Culture of Khmelnytskyi region 3.0: heritage, transformation and rethinking

Cooperation between Khmelnytsky region and the UCORD project – new opportunities for the development of regional culture

Khmelnytskyi region was one of the first to become a partner region of the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine” (UCORD). The goal of the UCORD project is to promote coordinated actions for recovery and coordinated regional development by citizens, businesses, and authorities. One of the project’s areas of focus is the Culture, Social Cohesion and Citizen Engagement component, which aims to build social cohesion through culture, dialogue, and creative industries.

The signed memorandum of cooperation between Khmelnytskyi and the project has opened up new opportunities for the development of the region as a space where culture is the basis for sustainability, strengthening Ukrainian identity, and economic growth.

The focus of the joint efforts is to support cultural initiatives, form creative clusters, develop the local brand of the region, and search for new formats of interaction through culture. Khmelnytskyi region confidently declares itself as a region where culture is not an additional option but a strategic resource for development.

An important event supported by UCORD was the Culture and Personality Potential Forum, which in the fall of 2024 brought together artists, managers, activists, and community representatives from six partner regions in Kamianets-Podilskyi. The forum under the slogan “Person. Identity. Transformation” organized by UCORD together with the Khmelnytskyi Regional Development Agency demonstrated that culture is becoming a powerful tool for change and social cohesion in times of crisis.

One of the key outcomes of the cooperation was the creation of an analytical report, Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Culture and Social Cohesion in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, which is now the basis for planning new initiatives, preparing grant applications, and developing future local projects. With the support of UCORD, in partnership with the Khmelnytskyi Regional Development Agency, a comprehensive study of the state of culture in the region was conducted. In-depth interviews were conducted over several months with representatives of cultural institutions, local governments, public figures, and creative industry experts. The preparation of the analytical document was coordinated with the members of a working group specially formed to independently evaluate the work on the report. In addition, the research analyzed strategic documents and examples of local practices. This approach allowed us not only to record the strengths but also to identify the systemic challenges facing the industry in the context of war and limited resources. The work on the report brought together representatives of cultural institutions, civil society organizations and government agencies, which emphasizes the desire for partnership, openness and the search for sustainable solutions.

In May 2025, during the event “From Idea to Change: Launch of the Renaissance Clusters Grant Program”, UCORD announced the winners of the grant competition – those applicants who will receive financial and mentoring support for the development of cultural and cultural and tourist projects formed through partnerships between communities. After all, in times of war and new challenges, it is communities that not only preserve culture but also look for new ways to develop, monetize, and popularize it.

Two initiatives from the Khmelnytskyi region won the grant competition. The first is the Podilska Manufactory Creative Hub project, which will be implemented by the NGO Society of Germans of Khmelnytskyi Region – Renaissance together with partners from Dunayevtsi, Smotrytska, and Zinkivska communities. The project aims to revive, develop, and popularize the culture of local craftsmanship in Podillia by creating a network of creative hubs called Podilska Manufaktura, organizing an exhibition of creative crafts, and a cultural and tourist route.

The second project, titled “Through the History of Wedding Fashion,” will be implemented by the Ukrainian Wedding Dresses Export Alliance in partnership with Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi city councils, Khmelnytskyi National University, and the Khmelnytskyi IT Cluster. The initiative will research the evolution of Ukrainian wedding dresses, create a book and a documentary about the history of wedding fashion in Khmelnytsky, as well as a virtual museum of 3D dress models.

National context: Strategy for the Development of Culture of Ukraine until 2030

On March 28, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Strategy for the Development of Culture of Ukraine until 2030 and the operational plan for its implementation for 2025-2027. These documents define strategic guidelines for all those working in the field of culture in communities and become a new coordinate system for the country’s cultural development. The strategy clearly defines that in modern conditions, culture is becoming a tool for societal resilience and a part of national security, a way to maintain social cohesion, build trust and ensure national security. The strategy views cultural heritage not only as the past that needs to be preserved, but also as a resource for the formation of European identity. Special attention is paid to the development of creative industries and support for creative partnerships at the local level. The concept of cultural resilience (the ability to recover from crises and challenges) has become a key component of the Strategy. It is through culture that communities should receive tools for adaptation, psychological support, and building sustainable local ecosystems.

