Smila, Ukraine
Encyclopedia
Smila is a city located on the Tyasmyn River in the Cherkasy
Oblast
(province) of central Ukraine
. The city is itself a raion
(district) within the oblast as well as serving as the administrative centre of the wider Smiliansky Raion. It is located 23 km (14 mi) from the oblast's capital, Cherkasy
.
Smila had an estimated population in 2006 of 69,400.
raids, a local girl guided the Kievan Rus'
army to the rear of the invaders. The enemies were defeated but the girl was killed by one of their arrows. Nobody knew her name, so that when a colony was later established at the place, the settlers named it simply Smila (from the Ukrainian smila, meaning "brave girl") in her honour.
The settlement was first mentioned in the 16th century when it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. In 1648–54 Smila was a squadron town of the Chyhyryn regiment of Cossack
s. In 1773 the city obtained Magdeburg rights
and in 1795 it became a part of the Russian Empire
.
Smila saw rapid development following the opening of a railway line through the city in 1876, but in the 20th century it suffered repeated devastations: in World War I
, in the Ukrainian famine of 1932–33 (the Holodomor
), and in World War II
. Economic depression also followed the fall of the Soviet Union
: in the 1990s, industrial production fell by over 70% and Smila lost more than 10% of its population. Each time, however, the city recovered, and Smila is now once again experiencing growth.
, and the food industry
is also of importance.
Smila, where the Kiev
–Dnipropetrovsk
and Odessa
–Russia
rail routes cross, is one of the most important railway junctions in Ukraine. The large station at the junction is named after Ukraine's national poet, Taras Shevchenko
.
Cherkasy Oblast
Cherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:...
Oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
(province) of central Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The city is itself a raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
(district) within the oblast as well as serving as the administrative centre of the wider Smiliansky Raion. It is located 23 km (14 mi) from the oblast's capital, Cherkasy
Cherkasy
Cherkasy or Cherkassy , is a city in central Ukraine. It is the capital of the Cherkasy Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Cherkasky Raion within the oblast...
.
Smila had an estimated population in 2006 of 69,400.
History
According to legend, during one of the numerous Golden HordeGolden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
raids, a local girl guided the Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
army to the rear of the invaders. The enemies were defeated but the girl was killed by one of their arrows. Nobody knew her name, so that when a colony was later established at the place, the settlers named it simply Smila (from the Ukrainian smila, meaning "brave girl") in her honour.
The settlement was first mentioned in the 16th century when it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. In 1648–54 Smila was a squadron town of the Chyhyryn regiment of Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s. In 1773 the city obtained Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
and in 1795 it became a part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Smila saw rapid development following the opening of a railway line through the city in 1876, but in the 20th century it suffered repeated devastations: in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, in the Ukrainian famine of 1932–33 (the Holodomor
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
), and in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Economic depression also followed the fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
: in the 1990s, industrial production fell by over 70% and Smila lost more than 10% of its population. Each time, however, the city recovered, and Smila is now once again experiencing growth.
Economy
The economic emphasis is on mechanical engineeringMechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, and the food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
is also of importance.
Smila, where the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
–Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
and Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
–Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
rail routes cross, is one of the most important railway junctions in Ukraine. The large station at the junction is named after Ukraine's national poet, Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
.