Khmelnitsky region lies on a border of two geographic regions

          Khmelnitsky region lies on a border of two geographic regions: Right-Bank1- and Western Ukraine. The territory of the region makes up 20.6 thousands sq.km, its extension from north to south is 250 km, from west to east is 190 km. A population makes up 1388 thousands of inhabitants. The region consists of 20 administrative districts, it has 13 cities, 24 towns and 1415 villages. Khmelnitsky-256 thousands of inhabitants and Kamenets-Podolsky-104 thousands of inhabitants are the greatest cities; 6 cities are of regional subordination. Railways and roads are running across the territory of the region.

          The situation of the Khmelnitsky region to the south east of Easteuropean plain is in the zone of woody steppe and mixed forests, by conditions of temperate-continental climate with warm summer, mild winter and sufficient quantity of precipitation. More than 3 thousands of rivers and streams are flowing on the territory of the region, 120 of them are more than 10 km long. Two rivers-Pivdenny Bug and Dniester belong to the greatest rivers of Ukraine and Europe. Khmelnitsky region is rich in lakes and water reservoirs: there are more than 18500 of them. Dniestrovs`ke on the river Dniester and Shchedrivs`ke on the river Pivdenny Bug are the biggest of them.

          The animal world is represented by 300 kinds of spine animals, 190 from them are birds, 60 ones are mammals. 82 kinds of animals are noted down into Chervona Knyga2 The region possesses the third place in Ukraine by variety of vegetable resources after Crimea and Karpathian Mts. 1500 kinds of plants are counted down here, the woods take 15% of the region territory. The leaf-bearing/56.4%/ and coniferous/32.6%/ plants are dominating in the consisting of kinds. Oak/44.5%/, pine/26.8%/ are the main species, there are hornbeam, birch, fir, alder-tree and others too. There is the greatest in Ukraine National Nature park "Podilski Tovtry" which area makes up 261.316 ha on the territory of the region.

          The region is rich in not-ore minerals, first of all, natural building materials, granites, kaolin, limestone, clay, chalk, soft stones, sand, gypsum. There are mines of dolomites, phosphorus-including minerals and peat-hags on the territory of the region.

          From the historic-geographical point of view the territory of Khmelnitsky region lies on Volyno-Podolska height, on the border of two regions: Northern part belongs to Volyn`, middle and Southern one belongs to Podillya. These parts had very similar history as adjoining lands. The settling of these territories began near 500 millions years ago. Archeological researches revealed monuments of palaeolith, neolithic age, of copper and bronze age, of Scythian period. In first part of Millennium A.D a south- western Slav group of eastern tribes who where included into Ants' intertribal union, settled down in this region.

          From the eleventh century the middle part of the region near Dniester named Sredneye Naddnestrovya known in the annals by the name Ponyzzya, entered into Galician dukedom. At the same time the lands of the middle and northern part of the present-day Khmelnitsky region were under Kiev dukedom's jurisdiction. After practically all these lands entered into Galician-Volynian dukedom in 1199, only a little territory to the east of the region in the basin of rivers Pivdenny Bug and Sluch' together with adjacent lands of present-day Vinnitska and Zhytomirska regions united themselves into a single chronicle dukedom called Bolokhivska land. In 1241a duke Danylo Galitsky attached the Bolokhivska land to Galician-Volynian dukedom by the power of weapons.

          In the middle of the thirteenth century the region found itself under Mongol-Tartar rule. But in 1362 Lithuanian duke Olgerd defeated the Tartars nearby Syni Vody and handed Podillya so Ponyzzya was named from that time over unto Lithuanian dukes Koriatovichy. But soon Polish noblemen had success by pushing the Lithuanians away and in 1434 Podilske wojewodstwo3 with its center in Kamenets on the territory of the Western Podillya was formed. In 1569 Volynske wojewodstwo get under the rule of Poland.

          Active military actions took place at the time of war for independence4 under Bogdan Khmelnitsky's leadership. The battles near Pilavtsy and Starokonstantynov in 1648, near Zhvanets in 1653 took place in the history of Ukraine but Podillya and Volyn' stayed under Polish jurisdiction until 1793.

          After the Right-Bank Ukraine had been attached to Russian Empire the lands of the present-day Khmelnitsky region were joined with Volynska and Podolska provinces. In the first part of nineteenth century Podillya became an arena of antifeudal struggle with Ustym Karmalyuk as a leader.

          The multitude of historical monuments keeps the memory about passed through times. There are 473 art-, 2442 historical-, 105 archeological-, 230 architectonic monuments of national importance and, besides, 104 ones recommended for protection on the territory of the region. Kamenets-Podolsky which ancient center Old town and fortress was called National historic-architectural reserve and entered into an UNESCO list of international human inheritance is truly a pearl of Podillya.

          Hundreds of architectural and nature monuments among which are the world-known Old Fortress and the canyon of the river Smotrych were included into the reserve. The stronghold in Medzybizh, palace park ensemble in Samchiky, fortress in Starokonstantynov and Letychiv, Satanov health resort, mountain-like ridge Tovtry and spacious places nearby Dniester are of no smaller interest for tourists.

