Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine

Khmelnytskyi (Ukrainian: Хмельницький, translit.: Khmel'nyts'kyi; Russian: Хмельницкий; Polish: Chmielnicki) is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about 340 km (211 mi) from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The town's original name was Płoskirów, later Proskurov, but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi. It is the center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. The alternative transliterations of the name include Khmel’nyts’kyỹ, Khmel’nyts’kyy, Khmelnitsky, and Khmelnitskiy. The city is served by Khmelnytskyi Ruzhychna Airport. As of 2009, the city's population is 290,100.

Khmelnytskyi should not be confused with Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, a city in Ukraine's Kyiv Oblast.

The football team FC Dynamo Khmelnytskyi is based in Khmelnytskyi.

History

The city was founded in 1431 as Ploskyriv or Ploskyrivtsi (Плоскирів or Плоскирівці), and later came to be called Proskuriv (Проскурів), but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi (Хмельницький) on the 300th anniversary of a treaty negotiated by Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

A series of pogroms were carried out in the region known in the history as the Proskurov pogrom. Particularly, that event was brought up during the Schwartzbard mistrial after which the Petliura's assassin was pardoned on the grounds of self-trail (revenge). According to Vinnytsia's city archives the pogrom was conducted on the Friday night February 15, 1919 by one of the otamans (generals) of the Ukrainian People's Army Otaman Semysenko. In total 390 men, 309 women and 76 children were killed in the pogrom, and further 500 individuals were wounded. The chief Otaman Petliura was appointed the head of state just two days prior to the tragedy on February 13. Petliura issued the Order 131 in which he mentioned the fact that numerous Jewish parties in Ukraine (Bund, Poale Zion, Folks-Partei, Unificationists) rose to the sovereignty of the Ukrainian Republic and were cooperating with the Ukrainian government, and he condemned such actions calling those initiators deserters, enemies of the State that must be liquidated. The order was co-signed by the Chief of staff otaman Yunakiv. The order was published in the Ukraina newspaper on February 20 (March 4, old style). Later Petliura issued a special order to execute Semysenko as the pogrom-initiator, which was accomplished on March 20, 1920.^[1]

The city was home during the Cold War to the 19th Division of the 43rd Rocket Army of the Strategic Rocket Forces, formed from the 7-я Запорожская Order of the Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, Кутузова Artillery Division прорыва of the Red Army.^[2] The intercontinental ballistic missile silos of the division were removed and destroyed, partially with U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction funding, during the 1990s.

Geography and natural potential

Khmelnytskyi is the regional center of Khmelnytskyi region which is located in the western part of Ukraine in the middle of Volhynia-Podilska.

Its total area is 8624 hectares.

On 01.01.2007 the population of the city was 258,300. The average life expectancy of its inhabitants is 65 years for men, and 75 years for women.

The city's birth rate is continuing to grow. In 2006, 2593 children were born.

Due to its geographical location and natural resources Khmelnytskyi has always attracted foreigners, including Turks, Germans, Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians, Austrians, Swedes and Russians.

The city has a favorable geographical position. The distance from Khmelnytskyi to Kiev by the railway is 366 km (227 mi), by highway is 384 km (239 mi). The highways Kiev-Lviv, Odessа-Lviv and Chernivtsi-Kiev pass through the city. The city has an airport with a 2,200 m (7,217.85 ft) concrete runway; at the airport there is a check point for crossing the state border of Ukraine.

The city has convenient transport connections with Moscow, Prague, Bratislava, Warsaw, Budapest, Belgrade and all major Ukrainian cities. The city is crossed by one of the longest rivers of Ukraine – the Southern Bug.

The climate of the city is moderate-continental. The average temperature of the air in the warmest month (July) is 20 to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F), and in the coldest month (January) is -5 to -6 °C (23 to 21 °F). The maximum temperature in summer reaches 36 to 38 °C (97 to 100 °F), the minimum temperature in winter is -24 to -30 °C (-11 to -22 °F). The average annual temperature is 7 to 8 °C (45 to 46 °F). The average annual precipitation is 510 to 580 mm (20.08 to 22.83 in). The most widespread ground making layers are the following overburden: loess and loess-type rocks.

The ground-climatic conditions of the city are favorable for cultivation of winter wheat and rye, sugar beet, potato and other crops and for the development of gardening and vegetable growing.

On the territory of the city there is vegetation of two geobotanical zones of Ukraine: Polissya and forest-steppe.

In the region and in the city there are many rock products, particularly building materials: limestone, plaster, chalk, tripoli powder, crystal layers (granites, gneisses), sand and sandstones, and also graphite, saponite, kaolin, phosphorite, lithographic stone and roofing slate. There are deposits of peat, bitumen, shale and oil.

