The Vilkovo is a regional subordination town, located in the Danube delta Kylia arm, on the islands, separated by a large number of small and bigger channels. Distance from district center is 40 km.
   Extensive Danubian lowland, which most part is occupied by marshlands, in the Middle Ages did not represent special interest for settlement. But just here different kind of escapers found their retreat. So, flocked here were Russian dissenters hiding from religious persecution – Lipovans (pilipons, filippovians). According to legend, in 1746 namely they founded the Lipovanskoe settlement on the modern Vilkovo site. This settlement name for the first time appeared on the Russian maps in 1775 {Enciklopedia Sovetike, Moldoveniaske, Vol. 2. Chisinau, 1971, p. 94; Skalkovsky A.A. Experience of the Novorossiysk Territory statistical description, ch. 1, p. 77.}. At the XVIII century end the Danube delta rich fishing fields attracted the Nekrasovites, descendants of Don cossacks, who left their native land for Kuban after the suppression of the Bulavin uprise of 1707-1709. The Nekrasovites united in so-called kirgans (fishing cooperatives), and were fishing both on the Danube and lakes {“Russian Archive”, 1902, Vol. 2, no. 5, p.152.}. After the destruction of the Zaporozhian Sich (1775), part of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, to avoid enslavement, also moved to the Danubian lands. In 1805 Vilkovo was one of the largest Zaporozhians’ settlements {Batyushkov P.N. Bessarabia, p. 138.} (during a long time there existed in parallel, another name: Vilkov settlement). It is believed that namely the former Zaporozhians gave this name to the village, “drawing attention to the Danube river branching similar to a fork or a pitchfork” {Bahtalovsky G.P. Vilkov posad. Chisinau, 1881, p. 8.}. The cossacks’ main subsistence means was fishing. They even arranged on-land life by fishing gangs (communities). The “fishing plants” with nets and boats were owned by the rich people; Working for them, the rural poor (called “siroma”) gave to those equipment masters one-third to one-half of the catch {“Historical Records”, 1949, t. 30, p. 225, 227, 228}.
   During the Russian-Turkish wars the Vilkovo inhabitants did their best helping Russian troops in the fight against Turkish oppressors. The fishermen’s courage and bravery were highly appreciated by the outstanding Russian commander Mikhail Kutuzov. In a report dated May 20, 1811 he said that even “… in 1807, the Vilkovo villagers … since the beginning of troops entry demonstrated their diligence in navigating our ships flotilla into Kylia arm, carrying in their boats and at their own expense on the Danube river provision and satisfying other official needs of fleet and ground forces without any reward expected from the treasury, even leaving for that cause their living subsistence, the fisheries. Such their deeds could not remain non-respected, and in the remuneration order our commanders granted them to use further fishing and wine commerce”{M. Kutuzov. Collection of documents, vol. 3. M., 1952, p. 382.}. Once the Bucharest Peace Treaty in 1812 concluded the Bessarabia became part of Russia, many peasants migrated to Vilkovo from Kazan and Saratov, Podolsk and Kherson provinces. Mostly they were escaped bondsmen. They had to reclaim land from the Danube, constructing the bottom silt banks to build there their houses. Russian population prevailed: in 1818 in the village they were 314 people and 193 Ukrainians lived here. In 1827, there were 110 wattle houses in the village {Statistical description of Bessarabia, in fact so-called, or Budzhak p. 128; Kabuzan V.M. Population of Bessarabia region and the Transdniestria Left Bank, p. 92.}.
   In 1830, the state-owned village Vilkovo became part of Izmail municipality area. According to the decree of 18 April 1840 “On changing the Vilkovo village status into settlement town and local police department establishing” its residents obtained the right of social status changing into suburban & middle class category {“Journal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs”, Ch. 36, 1840, № 5, p. LX-LXIII.}. Despite the sharp restriction as to escaped peasants’ residential registry at the town, yet a lot of them remained there. Some years later the Vilkovo town Mayor W.F. Cherny, Aldermen V. Karasev, D. Moldovan, Ja.    Kaban and town office secretary K.A. Rebdev were accused of having illegally issued passports to such serfs.    The Mayor escaped with his family into Turkish territories, and the town office secretary was deprived of all property rights and exiled to Siberia {Bahtalovsky G.P. Vilkov posad. p.34, 39}.
