SINCE THE TIMES OF ASKOLD
Who founded this city in the confluence of the rivers Kamianka
and Teteriv, whence the resounding name? Hypotheses and versions were and
still are the subject of debate, for there are no absolutely exact data
even today. Yet, most Zhytomyr residents are inclined to believe the half-legendary
(or perhaps fully legendary) translations, accepted even by some historians,
claiming the town was founded by Zhytomyr, a warrior of Kyivan princes
Askold and Dir. After the latter were killed in 882, he allegedly left
Kyiv and led his armed forces west, covering 136 kilometers through the
thick forests of Drevliany (a Slav tribe — Ed. ), and finally
stopped on the high rocky bank of the Kamianka, where he had a wooden fortress
built in 884. This year actually became the starting point of the city’s
history. This was officially confirmed in 1984 by Decree of the Presidium
of the USSR Supreme Soviet on awarding Zhytomyr Order of the Red Labor
Banner to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of its foundation. At the
same time a commemorative sign — a huge granite boulder so common to Polissia
soil, was put up in the place where the Zhytomyr castle once towered.
According to other, equally fascinating, versions, Zhytomyr
got is name (again very long ago) as a combination of the words zhyto
(rye) and
myr (peace, world), or myr zhytychiv (the
world of rye-growers), or zhyto and miriaty (to measure).
Thus, its name was associated with the raising and trading of bread, and
with peaceful intentions of the ancestors of modern Zhytomyr dwellers.
Written chronicles mention the town for the fist time in
1392, when Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, seized the Zhytomyr castle
during his expedition against Kyiv. For centuries onwards, the fortress
was repeatedly attacked by adversaries, ruined, and restored until it lost
its role as a defensive structure after Russian troops occupied the Crimea
in 1783. The last castle structures were torn down in 1852. All that is
left are the names, such as Zamkova Hora (Castle Hill), Zamkova Street,
and Zamkova Square.
An equally meritorious “service” was done for many centuries,
along with the castle, by the catacombs leading from the castle and other
essential installations to the rivers. These were dug in three tiers three
to ten meters deep, and had sheltering recesses and traps for enemies.
Some of them were even lined with bricks. Their remnants have survived
until this day, showing themselves by sudden cave-ins in certain places.
THE COAT-OF-ARMS AND THE MAGDEBURG LAW
Centuries passed by. The face of Zhytomyr was gradually
changing. Throughout its history, it was often part of other various states.
In 1444 Zhytomyr, one the fifteen largest cities of the Polish- Lithuanian
state, was granted the Magdeburg Law and became one of the first cities
in Ukraine to form its own local government bodies. Its first coat-of-arms
was also instituted in that year: it depicted an open three-tower fortress
gate against a blue background. In the early 1990s, this coat-of-arms,
with minor adjustments, was again granted official status by decision of
the Zhytomyr city council.
1667 was one of the turning points in the city’s life:
when Kyiv was handed over to Russia under the Treaty of Andrusov, Zhytomyr
was left as part of Poland and became an important politico-administrative
center of Volhynia, in charge of the two districts Zhytomyr and Kyiv. This
circumstance played a crucial role in Zhytomyr’s further accelerated development.
In 1746 Zamkova Square was adorned with the magnificent
structure of St. Sophia’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, by far the oldest architectural
monument of the city, well preserved until this day (it functions now as
a temple). In those times there were approximately three hundred buildings,
two mills, three mines, several guilds of potters, shoemakers, and blacksmiths,
sixty shops, and dozens of taverns.
THE “CAPITAL” OF VOLHYNIAN GUBERNIA
After the second partition of Poland, when Volhynia became
part of the Russian Empire, in 1794 Zhytomyr was made a temporary (and
a decade later the permanent) capital of the vast Volhynian Gubernia, populated
by almost four million people over a territory of more than 70,000 square
kilometers (as of 1913). The entire 19th century was a time of continuous
growth and development for the city, when it strengthened its positions
as an important regional administrative and cultural center. Zhytomyr’s
population reached 73,000 in 1874. The years 1857- 1874 saw the construction
of the Orthodox Holy Transfiguration Cathedral designed by St. Petersburg
architects K. K. Rochau, E. Gibert, and V. G. Shalamov. In those times,
when the weather was good, the peal of its bells could be heard even 20
km away. This cathedral still functions and also remains a nationwide architectural
monument; it is considered Ukraine’s largest temple in terms of the number
of followers it can gather under its domes.
In the 70s Zhytomyr became the focal point of the transcontinental
London-Delhi cable line and the main junction of a huge telegraph area
which embraced almost the whole territory of what is now Ukraine and Moldova.
At the end of the 19th century, the city received a water-supply line,
an electric power plant, and a railway station, while in 1899 the Gubernia
center’s streets saw an electric tram, one of the first in Ukraine.