Industry

The industry of the city is represented with 88 enterprises, which produce food, chemical, machine-building, metal working, light industry, building materials, pulp-and-paper and publishing products, etc.

The volume of the realized industrial output (works, services) in sale prices in 2006 was almost 2 billion hryvnias and is 33.6 % of the total output in the region. The volume of the realized industrial output for a person in the city was 7.7 thousand hryvnias.

• "Novator", the state-owned company, started manufacturing a locomotive radio station, color TV sets, electronic registers, etc.;
• OJSC "Ukrelektroaparat" started manufacturing new transformer modifications and transformer substation utility; *OJSC "Temp" started operating a line of circuit-board mechanization, a line of circuit-board chemical and galvanic metal-conditioning.
• OJSC "Vzuteks" introduced a new bite technology and new footwear models.
• CJSC "Khmelnytsklegprom" introduced an automated process of fabrics laying and cutting.

Among the enterprises of counstruction industry in the city a powerful place in rates of industrial output volumes increase are occupied by CE “Factory of construction materials”, OJSC "Khmelnytskzalizobeton", OJSC “Plant of construction materials”.

The city houses a chemical company “Khekro Pet LTD.” as well.

Small business

There are 19 credit unions.

The enterprises of the city

The following table seemed to be representing the year of 2007

Points of interest

• Proskurivska street, a modern central pedestrian street of the city, preserved buildings of the end of the 19th - the beginnings of 20th century in the styles of modernist, eclecticisms, Baroque, stone (characteristic only for Proskuriv).
• The house of the former Oleksiyivske real school (now it is the building of the City Executive Committee)
• The house of O. Brusilov (now is the House of Ceremonial events)
• The church of Christmas of the Virgin (the first stone construction in the city)
• The Protection cathedral
• Saint-Georgiy church
• Andriy Pervozvannyi church in "Dubovo" district

In 2007 the number of state registered relics in Khmelnytskyi city is the following:

archeological relics - 2;

historical relics - 953;

relics of monumental art - 12;

comprised in the complex of national property - 5;

located separately - 46;

of local significance - 967.

There are many relics of monumental art connected with the Great Patriotic War. They are Eternal Fire (1974, Proskurivska str., sculptors M.Hrytsyuk, Y.Synkevych, architect Snytsariv), the Eternal Fame Monument (sculptor V.Znoba, architects V.Hromyhin, Y.Perehrest), Military cemetery, the Tank monument in honor of military troops which liberated the city, the panorama of Proskuriv-Chernivtsi battle.

The sculptural works of Borys and Mykola Mazur such the Angel of grief (to the victims of repressions), to the Soldiers-internationalists, to the Chernobyl firemen. The monuments to T.Shevchenko, B.Khmelnytskyi belong to the monuments of new time (1993, sculptor V.Borysenko, architect M.Kopyla).

There are plenty of hotels.

Foreign trade

Competitive advantages of Khmelnytskyi city

- favorable geographical location;

- availability of the powerful industrial potential, the developed building industry, transport system of the city and business activity;

- high scientific-educational, professional and cultural level of the population, good potential of specialists;

- attractiveness of the city environment, its architecture and design;

- convenient railway communication with the European capitals;

- qualitative support of the investors by the city authorities;

- availability of geopolitical and administrative potential of the development;

- developed financial infrastructure of the city;

- free approach to the property of the city community;

- availability of the significant financial resources at the population and business which can be involved as the share capital.

Profitable spheres for investment

It is profitable to invest funds in the development of the following spheres:

- trade;

- hotel business;

- building;

- machine-building;

- food industry;

- chemical and oil refining industry;

- electronics.

Considering the perspective directions of the city development, it is necessary to take into account, that in the spheres which have achieved significant economical and financial results, the growth reserves cannot be permanent, that’s why the adjacent spheres are of investors’ interest.

Quite good perspective for the investments in Khmelnytskyi is such spheres as:

- manufacture of building materials;

- light industry;

- education.

Regarding the fact that the volume of the production in these spheres in the city is small they are quite a good variant for investments of additional funds for the development of these spheres of manufacture.

Due to the foundation of joint enterprises and to production of qualitative production it is possible to receive free approach to the market in the city and outside.

Exports and Imports

Export:

In 2006 the enterprises of the city exported their production to 39 countries of the world.

The largest amount of goods was exported to the CIS countries (68.8 % of the total export sum of Ukraine), to the European Union there was exported 23.5% of goods.

There are the following countries-partners to which it was exported the largest amount of goods:

The CIS - Armenia, the Russian Federation, Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova;

EU - Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, France, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Finland, Estonia, Spain, Latvia;

Europe - Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Switzerland; America - the USA; Asia - Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan, Israel, the United Arab Emirates.

