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The Vanishing World of the Ukrainian Jewry
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ZAPORIZHYA[ZAPOROZHYE, ZAPORIZHZHIA, ZAPORIZHZHYA]
Quick Facts and HistoryLarge industrial city and the administrative center of Zaporizhya Province. The area of the province - 27,200 sq.km. The population of the province - 2,116,000. The population of the City of Zaporizhya - over 800,000.The official date of the foundation of the city is August 26, 1770 when the erection of Fort Aleksandrovsk started. Some scientists suggest that it should be the date of setting up of the Cossack fortress on Khortytsya Island in 1554-55 by Hetman Bayda-Vyshnevetskiy. Others consider that the city was founded in the 11th century, when the first Slav fortress on Khortytsya Island was built (its ruins have been recently excavated). The province is densely spotted with archeological excavation sites, some of them within the city limits of Zaporizhya. There are several sites dated by the periods of early and late paleolith, and over a hundred of the Bronze Age. It is known that in 7th B.C. - 4th A.D. the Scythian state existed on the territory of the modern southern Ukraine with its capital on the Dnipro River. In the 4th century A.D. the territory was siezed by a nomad tribe of Huns, in the 6th century Avarians came, then - Khazars. After the defeat of Khazar Caganate (State) by Kyiv Prince Svyatoslav in 966 A.D. the territory fell under the control of the Polovtsians. In the beginning of the 12th century the Ukrainian Princes gathered on the Khortytsya Island, launched the campaign against Polovtsians and defeated them in the battle of the Molochna River. But shortly the Slav state was conquered by Tartar-Mongols, and the area went under the control of Crimean Khannat. By the end of the 15th century Cossack community appeared in the down flow of Dnipro. Gradually, it became a heavily fortified military base on the southern frontier of the Slav territory, which existed till 1775. Modern Zaporizhya is a largely industrial community, built on the site of the former Fort Aleksandrovsk (founded in 1770). Dnipro Power Plant (DNIPROGES), built next to the famous Khortytsya Island in 1932, not only divided the city into the "Old City" and the "New City" but also gave a strong impact to the rapid industrial development of the Zaporizhya industrial complex now comprising over 300 hundred big companies.
Included in: "Grand Tour of Ukraine" (brief description, detailed program), "Super Grand Tour of Ukraine" (brief description, detailed program), "The Cossack Glory" (brief description, detailed program).
Places of InterestUnlike in most other cities, the standard city tour practically does not include old churches, cathedrals and castles, for the city itself is relatively new. Usually tourists have a brief drive along the main city boulevards, then they are shown to the sites of very ancient history (e.g. "babas" - stone idols of the 15th-8th centuries B.C.), and the highlights undoubtedly are the visits to DNIPROGES Power Plant and Khortytsya Island, the capital of the independent Cossack republic in 15-18 centuries. However, tourists staying more than one night are usually offered to have a separate tour of Khortytsya Island (in this case it is not included in the city tour - please, see next paragraph).
The tour of Khortytsya Island includes the Cossack fortress, the Cathedral of St.Nicholas, the Museum of History of Cossacks with authentic items pertinent to every-day life of Cossacks. It may be combined into a full day tour with a show of the Cossack Equestrian Theater (the only show of the kind in the world); a lunch at the traditional Cossack "korchma" (tavern); a ride by the traditional Cossack boat "chayka" (sea gull), on board of which they used to cross the Black Sea for raids against Ottoman Turks. Horseback riding - on special request.
Side TripsDay trip to the village of Kapulivka.Rowing ride by small "chaykas". 5-to-7-day cruise by a big "chayka" (18-meter long Cossack sailing ship with a modern engine installed) down the Dnipro river (e.g. Zaporizhya - Kherson) with fishing, visiting villages and historical sites; overnights at the villages and in the open air. Can be incorporated into UkrTour-3 on special request. Fantastic!
Cultural EventsNational cuisine gala dinner with a folk show at the ZAPORIZHYA HOTEL is very popular among tourists.Concert of professional Cossack Choir.
HotelsZAPORIZHYA HOTEL *** +
RestaurantsAt the hotel.Lunch at the traditional
Cossack
"korchma" (tavern) is also very popular among tourists (usually included
in the tour of Khortytsya Island)
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