatians (VII-III cc. B.C.).

     During the Kievan Rus time (IX-XIII cc.) this land belonged to Pereiaslav Principality, and it was often raided by the nomadic tribes of Pechenegs and Polovtsy. Numerous stone figures that are attributed to these tribes can be found all over the region. Presumably it was in this area that the battle of 1185 between the army of  Novgorod-Seversky Prince Igor and the Polovtsy was fought, and this battle was masterfully described in the “The Tale of Igor’s Host” that became a gem of Slavic literature.

     The Tartar-Mongolian invasion in the XIII c. resulted in the desolation of this land. Since that time for almost three centuries this area became “The Wild Field” that separated Moscow Russian Principality from the Crimean tartar Kaghanate.  Being at a big distance from the central provinces of Russia and Ukraine and not under any subjection, it attracted the fugitives from Russia and Ukraine who later were joined by Zaporozhian Cossacks. In the XV-XVI cc. the run-away peasants built here their settlements that were often devastated by the Tartars. In 1640-ies the Don Cossacks built some well protected outposts in the North of the region. Very intensively it was populated at the end of the XVII c. when peasants and Cossacks fled here from the Right-bank Ukraine that was left under the Polish rule. The population of Lugansk supported Stepan Razin’s rebellion in 1670-1671 and Bulavin’s rebellion in 1707-1708. Both uprisings, that inflamed all Donbas lands, were cruelly crushed by the Tsarist military forces.

     Following the suggestion of Catherine II, the Government decided to construct a number of fortified settlements to protect the Empire from the Tartars. Serbs, Croats and Montenegrins were invited to help in the construction of numerous fortresses. The people from the Balkan countries who ran away from the Turks created here in 1753 a new territory that was called “Slav-Serbia”. Orthodox Christians from the Austrian Empire also received this invitation. That is how among the new settlers appeared Hungarians, Poles and Germans. But the bulk of the population made the Cossacks from Russia and Ukraine.  After the Russian-Turkish wars in  1768-1774 and in 1787-1791, when Russia got an access to the Azov and Black Seas, the necessity of this fortifications passed and at the end of the XVIII c. the southern areas of the region were turned into metallurgic centre. In the early XVIII c. coal reserves were discovered in Lugansk region and already in the second half of the XVIII c. the region became an important industrial centre. In 1795 the cast iron plant was constructed in Lugansk and revival of the mining industry started. The abolition of serfdom in 1861 accelerated the industrial development.  New settlements, factories and railroads were built. The industrial boom caused a considerable re-settlement of peasants from different Russian and Ukrainian regions.  

     The natural reserves of Lugansk Region are rich. Its supplies of high-quality anthracites and coke coal are calculated by billion tons. Exactly the history of the whole Donbas coal basin began from here: at the beginning of the XVII century the first coal deposits were opened in present day Lugansk region. Soon in the basin of the rivers of Bila and Luhan the landowners and peasants obtained fuel for themselves by the open method. In 1795 in the vicinity of to-day’s town of Lisichansk the industrial development of coal for the Lugansk Iron Foundry began for the first time in Donbas. At the end of the XIX c. almost all enterprises – mines, metallurgic, machine building plants - belonged to the foreigners – English, French, Belgian, and German. After the Revolution of 1917 all these enterprises were nationalized.

     The region got its name after its main city: since 1938 it was named “Voroshilovgrad” after political leader and Marshal of the Soviet Union Klim Voroshilov who worked as a steel-worker here and later organized the first Red Army units in Lugansk. In 1958-1970, when Voroshilov fell into political disfavour, the region returned its old name of “Lugansk”.  In 1970-1990 again it was renamed as Voroshilovgrad and since 1990 – Lugansk region.

     Today Lugansk Region enters the top five highly developed industrial-economic regions of Ukraine. 5.4% of general fixed assets of Ukraine are concentrated here. Its industrial achievements are explained by three main reasons: Lugansk region has very close relations with three Russian regions - Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov; it also borders on highly developed Donetsk and Kharkov regions; the geographical position of the region is very favourable - it occupies a well-developed agricultural territory and it has neighbours with advanced economy. Today the region develops the economic potential in close collaboration with many regions of CIS and foreign countries. The trade-economic and humanitarian relations with more than 90 countries of the world are supported.

    The main wealth of Lugansk region is coke coal. The region has another home energy source – the natural gas and its extraction has been recently started. One fifth part of general volume of industrial products belongs to the oil refining industry. Of great importance are the enterprises of chemical and petrochemical industry, ferrous metallurgy, machine building and metal working.

    The long vegetative period, rich black soil and arable lands in the northern part of the region create favourable conditions for a well developed agricultural complex. Lugansk region specializes in cereals (mostly winter wheat and maize) and oil bearing (sunflower) crops.

     Intensive development of heavy industry, the density of enterprises and extensive tilling of the land unfortunately have negatively resulted in keeping the nature intact.  That is why big attention has been paid to the ecological problems of the region.

   To-day Lugansk region has some very interesting steppe reserves and the best in Ukraine horse-breeding centres. The biggest nature reserve is Streletskaia steppe in the utmost eastern point of the Ukraine (village Melovoie, 47 km North-East from Belovodsk).  Its 500 hectares plateau territory, interwoven with ravines, present the steppe and flood-land flora, some plants have survived since prehistoric times and are unique. Different animals inhabit this reserve and all of them are under special protection. The reserve has the biggest population of the steppe-marmots. Famous horse-breeding plant that was organized on the initiative of Empress Catherine II (second half of the XVIII c.) is also situated here.

     The capital of the region, the city of Lugansk, is a history of the whole region in miniature. Those who are interested more in the history of the industrial development of this region will definitely find useful a visit to Lisichansk. For the lovers of the history of WWII a visit to Krasnodon will unveil one of the most tragic pages of this war.  In Starobielsk one can learn about the history of the Poles’ deportation on the eve of WWII.  And everybody will enjoy a tour to one of the nature reserves and especially to a horse-breeding plant in Belovodsk.

To learn more about places for sightseeing in Lugansk Region clich here