Import:

In 2006 the enterprise of the city imported production from 37 countries of the world.

The largest amount of goods was imported from the EU countries (54.1 % of the total import).

The share of the CIS countries production makes 22.2 %, the third region is Asia (20.9 %).

Foreign Investments

Dynamics of foreign investments into Khmelnytskyi

On 01.01.2007 foreign investments at the enterprises of Khmelnytskyi made $58.3 mln. The biggest investors of the city are: Liechtenstein, Virginia British Isles, Cyprus and Poland.

Local Investment and Industrial Policy

In the city the effective investment and industrial policy is pursued; the basic purpose of it is structural reorganization of the economy, formation of the economic complex according to the available natural, labor, infrastructural resources, as one of the sources of the city development, preservation and escalating of the existing capacities on the basis of competent and regular attraction of both internal and external investments. The main goal of the industrial and investment policy of the city is to ensure the stable economic growth and raising of people standards of life.

The primary tasks of the investment policy are:

- The transformation of the city into harmoniously developed center of modern territory according to the European standards with diversified specialization in machine-building, radio-electronic, chemical and oil-refining industry and food industry.

- Complete satisfaction of one’s own needs in foodstuffs, certain kinds of modern agricultural machines, considerable increase of their exporting and deliveries to national fund.

- Creation of modern, industrial complex integrated into the world manufacture.

- Introduction of structural reorganization innovative model of the city economy.

- Closing and reshaping of the industrial enterprises with out-of-date high power inputs technologies and noncompetitive production.

- Technical re-equipment and reconstruction of the old enterprises of processing sphere. Bringing their capacities to conformity with the resources of agricultural raw materials.

- Further development of one’s own basis in building materials manufacture due to rational use of local deposits of mineral building raw materials, re-structuring of the building industry enterprises.

- Improvement of the territorial structure and allocation of productive forces with the purpose of maximal self-provision of the city with own funds.

- The attractive investment climate ensuring and the development of the infrastructure to support the investment activity.

- The intellectual potential strengthening and the development of new high technologies.

Priorities of the local government

- Social, economic, ecological aspects the city development.

- Rational use of land, water, and recreation natural resources; creation of the conditions for their restoration.

- Improvement of the city social infrastructure including preschool education, education, culture, public health services, physical fitness and rest, improvement of the demographic situation.

- Increase in the level of provision with the habitation, regarding the needs and opportunities of different layers of the population.

- Preservation and rational use of the available residential housing, other houses and buildings, reconstruction and modernization of the out-of-date buildings regarding social standards and sanitary-and-hygienic conditions.

- Improvement of the industrial infrastructure with insuring its economic efficiency and social orientation, creation of appropriate conditions for the development of enterprises of all patterns of ownership for productive employment of the population, restoration of personnel and scientific potential, adequate number of workplaces.

- Improvement of the transport infrastructure, in particular, the development of all kinds of passenger transport of general purpose; insuring the city and inter-city connections as well as the connection of the rural settlements with the city and between themselves.

- Development of the engineering infrastructure (introduction of new technologies, networks and constructions of power supply, thermal supply, water supply and sewer system).

- Introduction of the city engineering-technical provision energy-conserving systems.

- Regulation of the process of the city planning and building through the development of the general plan, other town-planning documentation and local rules of building, control of their realization (regarding the state, public and private interests).

- Stipulation of the development of national features of town-planning and architecture.

- Protection and rational use of relics of Khmelnytskyi cultural heritage.

- Formation of the valuable vital environment, balancing of social and economic development of Khmelnytskyi.

- Improvement of the sanitary-and-hygienic and ecological conditions of the city, creation of the conditions which are safe for life and health of people, introduction of modern systems of collecting, withdrawal, processing and neutralization of waste products.

- Ensuring of protection against the adverse natural phenomena, prevention of technogeneous failures and liquidation of their consequences.

- Carrying out of scientific researches which would stipulate the settling of social and economic, ecological and other problems.

- Realization of international cooperation.

- introduction of highly effective technologies in manufacture;

- building of habitations;

- medicine and public health services;

- educational activity;

- development of public catering and consumer services.

Famous people from Khmelnytskyi

• Ariel Durant, author and historian who with her husband, Will Durant, described the history of Western civilization in a series of works.
• Alberto Gerchunoff, Argentine author and journalist

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Khmelnytskyi is twinned with:

• Bor, Serbia
• Manises, Spain
• Ciechanów, Poland
• Modesto, USA
• Silistra, Bulgaria

Views of Khmelnytskyi

References

External links

• khmelnytsky.com - Khmelnytskyi City Rada website
• Photos of Khmelnytskyi
• Media related to Khmelnitsky at Wikimedia Commons