Trukhaniv Island
Encyclopedia
Romanization of Ukrainian
The romanization or Latinization of Ukrainian is the representation of the Ukrainian language using Latin letters. Ukrainian is natively written in its own Ukrainian alphabet, a variation of Cyrillic....
: Trukhaniv ostriv) is an island located on the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
opposite the historic Podil
Podil
The Podil or Podilskyi Raion is a historic neighbourhood and an administrative raion in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kiev, the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry...
neighbourhood of the city of 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....
. It has an area of 4.5 km² (1.7 sq mi). The island is mostly covered by greenery, like the Hidropark
Hidropark
Hydropark is a landscape-recreational park on the Dnieper River in Kiev, Ukraine.It was created as an entertainment complex with mainly water activities: beaches, boating, water attractions. It is located on Venetian and Dolobetsk islands; the Venetian Bridge connects these islands...
island nearby. Until 1957, the only method of transportation to the island was by boat in the summer or by crossing the ice in the winter. In 1957, the Park Pedestrian Bridge was built, easing the travel to and from the island.
Trukhaniv Island contains numerous cafés, restaurants, sport complexes, and the largest and the cleaned city beaches. The island is not only popular for its numerous leisure activities, but it is also popular for fishing on the Dnieper River. In the summer, some parts of the island are used for biking and in the winter some parts are used for cross country skiing. In the summer of 2005, tourists travelling to see the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
were housed on Trukhaniv Island.
History
Folk etymology derives the island's name from Tugor-khan, who won a victory over Kiev and whose daughter married Prince Sviatopolk II of KievSviatopolk II of Kiev
Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich was supreme ruler of the Kievan Rus for 20 years, from 1093 to 1113. He was not a popular prince, and his reign was marked by incessant rivalry with his cousin Vladimir Monomakh...
. The summer residence of his daughter and her husband was allegedly named in honor of Tugor-khan, although in truth his name is mentioned but once in Slavonic chronicles. In 1534 the island came under control of the Pustynno-Mykilsky monastery, and was later returned to the city in 1698.
The first buildings on the island were erected in the beginning of the 19th century. During the 1880s, the first businesses began to appear on the island. During the Second World War German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces completely destroyed the island settlements in order to have better control and a clearer view of the city of Kiev. In post-war times, the island was not rebuilt as a settlement, but as a leisure center.