View source for Lutsk

{{Short description|City and administrative center of Volyn Oblast, Ukraine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} 
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Lutsk
| native_name        = {{lang|uk|Луцьк}}
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Ukraine|City]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 270
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Замок Любарта (В'їзна башта).jpg{{!}}Gate of Lubart's Castle
| image2 = 07-101-0009 k.jpg{{!}}Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral
| image3 = Луцьк, Костел монастиря бернардинів (Троїцький кафедральний собор)(мур.), вул. Л.Українки 60.jpg{{!}}Holy Trinity Cathedral
| image4 = Center, Lutsk, Volyns'ka oblast, Ukraine - panoramio (10).jpg{{!}}Train station
| image5 = 07-101-0029 d.jpg{{!}}Volyn National University
| caption1 = Gate of [[Lubart's Castle]]
| caption2 = [[Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Lutsk|Catholic Cathedral]]
| caption3 = [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, Lutsk|Orthodox Cathedral]]
| caption4 = Train station
| caption5 = Volyn National University
}}
| image_flag         = Prapor Lutsk.svg
| image_shield       = Herb Lutsk.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Map of Ukraine with Lutsk highlighted.
| pushpin_map        = Ukraine Volyn Oblast#Ukraine
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Lutsk
| coordinates        = {{coord|50|45|00|N|25|20|09|E|region:UA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{UKR}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Raions of Ukraine|Raion]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Lutsk Raion]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Hromada]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Lutsk urban hromada]]
| established_title  = First mentioned
| established_date   = 1085
| established_title2 = [[Magdeburg rights|City rights]]
| established_date2  = 1432
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Ihor Polishchuk
| area_total_km2     = 72.3
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| elevation_m        = 174
| population_footnotes = <ref name="ua2022estimate"/>
| population_total   = 220986
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_density_km2 = 4830
| population_metro   = 
| population_note    = 
| timezone           = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset         = +2
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +3
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 43000
| area_code          = +380 332
| blank_info         = 
| blank1_name        = [[Town twinning|Sister cities]]
| blank1_info        = [[Lublin]]
| blank2_info        = [[Kent, Washington|Kent]]
| website            = {{URL|lutskrada.gov.ua/en}}
| footnotes          = 
| subdivision_type1  = [[Oblasts of Ukraine|Oblast]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Volyn Oblast]]
}}
'''Lutsk''' ({{langx|uk|Луцьк}}, {{IPA|uk|lutsʲk|IPA|audio=Uk-Луцьк.ogg}}; see [[#Names and etymology|below]] for other names) is a city on the [[Styr River]] in northwestern [[Ukraine]]. It is the [[administrative center]] of [[Volyn Oblast]] and the administrative center of [[Lutsk Raion]] within the oblast. Lutsk has a population of {{Ua-pop-est2022|220,986|.}}

A city with almost a thousand years of history, recorded in 1085, Lutsk historically served as an administrative, cultural and religious center in [[Volhynia]]. The city contains several landmarks in various styles, including [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]], [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] and [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]], the most known being the medieval [[Lubart's Castle]].

==Names and etymology==
Lutsk is an ancient [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] town, mentioned in the [[Hypatian Chronicle]] as '''Luchesk''' in the records of 1085. The etymology of the name is unclear. There are three hypotheses: the name may have been derived from the Old Slavic word ''luka'' (an arc or bend in a river), or the name may have originated from ''Luka'' (the chieftain of the ''[[Dulebs]]''), an ancient Slavic tribe living in this area. The name may also have been created after ''Luchanii'' (Luchans), an ancient branch of the tribe mentioned above.

The city of Lutsk is also historically known by different names in other languages – {{langx|pl|Łuck}}, {{IPA|pl|wutsk|IPA}}; {{langx|yi|לוצק ,לויצק|Loytzk, Loutsk}}; as well as [[Names of European cities in different languages (I–L) #L|a number of other names]].<ref name="Beider">{{cite journal |last1=Beider |first1=Alexander |title=Eastern Yiddish Toponyms of German Origin |journal=Yiddish Studies Today |date=2012 |volume=ISBN 978-3-943460-09-4; ISSN 2194-8879 |issue=düsseldorf university press, Düsseldorf 2012 |url=https://docserv.uni-duesseldorf.de/servlets/DerivateServlet/Derivate-23711/27_Leket_Beider_Eastern_Yiddish_Toponyms_of_German_Origin_A.pdf |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref>

==History==
According to the legend, Luchesk dates from the 7th century. The first known documentary reference dates were from the year 1085. In the 11th century, along with the region of Volhynia, the town was contested by the [[Kyivan Rus']] and [[Poland]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=226}} The town served as the capital of the [[Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia|Principality of Halych-Volynia]] (founded in 1199) until the rise of [[Volodymyr (city)|Volodymyr]]. The town grew around a wooden stronghold built by a local branch of the [[Rurik Dynasty]]. At certain times the location functioned as the capital of the principality, but the town did not become an important centre of commerce or culture. 

