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A coal mine in the Donbas before 1914.
Did you know that around the year 1900 there were over 20,000 Belgians living in the Donbas, known as our '10th province' at the time? They were there to start up industrialisation, together with other Western European countries. This region of Ukraine - currently occupied by Russia - therefore does not have purely Russian origins. An exhibition and documentary have put this forgotten shared past in the spotlight. Our embassy in Kyiv co-financed and published a book on the story back in 2009.
A bloody war still rages in Ukraine after two and a half years. Russia's main objective is controlling the Donbas, a highly industrialised region in eastern Ukraine. But did you know that Belgium was involved in setting up the coal and iron ore mining and steel plants in the Donbas? A history forgotten by both by Ukrainians and Belgians!
Cockerill and Solvay
As the Russian tsar watched Western Europe undergo industrial revolution in the 19th century - initially in the United Kingdom, and subsequently in Belgium and the rest of the continent - being left behind was not an option for a major power like Russia. The first milestone was the construction of a railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1837. And Belgians were involved in that too.
Nevertheless, Russia did not want to become dependent on foreign countries and preferred to manufacture everything itself. It therefore protected its internal market with heavy import tariffs. For example, the Belgian company Cockerill - one of the pioneers in Belgium's steel industry - saw its exports collapse in 1877 as a result.
Following in the footsteps of Welshman John Hughes - who built the first blast furnace in the Donbas in 1872 - Cockerill also decided to invest and produce locally. Why the Donbas? Because this quasi-abandoned steppe contained vast quantities of coal and iron ore, which were also quite close to the surface and therefore easy to mine.
After Cockerill came Solvay - with soda ash plants - and more than 160 other Belgian companies. By 1900, Belgium was the largest investor in Russia, ahead of our large neighbouring countries Britain, France and Germany. Belgians also built the tramlines in various cities - including Kyiv.

A Solvay soft drink factory in the Donbas before 1914.
The 10th Belgian province
In the Donbas alone - our '10th Belgian province' at the time - there were more than 20,000 Belgians living there. Belgian cities sprang up, with their own schools, hospitals, parks, recreational facilities, etc. All very recognisable, with our typical red brick.
There were some real gems in the city of Lisichansk in particular. For example, the residence of the director of the former Solvay soda ash plant, which housed a sanatorium for many years. Or residential neighbourhoods with modest quarters for factory workers, slightly larger homes for superintendents, and magnificent villas for the engineers and directors. Or even the gymnasium, a renowned secondary school in Ukraine. All examples of Belgian heritage!
But after the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the victory of the Bolsheviks under Lenin, all foreigners were expelled from the country. Their factories were nationalised, without any compensation. The Donbas – at that time belonging to Russia - later became Ukrainian territory. Following the invasion by Russia in February 2022, the region fell into the latter's hands. Just about all of that beautiful heritage was destroyed.

The exhibition at Mikhaelivski Square in Kyiv (© Bohdan Poshyvailo).
The European Heritage of the Donbass
Such an important piece of history must not be forgotten. Especially not in these times of war, when Russia is spreading the false narrative that the Donbas has purely Russian origins. In fact, the Donbas is an integral part of Western European history and shares cultural, architectural and industrial heritage with our regions.
As such, the Ukrainian Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) - together with the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund (UEAF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), among others - have taken the initiative to organise an exhibition in Mykhailivska Square, one of the busiest squares in the capital Kyiv. Title: The European Heritage of the Donbass
6 panels - 1 per country - describe the valuable heritage in the Donbas left behind by the countries that contributed the most to industrialisation over 100 years ago: the US, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. For Belgium, the gymnasium and hospital in Lisichansk were selected.
A QR code on the panels allows visitors to view an excerpt from the documentary Eurodonbas. With historical archive footage, the documentary highlights how - in the early 20th century - the Donbas was an integral part of the European economy (see trailer). It has also been played in cinemas throughout in Ukraine and enjoyed huge success.
Steel on the steppe
Our Belgian Embassy in Kyiv not only co-financed the project, it was also indirectly behind the whole initiative. Back in 2009, two colleagues from our FPS - Wim Peeters and Frederik Develter - published a book: Steel on the steppe. The work details the Belgian presence in Ukraine and the Donbas in the 19th century, up until 1917. As part of the project, our colleagues visited museums in the far-flung parts of the Donbas. The work was also translated into Ukrainian and widely distributed.
The Ukrainian creator of Eurodonbas read Steel on the steppe, and the book inspired him to film the documentary. It also inspired the organisers of the exhibition.
Throughout the month of May - including Europe Day on 9 May - the panels were on display in Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square. Countless Ukrainians and foreign nationals came to read the panels, learning about a forgotten chapter of history in the process. Although the heritage itself has unfortunately been destroyed, this shared past with Belgium and Western Europe will remain in the collective memory going forward. The exhibition will travel to other countries in the future.
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