At the turn of the 20th century, Zytomyr played the ever-increasing
role of a major cultural center. At that time, the city had one of Ukraine’s
first public libraries, one of the oldest theaters (whose stage remembers
quite a few national and foreign celebrities), as well as cinemas, classical
and vocational schools, theological and pedagogical seminaries, and dozens
of other educational institutions.
THROUGH REVOLUTIONS AND WARS
During the Ukrainian liberation revolution of 1917-1920
Zhytomyr became one of the most eminent military and political centers
of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UNR) and the Hetman’s state. In February
1918 it hosted the UNR parliament, presided over by Mykhailo Hrushevsky,
as well as the Little Rada and the government. In other words, for some
time Zhytomyr was the capital of Ukraine. In those years, the city was
captured 14 times by troops from various political forces and states.
In 1937 Zhytomyr became the administrative center of a
newly- formed oblast, also named after the city. Unfortunately, the city’s
development slowed considerably due to its border with Poland and was stripped
of its “commander’s insignia” (the Zhytomyr region was made part of the
Kyiv oblast).
The war of 1941-1945 again threw Zhytomyr many decades
back. It was under Nazi German occupation from early July 1941 till late
1943. The city was heavily ruined as a result of fights and bombing, with
downtown streets almost reduced to ashes. The population dropped to the
level of the 1870s...
HALF A CENTURY OF PEACE
It took Zhytomyr more than fifteen years to rise from ruins
after the liberation. Its burgeoning industrial development began in the
late 50s. Large enterprises appeared one by one to manufacture linen textiles,
chemical fibers, automated machine-tools, metal structures, electronic
equipment and systems, footwear, furniture, building materials, etc. This
gave impetus to the growth of the population, which reached 300,000 in
1992.
Many of those enterprises have been unable to successfully
meet market conditions and are now barely keeping their heads above water.
However there are businesses that have managed to make their way up the
ladder of the new market. Among them are Ukraina Ltd. (former hosiery factory),
Zhytomyr Butter Plant (known for the Rud trademark), Biomedical Glass Factory,
and Interstyle Plc... The list, small as it is, goes on.
In spite of difficulties, Zhytomyr’s cultural institutions
continue to flourish. In addition to an oblast theater, scientific library,
and philharmonic society, the city hosts one of the oldest ethnographic
museums in Ukraine, which hosts a rich collection of approximately 3,000
art exhibits. Also popular are the houses-turned- museums of Academician
Serhiy Koroliov and writer Volodymyr Korolenko, as well as the Museum of
the History of Astronautics, the only one in the country.
ZHYTOMYR IN THE LIFE OF PROMINENT PEOPLE
Many outstanding personalities have met part of their fate
in Zhytomyr. The following people were born, studied or worked here: writers
Joseph Conrad, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Aleksandr Machtet, Sasha Chorny,
Aleksandr Kuprin, Maximilian Voloshyn, Oleksandr Oles, Oleh Olzhych, Vasyl
Zemliak, Borys Ten, and Maksym Rylsky; philosophers Nikolay Berdiayev and
Viacheslav Lypynsky; eminent scientists Pavlo Tutkovsky and Volodymyr Lypsky;
composers Mykola Lysenko, Mykhailo Skorulsky, and Borys Liatoshynsky; film
director Oleksandr Dovzhenko; and singer Zoya Haiday...
Even today, the number of Zhytomyr-born people of whom
the city is proud has not diminished. Let us take a cursory look at some
of them. The canvases of Shevchenko Prize winner, artist Mykola Maksymenko,
adorn the world’s best galleries and private collections. The original
vodka produced at the local liquor plant run for about 30 years by Ihor
Yurhutis (author of several trademark beverages) is known far beyond the
limits of Ukraine. It even appealed to the taste of U.S. President Bill
Clinton. The children’s choreographic ensemble Sonechko (Sunshine),
founded and continuously run by Mykhailo and Tetiana Huzun for over 20
years, has drawn thunderous applause in the concert halls of many countries.
Pop singer Iryna Shynkaruk won the Chervona Ruta festival at the age of
14. She also came off best at the prestigious festivals in Alma-Ata, Bialystok,
and Yalta. By Valery KOSTIUKEVYCH, The Day , Georgy MOKRYTSKY,
area researcher Photos by Serhiy HLABCHUK
ATTENTION! The Day ’s Photo Exhibition in Zhytomyr
The photo exhibition “In the Light of Day ” was
inaugurated June 2 within the premises of the Zhytomyr academic library.
Among the exhibits are the best photo works which were sent to the international
contest held in 1999 by Den/The Day in collaboration with Kodak-Ukraine.
The photo exhibition is open daily, except on Fridays,
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the address: Oblast Academic Library, 4, Novy
Boulevard, Zhytomyr. The exhibition will run until July 3, 2000. Admission
is free.
№019 June 13 2000 «The
Day»
In using our publications, reference to The Day is
mandatory. © "День"