===Grand Duchy of Lithuania===
In 1240, [[Mongol invasion of Rus'|Mongols seized and looted]] the nearby town but left the castle unharmed. In 1321, George, son of [[Leo II of Galicia|Lev]], the last prospective heir of Halych-Volynia, died in a battle with the forces of [[Gediminas, Grand Duke of Lithuania]], and [[Lithuania]]n forces seized the castle. In 1349, the forces of King [[Casimir III of Poland]] captured the town, then Lithuania soon retook it, but it remained contested by Lithuania and Poland until 1382.{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=226}}

[[File:Colored postcards with views of Lutsk (1916) 05.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lubart's Castle]] on a postcard from 1916]]
The town began to prosper during the period of Lithuanian rule. Prince [[Liubartas|Lubart]] (died 1384), son of [[Gediminas]], erected [[Lubart's Castle]] as part of his fortification programme. From 1385, it was part of the [[Polish-Lithuanian union]], yet it remained an object of Lithuanian-Polish rivalry. Polish King [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] appointed Polish [[starost]]s, brought in [[Dominican Order|Dominican monks]] and staffed the Catholic bishopric, intending to connect it to the Polish [[Archdiocese of Lwów]], while Lithuanian Duke [[Vytautas]] sought to diminish Polish influence and develop the city to become Lithuania's second capital after [[Vilnius]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=227}} Vytautas invited colonists (mostly [[Jews]], [[Tatars]], and [[Crimean Karaites]]).{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=227}} In 1427 he transferred the Catholic bishopric from Volodymyr to Luchesk. Vytautas was the last monarch to use the title of "Duke of Volhynia" and to reside in Lubart's Castle. 

The town grew rapidly, and by the end of the 15th century, there were 19 Orthodox and two Catholic churches. It was the seat of two [[christianity|Christian]] bishops, one Catholic and one Orthodox. Because of that, the town was sometimes nicknamed "the ''Volhynian Rome''." The cross symbol of Lutsk features the highest Lithuanian Presidential award, the [[Order of Vytautas the Great]].{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

In 1429 Lutsk was the meeting place selected for a [[European congress in Lutsk|conference of monarchs]] hosted by [[Władysław II Jagiełło]] and [[Sophia of Halshany]] to deal with the Tatar threat. Those invited to attend included [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund, King of Hungary and Bohemia]]; Grand Duke [[Vasili II of Russia]]; [[Eric of Pomerania]], king of [[Denmark]], [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]; the Grand Master of the [[Livonian Order]] Zisse von Rutenberg; the Duke of [[Szczecin]] [[Casimir V]]; [[Dan II of Wallachia|Dan II]], the ''Hospodar'' of [[Wallachia]]; and [[Prince-elector]]s of most of the countries of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

===Kingdom of Poland===
In 1432, Volhynia became a [[fief]] of the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland]] and Lutsk became the seat of the governors, and later the Marshalls of the Land of Volhynia. That same year, the city was granted [[Magdeburg rights]] by King Władysław II Jagiełło.{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=228}} It was one of the minor centers of [[Armenians in Poland]], with an Armenian church.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stopka|first=Krzysztof|editor-last1=Kopczyński|editor-first1=Michał|editor-last2=Tygielski|editor-first2=Wojciech|year=2010|title=Pod wspólnym niebem. Narody dawnej Rzeczypospolitej|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Muzeum Historii Polski, Bellona|chapter=Ormianie|page=118|isbn=978-83-11-11724-2}}</ref> In 1497, [[Alexander Jagiellon]] confirmed the city's old [[privilege (law)|privileges]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=228}} In 1569, Volhynia was fully incorporated into the Polish kingdom and the town became the capital of both the Łuck powiat and [[Wołyń Voivodeship (1569–1795)|Volhynian Voivodeship]] in the [[Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Lesser Poland Province]]. After the [[Union of Lublin]], the local Orthodox bishop converted to [[Eastern Catholicism]].

The city continued to prosper as an important economic centre of the region. By the mid-17th century, Łuck had approximately 50,000 inhabitants and was one of the largest towns in the area{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}. During the [[Khmelnytsky Uprising]], the town was seized by the forces of Colonel Kolodko. Up to 4,000 people were slaughtered, approximately 35,000 fled, and the city was looted and partially burnt. It never fully recovered. In 1781, the city was struck by a fire which destroyed 440 houses, both cathedrals, and several other churches. In 1788, Łuck was the 25th largest city of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=230}} The city embraced the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=230}}

===Russian Empire===
In 1795, as a result of the [[Third Partition of Poland]], the [[Russian Empire]] annexed Lutsk. The Voivodeship was liquidated and the town lost its significance as the capital of the province (which was moved to [[Zhytomyr]]). After the [[November Uprising]] (1830–1831), efforts increased to remove Polish influence. Polish schools were closed in 1831 and Catholic monasteries were seized in 1840–1853.{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=231}} Russian became the dominant language in official circles. Though, the Ukrainian population continued to speak [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]; the Polish population spoke [[Polish language|Polish]]; and the Jewish population spoke [[Yiddish]] (only in private circles). The [[Greek Catholic Church|Greek Catholic churches]] was turned into [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Christian]] ones, which led to the self-liquidation of the Uniates here. In 1845, another great fire struck the city, resulting in further depopulation.

