Vinnytsia
Encyclopedia
Vinnytsia is a city
located on the banks of the Southern Bug
, in central Ukraine
. It is the administrative center
of Vinnytsia Oblast
.
vīnea for the word vine.
Some of these reflect names in foreign languages that have had historical influences on the city.
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. Since the end of World War II
, Vinnytsia has been the home for a major Soviet Air Forces base, including an airfield, a hospital
, arsenal
s, 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. 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.
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.
n 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 FHQ Wehrwolf
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.
with: Kielce
, Poland
. Peterborough
, England
, United Kingdom
. Birmingham, Alabama
, United States
. Râbniţa, Moldova
. Bursa, Turkey
. Lipetsk
, Russia
. Nevsky District
of Saint Petersburg
, Russia.
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 banks of the Southern Bug
Southern Bug
The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh), is a river located in Ukraine. The source of the river is in the west of Ukraine, in the Volyn-Podillia Upland, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Bug Estuary through the southern steppes...
, 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...
. 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 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....
.
Names
Vinnytsia is also known by a variety of other names, such as Vinnytsya, Vinnitsa , Vinnica , German Winniza, and . All of the variations of the city's name originate with the Slavic word for Vineyards, ultimately derived from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
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 (161.6 mi) from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, 429 km (266.6 mi) from the port city Odesa, and 369 km (229.3 mi) from L’viv.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 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"...
), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Vinnytskyi 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"...
) within the oblast. The city itself is also designated as its own separate raion
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"...
within the oblast, and rests in the historic region of Podillia.
The current estimated population is 370,100.
Gavryshivka International Airport (IATA
IATA code
IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-character combinations that uniquely identify locations, equipment, companies, and times to standardize international flight operations...
: VIN, ICAO
ICAO code
The International Civil Aviation Organization defines several important codes for use in international aviation:* International Civil Aviation Organization airport codes or location indicators : 4-letter codes like LSZH for Zürich or HECA for Cairo* Airline codes or ICAO airline designators The...
: UKWW) is situated in Vinnytsia. Since the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Vinnytsia has been the home for a major Soviet Air Forces base, including an airfield, a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
s, and other military installations. The headquarters of the 43rd Rocket Army
43rd Rocket Army
The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces.It was formed at Vinnitsa within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation....
of the Strategic Rocket Forces
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch of the Russian...
was stationed in Vinnytsia from 1960 to the early 1990s. 2nd Independent Heavy Bomber Aviation Corps, which later became 24th Air Army
24th Air Army
The 24th Air Army was an Air army of the Soviet Air Forces, active from 1980, and probably inactivated in 1992. Its headquarters was located at Vinnitsa....
, was also stationed in Vinnitsa from 1960 to 1992. The Ukrainian Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force
The Ukrainian Air Force is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian Air Force Command and headquarters are located in the city of Vinnytsia....
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 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 LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n Duke Olgerd, built a fortress (1363) against Tatar raiders on the banks of the Southern Bug
Southern Bug
The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh), is a river located in Ukraine. The source of the river is in the west of Ukraine, in the Volyn-Podillia Upland, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Bug Estuary through the southern steppes...
. From that time on, the town became a factor in ongoing disputes between Lithuania, Tatars (who burnt the fortress in 1580), Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(which ruled the city and region from 1672 to 1699), Cossacks and eventually Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which annexed the city and region following 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...
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
Vinnytsia massacre
The Vinnytsia massacre was a mass execution of people in the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia by the Soviet secret police NKVD during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge in 1937–1938. Mass graves in Vinnytsia were discovered during the German occupation of Ukraine in 1943...
during the Stalinist repression of 1937-1938 were exhumed by the invading Germans in 1943.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
sited his easternmost headquarters FHQ Wehrwolf
Wehrwolf
Führerhauptquartier Werwolf was the codename used for one of Adolf Hitler's World War II Eastern Front military headquarters located in a pine forest about north of Vinnytsia in Ukraine that was used between 1942 and 1943...
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.
Constructions
- TV Tower VinnytsiaTV Tower VinnytsiaThe TV Tower Vinnytsia is a 354 metre high guyed steel tube mast used for FM- and TV-transmission, located in Ukraine. A special feature of its structure are three crossbars arranged in 120 degree angles in two levels, running from its structure to the guys.TV Tower Vinnytsia is not the only...
- Baptist Church -- Vinnytsia is home to what is reportedly one of the largest EvangelicalProtestantismProtestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
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 AltmanNathan AltmanNathan Isaevich Altman was a Jewish, Russian and Soviet avant-garde artist, Cubist painter, stage designer and book illustrator who was born, grew up and began his art studies in Ukraine, Russian Empire.-Early life:He was born in Vinnytsia, Russian Empire to a family of Russian...
(1889–1970) – avant-garde artist - Nataliya DobrynskaNataliya DobrynskaNataliya Dobrynska is a Ukrainian heptathlete. She is the 2008 Olympic champion and also holds the Heptathlon best in the Shot Put....
