The Origin of Vinnytsia City Name
There are several versions of the origin of Vinnytsia city name.
According to one of them, it came from the Old Slavonic vino, which means a gift. According to the other one, it originated from vynokurnia (eng. distillery) – the place where the beer was produced.
Vinnytsia is a welcoming and very cozy place. Here you can take a rest from the constant bustle of large cities. The peaceful and quiet atmosphere allows to dive into the age-old wisdom of this wonderful city. The best place to start your journey around Vinnytsia is its historic center – Jesuit Monastery, Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi cathedral, and the complex of defensive structures dated XVII-XVIII centuries – the so-called wall.
One more turn, and you’ll pass through a wonderful green park with well-groomed trees and beautiful benches. Now you stand in front of the restored building, the monument of architecture of the early XX century, adorned with columns, reliefs, and small spiers. This is Savoi hotel. It was built in 1912 and is the oldest one in the city!
One of the historical events comes to mind… During the revolution of 1917-1918, the government held revolutionary committees of workers and soldiers’ deputies, proteges of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Denikin’s army in Vinnytsia. Meanwhile, Savoy hotel was the Headquarters of the interim government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. It all ended up with the Soviets’ government appointment in 1918. This page of history doesn’t end here, so we are moving on.
We are walking down the street. A warm spring breeze is blowing, making the air fresh and smelling like a mix of a river and the aroma of spring flowers. We head to an embankment. It is very well-maintained, with a lot of green trees and fragrant flowers. Comfortable benches are located near the water, and you just can’t help enjoying the hospitality of Pivdennyi Bug coast. Let’s have a little rest and then continue our trip around Vinnytsia. After passing the embankment, you go up the stairs and get to the Local History Museum. There are a lot of fossils, tools, equipment, and national costumes represented here.
You can see a settlement of nomads Scythians and modern houses are changed with huts Ulychi and Tyvertsi – the tribes subjected to Kyiv Rus in ancient times. You immediately imagine how comfortable houses fall before the might of the nomadic Mongols, and people become the slaves of the Golden Horde. Still, you know that Vinnytsia will be exempt from the Mongol scourge only by Lithuanian prince Olgred in a hundred years. The centuries pass by as one single moment, and you find yourself in the museum again. In addition to historical values, some religious ones are stored in the museum, too: for example, the largest collection of icons of Podil is exhibited here. They fascinate and create a spiritual mood.
It’s time to visit significant religious sites in Vinnytsia. There are many churches and cathedrals, and all of them belong to different denominations. Among the others, there are Holy Cross Church, Resurrection Church, Church of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Church of Madonna Angelic, Orthodox Cathedral of Transfiguration, Orthodox Church of St. George, Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, St. Nickolas’ Orthodox Church, and some others. Brailovskyi Holy Trinity Monastery stands apart. Each of these buildings is similar to the previous one, but at the same time has its unique flavor that can’t be found anywhere else. Visit all of them to fully understand and feel how interesting the cultures and religions are mixed in Vinnytsia.
After this spiritual experience, pay some attention to the longest street in Vinnytsia – Pyrogov St. It ends with a park with a necropolis church, where the body of the great scientist and surgeon Mykola Ivanovych Pyrogov is embalmed. His homestead museum is also here. This man became the founder of the field surgery, the founder of the Russian Red Cross, the author of the 4-volume work Topographic Anatomy. He was the one who healed the gangrene of famous Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi.
It was he who for hygienic reasons required to conduct operations in white coats and was put in a mental hospital for this by his own colleagues. He was discharged after spending 3 days there, for no mental abnormalities were found. The doctor lived for over 20 last years of his life.
By the way, the Museum of Pyrogov represents the samples of surgical instruments, pharmaceutical prescriptions, and copies of documents of that time.
And then we come back to evening Vinnitsa. Taking a walk, you can feel the comfort and real coziness of every restaurant and nightclub you see.
However, it’s not all. There are still many interesting things in this beautiful city, such as the mystery of Werewolf and Hitler’s radiation sickness. Brusilov’s and Kotsiubynskyi’s houses, Grokholskyi’s estate and the area of Ierusalymka, the old Jewish quarter near the modern city center, also stayed uncharted today.
WeLoveUa suggest to never leave Vinnytsia out of the account! Let it please every guest with a lovely atmosphere, cozy streets, and its magnificent historical sites.