In 1850, three major forts were built around Lutsk, and the town became a small fortress called ''Mikhailogorod''. Neglected under Russian rule, by the late 19th century, the city lost its leading economic position in Volhynia to [[Rivne]], [[Kovel]] and [[Zdolbuniv]].{{sfn|Nieć|1937|p=231}}

[[File:Colored postcards with views of Lutsk (Gorokhovsky) 07.jpg|thumb|Postcard from the 1910s]]
During the [[First World War]], the town was seized by [[Austria-Hungary]] on 29 August 1915. The town sustained a small amount of damage. During more than a year of Austro-Hungarian occupation, Lutsk became an important military centre with the headquarters of the IV Army under Archduke [[Archduke Josef Ferdinand, Prince of Tuscany|Josef Ferdinand]] stationed there. A plague of [[epidemic typhus]] decimated the city's inhabitants.

On 4 June 1916, four Russian armies under general [[Aleksei Brusilov]] started what later became known as the [[Brusilov Offensive]]. After up to three days of heavy artillery barrage, the [[Battle of Lutsk]] began. On 7 June 1916 the Russian forces reconquered the city. After the signing of the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine-Central Powers)|Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], the city was seized by Germany on 7 February 1918. On 22 February 1918 the town was transferred by the withdrawing German army to the forces loyal to [[Symon Petlura]].

===Second Polish Republic===
During the [[Polish-Bolshevik War]], on 16 May 1919, Lutsk was taken over by the forces of Poland's [[Blue Army (Poland)|Blue Army]] after a heavy battle with the [[Red Army]]. The city was devastated and largely depopulated. It witnessed the Soviet counter-offensive of 1920 and was taken on 12 July 1920. It was recaptured by Poland's 45th Rifles regiment and field artillery on 15 September 1920.<ref name="Tomczyk">{{cite web | url=http://www.osadnicy.org/tomczyk24.htm | title=Łuck - Miasto bliskie sercom naszym | publisher=Stowarzyszenie Rodzin Osadników Wojskowych i Cywilnych Kresów Wschodnich | work=Kresowe Stanice | year=2013 | access-date=18 June 2013 | author=Antoni Tomczyk}}</ref> According to American sociologist Alexander Gella "the Polish victory [over the Red Army] had gained twenty years of independence not only for Poland but at least for an entire central part of Europe.<ref name="Gella">Aleksander Gella (1988), ''Development of Class Structure in Eastern Europe: Poland and Her Southern Neighbors'', SUNY Press, {{ISBN|978-0-88706-833-1}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8keIXDyF_EoC&pg=PA23 Google Print, p. 23.]</ref> Łuck was designated by the newly-reborn nation of [[Poland]] as the capital of the [[Wołyń Voivodeship (1921–1939)|Wołyń Voivodeship]].
[[File:Lutsk urzad wojew.jpg|thumb|Office of the Wołyń Voivodeship in interwar Poland]]

The city was connected by railroad to [[Lviv]] (then Lwów) and [[Przemyśl]]. Several brand new factories were built both in Łuck and on its outskirts producing farming equipment, wood, and leather products among other consumer goods. New mills and [[breweries]] opened. An orphanage was built, and a big new bursary. The first high school was soon inaugurated. In 1937, an airport was established in Łuck with an area of {{convert|69|ha|acre}}.<ref name="Tomczyk" /> 

The 13th ''Kresowy'' Light Artillery Regiment was stationed in the city, together with a ''Łuck'' [[National Defense (Poland)]] Battalion. In 1938, construction of a large modern radio transmitter began in the city (see [[Polish Radio Łuck]]). As of 1 January 1939 Łuck had 39,000 inhabitants (approximately 17,500 Jews and 13,500 Poles). The powiat formed around the town had 316,970 inhabitants, including 59% Ukrainians, 19.5% Poles, 14% Jews and approximately 23,000 [[Czechs]] and [[German people|Germans]].