(b.1982) – Ukrainian heptathleteHeptathlonA heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
. She won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics2008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. - Pavlo KhnykinPavlo KhnykinPavlo Khnykin is a retired freestyle swimmer from Vinnytsia, Ukraine. He was born in Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR.He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992 for the Unified Team...
(b.1969) – famous freestyleFreestyle swimmingFreestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer. He won two silver medals in the men's 4x100m freestyle and 4x100 m medley relays at the 1992 Summer Olympics1992 Summer OlympicsThe 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. - Victoria KoblenkoVictoria KoblenkoVictoria Koblenko is a Dutch actress, presenter and columnist of Ukrainian descent.-Biography:...
(b. 1980) - DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
actress. - Mykhailo KotsiubynskyMykhailo KotsiubynskyMykhailo Mykhailovych Kotsiubynsky , was a Ukrainian author whose writings described typical Ukrainian life at the start of the 20th century...
(1864–1913) – Ukrainian author of novels and short stories. His home is a museum. - Volodymyr KozhukharVolodymyr KozhukharVolodymyr Kozhukhar is a Ukrainian conductor, born in Vinnytsia. A graduate of the Lysenko music school, he began conducting the State Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in 1964. and became its Chief Conductor in 1967. He conducted the Kiev Opera and Ballet Theatre from 1973 to 1977, then became...
(b.1941) – conductor - Mykola LeontovychMykola LeontovychMykola Dmytrovych Leontovych was a Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, priest, and teacher of international renown. His music was inspired by Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian nationalist music school, along with Kyrylo Stetsenko, Alexander Koshetz, and Yakiv Stepovy...
(1877–1921) - Ukrainian composer who worked here - Alexander LernerAlexander LernerAlexander Yakovlevich Lerner , scientist and Soviet refusenik.- Biography :...
(1913–2004) – Soviet-Israeli cyberneticistCyberneticistA cyberneticist or a cybernetician is a person who practices cybernetics.Heinz von Foerster once told Stuart Umpleby that Norbert Wiener preferred the term "cybernetician" rather than "cyberneticist", perhaps because Wiener was a mathematician rather than a physicist.On the other hand, Nicolas...
and dissidentDissidentA dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
. - Illya NyzhnykIllya NyzhnykIllya Nyzhnyk is a Ukrainian chess player.He was born September 27, 1996 in Vinnytsia and gained worldwide attention when he won Group B of the 2007 Moscow Open at the age of 10. He attained a nearly flawless score of 8½/9 and his performance rating was 2633, that of a Grandmaster...
(b.1996) – young and promising chess player - Oleh OstapenkoOleh OstapenkoOleh Ostapenko is a professional Ukrainian football goalkeeper who currently plays for PFC Nyva Vinnytsia.- External links :***...
(b.1977) – football goalkeeper in FC Vorskla PoltavaFC Vorskla PoltavaFC Vorskla Poltava ,is a professional football team which plays in the Ukrainian Premier League and represents the city of Poltava.- History :... - 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 EducationEsthetic educationEsthetic Education is a rock band based in Kiev, Ukraine. Its present members are Louis Franck , Dmytro Shurov , Yuriy Khustochka , Illya Halushko , and Andriy Nadolsky...
- Artur Voitetskyi (1928–1993) – film director
Twin towns — Sister cities
Vinnytsia is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Râbniţa, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
. Bursa, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Lipetsk
Lipetsk
Lipetsk is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow.-History:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Nevsky District
Nevsky District
Nevsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 18 in Saint Petersburg, Russia....
of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia.
See also
- Vinnytsia massacreVinnytsia massacreThe Vinnytsia massacre was a mass execution of people in the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia by the Soviet secret police NKVD during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge in 1937–1938. Mass graves in Vinnytsia were discovered during the German occupation of Ukraine in 1943...
- WehrwolfWehrwolfFührerhauptquartier Werwolf was the codename used for one of Adolf Hitler's World War II Eastern Front military headquarters located in a pine forest about north of Vinnytsia in Ukraine that was used between 1942 and 1943...
- Vinnytsia tramVinnytsia tramThe Vinnytsia Tramway network is the part of the public transportation system that since 1913 serves Vinnytsia, the administrative center of the Vinnytsia Oblast. The tram system has a narrow rail gauge of 1000 mm that only exists in Ukraine in the cities of Lviv, Zhytomyr and Yevpatoria, as well...
- FC Nyva VinnytsiaFC Nyva VinnytsiaPFC Nyva Vinnytsia is a professional Ukrainian football club based in the city of Vinnytsia. It currently participates in the Ukrainian First League...
- TIK (band)TIK (band)TIK is a Ukrainian folk rock band with heavy influences of ska and shanson. It was formed in 2005 in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. The band's name is an abbreviation of the Ukrainian phrase "Тверезість і культура" which means "Sobriety and Culture".-History:...