2001 Tour - Urkaine Visit Three
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Itinerary
The Hypatian Codex first mentions Ostroh in 1100, as a fortress of the Volhynian princes. Since the 14th century, it was the seat of the powerful Ostrogski princely family, who developed their town into a great centre of learning and commerce. Upon the family's extinction in the 17th century, Ostroh passed to the princes Lubomirski. In the 16th century, first East Slavic books, notably the Ostrog Bible, were printed there. The town formerly had a sizable Jewish community, whose rabbis included Kalonymus Haberkasten, Samuel Edels, and Solomon Luria.
First mentioned in a chronicle of 1099, when it was in possession of Yaroslav the Wise's grandson David of Brest, Dubno was even a seat of local princes for a short period of time. In the early 14th century it was annexed by Poland with the rest of Halych-Volynia. Later, it became a notable royal stronghold guarding that country's eastern border.
Granted city rights in 1498, the town attracted many foreign settlers, most notably Jewish and Armenian. As such, it became the seat of one of the oldest and most vibrant Jewish communes in Central Europe. Since 14th century owned by the mighty Ostrogski family, who built the Dubno Castle during the times of Vasyl Ostrozhsky. Between 1489 and 1506 the castle was significantly expanded by Konstanty Ostrogski, who made it a modern fortress, one of the strongest in the area
The name Kiev is said to derive from the name of Kyi, one of four legendary founders of the city (brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and sister Lybid'). During its history, Kiev, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, passed through several stages of great prominence and relative obscurity. The city may have been founded in the 5th century as a trading post, perhaps part of the land of the early Slavs. It gradually acquired eminence as the centre of the East Slavic civilization, becoming in the tenth to twelfth centuries a political and cultural capital of Rus', a medieval East Slavic state. Completely destroyed during the Mongol invasion in 1240, the city lost most of its influence for the centuries to come. It was a provincial capital of marginal importance in the outskirts of the territories controlled by its powerful neighbours; first the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, followed by Poland and Russia.
Cherkassy was founded in 13th century in Polish Ukraine. Cherkassy was a part of Kievan princedom. Around 1362 Cherkassy town was conquered by feudal Lithuania.
In 1532 Cherkassy was besieged for 30 days by the Crimean khan's troops. In 1536 there was a revolt against Lithuanian invaders. In 1569 Cherkassy was conquered by Poland. The town became Russian in the first partition of Poland in 1773.
Cherkassy began to grow only in the late 19th century, when the Moscow-Odessa railway crossed the Dnepr river there. Soviet power was established in Cherkassy city in 1918
Kremenchug was founded in 1571 as a fortress. Kremenchug acquired city status in 1765. The inhabitants of the settlement took part in peasants' revolts at the end of the 16th century and wars in the 17th century. In 1661-1663 Kremenchug was the center of Kremenchug regiment, in 1765-1783 - the administrative center of Novorossiysk gubernia (region). Soviet power was established in Kremenchug in 1918