===World War II===
[[File:07-101-0018 a.jpg|thumb|left|Site of the [[NKVD prisoner massacre in Lutsk|NKVD prisoner massacre of 1941]]]]
On Thursday 7 September 1939, at about 5 p.m., the Polish government, which had left [[Warsaw]] the day before, arrived at Łuck. German intelligence quickly found out about it, and the city was twice bombed by the [[Luftwaffe]], on 11 and 14 September. After panzer units of the [[Wehrmacht]] had crossed the [[Bug river]], on 14 September the government of Poland left Łuck and headed southwards, to [[Kosiv|Kosów Huculski]], which at that time was located near the Polish–Romanian border.

As a result of the [[invasion of Poland]] from both sides and the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]], Łuck, along with the rest of western Volyn, was annexed by the Soviet Union. Most of the factories (including the almost-finished radio station) were dismantled and sent east to Russia. Approximately 10,000 of the city's Polish inhabitants (chiefly ethnic Poles, but also [[Polish Jews]]) were deported in cattle trucks to [[Kazakhstan]] and 1,550 were arrested by the [[NKVD]].<ref name="Piotrowski1998">Tadeusz Piotrowski (1998), ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NBbnrEMswbUC&q=Luck Poland's Holocaust]'' (Google Books). Jefferson: McFarland, pp. 17-18, 420. {{ISBN|0-7864-0371-3}}.</ref><ref>Feliks Trusiewicz, [http://www.trusiewicz.pl/teksty/recenzje/rubiezy.pdf Zbrodnie – Ludobójstwo dokonane na ludności polskiej w powiecie Łuck, woj. wołyńskie, w latach 1939-1944.] (War crimes committed against Polish nationals in the Łuck county, 1939–44). Retrieved 22 July 2015.</ref>

[[File:ЛуцькСинагогаРуй.jpg|thumb|Destroyed synagogue during World War II]]
After the start of [[Operation Barbarossa]] the city was captured by the [[Wehrmacht]] on 25 June 1941. [[NKVD prisoner massacre in Lutsk|Thousands of Polish and Ukrainian prisoners were shot]] by the retreating NKVD responsible for political prisons. The inmates were offered amnesty and in the morning of {{Dts|1941|June|23|format=md}} ordered to exit the building en masse. They were gunned down by Soviet tanks.<ref name="Berkhoffpage14">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nd9WzIkTJrAC&q=Lutsk |title=Harvest of Despair |first=Karel Cornelis |last=Berkhoff |page=14 |isbn=0674020782 |year=2004 |publisher=Harvard University Press |access-date=22 July 2015}}</ref> Some 4,000 captives including Poles, Jews and Ukrainians were massacred.<ref name="Piotrowski-17">Piotrowski 1998, p. 17; [http://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/index.asp?cid=815  The Murder of the Jews of Lutsk] at [[Yad Vashem]] website</ref> 

Upon Nazi occupation, most of the Jewish inhabitants of the city were forced into a new [[Łuck Ghetto]] and then murdered at the execution site on Górka Połonka hill not far from the city.<ref name="wolyn.ovh">Andrzej Mielcarek, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070328024046/http://wolyn.ovh.org/opisy/hnidawa-07.html Wieś i kolonia Hnidawa, inaczej Gnidawa, powiat Łuck]; [https://web.archive.org/web/20070917144326/http://wolyn.ovh.org/opisy/polonka-07.html Gromada Połonka.] Interactive 1936 map included. ''Strony o Wołyniu'' Wolyn.ovh.org in Polish. Retrieved 24 July 2015.</ref> In total, more than 25,000 Jews were executed there at point-blank range,<ref name="Polonka">Yad Vashem, {{YouTube |id=Q87bYVp0EGA |title=Mass-murder of Łuck Jews at Gurka Polonka in August 1942}} Note: village Połonka ({{langx|pl|Górka Połonka}} or its [https://web.archive.org/web/20080720074205/http://www.wolyn.ovh.org/opisy/gorka_polonka-07.html Połonka Little Hill] subdivision) is misspelt in the documentary, with the testimony of eyewitness [[Shmuel Shilo]]. Retrieved 24 July 2015.</ref> men, women and children.<ref name="YIVO">YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, [http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Lutsk Lutsk.] Ghetto history. Retrieved 22 July 2015.</ref> The Łuck Ghetto was liquidated entirely through ''the Holocaust by bullets''.<ref name="National Geographic">{{YouTube| id= moY7kocJrTg | title= "The Holocaust by bullets" by National Geographic Channel}} Retrieved 20 July 2015.</ref> In 1941–1942, the German occupiers also operated a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] camp for Jews in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=2592|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Luc'k|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=3 November 2024|language=de}}</ref> During the [[massacres of Poles in Volhynia]] approximately 10,000 Poles were murdered by the [[Ukrainian Insurgent Army]] in the area. It was captured by the [[Red Army]] on 2 February 1944.

