Labun, second visit, 15June 2013

This morning we headed back to Labun/Yurovshchina to pick up a few items I'd either missed or didn't accomplish during yesterday's visit. This included plotting the cemetery and murder site on my map and acquiring additional photographs.

I took the following shots from the Ukrainian Catholic Church which is located on the highest ground in the community.

I have an old map of Labun that indicates several churches. Now, however, the Ukrainian Catholic Church is the only one to survive.

Old flour mill across from the merchant stalls.

Khomora River scene.

A selection of house scenes.

This home belongs to a woman of Polish descent who told us that, during the German occupation, her aunt had hidden a man surnamed Zak. Apparently, this man left this haven for his sister's home. He was captured.

Yurovshchina is a poor farming community with not much going for it. Many of the homes are in poor condition. Next to the bridge over the Khomora River, which separates Novolabun from the communities of Yurovshchina and Trojeshchina, is a small hydroelectric plant developed and owned by a Ukrainian company. Rumor has it that all the electricity is sold to Poland. None of the profits go to the local communities.

One interesting aspect of Labun's recent history is its successful collective farm. After the Soviet collapse most collective farms also collapsed. Labun's still operates and generates income for the villagers. This is good news for the farming community because it allows for mechanization of and efficiencies in the farming process, something small individual farmers could not accomplish on their own.

We stopped by the Post Office and bought the last copy of a book (in Ukrainian) about Labun. Apparently, this book is a popular high school graduation gift. It was published in 2012.

Of note, we finally found a Yurovshchina road sign. We saw it on our way back to Yurovshchina from Polonne. This is a typical exit sign indicating that one is leaving the village limits.