Khmilnyk
Encyclopedia
Khmilnyk is a resort town in Vinnytsia Oblast
, Ukraine
. The population is 27,900 (2001).
The town is situated in the upper part of the river Southern Buh, 67 km (41.6 mi) northeast of Vinnytsia
. It is one of the oldest towns of Podillia.
gathered a large army for the Battle of Blue Waters
, in which he defeated Kotlubug, Kachubej, and Dmytro, who owned Podillia. The town includes an island which served as a hiding place for raiders during the Tatar invasions. This island was called Khmilnyk for the hop plants which grew there in abundance; in Ukrainian, "khmilnyk" means hop
garden). Khmilnyk is situated not far from "Black Way", the road often used by Tatar hordes.
in 1448, different crafts and trade grew. Poland considered Khmilnyk to be an advance post of its possessions, so the town was strengthened. In 1534, the Polish king fortified the town with a stone wall with towers and a castle.
After the Brest union
in 1596, oppression of the local inhabitants grew, which caused rebellions against the gentry. In 1594, Khmilnyk was captured by Cossack detachments of Severyn Nalyvajko. In 1637, the Cossacks returned with Pavlyuk as their leader. In the period of the Khmelnytsky Uprising
(1648–1654), rebellious detachments of Khmilnyk people joined the army of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Maksym Kryvonis captured the castle. More than once, the town was the site of battles between Cossacks and gentry armies. As a result, the town was devastated.
In 1672–1699, Khmilnyk was possessed by the Turks. They fortified the castle, built a mosque, and made secret passages. Endless battles between Turks and Poles resulted in the decay of commerce, and the town's population shrank. In 1699, Khmilnyk again became part of Poland.
In 1793, Khmilnyk and Podillya towns were joined to the Russian Empire. After the formation of Bratslav province on May 22, 1795, Khmilnyk became one of its district towns, and the coat of arms was consolidated into it on January 22, 1796. In 1797 Catherine II presented Khmilnyk and its districts, with a population of 6,070 people, to Count Bezborodko.
On June 9, 1804, Khmilnyk became part of the Lityn district of the Podillia province and remained in this position until the October Revolution
(1917). There were four Orthodox churches there until 1910. With industrial development, the town population grew, and in 1915 Khmilnyk had 18,300 people.
In 1878, a weaving mill was founded, and in 1905, a brewery, sawmill and iron foundry began operations. There were 1616 craftsmen, which included 470 seamstresses, 250 tailors and 230 furriers. At the beginning of the twentieth century Khmilnyk had undergone social changes. The economic decay of 1907-1910 was interspersed some economic revivals.
In 1911, there were 22 enterprises and 67 different workshops dealing with processing the products of cattle-breeding, woodwork, and metal, and many independent craftsmen.
In the 1920s, Soviet authorities settled in Khmilnyk to control the population and discourage intellectuals. Churches were closed down. In the 1930s, Khmilnyk became a resort.
The Jewish population of the occupied town was decimated in a violent genocide. On two bloody Fridays (January 9 and 16, 1942), German divisions slaughtered more than 8,000 of the town's inhabitants. In Khmilnyk a total of 11,760 innocent victims were shot to death. To commemorate this, a monument was erected and a service held on August 19, 1988, at the massacre site. On July 18, 2002, the Sorrow Memorial was opened in Khmilnyk.
On February 18, 1944, after the battle near Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi
, the 1st Ukrainian Front
was assigned the Proskuriv-Chernivtsi operation, which was decisive for the liberation of the town and whole district. On the morning of March 10, soldiers of 71st and 276th divisions captured the left part of Khmilnyk and the Mazurivka and Sydoryha settlements. After violent fights on March 18, 1944 the town and district were liberated from German invaders.
water while searching for drinking water in Khmilnyk. Since 1970, Khmilnyk has been a spa resort town of some importance.
Khmilnyk is a modern balneological resort with seven health centres. It has the capacity to treat 50,000 from Ukraine and other countries every year. The main medicinal factor at the resort is radon water. The radon water is formed during circulation of water through granites of the Ukrainian crystal shield.
was built.
The church is a four-pillar basilica in the Toscana baroque style. Side niches are joined by cross-like cranes and the central niche has a semicircle crane. During the 1930s and 1940s, the church was twice closed by communists. A blacksmith's shop was opened at the altar and prisoners worked there.
In the 1970s, the central entrance to the church yard was closed due to widening of the road. Now the central gates are situated on the other side. When the weather is fine, everybody in Khmilnyk can hear the ringing of the bells, recently donated to the church by the Polish government.
During the National Liberation War (1648–1654), the castle was devastated by Cossacks. From 1672 to 1699, the castle was owned by Turks. They strengthened the defensive buildings, built a mosque and secret passages passing under the river and leading to the outskirts of the city. Some of the passages were later abandoned, used as storehouses, and part was made into a nightclub. The section that passed under the river has since collapsed and been flooded. Only a small part is now accessible from the Стара Фортреця (Stara Fortretsia - "old fortress") Restaurant located directly under the castle. In the eighteenth century, the castle lost its defensive function and was gradually ruined. The preserved mosque tower was restored many times and between 1804 and 1917 it was turned into an Orthodox Church.