===Postwar===
[[File:ЛуцькВолі60.jpg|thumb|left|Lutsk in the 1960s]]
After the end of the war, the remaining Polish inhabitants of the city were expelled, mostly to the areas that are sometimes referred to as the Polish [[Regained Territories]]. The city became an industrial centre in the [[Ukrainian SSR]]. The major changes in the city's demographics had the final result that by the end of the war, the city was almost entirely Ukrainian. During the [[Cold War]], the city hosted the [[Lutsk (air base)|Lutsk air base]].

As one of the largest cities in western Ukraine, Lutsk became the seat of the General Consulate of Poland in 2003.<ref>
[http://www.luck.msz.gov.pl/  General Consulate of Poland in Lutsk] (Polish and Ukrainian)
</ref>

On 21 July 2020, a [[Lutsk hostage crisis|hostage crisis]] took place, involving a man armed with a firearm and explosives who stormed a bus and took 16 people [[hostage]] at about 9:25 a.m. Police said that they had identified the hostage-taker and that he had expressed dissatisfaction with "Ukraine's system" on social media. [[Ukrainian President]] [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]] said that shots gas had been heard and that the bus had been damaged. The incident led to police blocking off the city centre. The standoff was eventually resolved after several hours, with all of the hostages being freed and the hostage taker being arrested.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/9f60460ff774acb4a40a0c5198bd072c|title=Police: Armed man holding some 20 people hostage in Ukraine|publisher=Associated Press|date=21 July 2020|access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-hostages/shots-heard-as-bus-passengers-taken-hostage-in-western-ukraine-idUSKCN24M0UH|title=Shots heard as bus passengers taken hostage in western Ukraine|publisher=Reuters|date=21 July 2020|access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53489527|title=Ukraine hostage crisis: Police in Lutsk end stand-off|work=BBC News|date=21 July 2020|access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref>

On 11 March 2022, as part of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the Russian army fired four missiles at Lutsk military airfield killing two Ukrainian servicemen and wounding six.<ref>[[www.ukrinform.net]] [https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3426358-2-killed-6-wounded-in-attack-on-airfield-in-lutsk.html 2 killed 6 wounded in the attack on an airfield in Lutsk]</ref> On 28 March, Lutsk was struck by another Russian missile.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Sangal |first1=Aditi |last2=Caldwell |first2=Travis |last3=Regan |first3=Helen |last4=Woodyatt |first4=Amy |last5=Chowdhury |first5=Maureen |last6=Kurts |first6=Jason |last7=Snowdon |first7=Kathryn |date=28 March 2022 |title=It's 2 p.m. in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know |pages=1 |work=[[CNN]] |issue=28 March 2022 Russia-Ukraine Notices |url=https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-28-22#h_6cd83b550e1b52afce924beae09b8e88 |url-status=live |access-date=15 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416021449/https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-28-22/h_6cd83b550e1b52afce924beae09b8e88 |archive-date=16 April 2022}}</ref>

==Population==
As of 1 January 2022, the population of the Lutsk city territorial community was 244,678 people, and 215,986 people in the city of Lutsk.

===Ethnic groups===
Distribution of the population by ethnicity according to the [[2001 Ukrainian census]]:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://datatowel.in.ua/pop-composition/ethnic-cities | title=Національний склад міст }}</ref>{{bar box|title=Ethnic groups in Lutsk|titlebar=#ddd|left1=|right1=percent|bars={{bar percent|[[Ukrainians]]|dodgerblue|92.52}}
{{bar percent|[[Russians in Ukraine|Russians]]|purple|6.16}}
{{bar percent|[[Belarusians in Ukraine|Belarusians]]|red|0.53}}
{{bar percent|[[Polish people|Poles]]|yellow|0.17}}
{{bar percent|[[Jews]]|black|0.08}}
{{bar percent|[[Germans]]|blue|0.05}}
{{bar percent|[[Tatars]]|olive|0.05}}
{{bar percent|[[Armenians]]|brown|0.05}}
{{bar percent|[[Moldovans]]|pink|0.04}}}}

===Language===
Distribution of the population by native language according to the [[2001 Ukrainian census|2001 census]]:<ref>{{cite web | lang=uk | url=https://socialdata.org.ua/projects/mova-2001/ | title=Рідні мови в об'єднаних територіальних громадах України}}</ref>
{| class="standard"
|-
! Language
! Number
! Percentage
|-
| [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]
| align="right"| 190 926 ||align="right"| 92.87%
|-
| [[Russian language in Ukraine|Russian]]
| align="right"| 13 958 || align="right"| 6.79%
|-
| Other or undecided
| align="right"| 701 || align="right"| 0.34%
|-
| Total
| align="right"| 205 585 || align="right"| 100.00&nbsp;%
|}

According to a survey conducted by the [[International Republican Institute]] in April-May 2023, 98% of the city's population spoke Ukrainian at home, and 1% spoke Russian.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ratinggroup.ua/files/ratinggroup/reg_files/municipal_survey_may_2023_ua_-_final.pdf|title=Municipal Survey 2023
|website=ratinggroup.ua|access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref>