   The fishing always was local inhabitants’ main occupation. As stated in his 1828 year report the Chief of Bessarabia region, the vilkovians “do important bargaining with dried and salted sturgeon and beluga, also they trade with caviar, glue and grease, sending these merchandises for sale in Austria, Turkey, and the inner Russian province” {Grosul Ya.S., Budak I.G. Essays on the national economy history in Bessarabia, p.301}. The Treasury Chamber gave the Vilkovo fishing fields at the mercy of the merchants. Danubian richest fisheries became a source of great profit for tax-farmers: paying to the treasury 7 to 22 thousand rubles a year, they gained 100-300 thousand rubles of net income. In 1840-1847 a rich merchant N. Shirokov, displacing the local businesses, held farming of all the fishing places subordinated to the Izmail municipality’s Chamber of state properties. On the Kylia arm of Danube river he built a large fish processing enterprise (in Bazarchuk) with offices in Izmail and Kylia, which personnel consisted of professional staff especially invited from Astrakhan and 300 ruthlessly fleeced seasonal workers. Instead of money, workers received a small portion of fish, usually immediately sold to the same merchant on reduced prices {Antsupov I.A. State Bessarabian village in the XIX century (1812-1870). Chisinau. 1966. p. 237, 239.}, One of the Vilkovo municipal secretaries evidenced: “The farmers exploited Vilkovo fishermen and just enslaved them as coterells, giving them fishing tackle, food, and some money on account of future catch” {Bahtalovsky G.P. Vilkov posad, p. 105.}.
   Vilkovo poor people did also suffer from frequent floods. Fires became just a terrifying scourge for densely built tenements where all the houses are covered with reeds. In 1848, a fire destroyed 58 houses, in 1849 year that cipher was 92 houses {Ibid, p. 66, 67.}.
   After the Crimean War of 1853-1856, according to the Treaty of Paris, Vilkovo making part of the Ismail County was attributed to Moldova, which in 1861 became part of the newly created Romanian state. Thus the Danube delta was transferred into the possession of Turkey. In this regard, the Vilkovo residents faced a difficult situation: they paid taxes in favor of two states: Romania, being its legal subjects, and Turkey as they were fishing in waters belonging to this state. Duty on fish catch reached up to one-third of its value {Russia. Full geographic description of our fatherland, vol. 14, p. 363.}.
   During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, the Vilkovo fishermen rendered essential assistance to the Russian troops in Danube river crossing, voluntarily joined the reconnaissance groups. In 1881, as a gratitude for these actions the Vilkovo town obtained in officially assigned fishing fields all adjacent waters in the Kylia arm of both the Danube and its tributaries up to the Istanbul-Old arm, with islands located among these tributaries {The Danube Guide, p. 130.}.
   Vital condition of the fishermen major part remained extremely difficult. The “Bessarabian Bulletin” newspaper wrote that Vilkovo fishermen are nearly enslaved by local merchants {“Bessarabian Bulletin”, October 1, 1889}. No less compelling is the other evidence, “Both Danube and the seaside are rich with fish, and fishing is free for everyone. Nevertheless, all fishing industry in Vilkovo is found held by the wealthier few peasants (kulaks) group… Vilkovians are victims of ruthless exploitation. For example, the huge majority of them are no more than laborers, slaves of those few kulaks. That exploitation is brought to an art, whole exploiting system built. Sufficient is that a fisherman takes a loan from such a rich neighbor for buying needed accessories either asks to rent tackles, and he becomes forever enslaved. All fish he caught he must fully supply to his creditor, who takes it at his own discretion price that is always several times lower against the market price” {Picturesque Russia, vol. 5, ch. 2. SPb.-M., 1898, p.181.}.