In this context, Khmelnytsky’s efforts to develop creative entrepreneurship, digitalize heritage, support youth initiatives, and modernize cultural practices are an example of the implementation of the new national cultural policy on the ground.

Artistic diplomacy: international integration through theater, music and literature

The Khmelnytskyi Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after Mykhailo Starytskyi is actively integrating into the international cultural process through new art forms. In 2024, the theater’s staff implemented an important project – a tour of the interactive art therapy performance Mariupol #nadiya_na_svitanok, accompanied by a special seminar-discussion on the restoration of the psycho-emotional state of Ukrainians. This performance has already been shown to European audiences in Krakow (Poland) and Barcelona (Spain).

In recent years, the theater’s team has demonstrated successful grant-seeking activities by implementing three significant projects, two of which were supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The first of these projects was an initiative within the Culture Without Barriers program. It aims to create a comfortable stage space in the theater for people with disabilities and to stage an art therapy performance for military personnel with disabilities. The result was the unique performance “Line. For. Life.”, which was highly appreciated not only in Ukraine but also abroad. In particular, the play was presented at the East-West Ukrainian Theater Festival in Krakow, Poland.

The second project was implemented as part of the Restoration of Cultural and Artistic Activities program. The theater team created a modern ethno-musical Nazar Stodolya, an innovative stage reading of Ukrainian classics in a format that combines elements of traditional drama and modern musical and choreographic solutions. The project has become an important step in updating the creative repertoire and popularizing Ukrainian cultural heritage through modern stage forms. Such international activities of the regional theater demonstrate that culture in Khmelnytsky region is actively transforming, creating new meanings, expanding the inclusiveness of art and building a strong connection between creativity and social processes.

The Khmelnytsky Regional Philharmonic is steadily strengthening its position as a driver of the creative economy in the region. In 2023-2025, the Philharmonic’s musical events will increasingly influence the cultural brand of Khmelnytskyi, forming a business card for the community and the region within the national and European space. One example of artistic innovation in the cultural sector of the region is the musical and choreographic performance “In Search of the Little Prince,” which combines a literary story, music, and modern dance. The performance involved 60 musicians of the symphony orchestra and 63 artists. This production is a vivid example of interdisciplinary cooperation in the creative industries.

At the end of 2024, the Khmelnytsky Regional Philharmonic presented its own interpretation of the world-famous Carmina Burana stage cantata. The large-scale musical and stage performance featured artists from the Cossacks of Podillia ensemble, a ballet company, and the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. This project was another example of how classical art can acquire a modern sound worthy of representation at the national and international levels.

The culmination of 2025 will be a European tour of the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble “Kozaky Podillia” organized in cooperation with the German media production company Star Entertainment. The tour lasts from December 2024 to June 2025 and covers a number of European countries. This is not just a concert program, but a systematic presentation of Khmelnytskyi region as a modern cultural player that creates a high-quality artistic product.

In 2024, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and under the coordination of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Khmelnytsky City Council, the project “Out of Time: A New Sound of Ukrainian Identity” was implemented, which became a real event not only at the local but also at the national level. This cultural initiative brought together the Khmelnytskyi Regional Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and well-known bands from the city: “Chumatsky Shlyakh, Grace, FreeJam, and Svitlo. The goal of the project is to give a new sound in modern interpretations to classical works by Platon Maiboroda, Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Ihor Shamo, Vasyl Mykhailyuk, Anatoliy Kos-Anatolsky, Borys Buevsky, Anatoliy Horchynsky, Ihor Poklad, and Valentyn Silvestrov. Ideological concept: Ukrainian music is timeless. Special attention is paid to the social component. The project team held a series of concerts in the city’s medical institutions for defenders undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.

The project resulted in four full-length albums of cover versions on popular music platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and social media. For the Khmelnytsky community, this is not only an artistic initiative but also an example of a creative economy in which culture becomes a driver of development, self-expression, and international cooperation.

The Philharmonic and the Regional Theater remain Khmelnytskyi’s business cards on the international stage, stimulating the involvement and revitalization of the creative sector. All of these are steps towards building a powerful cultural brand of the region, which is not only a presentation tool but also a factor of regional development.