==Geography==
===Climate===
Lutsk has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]]).
{{Weather box
| width       = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location    = Lutsk (1991–2020)
| Jan high C = -0.4
| Feb high C = 1.3
| Mar high C = 6.7
| Apr high C = 14.7
| May high C = 20.4
| Jun high C = 23.8
| Jul high C = 25.6
| Aug high C = 25.2
| Sep high C = 19.4
| Oct high C = 13.0
| Nov high C = 6.1
| Dec high C = 1.0
| year high C = 13.1
| Jan mean C = -2.9
| Feb mean C = -1.9
| Mar mean C = 2.3
| Apr mean C = 9.1
| May mean C = 14.4
| Jun mean C = 17.9
| Jul mean C = 19.7
| Aug mean C = 19.0
| Sep mean C = 13.8
| Oct mean C = 8.3
| Nov mean C = 3.1
| Dec mean C = -1.4
| year mean C = 8.5
| Jan low C = -5.3
| Feb low C = -4.6
| Mar low C = -1.2
| Apr low C = 4.2
| May low C = 9.1
| Jun low C = 12.6
| Jul low C = 14.5
| Aug low C = 13.7
| Sep low C = 9.3
| Oct low C = 4.7
| Nov low C = 0.6
| Dec low C = -3.7
| year low C = 4.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 30
| Feb precipitation mm = 28
| Mar precipitation mm = 31
| Apr precipitation mm = 37
| May precipitation mm = 64
| Jun precipitation mm = 69
| Jul precipitation mm = 93
| Aug precipitation mm = 59
| Sep precipitation mm = 54
| Oct precipitation mm = 40
| Nov precipitation mm = 35
| Dec precipitation mm = 39
| year precipitation mm = 579
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 7.9
| Feb precipitation days = 8.2
| Mar precipitation days = 7.3
| Apr precipitation days = 7.5
| May precipitation days = 9.0
| Jun precipitation days = 8.9
| Jul precipitation days = 10.0
| Aug precipitation days = 7.4
| Sep precipitation days = 7.6
| Oct precipitation days = 7.3
| Nov precipitation days = 7.7
| Dec precipitation days = 9.4
| year precipitation days = 98.2
| Jan humidity = 87.3
| Feb humidity = 84.6
| Mar humidity = 78.1
| Apr humidity = 68.8
| May humidity = 69.3
| Jun humidity = 71.5
| Jul humidity = 72.9
| Aug humidity = 71.7
| Sep humidity = 77.6
| Oct humidity = 81.8
| Nov humidity = 87.6
| Dec humidity = 88.7
| year humidity = 78.3
| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250422013527/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/6.6/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Ukraine/CSV/Lutsk_33187.csv
|archive-date = 22 April 2025
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Ukraine/CSV/Lutsk_33187.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Lutsk
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 16, 2024}}</ref>
}}

==Industry and commerce==
Lutsk is an important centre of industry. Factories producing cars, shoes, [[Bearing (mechanical)|bearings]], [[furniture]], machines and [[electronics]], as well as weaveries, steel mills and a [[chemical plant]] are located in the area.
* [[VGP JSC]] – manufacture of sanitary and hygienic products
* [[LuAZ]] – automobile-manufacturing plant, part of [[Bogdan group]]
* [[SKF]] – manufacture of bearings, seals, lubrication and lubrication systems, maintenance products, mechatronics products, power transmission products and related services globally
* Modern-Expo Group – one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of equipment (metal shelving, high racks systems, [[checkouts]], [[catering]] equipment, [[refrigeration]] equipment, [[Point of sale|POS]]-equipment and [[Crowd control barrier|guidance systems]]) for [[retail]] and [[warehouse]] use in [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Eastern Europe]].
* Lutsk is the capital of the [[Drupal]] web development

==Places of interest==
[[File:ЛуцькБрГол2.jpg|thumb|Lutsk Old Town]]
*[[Lubart's Castle]]. The Upper Castle from the 13th century and the Lower Castle from the 14th century
*[[Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Lutsk|Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral]]. A Catholic cathedral built 1610 as a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] church, reconstructed in 1781
*[[Great Synagogue, Lutsk|Great Synagogue]] built in 1626–1629
*[[Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, Lutsk|Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral]] built 1755 as a church and monastery of [[Bernardines (Franciscans)|Bernardines]]
*[[Lutheran Church, Lutsk|Lutheran Church]]
*[[Complex of Lutsk Orthodox Fellowship]]
*[[Market square, Lutsk|Market square]]
*[[Lesya Ukrainka street, Lutsk|Lesya Ukrainka street]]
*Monasteries, both Catholic and Orthodox: [[Order of Saint Basil the Great|Basilians]] (17th century), [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] (17th century), [[Trinitarians]] (18th century) and Charites (18th century)
*Two 16th century Greek-Catholic churches
*Lutsk compact overhead powerline, a powerline of an unusual type.
*[[List of longest buildings in the world|One]] of the [[List of longest buildings in the world|longest buildings in the world]]: Apartment house on Sobornosti av. and Molodi st. (50.761219°N, 25.368719°E)   Length: 1750 m.

