Sorokoshychi: Village History on the Kyiv Reservoir

The history of Sorokoshychi is connected with the changes brought about by the Kyiv Reservoir. There are also specific directions for reaching a floating base. This allows you to distinguish between the history of the place and the practical information about this particular establishment.

Sorokoshychi in 1959

An account of 1959 describes Sorokoshychi as a village that stretched for several kilometres along the left bank of the Dnipro. It consisted of several hamlets some distance from the centre; the account names Hory, Narovlia, Senev, and Kryval. The description thus depicts an extensive village structure made up of several named parts rather than a single compact settlement centre. The date is important for context: it records the village as it was before the changes associated with the Kyiv Reservoir a few years later. Those interested in the former village can regard the four named hamlets as specific points of reference in this account.

The reservoir and changes in the region

An account published in 2021 lists Sorokoshychi among the villages on the left bank of the Dnipro that were flooded in 1964 by the newly formed Kyiv Reservoir. For the wider region, the historical account cites 92,000 hectares of fertile land flooded in 1964, around 33,000 people forcibly resettled, and more than 50 settlements flooded, including at least 16 villages. These figures describe the broader regional context; they are not figures attributable to Sorokoshychi alone. Sorokoshychi is one of the affected villages mentioned, while the figures capture the wider scale of the changes around the reservoir.

Library history and relocation to Tuzhar

To provide the population of Sorokoshychi with library services, branches known as “khaty-chytalni” (“reading rooms”) were established. On 5 August 1966, the Sorokoshychi library was relocated to Tuzhar because most of the village lay within the Kyiv Reservoir’s inundation zone. This history connects the provision of library services to the population with a change that affected a large part of the village. The years 1959, 1964, and 1966 mark different stages: the remembered village structure, the flooding, and finally the library’s relocation.

Getting to the “Neptun” floating base

The tourist route “Rybal'skyi Relaks na Dnipri” lists the “Neptun” floating base in Sorokoshychi as a stop. According to the directions provided by the base, visitors can travel there only by car, via Vyshhorod or Oster, the “Desna” military unit, and Loshakova Huta, Kosachivka, and Tuzhar. The directions provided by the base specify a guarded car park at one of the “Sorokoshychi” or “U Natashi” bases. The directions say that visitors should contact the operator by phone upon reaching Sorokoshychi; for the transfer from the base to the island where the “NEPTUN” vessel is moored, they specify a speedboat. These directions apply to reaching the named base and are not a general route for the entire village. Confirm the details directly with the operator before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Zelenyi Hai, Khotyn, Borshna, Zamostya, Syrai, Yerkiv, Koryukivka, Orlivka

Back to the regional travel overview: Chernihiv Oblast.