Near the castle tower is a building that at first sight seems to be old. This is the palace of the local landlord K. I. Ksido. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he initiated a project to construct a large palace and park complex according to a design by the Russian architect Ivan Fomin
, but it was not finished. The complex consists of the palace and an arc-like Venice bridge over the river.
The palace is an example of neoclassical architecture uniting the forms of Renaissance
and Classicism
. The building has two floors, and is quadratic, with towers on the main façade and corners. There was a dome rotunda
on the roof but it was knocked off by a Soviet air attack during World War II.
From 1920 to 1964, the building was used for agronomic and electronic schools, storehouses, a mill, and several different establishments. Since 1964 it has been used as a hotel. Now the building is in very poor condition and needs major repair.
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....
, 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...
. The population is 27,900 (2001).
The town is situated in the upper part of the river Southern Buh, 67 km (41.6 mi) northeast of Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia is a city located on the banks of the Southern Bug, in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast.-Names:...
. It is one of the oldest towns of Podillia.
Early history
The town was first mentioned in writing in 1362. Prince AlgirdasAlgirdas
Algirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
gathered a large army for the Battle of Blue Waters
Battle of Blue Waters
The Battle of Blue Waters was a medieval battle fought at some time between 24 September and 25 December 1362 near the Syni Vody of the Southern Bug between the armies of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Golden Horde....
, in which he defeated Kotlubug, Kachubej, and Dmytro, who owned Podillia. The town includes an island which served as a hiding place for raiders during the Tatar invasions. This island was called Khmilnyk for the hop plants which grew there in abundance; in Ukrainian, "khmilnyk" means hop
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
garden). Khmilnyk is situated not far from "Black Way", the road often used by Tatar hordes.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
In 1434, Khmilnyk became part of Poland's Khmilnyk district of Podillia province. After the town obtained Magdeburg rightsMagdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
in 1448, different crafts and trade grew. Poland considered Khmilnyk to be an advance post of its possessions, so the town was strengthened. In 1534, the Polish king fortified the town with a stone wall with towers and a castle.
After the Brest union
Union of Brest
Union of Brest or Union of Brześć refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Pope of Rome. At the time, this church included most Ukrainians and...
in 1596, oppression of the local inhabitants grew, which caused rebellions against the gentry. In 1594, Khmilnyk was captured by Cossack detachments of Severyn Nalyvajko. In 1637, the Cossacks returned with Pavlyuk as their leader. In the period of 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...
(1648–1654), rebellious detachments of Khmilnyk people joined the army of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Maksym Kryvonis captured the castle. More than once, the town was the site of battles between Cossacks and gentry armies. As a result, the town was devastated.
In 1672–1699, Khmilnyk was possessed by the Turks. They fortified the castle, built a mosque, and made secret passages. Endless battles between Turks and Poles resulted in the decay of commerce, and the town's population shrank. In 1699, Khmilnyk again became part of Poland.
Russian Empire period
On June 9, 1804, Khmilnyk became part of the Lityn district of the Podillia province and remained in this position until the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
(1917). There were four Orthodox churches there until 1910. With industrial development, the town population grew, and in 1915 Khmilnyk had 18,300 people.
In 1878, a weaving mill was founded, and in 1905, a brewery, sawmill and iron foundry began operations. There were 1616 craftsmen, which included 470 seamstresses, 250 tailors and 230 furriers. At the beginning of the twentieth century Khmilnyk had undergone social changes. The economic decay of 1907-1910 was interspersed some economic revivals.
In 1911, there were 22 enterprises and 67 different workshops dealing with processing the products of cattle-breeding, woodwork, and metal, and many independent craftsmen.
In the 1920s, Soviet authorities settled in Khmilnyk to control the population and discourage intellectuals. Churches were closed down. In the 1930s, Khmilnyk became a resort.
World War II
Khmilnyk was devastated in World War II. In June 1941 the front came close to Khmilnyk, and on July 16, the German army captured the town.The Jewish population of the occupied town was decimated in a violent genocide. On two bloody Fridays (January 9 and 16, 1942), German divisions slaughtered more than 8,000 of the town's inhabitants. In Khmilnyk a total of 11,760 innocent victims were shot to death. To commemorate this, a monument was erected and a service held on August 19, 1988, at the massacre site. On July 18, 2002, the Sorrow Memorial was opened in Khmilnyk.
On February 18, 1944, after the battle near Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi
Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi
Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine. The city rests on the banks of the Ros' River, and is the administrative center of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi Raion ....
, the 1st Ukrainian Front
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.-Wartime:...
was assigned the Proskuriv-Chernivtsi operation, which was decisive for the liberation of the town and whole district. On the morning of March 10, soldiers of 71st and 276th divisions captured the left part of Khmilnyk and the Mazurivka and Sydoryha settlements. After violent fights on March 18, 1944 the town and district were liberated from German invaders.