The Khmelnytskyi region is gradually building a modern literary ecosystem, in which the TRANSLATORIUM festival is a leading one, the only literary and translation festival in Ukraine that has been bringing together poets, translators, editors, and researchers from all over the country and abroad for eight years in a row. In 2024, the project team launched another initiative, the BAZHAN residency, a residency for poets and poetry translators in Kamianets-Podilskyi. This is a new format of interaction with the space and the local community, which promotes the development of literary communication and strengthens the role of Khmelnytskyi as a territory of cultural content.

A landmark example of a professional approach to preserving, promoting, and understanding contemporary art in the region is the Khmelnytskyi Regional Art Museum. The museum’s team not only creates an up-to-date exhibition calendar covering the key phenomena of contemporary art, but also actively works on the digitalization of art collections. An important component is the systematic involvement of grant support, which allows the museum to implement projects at a high professional level, attract curators and artists from different regions, and at the same time support the local cultural environment.

Culture of Khmelnytsky communities: development of hubs and gastronomic heritage

At the same time, building a network of creative hubs in communities that can become centers of local development remains an important area. The creative hub Bakota Hub in the village of Horaivka is an example of how culture can work to restore veterans and promote social integration through creativity and community building.

In 2024, a landmark cultural and educational project, Authentic Cuisine of Podillia, was launched in Khmelnytskyi Oblast with the support of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration and the State Archives of Khmelnytskyi Oblast. Its uniqueness lies in the combination of several sectors – archives, culture, education, and gastronomy – to preserve and modernize elements of the region’s intangible cultural heritage. The project aims to create a recognizable brand called Podilska Kuhnia. But it’s not just about recipes; it’s about a deeper study of gastronomy as a living memory of the region and a cultural code that should be documented, interpreted, and adapted. The plan is to prepare a multimedia presentation publication that will combine culinary tradition, archival materials, folklore motifs, and modern gastronomic practices. The project opens up new opportunities for cultural tourism, local branding, and cross-sectoral cooperation, and is an important step towards including elements of regional gastronomy in the national list of intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine.

Digitalization of culture: 3D heritage and local brands

2024 was a year of innovations in the field of cultural heritage preservation in Khmelnytskyi region. Thanks to the initiative of the InSource Initiative Development Center and the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, a unique heritage digitalization project, ‘Sataniv’s Cultural Heritage. 3D-loading’. This project combines advanced digital technologies with the research and actualization of the material cultural heritage of the historic city of Sataniv. As part of the project, 3D models of three iconic architectural monuments were created: The City Gate, Sataniv Castle, and the Holy Trinity Monastery. The “3D-loading” project supplemented the destroyed parts of the monuments with a translucent frame, combining modern appearance and reconstruction. Laser scanning and photogrammetry ensured the accuracy of the models. The project showed how modern technologies and local initiatives can interact with cultural heritage.

Support for creative entrepreneurship, including initiatives that combine local identity with modern forms of production and communication, is gradually becoming one of the priorities for the development of the cultural sector in Khmelnytskyi. In today’s context, brands form their own “tone of voice” not only through visual solutions or marketing, but also through deep immersion in the cultural heritage and traditions of their region. Are there any such examples in Khmelnytskyi? Of course there are. And they can become the basis for a new model of the region’s creative economy. For example, the following projects can already be identified:

• “Khatka” is a workshop of original ceramics inspired by the craft techniques of Podillia;
• “Strikha” is a shop of handmade candles using symbols and cultural codes of the region;
• “Ladom” is a contemporary clothing brand with elements of authentic Podillia embroidery and ornamentation.

In the near future, at the initiative of the Khmelnytsky Regional Development Agency, it is planned to create a public catalog of craft producers whose activities will become a resource for promotion, partnerships, and tourist branding of the region.

Education as a platform for change: training for cultural professionals

Khmelnytskyi region has a strong methodological base that supports the cultural sphere among communities. In particular, the Khmelnytsky Regional Scientific and Methodological Center for Culture and Art plays a key coordination role: it provides methodological support to art schools, conducts training for employees of rural clubs without professional education, and organizes competitions and master classes aimed at improving the quality of teaching and performance in art education.