<gallery>
File:Луцк. Собор Петра и Павла..jpg|St. Peter and Paul Cathedral
Собор святих Петра і Павла (Луцьк) - Підземелля - Крипта Магдалини.jpg|Cells of the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral
File:07-101-0021 Синагога.jpg|Great Synagogue
File:СоборЛуцькГол-2.jpg|Holy Trinity Cathedral
File:Luts'k Karayims'ka 16 Kirkha 04 (YDS 8005).jpg|Lutheran church
</gallery>

==Theatres and museums==
[[File:ЛуцькКраєзнавчий.jpg|thumb|Volyn Regional Museum]]

*Drama Theatre, built in 1939 [[:uk:Волинський обласний академічний музично-драматичний театр імені Т. Г. Шевченка|(uk)]]
*Children's Puppet Theater
*Museum of Regional Studies. Address: Shopena St. 20
*Museum of Ukrainian army and ammunition opened in 1999. Address: Lutsk, vul. Taborishi 4
*Museum of Volyn Icon was opened in August 1993. A relatively small museum in the centre of the town. Has some interesting and very old icons. Address: vul. Yaroshchuka 5. (behind the Lesia Ukrainka Volyn State University)
*[https://msumk.com/en/ THE KORSAKS’ MUSEUM OF THE CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN ART]". Address: vul. Karbysheva 1

==Religion==
The city was the [[Cathedra|episcopal seat]] of the [[Eparchy of Lutsk–Ostroh (Ruthenian Uniate Church)|Eparchy of Lutsk–Ostroh]] in the [[Ruthenian Uniate Church]]. The city was also the centre of the short-lived [[Ukrainian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Volhynia, Polesia and Pidliashia]]. Currently, it is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Lutsk]] and of the [[Ukrainian Catholic Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Lutsk|Exarchate of Lutsk]] in the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]]. In the [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]], the former Catholic [[cathedral]] of the [[Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, Lutsk|Holy Trinity]] is the seat of the [[Eparchies of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine#Existing eparchies|Eparchy of Volhynia]].

==Notable people==
[[File:Alojzy Feliński cropped.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Alojzy Feliński]]]]
[[File:Svetlana Zakharova in Moscow 06-2015.jpg|thumb|140px|[[Svetlana Zakharova (dancer)|Svetlana Zakharova]], 2015]]
*[[Shlomo Ben-Yosef]] (1913–1938) a member of [[Revisionist Zionism|Revisionist Zionist]] underground group [[Irgun]].
*[[Volodymyr Bondar]] (born 1968), politician, [[Governor of Volyn Oblast]] 2005-2007
*[[Benedykt Chmielowski]] (1700–1763), a Polish priest, author of the encyclopedia, [[Nowe Ateny]]
*[[Włodzimierz Czacki|Count Włodzimierz Czacki]] (1834–1888) a Polish [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)]] from 1882 
*[[Alojzy Feliński]] (1771–1820), Polish scientist and writer
*[[Abraham Firkovich]] (1786–1874) a Karaite writer and [[Hakham]] and collector of ancient manuscripts
*[[Shlomo Flam]] (died 1813), [[Hasidic]] rabbi and [[maggid]] in Lutsk 
*[[Kateryna Gornostai]] (born 1989) is a Ukrainian film director, screenwriter and film editor.
*[[Bolesław Kontrym]] (1898–1953), a Polish Army officer, a participant in the [[Warsaw Uprising]]
*[[Mikołaj Kruszewski]] (1851–1887), a Polish linguist, co-inventor of the concept of [[phoneme]]s 
*[[Dinora Pines]] (1918–2002), British physician and psychoanalyst, especially [[feminine psychology]]
*[[Krystyna Piotrowska]] (1938–2022), Polish geologist, cartographer, professor
*[[Oleksandr Polozhynskyi]] (born 1972), a Ukrainian singer and presenter
*[[Volodymyr Runchak]] (born 1960) a Ukrainian accordionist, conductor and composer
*[[Shmuel Shilo]] (1929–2011), an Israeli actor, director and producer
*[[Florian Siwicki]] (1925–2013), a Polish military officer, diplomat and communist politician.
*[[Zalman Sorotzkin]] (1881–1966), an Orthodox rabbi who served as the rabbi of Lutsk and author
*[[Mordecai Sultansky]] (ca. 1772–1862), [[Crimean Karaites|Karaite]] Jewish [[hakham]] and scholar
*[[Tartak (band)|Tartak]] (founded 1994), music band; all members were born in Lutsk
*[[Shimshon Unichman]] (1907–1961), Israeli politician and member of the Knesset
*[[Svitlana Winnikow]] (1919–1981), engineer, first woman professor of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at [[Michigan Technological University]]
*[[Oksana Zabuzhko]] (born 1960), contemporary Ukrainian poet, writer and essayist
*[[Svetlana Zakharova (dancer)|Svetlana Zakharova]] (born 1979), a Ukrainian prima ballerina with the [[Bolshoi Ballet]]
*[[Joseph Zinker]] (born 1934), [[Gestalt psychology]] therapist, painter and sculptor. 