   Most of the population was illiterate. Sometimes even alderman could neither read nor write. At the 1879 year elections to the town council found was that among 211 voters only 40 persons were literate. At the XIX century end the town has two educational establishments: two-year school for boys and one-year parish school for girls, total enrollment amounting to 51 boys and 12 girls {Odessa regional State Archive Branch in Izmail, f. 4, op. 1, d. 1, pp. 7-10; Egunov A.N. Bessarabia in 1870-1875, p.126.}. Most of them were children of wealthy burghers. For a long time the women’s school was directed by Olga Nakko (1832-1919), a native of Odessa, well-known at those times writer, author of three books, “Bessarabian essays and short stories.” Partly her creation reappeared in 1970 {Nakko O. From the Bessarabian antiquity. Chisinau, 1970.}.
   The vilkovians‘ dissatisfaction with the existing system increased. Even S. D. Urusov appointed in 1903 to the Bessarabian governor post, wrote that after the first acquaintance with fishermen’s town “noticed in Vilkovo signs of fishermen’s desire to break free from the yoke imposed on their fishing industry by the capital” {Urusov S.D. Sketches of the past, Vol. 1. M., 1907, p. 266.}. The workers struggle increased during the first Russian revolution. When 15 June 1905 at the Vilkovo wharf began a strike of Russian-Danube Shipping Company “Bulgaria” vessel sailors, having declared solidarity with striking Odessa workers {History of the Moldavian SSR, vol. 1, p. 542.}, the local residents openly demonstrated the sympathy for them.
   On the eve of the First World War, there were 7 thousand inhabitants in Vilkovo. The town had several fish factories and one cannery. The needs of local fishermen were provided by two small spinning mills {Guide on the Danube pp. 129, 130.}. During the war the Danube region was on the front line. All able-bodied men aged of 17—55 years (1320 persons from the total inhabitants’ number of 2640) were called up for military service. Only women, young children and decrepit old men were left in the town. Their situation was essentially exacerbated by forced work on military positions. As town commander reported, this led to the circumstances when “the mobilized fishermen’s houses and property came in deep decay, and their families, due overwork exhausted to the burning out extreme and doomed to the beggary…” {Revolutionary movement in the Danube region , p. 169, 170.}.
   In 1917 spring, after the February bourgeois-democratic revolution, a Council workers ‘and soldiers’ deputies was established in Vilkovo {Yakupov N.M. Struggle for the army in 1917. M., 1975, p. 60.}. However, the council did not became a true body of the revolutionary government, because of the dominance of the social-revolutionary party representatives that often played in the same team with the town council, consisting mainly of wealthier peasants, kulaks and rich merchants. The Great October Socialist Revolution victory inspired workers in Vilkovo for an active struggle to establish the Soviet power. Mid-January 1918 Military Revolutionary Committee created here, put forward the slogans: “For the liberation of Bessarabia!”, For the Soviets!”, “For the Bolsheviks!” The Committee was headed by a member of the Workers ‘and Soldiers’ Deputies Odessa Council I.G. Suvorov (Kosov). The Revolutionary Committee declared the Soviet power established in Vilkovo. It urged local workers to resist the bourgeois-landlord Romania army starting the occupation of Bessarabia. Two squadrons, a machine-gun command, two light artillery batteries of four guns and a sanitary team were organized {For the Republic of Soviets, p. 50.}. These units have been formed of local fishermen and peasants from nearest villages.
   Together with the sailors of the Danube transport fleet and the Red Guard commands, arrived from Kylia and Odessa, they heroically confronted the Romanian invaders’ attacks. The Romanian invaders’ first attempt to occupy Vilkovo, undertaken on January 26, 1918 was successfully repulsed on-the-move. On January 27—28, 1918 the invaders several times fired the town, trying to sow panic among the population, but their hopes dashed {Smіshko P.G. Struggle of Ukrainian Danube lands’ workers to unite with the Ukrainian SSR, p. 69.}.
