Bar, Ukraine
Encyclopedia
Bar is a city
located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast
(province
) of western Ukraine
. It is the administrative center
of the Barskyi Raion (district
), and is part of the historic region of Podolia
. The current estimated population is 17,200 (as of 2005).
founded a fortress at the rock over the river and named it Bar, after her home town of Bari
in Italy
. In 1540, Polish King Sigismund I the Old
granted the nearby town with city rights. The fortress was besieged
several times in its history and was considered unbreakable. However, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising
of 1648 it was captured by the cossacks under Maxym Kryvonis
and severely damaged. The town was depopulated soon afterwords.
In 1672, it was captured by the Ottoman Empire
and became a seat of the local administration
. On November 12, 1674, the town and the fortress were recaptured by the forces of John III of Poland after four days of siege. But Ottomans recaptured the city in 1675 and retained it until 1686 (nominally until 1699). On February 29, 1768, the Bar Confederation
was started in the fortress. After the Second Partition of Poland
the town fell under Russian rule
and was part of Podillia Governorate
. A famous 19th century mathematician
, Viktor Bunyakovsky
was born in the city in 1804. Jacobo Timerman
, a Jewish editor, was also born in Bar in 1923, but his family emigrated to Argentina
in 1928, where he fought the Dirty War
with his editorials. After 1922 the city was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and since 1991 in independent Ukraine
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
located on the Rov River in the Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million....
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It is the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Barskyi Raion (district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
), and is part of the historic region of Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
. The current estimated population is 17,200 (as of 2005).
History
The city was a small trade outpost named Row. In the 16th century, Polish Queen Bona SforzaBona Sforza
Bona Sforza was a member of the powerful Milanese House of Sforza. In 1518, she became the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became the Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania.She was the third child of Gian Galeazzo Sforza and his wife...
founded a fortress at the rock over the river and named it Bar, after her home town of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1540, Polish King Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...
granted the nearby town with city rights. The fortress was besieged
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
several times in its history and was considered unbreakable. However, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising
Khmelnytsky Uprising
The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...
of 1648 it was captured by the cossacks under Maxym Kryvonis
Maxym Kryvonis
Maksym Kryvonis was one of the Cossack leaders of Khmelnytsky Uprising. In the first stage of the uprising he was the leader of the most radical faction of the rebels who rejected all compromises with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and wanted to drive all Catholics and Jews out of...
and severely damaged. The town was depopulated soon afterwords.
In 1672, it was captured by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and became a seat of the local administration
Eyalet
Eyalets were a former primary administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The term is sometimes translated province or government. Depending on the rank of their commander, they are also sometimes known as pashaliks, beylerbeyliks, and kapudanliks.From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth...
. On November 12, 1674, the town and the fortress were recaptured by the forces of John III of Poland after four days of siege. But Ottomans recaptured the city in 1675 and retained it until 1686 (nominally until 1699). On February 29, 1768, the Bar Confederation
Bar Confederation
The Bar Confederation was an association of Polish nobles formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and against King Stanisław August Poniatowski and Polish reformers who were...
was started in the fortress. After the Second Partition of Poland
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Targowica Confederation of 1792...
the town fell under Russian rule
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and was part of Podillia Governorate
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
. A famous 19th century mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, Viktor Bunyakovsky
Viktor Bunyakovsky
Viktor Yakovlevich Bunyakovsky was a Russian mathematician, member and later vice president of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences.He worked in theoretical mechanics and number theory , and is credited with an early discovery of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, proving it for the infinite dimensional...
was born in the city in 1804. Jacobo Timerman
Jacobo Timerman
Jacobo Timerman was an Argentine publisher, journalist, and author who was persecuted and honored for confronting the atrocities of the Argentine military regime's Dirty War...
, a Jewish editor, was also born in Bar in 1923, but his family emigrated to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in 1928, where he fought the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
with his editorials. After 1922 the city was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and since 1991 in independent Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.