A TOWN WAS LAID DOWN HERE, and They Called it Zhytomyr...

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»
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