Life and activities of many prominent Ukrainians are linked with the city of Valky and its environs. In particular, walking his paths here was the traveling philosopher and educator, Ukrainian prophet Hryhoriy Skovoroda. It is the Valky land that cured him from his severe malady and it is here that he found sweet moments of love. It is here that Ivan Vernet, an early 19th century man of letters and journalist, made his first literary attempts. Fiercely opposing the tsarist militarism was the revolutionary democrat Pavlo Hrabovsky, wearing soldier's trench coat in Valky in mid 19th century. It is just at this time, that working as a common pharmacist at a Valky pharmacy, the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Kulyk was developing his poetic talent. The village Cheremushna is birthplace of Marusya Volvachivna who was creating her poetry and prose and committed her creations to memory until she met Ivan
Franko, who wrote them down and published in his Scientific and Literary Journal.

The Valkivsky land is birthplace of such prominent men of letters as Petro Panch, Hordiy Kotsyuba, and Oleksandr Korzh who was brave enough to write a true-to-life poem The Steppe Destiny telling about the 1933 famine already in 1940.

The Valky land is birthplace and place of the first literary experiments for prominent playwright and prose writer Vasyl Mynko, literary critic Ivan Momot, and Urkainian poet Hryhoriy Kolyada. It is here in Valky that Serhiy Chmelyov was writing his humorous and satirical works after difficult court sessions. He also fell victim of Stalin purges and perished in the Gulag.

The settlement Kovyahy is home of contemporary author Victor Haman, who is in love with nature and people; village Cheremusha is birthplace of encyclopaedist, author of the Dictionary of Ukrainian Singers and of the Valky Encyclopedia, Ivan Lysenko; village Hryshkiv is home of the poet, translator from Armenian, and humorist Victor Kochevsky.
A prominent 19th century mathematician, rector of the Kharkiv University in 1837-1839, Professor Andriy Pavlovsky was born and spent his childhood in the Raion.

Academician, linguist, director of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences Institute of Linguistics, Leonid Bulakhivsky visited Valky often and stayed for long periods of time with the family of his father-in-law.

The Valkivsky Raion was the place of childhood years and first successes for Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, doctor honoris causa of the University of New York, Volodymyr Storizhko and Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, V. Manzheliy. In the post-war years alone, there were 90 now well-known doctors and candidates of sciences born and educated in Valky.


The Valky land is home to popular Ukrainian performers, opera singers Mykola Chastiy and Mykola Manoilo, musical comedy actor Mykola Andrusenko, and pop singer Valentyn Reus. This is a birthplace of sculptor Andriy Darahan, painters Vasyl Zolochevsky, Borys Zhukov, and Vasyl Vyazmitinov. One of the Ukrainian government leaders Hryhoriy Vashchenko was born in Valky. The Valkivsky Raion was led for many years by well-known politician and Ukrainian statesman, Governor Oleksandr Maselsky.