Current regional languages
Ukrainian and Russian languages are spoken throughout Ukraine. However, Ukrainian language is spoken in Khmilnyk region and westward. The Dnieper river divides the east from the west. Kiev lies along the Dnieper river. On the western side of the Dnieper river you will find that people speak Ukrainian and Russian within context and the further west you go the stronger Ukrainian language is spoken. In, the south such as Odessa and Crimea you will find strong Russian speaking people. Ukrainian language differs from the Russian language in many aspects. They pronounce words much different and the alphabet of the Ukrainian language has different alpha symbols than the Russian. In Khmilnyk, Ukrainian is generally spoken and many people there prefer to speak Ukrainian.Famous resort town
In 1934, scientists found radonRadon
Radon is a chemical element with symbol Rn and atomic number 86. It is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of uranium or thorium. Its most stable isotope, 222Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days...
water while searching for drinking water in Khmilnyk. Since 1970, Khmilnyk has been a spa resort town of some importance.
Khmilnyk is a modern balneological resort with seven health centres. It has the capacity to treat 50,000 from Ukraine and other countries every year. The main medicinal factor at the resort is radon water. The radon water is formed during circulation of water through granites of the Ukrainian crystal shield.
Culture and architecture
Khmilnyk has several architectural and historical monuments. Saint Trinity Church was built in 1603 and restored in 1729. Four Orthodox churches were built between 1801 and 1910. The city has a Turkish mosque and the palace of K.I. Ksido. Monuments to Bogdan Khmelnitsky were built to commemorate his leadership in the liberation war of the Ukrainian people against Polish social and religious oppression (1648–1654). There is a red granite statue of Lenin, seated; the statue sits on the top of a hill overlooking the town centre. There is a monument to soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War, the Glory Monument to War Heroes, and an obelisk to soldiers of 18th Army, 71st and 276th divisions that liberated Khmilnyk in March 1944. In 1991 a monument to Taras ShevchenkoTaras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
was built.
Saint Trinity Church
Saint Trinity Church was built in 1603. During the time of the Tatars occupation (1672–1699) it was ruined. At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the church was repaired, and in 1728 it was sanctified a second time.The church is a four-pillar basilica in the Toscana baroque style. Side niches are joined by cross-like cranes and the central niche has a semicircle crane. During the 1930s and 1940s, the church was twice closed by communists. A blacksmith's shop was opened at the altar and prisoners worked there.
In the 1970s, the central entrance to the church yard was closed due to widening of the road. Now the central gates are situated on the other side. When the weather is fine, everybody in Khmilnyk can hear the ringing of the bells, recently donated to the church by the Polish government.
Castle tower and secret passages
In the center of Khmilnyk, above the river, an eight sided building with loopholes and counterforts can be seen. This is the only preserved castle tower out of the six that were built. In 1534, the king fortified the castle against numerous attacks from the Turks and the Tatars. The castle was built on the hill and town was surrounded with stone walls. A channel dug between the South Bug and Tasthusha rivers turned the town and fort into an island.During the National Liberation War (1648–1654), the castle was devastated by Cossacks. From 1672 to 1699, the castle was owned by Turks. They strengthened the defensive buildings, built a mosque and secret passages passing under the river and leading to the outskirts of the city. Some of the passages were later abandoned, used as storehouses, and part was made into a nightclub. The section that passed under the river has since collapsed and been flooded. Only a small part is now accessible from the Стара Фортреця (Stara Fortretsia - "old fortress") Restaurant located directly under the castle. In the eighteenth century, the castle lost its defensive function and was gradually ruined. The preserved mosque tower was restored many times and between 1804 and 1917 it was turned into an Orthodox Church.
Palace of K. I. Ksido
Ivan Fomin
Ivan Aleksandrovich Fomin was a Russian architect and educator. He began his career in 1899 in Moscow, working in the Art Nouveau style. After relocating to Saint Petersburg in 1905, he became an established master of the Neoclassical Revival movement...
, but it was not finished. The complex consists of the palace and an arc-like Venice bridge over the river.
The palace is an example of neoclassical architecture uniting the forms of Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
and Classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
. The building has two floors, and is quadratic, with towers on the main façade and corners. There was a dome rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
on the roof but it was knocked off by a Soviet air attack during World War II.
From 1920 to 1964, the building was used for agronomic and electronic schools, storehouses, a mill, and several different establishments. Since 1964 it has been used as a hotel. Now the building is in very poor condition and needs major repair.
Famous people connected with Khmilnyk
- Oleksandr Korniychuk - Ukrainian writer
- Pelageya Lytvynova-Bartosh (1833–1904) - ethnographer and folklore researcher
- Ian Murphy - journalist, lived in Khmilnyk during the 1990s
- Ignacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
- Polish composer and politician - Vasyl Poryk - hero of the Soviet Union, national hero of France during World War II
- Emiliya Savinska - educator and English language translator
- Mykhaylo Stelmah - famous Ukrainian writer
- Kari Tamlinska - entrepreneur and nightclub manager, spent her formative years in Khmilnyk