Reni – An Educational and Historical City of Diversity
If you travel to the western side of Ukraine, you will find the brilliant region of Odessa. This picturesque part of the country is divided into several Raions or districts, one of which is the Reniysky Raion. Reniysky Raion now falls in what was once the Bessarabian district of Budjak (also Budzhak or Bugeac). Its administrative center is the city of Reni and the region has a population of more than 41 000 people. It is interesting to note that the Reniysky Raion is the only remaining portion of the ancient Budjak district to still have more Romanians than any other nationality. Currently, at least half of the population of the Reniysky Raion is Romanian, while the rest of the population is made up of Ukrainians, Russians, Gagauz and Bessarabian Bulgarians.
If you get the chance, you might well discover that the small city of Reni in Ukraine makes for interesting travel. The settlement is not as old as other Ukrainian towns and cities, having only been founded in 1548. The settlement quickly grew into a small town and it was eventually awarded city status in 1821. Today, it is home to 20 000 people – which means that just under half of the people living in the Reniysky Raion have settled in the city of Reni. This interesting combination of people and cultures has resulted in a fairly cosmopolitan mixture which is fun to explore, should you have the opportunity to do so. The large percentage of Romanians living in the city has a lot to do with the fact that the city was considered to be a part of Romania until 1947 when the Soviet Union claimed it. This historical and geographical link with Romania is further emphasized by the Moldova-Romania railway which passes through Reni and which serves to link the two countries. The railway continues to be a positive link for the city even today and is still in regular use.
Visitors will find that the people of Reni are fairly well educated since there are six different schools in the city. A branch of the Dnipropetrovsk University is also located here, so students can continue their education after leaving school and obtain a degree that will enable them to get a better job almost anywhere in the country. There are also three churches in the city – each of which are quite attractive and worth taking a look at. So tour through Reni the next time you visit Ukraine and discover a whole different world within this beautiful country.