   Last battles nearby Vilkovo continued more than 48 hours without interruption. The three gunboats, one destroyer ship and one self-propelled vessel also took part in the battle. Groups from neighboring villages participated in Vilkovo defense {The Ukrainian Danube lands workers’ 1918-1940 struggle for social and national liberation, p. 22.}, as well as the Romanian soldiers and sailors – internationalists who came from Kylia and Odessa. Battles running about 20 soldiers of the Romanian royal army joined their ranks. Later, all this was described by a bessarabian communist S.S. Bantke who wrote: “Here, nearby Vilkovo, a battalion of Romanian soldiers who fought on the Red Army side, testified that they really consider themselves members of the great family of the proletarian revolution” {Internationalists in the battles for the power of the Soviets. M., 1965, p. 213.}. February 17, invaders stormed the suburb {“Red Bessarabia”, 1935, № 1, p. 6.}.
   Again fisheries were passed in the tax-farmers’ hands. Every year was growing the unemployment. In 1930, the share of population unallocated into production was 63.5 percents from the total inhabitants’ number (7414 people) {Kustryabova S.F. Situation of workers and demographic processes in the cities of Bessarabia, p. 93.}. Individual impoverished fishermen’s attempts to practice farming, gardening or horticulture ended in failure, as their leased land on the Danube islands were taken by invaders and further passed to kulaks or city officials for a higher rent.
   And the population suffered from Danube frequent floods. Thus, in 1931, when a particularly strong flood caused a great destruction in Vilkovo, the occupation authorities have taken care only to strengthen and enhance their border posts, leaving inhabitants to fend for themselves. Later, the Romanian king condescended to victims and, as wrote the “Red Bessarabia” magazine: “all those affected became allowed by a special decree to fish in their flooded water without payment of a special state tax. That king is a great joker.”{“Red Bessarabia “, 1931, № 4, p. 16.}.
   The economic plight of local residents went hand-by-hand to severe political and national oppression. Occupants excelled in mockery of the people. The Vilkovo camp commander required from citizens to welcome much solemnly possible both military and civilian representatives of the occupation authorities. And only one medical doctor rendered service to the residents. In schools the Romanian language teaching was introduced. The enrollment amounted to 300-350 children predominantly from wealthy families {Smіshko P.G. Struggle of Ukrainian Danube lands’ workers to unite with the Ukrainian SSR, p. 125.}.
   When in 1924 a revolt broke out in Tatarbunary, the vilkovians could not come to the uprisers’ aid: the Romanian troops units were in Vilkovo, and six Romanian Danube fleet warships isolated the town {Ibid, p. 322.}. Accused of revolutionary activities a vilkovian fisherman Egor Bobrovnikov testified: “During the uprising of September 1924 all male population of the Vilkovo was interned by the Romanian authorities on the barge, positioned was in the middle of the Danube” {Odessa regional State Archive Branch in Izmail,, f. 1172, op. 1, d. 231, p. 171.}. Under the Romanian troops’ pressure last group of uprising participants retreated to Vilkovo hoping to escape on the Danube islands or to reach the Volchok seaside located village and use some fishing boats to escape at sea. However, the prevailing combined forces of occupation army, gendarmerie and fleet managed to seize the rebels. Most of them died in an unequal battle. Survivors, 98 people, were arrested and taken to Vilkovo, where the occupants perpetrated a bloody massacre. Various tortures and abuses were finally followed by executions. Only 18 persons survived that.{Bereznyakov N.V. [et al.]. The struggle of Bessarabia working people for liberation and reunification with the Soviet Motherland, p. 328.}. In Vilkovo there is a mass grave, equipped with a tombstone monument to the Tatarbunary uprising heroes.
   July 1, 1940, Soviet troops liberated Vylkove.
   In early 1941 the four fishing collective farms were organized. New working techniques introduced at fisheries provided high productivity and good earnings. In a short time the fishery plant was rebuilt and expanded.
