Bila Tserkva

Bila Tserkva (Ukrainian Бiла Церква=White church, Polish Biała Cerkiew, Russian Белая Церковь, Belaya Tserkov) is a city in Kyivs'ka oblast' of Ukraine.

The city has a population of 190,000 residents and resides approximately 80 km. to the south of Kyiv on the river Ros . It is a home to the major automobile tire manufacturer "Rosava".

History

Town was founded in 1023 by Yaroslaw the Wise, the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Since 1363 it belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and since 1569 to the Crown of the Polish Kingdom. A peace treaty between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ukrainian Cossacks rebels under Bohdan Khmelnytsky was signed here in 1651.

After Third Partition of Poland in 1795 Bila Tserkva came into Imperial Russia. It was a significant market place in 19th century. During the soviet times it became a large industrial center (machine building, building industry).

A large and glorious park "Alexandria" of 2 km² is situated in Bila Tserkva. It was founded in 1793 by the wife of the Polish hetman Franciszek Ksawery Branicki.

See also

• Lyudmyla M. Pavlichenko