Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi
Encyclopedia
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi is a town located where Alta River
flows into Trubizh River
in the Kiev Oblast
(province
) in central Ukraine
. Serving as the administrative center of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion
(district
), the town itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. Resting some 95 km (59.03 mi) south of the nation's capital, Kiev
, Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi can sometimes be confused with the Khmelnytskyi
, a city on the Southern Buh River, also in Ukraine.
With its current estimated population around 30,000 Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi is often described as a living museum
.
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi played a significant role in the history of Ukraine. It was mentioned for the first time in the text of the Rus' treaty
with the Byzantine Empire
(911) as Pereyaslav-Russki, to distinguish it from Pereyaslavets
in Bulgaria
. Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev built here in 992 the large fortress to protect the southern limits of Kievan Rus'
from raids of nomads from steppe
s of currently Southern Ukraine. It was a capital of the Principality of Pereiaslavl'
from the middle of the 11th century until its demolition by Tatars
in 1239, during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.
In the second half of the 16th century it became a center of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Bohdan Khmelnytsky
called here the "Council of Pereyaslav", where the Ukrainian Cossacks had voted for a military alliance with Muscovy and accepted the Treaty of Pereyaslav
. The treaty led to the establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate in left-bank Ukraine
under the Russian Empire
, and to the outbreak of the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667). The town known as Pereiaslav as that time, and later as Pereiaslav-Poltavskyi was renamed to Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi in 1943 to honour this event.
Among its well-known museums are: Museum of Bread
, Museum of Land Transportation, Museum of Rushnyk, (Ukrainian Decorative Towels), Museum of Sholem Aleichem (Solomon Rabinowitz, a nineteenth-century Yiddish humorist), Museum of Space Exploration, Museum of Post
al Services, Museum of Beekeeping
, Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts, Museum of Ukrainian Traditional Rituals, Museum of Archeology, Museum of the Cossack
Glory, Museum of Trypillya Culture, Museum of Ukrainian Traditional Dress, etc.
Alta River
Alta River is a small river in Ukraine and is a right tributary of the Trubizh River. The ancient town of Pereyaslav is situated between the Trubizh and Alta rivers....
flows into Trubizh River
Trubizh River
Trubizh is a river entirely located in Ukraine, a left tributary of Dnieper. It falls into the Dnieper's Kaniv Reservoir .It is not to be confused with the Russian Trubezh River ....
in the Kiev Oblast
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
(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"...
) in central 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...
. Serving as the administrative center of the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion
Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Raion is a raion in Kiev Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi.- External links :* *...
(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"...
), the town itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. Resting some 95 km (59.03 mi) south of the nation's capital, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi can sometimes be confused with the Khmelnytskyi
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
Khmelnytskyi is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about 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 in western...
, a city on the Southern Buh River, also in Ukraine.
With its current estimated population around 30,000 Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi is often described as a living museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.
History
Rus'-Byzantine Treaty (911)
The Rus'–Byzantine Treaty of 911 is the most comprehensive and detailed treaty concluded between the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Rus in the 10th century...
with the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
(911) as Pereyaslav-Russki, to distinguish it from Pereyaslavets
Pereyaslavets
Pereyaslavets or Preslavets was a trade city located at the mouth of the Danube...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev built here in 992 the large fortress to protect the southern limits of Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
from raids of nomads from steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
s of currently Southern Ukraine. It was a capital of the Principality of Pereiaslavl'
Principality of Pereiaslavl'
The Principality of Pereslavl was a regional principality of Kievan Rus from the end of 9th to 1302 based on the city of Pereyaslavl on the Trubezh river. It was usually administrated by younger sons of the Grand Prince of Kiev...
from the middle of the 11th century until its demolition by Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
in 1239, during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'.
In the second half of the 16th century it became a center of the Ukrainian Cossacks. Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Khmelnytsky
Bohdan Zynoviy Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky was a hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossack Hetmanate of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . He led an uprising against the Commonwealth and its magnates which resulted in the creation of a Cossack state...
called here the "Council of Pereyaslav", where the Ukrainian Cossacks had voted for a military alliance with Muscovy and accepted the Treaty of Pereyaslav
Treaty of Pereyaslav
The Treaty of Pereyaslav is known in history more as the Council of Pereiaslav.Council of Pereyalslav was a meeting between the representative of the Russian Tsar, Prince Vasili Baturlin who presented a royal decree, and Bohdan Khmelnytsky as the leader of Cossack Hetmanate. During the council...
. The treaty led to the establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate in left-bank Ukraine
Left-bank Ukraine
Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of the Kiev and Cherkasy....
under the Russian Empire
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 to the outbreak of the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667). The town known as Pereiaslav as that time, and later as Pereiaslav-Poltavskyi was renamed to Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi in 1943 to honour this event.
Tourist attractions
The whole town was proclaimed a historical sanctuary. The largest tourist attractions are:- The museum of folk architecture, presenting the architecture and traditions of UkrainiansUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
from ancient times up to the 19th century. - Excavated ruins of buildings from the 10–11th centuries.
- St. Michael's church (1646–66) and Ascension monastery (with cathedral built in 1695-1700).
Among its well-known museums are: Museum of Bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, Museum of Land Transportation, Museum of Rushnyk, (Ukrainian Decorative Towels), Museum of Sholem Aleichem (Solomon Rabinowitz, a nineteenth-century Yiddish humorist), Museum of Space Exploration, Museum of Post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
al Services, Museum of Beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
, Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts, Museum of Ukrainian Traditional Rituals, Museum of Archeology, Museum of the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
Glory, Museum of Trypillya Culture, Museum of Ukrainian Traditional Dress, etc.