Holoby

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Holoby (Ukrainian: Голоби; Polish: Hołoby) is a rural settlement in Kovel Raion, Volyn Oblast, in northwestern Ukraine. It lies in the center of Volyn Oblast, about 30 km southeast of the city of Kovel. The population is 3,792 (2024). Holoby has a railway station on the Rivne–Kovel line, with plenty of passenger traffic, and it sits along Highway M19, which connects Chernivtsi with Kovel.

Historically, in the interwar period Holoby was the seat of a gmina in Kowel County, Wołyń Voivodeship, Poland. After World War II began in 1939, the area was occupied first by the Soviet Union, then by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944, and then by the Soviets again, with borders shifting after the war.

During 1941–1944, the Jewish community in Holoby and nearby villages suffered under German occupation and local police. A ghetto was created in 1942. In September 1942, many Jews were killed at a sand quarry near Melnytsia, and around November 24, 1942, about 250 Jews from Holoby and nearby areas were shot at the Melnytsia site. About 94 Jews from the Holoby region are known to have survived.

On January 26, 2024, Holoby changed from an urban-type settlement to a rural settlement.