Despite these efforts, the need for modern, formalized education for cultural sector workers remains open. Communities lack educational programs that would cover the topics of cultural management, strategic planning, development of creative industries, building partnerships and teams. Successful management of cultural processes in the new realities requires knowledge that even experienced cultural workers often lack. Therefore, the creation of non-formal education centers or regional schools of creative development is no longer a prospect, but an urgent need. That is why an important step in this direction was the renewal of the educational offer on the basis of the Department of Cultural Studies of the Khmelnytsky Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy, the main center of professional training of cultural studies in the region.

In 2025, the department opened an admission campaign for a new bachelor’s program in Event Studies in Culture, specializing in Cultural Studies and Museum Studies. This program is aimed at training specialists capable of working at the intersection of culture, event management, creative entrepreneurship, and social communications. It meets the needs of the times and emphasizes the development of practical skills, project thinking, and team building.

What will help Khmelnytskyi make culture a driver of change and a starting point for future transformations?

Despite successful cases, the cultural sector in Khmelnytskyi needs targeted support in several key areas. The level of digitalization of cultural heritage remains low, and there is a lack of systemic solutions to support local initiatives. The cultural infrastructure at the community level is vulnerable, especially in remote areas. Despite the significant number of architectural heritage sites in the region, there are very few projects for their revitalization. These objects have obvious potential for economic development of communities, but they are often out of the focus of grantors and government officials.

Another challenge is the lack of high-quality professional networking for cultural workers. The absence of regular professional platforms hinders the creation of internal partnerships, the exchange of experience, and the formation of inter-institutional collaborations. Cultural institutions in the region need mentoring support and conditions for trust and interaction. Currently, the level of horizontal ties remains low, and cultural initiators often perceive each other as competitors rather than potential partners. In addition, the region has not yet developed a system for analyzing demand for cultural products, which limits the ability of institutions to adapt their programs to current community needs.

UCORD’s funding is aimed at addressing these gaps by supporting cultural clusters, the creative economy, launching grant programs, developing partnerships and institutional capacity.

Recent trends in the region’s cultural development demonstrate this: Khmelnytskyi no longer perceives culture as a mere memory of the past. Today, culture here is a resource for development, a tool for cohesion and economic growth.

It is time to revive traditional crafts such as pottery and weaving. These authentic practices can become the basis for creating new creative businesses in communities. A striking example is the artistic work of veteran potter Mykola Velychko, whose MyKolo art studio proves that a skillful combination of heritage and modernity yields not only artistic but also economic benefits. By making ceramic products on his own, the master raises funds for the creation of a future art studio.

Supporting and developing creative hubs, such as Bakota Hub, opens up new opportunities for the cultural rehabilitation of veterans, social integration, and the formation of cultural and creative economy centers at the local level.

Particular attention should be paid to working with national communities, Jewish, Polish and German heritage, as well as supporting veterans, internally displaced persons, children, youth, and the elderly. An inclusive approach should become a basic component of the cultural strategies of the region and communities.

Among the key challenges today:

• creating a platform for networking and cooperation;
• digitalization of cultural heritage for wide access;
• involvement of business in supporting local cultural initiatives;
• modernization of the system of cultural service centers in communities.

The Khmelnytsky region has already taken its first confident steps: developing gastronomic heritage, digitizing intangible cultural heritage, and attracting international partners through music, theater, and art.

However, there is still work to be done on the systematic implementation of the new cultural policy: shaping the region’s brand, strategic cultural management, supporting creative entrepreneurs, and developing community inclusiveness and resilience through cultural practices.

Culture is more than art. It is about the power of a person to withstand challenges, to revive and develop. Today, Khmelnytskyi region is creating a new model of culture: open, vibrant, modern – a culture that builds the future.

This publication was created with the support of Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine”, UCORD, implemented via the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by NIRAS Sweden AB. The author is solely responsible for the content of this publication. The views of the author do not necessarily reflect the views of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation or NIRAS Sweden AB.

Author: Yulia Vilchanska-Marchuk – PhD, regional specialist on culture and social cohesion in Khmelnytskyi Oblast