| Kolodiazhne | |
| Native Name: | Колодяжне |
| Native Name Lang: | uk |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Ukraine#Ukraine Volyn Oblast |
| Pushpin Map Caption1: | Location of Kolodiazhne in Volyn Oblast |
| Coordinates: | 51.1783°N 24.8008°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Volyn Oblast |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kovel Raion |
| Established Title: | Village founded |
| Established Date: | 1583 |
| Leader Title: | Village Head |
| Leader Name: | Yaroslav Kushnyruk[1] (Batkivschyna) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 2,769 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Elevation M: | 178 |
| Population Total: | 720 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 45061 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | +380 3844 |
| Website: | http://rada.gov.ua/ |
Kolodiazhne (Ukrainian: Колодяжне) is a village in the Kovel Raion (district) in Volyn Oblast of northwestern Ukraine. It is located about 3km (02miles) southeast of Kovel on the highway M-19.
Kolodiazhne was first mentioned as an important settlement in the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia since 1199; it was later a part of the Kievan Rus', which it joined in 1220 although the town was thought to have been settled by Vikings in the 900s who usurped the land from indigenous Slavs. The main occupations of the inhabitants were agriculture and animal husbandry.
As the town was situated near the growing power of the Kingdom of Poland, the inhabitants of the area fought against the Poles eastern expansion and it is thought that the name Kolodiazhne came from the Polish name for handcuffs which was Kajdany, although this was denied by the inhabitants who endured the attacks, some believed the name came down from Kolodka meaning a small log. Whatever the origins of the name, it stuck. The official date of today's town is listed as 1583, perhaps because of its records having been destroyed over the years.[1] The town was located on a transit route, which is why it was always fought over by various invaders. It is said that Napoleons Grand Army came through the area and at one point in its history it found itself situated right on the Eastern Front during World War 1. The area suffered greatly through both World Wars, especially during World War 2.
The town's most famous resident was the poet Lesya Ukrainka, who got ideas for, and wrote, some of her poems in the area. Today, there is a museum dedicated to Lesya Ukrainka in the village.[3]
Folk tales abound regarding everything from the area's famous muddy, marshy areas, to the various invasions over the centuries