Chyhyryn

Chyhyryn (Ukrainian: Чигири́н, pronounced [tʃɪɦɪˈrɪn]) is a city and historic site located in the Cherkasy Oblast of central Ukraine. From 1648 to 1669 the city was a Hetman residence. After a forced relocation of the Ruthenian Orthodox metropolitan see from Kiev in 1658, it became a full-fledged capital of the Cossack Hetmanate. Chyhyryn also became a traditional place for the appointment to the office of Hetman of Zaporizhian Host. Chyhyryn serves as administrative center of Chyhyryn Raion.

Chyhyryn Чигирин
View of Chyhyryn from the city's Castle Hill.
Flag Coat of arms
Chyhyryn Location of Chyhyryn Show map of Cherkasy Oblast Chyhyryn Chyhyryn (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine
Coordinates: 49°04′38″N 32°38′57″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Cherkasy Oblast
Raion	Chyhyryn Raion
City rights	1592
Government
• Mayor	Serhiy Oleksiiovych Tymchenko
Area
• Total	14 km^2 (5 sq mi)
Elevation	124 m (407 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	8 749[1]
• Density	854/km^2 (2,210/sq mi)
Postal code	20900-20906
Area code(s)	+380 4730
Website	Verkhovna Rada - City of Chygyrin

Names

Chyhyryn (Ukrainian: Чигирин) or Chigirin (Russian: Чигири́н) Polish: Czehryń, Turkish: Çigirin or Çehrin.

Location

The city on the banks of Tiasmyn River is the administrative center of the Chyhyryn Raion. The city lies at an altitude of 124 metres above mean sea level. Minor industries, such as food and furniture factories, are the basis of the town economy in the 21st century.

History

The area (1320–1569) had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was ceded to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (in the Kijów Voivodeship of the Crown of Poland) before the Union of Lublin. It was granted Magdeburg Rights in 1592 by Sigismund III Vasa.

Chyhyryn on the Tiasmin River. A fragment of the Tractus Borysthenis Vulgo Dniepr at Niepr dicti map by Joannii Janssonii (Amsterdam, 1663)

Chyhyryn is first mentioned as a fortified Cossack winter station. In 1638, Bohdan Khmelnytsky became its starosta (regional leader), and in 1648 it became the newly elected Hetman's residence and the capital of the Cossack state, the Zaporozhian Host. During the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681) it was the center of two bloody campaigns (1675–76 and 1677–78). In 1678 the castle of Chyhyryn was blown up by the retreating Russian garrison that was stationed there, while the Turkish forces sacked the rest of the city. After this, it gradually lost its significance. It remained the center of the Chyhyryn regiment until 1712 and upon the final incorporation into the Russian Empire (1793) it became part of the Kiev region.

In 1917 a congress of Free Cossacks took place in Chyhyryn. At that congress by tradition Pavlo Skoropadsky was elected as the Hetman of the Cossacks (later in 1918 in Kiev, he was elected the Hetman of Ukraine as well).

During World War II, Chyhyryn was occupied by the German Army from August 7, 1941 to December 12, 1943.

In 1989 the population of the city was 12 853 people.[2]

Notable people

• Georgy Danilov, linguist

Landmarks

The Trinity Monastery, built near Chyhyryn in 1627, was later destroyed by the Soviet authorities. Other historical landmarks, such as the town hall and Khmelnytsky's palace, did not survive either. After Ukraine regained independence, Hetman's residence was restored and became a museum.

Gallery

• 
  Main square of Chyhyryn
• 
  Entrance of the restored Bohdan Khmelnytskyi residence
• 
  Bohdan Khmelnytskyi residence
• 
  St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Chyhyryn
• 
  A statue near the church
• 
  Taras Shevchenko monument in Chyhyryn
• 
  View on Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Museum
• 
  Remnants of Chyhyryn Fortress on the Castle Hill
• 
  Bohdan Khmelnytskyi monument in Chyhyryn

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Ukraine

Twin towns — Sister cities

Chyhyryn is twinned with:

City	Country	Year of Signing
Sebastopol, California	United States	1993

References

1. Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2018 року. Державна служба статистики України. Київ, 2018. стор.77
2. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу

External links

• Chyhyryn in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
• Soviet topographic map 1:100,000
• Media related to Chyhyryn at Wikimedia Commons