Vinnytsia

Vinnytsia (Ukrainian: Вінниця, pronounced [ˈwinːɪt͡sʲɑ]; also known by other names) is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.

Names

Vinnytsia is also known by a variety of other names, such as Vinnytsya, Vinnitsa (Russian: Винница), Vinnica (Polish: Winnica), German Winniza, and Romanian: Vinniţa. All of the variations of the city's name originate with the Slavic word for Vineyards, ultimately derived from Latin vīnea for the word vine. Some of these reflect names in foreign languages that have had historical influences on the city.

Geography

Vinnytsia is located about 260 km (160 mi) from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, 429 km (267 mi) from the port city Odesa, and 369 km (229 mi) from L’viv.

It is the administrative center of the Vinnytsia Oblast (province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Vinnytskyi Raion (district) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, and rests in the historic region of Podillia.

The current estimated population is 370,100.

Gavryshivka International Airport (IATA: VIN, ICAO: UKWW) is situated in Vinnytsia.^[1][2] Since the end of World War II, Vinnytsia has been the home for a major Soviet Air Forces base, including an airfield, a hospital, arsenals, and other military installations. The headquarters of the 43rd Rocket Army of the Strategic Rocket Forces was stationed in Vinnytsia from 1960 to the early 1990s.^[3] 2nd Independent Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps, which later became 24th Air Army, was also stationed in Vinnitsa from 1960 to 1992. The Ukrainian Air Force Command has been based in Vinnytsia since 1992.

Climate

A long lasting warm summer with a sufficient quantity of moisture and a comparatively short winter is characteristic of Vinnytsia. The average temperature in January is −5.8 °C (21.6 °F) and 18.3 °C (64.9 °F) in July. The average annual precipitation is 638 mm (25 in).

Throughout the year, 6–9 days per year include snowstorms, 37–60 days of the year include mists during the cold period, and 3–5 days include thunder storms with hail.

History

Vinnytsia has been an important trade and political center since the fourteenth century, when Fedir Koriatowicz, the nephew of the Lithuanian Duke Olgerd, built a fortress (1363) against Tatar raiders on the banks of the Southern Bug. From that time on, the town became a factor in ongoing disputes between Lithuania, Tatars (who burnt the fortress in 1580), Poland, Turkey (which ruled the city and region from 1672 to 1699), Cossacks and eventually Russia, which annexed the city and region following the Second Partition of Poland in 1793. Russia moved to expunge the Roman Catholic religion - Catholic churches in the city (including what is now the Transfiguration Cathedral) were converted to Russian Orthodox churches.

Victim's graves from the Vinnytsia massacre during the Stalinist repression of 1937-1938 were exhumed by the invading Germans in 1943.

Adolf Hitler sited his easternmost headquarters Führerhauptquartier Werwolf near the town and spent a number of weeks there in 1942 and early 1943.

Nazi atrocities were committed in and near Vinnytsia by Einsatzgruppe D. Estimates of the number of victims run as high as 28 thousand. This included the virtual extinction of the town's large Jewish population. One infamous photo, The Last Jew of Vinnytsia, shows a member of Einsatzgruppe D about to execute a Jew kneeling before a mass grave.^[4]

Constructions

• TV Tower Vinnytsia
• Baptist Church -- Vinnytsia is home to what is reportedly one of the largest Evangelical Church Buildings in all of Europe.
• Afghan War Museum and Slavic War Memorial Park -- The Afghan War Museum is located in the red-brick bell tower. Exhibits include photos, letters and other artifacts representing Vinnytsia soldiers who fought in that war. The Memorial Park contains a large statue representing three different soldiers from WWII. An eternal flame burns in front of the statue.
  

Notable people from Vinnytsia

• Nathan Altman (1889–1970) – avant-garde artist
• Nataliya Dobrynska (b.1982) – Ukrainian heptathlete. She won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Pavlo Khnykin (b.1969) – famous freestyle swimmer. He won two silver medals in the men's 4x100m freestyle and 4x100 m medley relays at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
• Victoria Koblenko (b. 1980) - Dutch actress.
• Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (1864–1913) – Ukrainian author of novels and short stories. His home is a museum.
• Volodymyr Kozhukhar (b.1941) – conductor
• Mykola Leontovych (1877–1921) - Ukrainian composer who worked here
• Alexander Lerner (1913–2004) – Soviet-Israeli cyberneticist and dissident.
• Illya Nyzhnyk (b.1996) – young and promising chess player
• Oleh Ostapenko (b.1977) – football goalkeeper in FC Vorskla Poltava
• Nikolai Pirogov (1810–1881) – Russian doctor who retired here. He is considered to be the founder of field surgery. His home is a museum and his chapel tomb is open to visitors.
• Oleh Ryabokon (b.1973) – lawyer and politician
• Dmytro Shurov (b.1981) – pianist in Esthetic Education
• Artur Voitetskyi (1928–1993) – film director

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Vinnytsia is twinned with:

• Kielce, Poland.
• Peterborough, England, United Kingdom.
• Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
• Râbniţa, Moldova.
• Bursa, Turkey.
• Lipetsk, Russia.
• Nevsky District of Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Gallery

See also

• Vinnytsia massacre
• Werwolf (Wehrmacht HQ)
• Vinnytsia tram
• FC Nyva Vinnytsia
• TIK (band)

References

External links

• Search engine Vinnytsia (Ukrainian)
• Vinnytsia Photos (Ukrainian)
• Vinnytsia Tourism - English and Ukrainian
• Historical site of Vinnytsia (Ukrainian)
• 3-D model of town