   June 22, 1941 the Izmail frontier troops commander reported: “7:25 – the enemy artillery opened fire on Vilkovo” {USSR border troops in the Great Patriotic War, p.75.}. The Danube Navy Fleet ships by return fire silenced the enemy artillery. In the same resolved way guards and the Red Army stopped the enemy’s attempts to land on the Danube left bank.
Heavy battles in Vilkovo area lasted one month round. July 20, 1941 the fascist invaders entered the city. Here again, appeared Romanian officials, policemen, gendarmes. The Vilkovo Primaria (city hall in Romanian tradition) acted on their orders. The Romanian Siguranţa arrested activists and everyone suspected of communist propaganda. September 7, 1941 in the Danube meadowlands the invaders shot Vilkovo citizens A. Katetsa, N. Gneushev, F. Sukhov, I. Khomutov accused of assistance to the Soviet authorities in carrying out socialist transformation {Soviet Danube Region, p. 190, 191.}.
   At sunrise of August 24, 1944 Danube Navy Fleet Soviet ships entered the Kylia arm. Overcoming strong fire resistance of enemy shore batteries and monitor vessels they landed on the town edge the descent and liberated Vilkovo {The Soviet Navy: tour of duty and glory. M., 1974, p. 385; Kuznetsov N.G. Course to victory. M., 1975, p. 432.}.
   Grateful townies hold sacred the memory of their liberators. At the mass grave amidst the town square they erected a monument to navy heroes who fell in battles for their town liberation. Vilkovians also did contribute to the fascists invaders defeat. On the Great Patriotic War fronts 429 Vilkovo residents were fighting, 87 of them gave their lives for the motherland. 329 persons obtained government orders and medals.
   During the first postwar five-year period the fishery collective enterprise changed the oared boat fleet replacing it with motor fishing fleet. In May 1947 created is the Vilkovo motor-fishing station that served first five, and then eleven local fishery collective enterprises.
   In May 1948 a new enterprise have been launched, the ship repair factory, providing motor fleet repairs and medium size galley boats building. Two years later, the governmental active fishing enterprise has been established in parallel with the fishing collective farms. This enterprise together with motor-fishing station had 22 vessels. By this time, small fishing enterprises merged into one large collective farm named after V.I. Lenin. Began the works on Vilkovo complex fish factory building.
   The Vilkovo economy growing it became the largest site of fish production and processing that improved the population welfare, increased its cultural level. There were built a hospital for 38 clinical patients’ bed places, a polyclinics, a maternity hospital, a medical center immediately at fish factory; these clinics medical staff included 18 specialists. The town got own kindergarten and nursery school {Ibid, p. 70.}. Significant changes took place in public education. If at the beginning of 1940, under Romanian occupation of the region, there were only three-years and one-year schools in Vilkovo, in 1944-1945, immediately after the occupants’ expulsion, there were opened two primary, one seven-years and one full secondary schools, where 40 teachers trained 1,187 schoolchildren, also the town got an evening school for working youth. In 1946, the Fishery factory by-correspondence training school has been established, which prepared during the next five years 500 skilled workers of the fishing industry. The school had also seafarers’ professional retraining courses where fishermen improved their skills. The fisheries got possibility to employ new professionals of high demand: mechanicians, motormen, radio operators.
   The local economy rapidly developed. There appeared new fish factory shops: salting, smoke technology, fish drying, cooperage-packing, as well as warehouses and other facilities. In 1952 became operative the refrigerator of 500 tons capacity. 17 brigade mills have been built, the fishing fleet increased by 15 vessels. Specially designed Vilkovo project sites’ office administered the construction of manufacturing and socio-cultural facilities for fish processing plant, fishery cooperatives and the Municipal communal services {Ibid, pp. 9, 17; d. 4, p. 45.}. The fishery motor boats station arranged, equipped with modern gear, the Vilkovo fishermen successfully developed new fishing areas in the Black Sea off the Crimea and the Caucasus coasts. At the same time an extensive work was carried out to restore and increase the Danube lakes fish stocks, implementing fishing grounds reclamation, fish-breeding work and acclimatization of new commercial species, improved protection of fish stocks and regulation of local fishing industry{Ibid, op. 5, d. 63, p. 13.}
   The town transformed. Only in 1952 to arrange crossing bridges, new sidewalks, channels coastal protection about 0.5 mln. rubles has been allocated. {Ibid, op. 1, d. 4, p.36.}. On the site where an old barge up to 1953 took place and played the role of local River Station, a two-storey pontoon wharf appeared; this landing stage included cash rooms, a buffet and a hotel. In the town center a new big department store was built; the total number of various stores and outlets increased to 22. A wide-scale civil building construction works started, erecting both public living building and individual houses. In 1955 the Vilkoo thermal and electric power generation has been launched, at the same time that several small power plant in the coastal fishing areas in the Danube delta.
   The fishing collective farm named after V.I. Lenin, uniting the potential of 500 motor boats, 11 motor feluccas and 20 seiners, thus emerged as the most powerful fishing production enterprise of the Black Sea fishing industry association. The basis of this collective farm’s economic and technical power was constituted with its seiner fleet.
   The fishing collective farm named after V.I. Lenin is the main raw materials supplier for the Vilkovo fish processing branch of the Black Sea fishing industry producers association “Antarctica”. The Danube and Black Sea rich fields deliver here the famous Danube herring, perch, catfish, red fish and fine-mesh fish. Here delivered are from the Atlantic fishing expeditions the purplehead, sardinella, and dentex fish. From here dispatched are to different cities of the country the catfish and red fish fillets, smoked mackerel, sardines, dentex and other fish, pressed and fresh-grain caviar, frozen fish. Especially famous is the vilkovian gourmet, Danube herring barrel- and canned- salted. In 1975 began the production of smoke-cured Danube herring. The preserves’ shop launched the production of a new delicacy, mackerel in mayonnaise.
   The ship repair and technical maintenance station in Vilkovo, that serviced and repaired ships for fishing farm and fishery, in 1971 was transformed into a Vilkovo branch of the Black Sea fishing industry association “Antarctica” shipyard. At that branch set a shop on the fishing gear for fishing vessels construction and repair has been established, for the purposes of not only sea fishing vessels but also in those fishing in the Atlantic    Ocean. The medium trawlers are also repaired here.
   The Vilkovo town is positioned at an intensively operated waterway. Its port station hosts unloaded coal, cement, gravel, sand, wood and lumber. There are moored the passenger hydrofoils. The Vilkovo name is inscribed on the ship, whose crew is one of the first in the Soviet Danube Shipping Company who won the title of communist labor collective. Built by the Hungarian People’s Republic shipbuilders, this ship keels the Danube expanses beginning of December 1960. A half-century ago a passenger ship of the same name cruising on the Danube started its first voyage from Vilkovo to Odessa on August 15, 1904 {“Bessarabian”, August 31, 1904}. During the Ninth Five-Year Plan a new enterprise appeared in the city, the pressing assemblies, units and parts plant, a branch of the Odessa Production Association for forging and press equipment.
   A great contribution to the development of irrigated agriculture is brought by the mobile mechanized unit PMK № 98 affiliate to the “Dunayvodstroy” trust.
   In the first year of the Tenth Five-Year Plan the PMK-98 started the construction of the Danube-Dniester irrigation system first phase {“Danube Dawn”, March 4, 1976}, established in accordance with the “Main directions of USSR national economy development in 1976-1980.” Close to Vilkovo, near the Liski village starts it run a 14-kilometer canal connecting the Danube to Sasyk Lake.
   On the town’s outskirts are built the PMK-98 production facilities (workshops, warehouses), as well as houses and dormitories for builders, nursery-garden for 140 children, a dining room {“Danube Dawn”, June 7, 1977}.
   For their dedicated labor 85 best workers of Vilkovo enterprises obtained governmental awards. The Order of Lenin served in award to former captains of seiners at the fishing collective farm named after V.I. Lenin H.L. Zhiharev and V. G.Polyakov (both now retired) the municipal hospital nurse V.L. Shalar; awarded with the Order of the October Revolution is the former accountant of V.I. Lenin fishing collective farm, G.A. Kasyanov now retired.
   In the ninth five-year plan a large volume of civil construction was implemented. Built are the Danube quay, the fish processing plant Vilkovo branch’s smoking shop (capacity: 7 tons of smoked fish per day), municipal utilities’ plant shops, the eight-year school building, a pharmacy, a roofed market, food supermarket. Also built are municipal houses for 72 apartments at the expense of public spending and 363 individual houses {“Danube Dawn”, January 1, 1976}.
   Public amenities and consumer services are provided by the regional fish industry cooperative association numbering in Vilkovo 57 business enterprises such as bakery, confectionery plant, public catering enterprise, general department store, grocery store, and so on., bath & laundry enterprise. Also there is a domestic services enterprise, a branch of the Kylia regional domestic complex services enterprise. The housing repair, tiles manufacture and barrels manufacture services are provided on public order by the branch of Izmail municipal repair and construction department.
   In 1975, a new clinic is built at the expense of fishing collective farm and ship repair branch of the Black Sea fishing industry association “Antarctica”. The municipal hospital has 100 beds, there is a health center immediately at the fish factory. The local health care department employs 12 specialized doctors and 57 medical assistants.
   There are two secondary schools in Vilkovo, where 95 teachers are teahing 1.6 thousand schoolchildren. 250 boys and girls attend the young workers school. The secondary school number 1 is specialized for foreign language, children are studying a foreign language just from the first grade. This school Director A.I. Oleinikova has been awarded the title of Honored Teacher of the USSR. Professional achievements teacher L.I. Kovalenko were awarded with the Order of Red Labor Banner. Six teachers got mention “Excellence in Public Education”.
   Varied and interested are the activities of the local Palace of Culture (capacity of 500 seats). It hosts lectures and presentations, themed evenings. There exists a Commission considering the proposals to introduce events and ceremonies.    Namely here that solemn civil acts registration of marriages and newborns takes places, here the youngsters are admitted to their first grade, solemn procedures of intro to professional life and farewell-saying to those parting for Soviet Army duty also are arranged here. Became traditional the solemn farewell to fishermen departing for Kerch expedition; widely celebrated is the Vilkovo Fisherman’s Day. During this festival the most distinguished works and industry leaders are honored.
   A great educational work is held two public libraries: this one for adults and children library, their book fund amounts to 36 thousand items. Furthermore, the V.I. Lenine fishing farm has its own library.
   The municipal Council pays much attention to improving the living conditions of citizens, and their cultural activities. During ninth five-year period, only for capital construction about 3 mln. rubles were assigned, and the local beautification funds amounted to 800 thousand rubles. In the tenth five-year period those allotted sums increased significantly. Thus, the budget of the local Council in 1977 amounted to 729.8 thousand rubles, of which 276.7 thousand have been allocated for local amenities, the public education funds got 177 thousand rubles, culture development funds obtained 11.2 thousand rubles, health care got allotted 256.1 thousand rubles. In addition, the district budget allocated for public education an extra sum of 121 thousand rubles.
   The peculiar image of Vilkovo closely combines its past and the present day. Here, side by side are the channels-streets and paved boulevards, skiff, feluccas and sea seiners, white-walled cottages in the green vineyards and modern buildings. A sculpture of fisherman recalls the town’s industrial specialization, the main since a long time. In the Vilkovo center erected is a monument to the founder of the Soviet state, Vladimir Lenin.
   This beautiful fishermen’s town is anthemised with a lot of art works devoted to Vilkovo. Poems by contemporary Russian, Ukrainian and Moldovan poets do sing this laborious town.

V.T. Galyas