Vasylkiv

Vasylkiv
Василькiв

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Vasylkiv

Location of Vasylkiv

Vasylkiv
Coordinates: 50°10′42″N 30°18′57″E / 50.17833°N 30.31583°E / 50.17833; 30.31583Coordinates: 50°10′42″N 30°18′57″E / 50.17833°N 30.31583°E / 50.17833; 30.31583
Country
Oblast
Raion
Ukraine
Kiev Oblast
Vasylkivskyi Raion
First mentioned 988
Magdeburg law 1586
Area
  Total 29.6 km2 (11.4 sq mi)
Population (2013)
  Total 36,672
Postal code 8600 — 8612
Area code(s) +380 4571

Vasylkiv (Ukrainian: Василькiв, translit. Vasyl’kiv) is a city located on the Stuhna River in Kiev Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance. It also serves as the administrative center of Vasylkivskyi Raion (district) though it does not belong to the raion. A settlement with an over 1000 years history, it was incorporated as a city in 1796. The city hosts the Vasylkiv air base since the Cold War. Population: 36,672(2013 est.)[1].

History

The exact date of the settlement's foundation is unknown but, according to the Primary Chronicle, it was the place where Vladimir the Great's numerous wives were living. After the Christianization of Kiev, Vladimir built there a fortress and named it Vasilev, after his patron saint - Saint Basil (Vasily). It was a birthplace of Saint Theodosius, and there is a Ukrainian baroque church (1756–58) commemorating this saint.

In 1658, the Russian military commander Yuri Baryatinsky defeated the army of hetman Ivan Vyhovsky's brother Konstantin near Vasylkiv, after the Ukrainian hetman switched the sides in favour of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Throughout the times, an obscure place, almost forgotten in spite of the glorious history and connection to many earlier historic events, it was put back on the map by an anecdotal story related to Catherine II of Russia. As per legend, while passing through it during the night, the carriage lost one wheel. Catherine II woke up from the sudden jerk, and asked the name of the town. When she fell asleep again, her servants repaired the wheel and the carriage moved again. She woke up again and upon learning that it is still Vasilkov, she remarked : "A large town, indeed".

Gallery

People from Vasylkiv

References

External links

  • vasylkiv.today - the first independent news portal and social network of Vasylkiv (Ukrainian)
  • vasilkov.com.ua - Vasylkiv city website (Ukrainian)
  • kyiv-obl.gov.ua - Site about Vasylkiv on Kiev Oblast's Administration website (Ukrainian)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, December 29, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.