=== Sport ===
*[[Peter Bondra]] (born 1968), Ukrainian-born [[Slovak national ice hockey team|Slovak ice hockey]] player
*[[Oleksandr Chyzhevskyi]] (born 1971) football coach and former player with 513 club caps.
*[[Iurii Kostiuk]] (born 1977) a Ukrainian biathlete and gold medallist at the [[Cross-country skiing at the 2006 Winter Paralympics]]
*[[Volodymyr Mozolyuk]] (born 1964) is a Ukrainian retired footballer with over 540 club caps.
*[[Anzhelika Savrayuk]] (born 1989), Italian rhythmic gymnast, team bronze medallist at the [[Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's rhythmic group all-around|2012 Summer Olympics]]
*[[Vyacheslav Shevchuk]] (born 1979) is a retired footballer with 34 club caps and 56 with [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]]
*[[Anatoliy Tymoshchuk]] (born 1979), a footballer with 533 club caps and 144 for [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]]

==In popular culture==
The NKVD and Nazi massacres are mentioned in the [[Prix Goncourt]] awarded novel ''[[The Kindly Ones (Littell novel)|The Kindly Ones]]'' by [[Jonathan Littell]].

Lutsk is a location taken over by post-apocalyptic slavers in the sci-fi/adventure novel ''The Crisis Pendant'' by Charlie Patterson.

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Ukraine}}
Lutsk is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Побратими Луцька|url=https://www.lutskrada.gov.ua/pages/pobratymy-lutska|website=lutskrada.gov.ua|publisher=Lutsk|language=uk|access-date=31 March 2020}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Bandırma]], Turkey
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Białystok]], Poland
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Brest, Belarus|Brest]], Belarus
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Chełm]], Poland
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Kaunas]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Kyjov]], Czech Republic
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Lippe (district)]], Germany
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Lublin]], Poland
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Olsztyn]], Poland
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Rzeszów]], Poland
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Toruń]], Poland
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Trakai District Municipality|Trakai]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Xiangtan]], China
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Zamość]], Poland
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kent, Washington|Kent]], USA
<!--rest - not twinning-->
{{div col end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:Lutskadministr.jpg|Volyn's regional administration in Lutsk
File:ЛуцькКафГол.jpg|Kafedralna street
File:ЛуцькВоліГВ.jpg|Modern architecture
File:Монастир Домініканів.jpg|Dominican monastery
File:ЛуцькБрВиг.jpg|Orthodox Fellowship building
File:ЛуцькГалВ.jpg|Daniel of Galicia street
File:ЛуцькЛесіКрилова.jpg|Lesya Ukrainka street
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Lutsk |volume= 17 | page = 142 |short= 1}}
*{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Lutzk |year=1920 |short=x}}
*[https://www.visitlutsk.com/ Official tourist website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060208161435/http://welcome.lutsk.ua/ Lutsk - historical description] (in Ukrainian)
*[http://luchesk.blogspot.com/ Orthodox Lutsk] (in Ukrainian)
*[http://www.bfcollection.net/cities/ukraine/lutsk/lutsk.html Historic images of Lutsk]
*[http://www.bjbark.com/lutsk,_ukraine.htm Lutsk, Ukraine]
*{{cite web |url=http://photoua.net/show_en.php?cur_cat_id=91&size=litle |title=Photos of Lutsk |website=photoua.net }}
*{{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1045249|Lutsk, Ukraine}}
{{div col end}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite magazine|last=Nieć|first=Julian|year=1937|title=Łuck na tle dziejów|magazine=Ziemia: ilustrowany miesięcznik krajoznawczy |location=Warsaw|language=pl|volume=XXVII|issue=11–12}}

{{Subject bar |portal1=Ukraine|portal2=Europe |portal3=Geography |commons=y |commons-search=Луцьк |s=y |s-search=Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Lutzk |voy=y |wikt=y }}

{{Volyn Oblast}}
{{Administrative divisions of Ukraine}}
{{Cities in Ukraine}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lutsk| ]]
[[Category:Magdeburg rights]]
[[Category:Cities in Volyn Oblast]]
[[Category:Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Cities of regional significance in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Oblast centers in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Sites of World War II massacres of Poles]]