          New pages in the history of the region were opened in twentieth century. The Kamenets-Podolsky region had been founded in 1937, it was named later Khmelnitska since 1954. The present-day Khmelnitsky earlier name: Proskurov became a center of the region since 1941. 1 The part of the Ukraine to the west from Dnieper. 2 The Book for protection of disappearing plant and animal species. 3 The administrative part of Poland. 4 The war with total elimination of Jewish population of the land.

          The history of the city numbers almost 600 years. In the beginning of the fifteenth century in the middle of swamps nearby Bug betmeen the river Ploska and its branch whose name probably was "Rov" arose a little settlement. It got its first name from its situation between Ploska and Rov-Ploskyrov. The first document recollection about Ploskyrov refers to 1431, when Podillya went over under the power of Polish Kingdom. In 1578 Polish king Stephan Batoriy granted to Ploskyrov the rights for carrying out of two annual fairs and weekly auctions. Some time later the settling became a small town. Handicraft shops, mill and wine-producing department arose here. In 1663 Ploskyrov went over under possession of the famous Polish family Zamojsky which ruled here more than two hundred years. No wonder that elements of their family's emblem took their reflection in the emblem of the city: three crossing -over arrows, the middle one points down, and the two by the sides-up. During the war for Independence of Ukraine people under the leadership of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Ploskyrov and its suburbs repeatedly found themselves in the center of counteraction between Polish and Cossack military units.

          In 1793 after Podillya's entering into Russian Empire Ploskyrov became a district center. Just at this time the old name of the town transformed itself into Proskurov, which was accordant to the name of a little cake called by Ukrainians "proskura" used in Christian ceremonies.

          The second part of nineteenth century is marked out by rapid development of the town promoted by fulfillment of railway building in 1870. The great industrial factories popped out, new living-houses, shops were growing up, library, theatre, new educational institutions are opened, telephone and electricity popped out too.

          The population of the town reached the 40 000-mark in 1914. By the beginning of the First World War Proskurov became a near-front-laying town. In the years of Civil War 1917-20yrs Proskurov played the role of important stronghold point of Ukrainian Folk Republic UFR . Exactly in Proskurov the Government of UFR and the Directory stayed three times, exactly here took place the last Session of the Directory in its full complement March 1919yr. .

          In the first years of Soviet rule Proskurov became a district center and later in 1941-a region's center. The peacefully life was broken by the war. On the 8 July 1941 German Fashists' troops invaded the Proskurov. The Fascists organized a Concentration Camp in the suburb Rakovo where 65 thousands of captives were killed. In addition the massacres of civil population were undertaken what brought 16570 victims more. In spite of that the Anti-fascist underground organization headed by Khranovsky operated in the town. On the 25 of March 1944 the military units of the First Ukrainian Front under the commandment of Zhukov cleaned the town up from the German-Fascist invaders.

          After the war the building of in fact a new town had been started which was named Khmelnitsky in 1954.

          The population of the town was always multinational: Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Poles were there. That was reflected on the historical countenance of the town, in its architecture and planning. In the present-day central part of Khmelnitsky remained not a little number of houses built in the end of nineteenth or beginning of twentieth century in modern, eclectic, baroque style.

          The city is decorated by: the building of the former Alexeyevskoe real school there is the municipal executive council now , by the private house where the headquarters of the 8th Army of the South-Western Front under the commandment of general Brusilov were quartered there is the palace of the triumphant events now , by the church of the Blessed Virgin Birth it is the oldest from remaining buildings of the city, 1835 yr. , by the church of Holy George and by the church of Andrew the Pervozvanny1.

          Many species of monumental art are related to the Great Patriotic War: the Eternal Fire, the Monument of the Eternal Glory, the monument-tank in honor to military units which made the town free.

          The individuality and originality are added to our city by the sculptural compositions made by the father and son Mazur who are honored sculptors of Ukraine.

          First of all it is The Angel of Grieve the monument to the victims of repression , the monument to soldiers-internationalists, to the Chernobyl firemen. It is not real to imagine our city without the monuments of Shevcenko and Bogdan Khmelnitsky.

          The modern architectural forms of the living houses, individual designing of the facades of bank institutions and commercial complexes supplement successfully the city's view. The buildings of Ukrainian Social Bank, the commercial-amusement complex "Lybid-Plaza", the stadium "Podillya" and others became the pride of the twenty-first-century architecture.

          The cultural life is worth of especially attention. In the city the regional musical-dramatic theatre by the name of Petrovsky , the regional puppet show theatre, the original in its kind mono-theatre "Kut", the philharmonic with wonderful organ hall, the museums: the art museum of the modern Ukrainian skill, and, of course, the regional native -land-studying museum are functioning.

          For more information about the history of the Khmelnitsky see in the scientific articles of the museum's staff.

          1 the First-called; Andrew was one of the apostles who brought Christian faith into our land.