Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
My interest in international relations emerges from an early age, growing up in a town of Kalush, Ukraine. The thought of international events happening elsewhere always fueled my curiosity towards things that are globally interconnected. Any happening that had a term “international” in its title seemed like a thing of fantasy in incurious Kalush. Ukraine of 2000s, especially a mid-sized town, was a place where outside world beyond the borders of Ukraine seemed unreachable as no substantial network of international relations endured after the dissolution of the USSR. That meant none of the public signs were in English or any other language besides Ukrainian, except for occasional billboards in Russian. Today, however, the town has modernized, especially, after the 2012 Ukraine-Poland European Championship when thousands of tourists from all over Europe poured into Ukraine to see football matches. The city officials were forced to translate public signs to English, and the Championship prompted the opening of European-style pubs and restaurants that include menu in English. The town, however, has not always been isolated.
The first mention of Kalush is dated May 27th, 1437, which is considered an official day of the city. The name of the city is believed to originate from the word "kalush" - a natural salt source from which salt was extracted from ancient times. Until 1549, Kalush remained a village that was part of the Galician land of the Rus' Voivodeship under the Polish Crown. In 1549, Polish King Sigismund II Augustus established the city of Kalush with the corresponding jurisdiction for self-government. From this year, Kalush became a "free city" on the Magdeburg Right with its own coat of arms, in which three fireboxes of salt on a red background testify to salt mines as the main industry. The city became distinguished for its industry, but since 1772 and until 1918 it was part of the Habsburg Empire, where bell minting and beer-making industries developed. After the WWII, the Soviet authorities managed to radically change the industrial face of Kalush, especially, during the 1960s. The chemical plants and housing were built in response to the economic growth. The plant Karpatnaftokhim is the leading enterprise of petrochemical industry of Ukraine, and a source of employment for many citizens of Kalush.
Ecological and Structural Concerns
The major ecological problem in Kalush stems from underground salt mines and the Dombrovsky's quarry where the potassium salts that were mined, which were the source of raw materials for the potassium fertilizer plant. The mine was opened in 1967, since then, the estimated amount of potassium ore has been exhausted in the mine and the plant was closed in October 2001. Dombrovsky quarry gradually filled with brines. The main reason for many of the current problems are a few key design mistakes made during the construction of the mine and tailing pits, and the further lack of quality service. The sudden cessation of the mining of minerals without taking the necessary measures during the closure of such objects also affected the present state of the dams and quarries. Therefore, the ecological situation in the Kalush area is serious, to some extent even critical. Since 2011, however, the measures have been taken to prevent further pollution and transformation into a disaster of catastrophic proportions.
Another major concern is the condition of historic buildings and abandoned plants. Due to presence of natural deposits of potassium salts an enterprise was set up in 1867, which committed itself to extract potassium salts for the needs of the peasants, who used it in cultivation. Thus, Kalush was the second place in the world where the potassium industry originated (Germany in 1862 was the first). In 1873 an economic crisis erupted and demand for potassium fertilizers dropped dramatically. This led to bankruptcy of the Kalush Joint Stock Company, and in 1875 it was liquidated. Since then, the building of the plant remained abandoned even during the Soviet times. The building poses dangers for locals who often spend time near the picturesque ruins.
Kalush School #6
Kalush School #6, or its full official name "General Education School of I-III degrees #6" was established in 1968. In the former USSR and other socialist countries, the secondary school was state-owned and organized on the principle of a unified school (each grade was based on the previous one and was its continuation), which was first implemented in the Soviet Union. The secondary school of three levels means:
The first - elementary school (provides initial general education);
The second - main (middle) school (provides basic general secondary education);
The third - high school (provides full secondary education).
Interestingly, all three levels of the school education often take place in one building, under one roof with senior classes on the top floor of the building and elementary classes on the first floor. My father graduated from school in 1982, finishing eight grades, which was back then considered that one have acquired a basic general education. In 2011, I graduated from a ninth grade, which today satisfies a basic general education requirement. That meant I could have continued to go on to graduate from the 11th grade with full secondary education, or I could have gone to a college or a technical school. In Ukraine, the 11th grade is the last grade of the secondary school, although, there have been reforms to implement a twelve-grade secondary education, the reforms have often been reserved back to eleven-grade education.
Recently, there are intentions to again imple-ment a twelve-grade school system based on a European standard. Also, in most Ukrainian schools the fall semester ends on December 31st, and the winter brake continues until January 16th. In December 2015, I have had an opportunity to be an assistant to my former English teacher Iryna Koval who asked me to share my experience studying in the United States and lecture about the American culture. It is an invigorating experience to go back to an old place where you have lived most of your life with a fresh look on things after some time away.
The opening ceremony called "The First Bell" that takes place on September 1st each year to mark the beginning of the school year.
My former classmates from 9-Г class.
A student presenting a project in an English class.
A History class in a process of acquiring knowledge.
View the location of Kalush on a map below: