Bushcha is one of the oldest villages in southern Volyn. It was first mentioned in a charter issued by Prince Liubart Gediminovich in 1322. For centuries, the village formed part of the estates of the Princes of Ostroh before later passing into the possession of the Princes of Zaslav, the Lubomirski family, and other noble lineages. Surrounded by forests and rolling hills, Bushcha has preserved a distinctive historic landscape characteristic of the Volyn region.
The village’s most prominent landmark is the wooden Church of St. Michael the Archangel, built in 1858 on the site of an earlier church. It is one of the few mid-nineteenth-century churches in Volyn that has retained almost all of its original architectural features. The church is an outstanding example of traditional wooden folk architecture and continues to serve as an important spiritual centre for the local community.
During the Second World War, the surrounding forests became one of the areas of active operations of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Insurgent units conducted military raids here, and in December 1945 one of the best-known commanders of UPA-South, Company Commander Semen Kotyk, known by the nom de guerres “Doks” and “Vyr,” was killed near the village. He commanded a battalion that distinguished itself during the Battle of Hurby, the largest engagement fought by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
A memorial dedicated to Semen Kotyk stands in Bushcha. Its central feature is a basalt cross bearing the commander’s portrait and the inscription: “When you died, no bells rang for you.” The memorial commemorates not only “Doks” himself but also all Ukrainian insurgents who lost their lives fighting for Ukraine’s independence.
Today, Bushcha brings together centuries of history, monuments of traditional Volyn architecture, and memorial sites dedicated to Ukraine’s twentieth-century struggle for independence.