| Zhytomyr or Zhitomir is a historic city in | | | | Poles (1569), before being assimilated into |
| western Ukraine. It is the administrative | | | | the Russian Empire in 1793. |
| center of the Zhytomyr Oblast (province), as | | | | |
| well as the administrative center of the | | | | Zhitomir truly is a unique travel |
| surrounding Zhytomyrsky Raion (district). The | | | | destination. Located in a picturesque natural |
| city itself is also designated as its own | | | | setting, it offers a little bit of |
| separate raion within the oblast, occupying | | | | everything. Whether you venture into the |
| an area of 65 km². The current estimated | | | | surrounding hills and forest or try to lose |
| population is 291,000 (as of 2005). The city | | | | yourself in the city's beautiful parks and |
| is around 125 km west of the capital in | | | | public squares, you will find a sense of |
| Ukraine, Kiev. | | | | tranquility not found in Ukraine's larger |
| | | | cities. |
| Zhytomyr is a major transportation hub. The | | | | |
| city lies on a historic route linking the | | | | Zhitomir has agricultural and |
| city of Kiev with the west through Brest. | | | | teacher-training institutes. A lot of |
| Today it links Warsaw with Kiev, Minsk with | | | | outstanding personalities were born in |
| Izmail, and several major cities of Ukraine. | | | | Zhitomir: writer V.G.Korolenko, pianist |
| Zhytomyr was also the location of Ozernoye, a | | | | S.T.Rihter, space researcher and engineer |
| key Cold War strategic aircraft base located | | | | S.P.Korolyov. A famous Russian writer |
| 11 km southeast of the city. | | | | A.I.Kuprin lived in Zhitomir. V.V.Mayakovsky |
| | | | visited Zhitomir in 1928. |
| Zhytomyr was allegedly established in the 8th | | | | |
| century by Zhytomyr, prince of a Slavic tribe | | | | The easiest way to get to the city is to |
| of Drevlians. | | | | first fly to Borispol in Kiev and take either |
| | | | a taxi (around 150 USD) or the train from |
| Zhytomyr apparently had few Jews at the time | | | | Kiev (around 20 USD). You can also enter |
| of the Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648), but by | | | | Ukraine at other airports, and you will very |
| the time it became part of Russia in 1778, it | | | | easy find train connections to the city, as |
| had a large Jewish community, and was a | | | | it is a hub for trains in the country. |
| center of the Hasidic movement. Jews formed | | | | |
| nearly a third of the 1861 population (13,299 | | | | The city has several hotels, although the |
| of 40,564); thirty years later they had | | | | standard is not high, but nice rooms are |
| somewhat outpaced the general growth of the | | | | available for a cheap price (around 50 USD pr |
| city, with 24,062 Jews in a total population | | | | night). |
| of 69,785. By 1891 there were three large | | | | |
| synagogues and 46 smaller batte ha-midrashot. | | | | Several sights are available to the visitor |
| The proportion of Jews was much lower in the | | | | of Zhitomir such as; the Zhitomir Regional |
| surrounding district of Zhytomyr outside the | | | | Library, Museum of local lore (Ethnographic |
| city; at the turn of the century (ca. 1900) | | | | museum), Palace of Justice (Former communist |
| there were 22,636 Jews in a total population | | | | party comitee headquarters), Preobrazheshskiy |
| of 281,378. | | | | Cathedral, Zhitomir Municipal building, city |
| | | | philharmonic in the old theatre, water tower, |
| The city is located on the shore of the | | | | Franko University, Museum of Cosmonautics, |
| Teteriv River. It is an industrial, cultural | | | | Gagarin Park, and the Korolyov Space museum |
| and educational center. Surrounded on all | | | | are some of the things you can see here. |
| sides by an ancient forest, the city boasts a | | | | |
| diversified economy ranging from lumber | | | | Main sights in Zhitomirskya oblast are: |
| milling and agriculture to food processing | | | | monastery of barefooted Carmelites dated by |
| and metal working. One of the more unique | | | | XVIII century in . Berdichev city, |
| industries in Zhitomir is the manufacture of | | | | Preobrazhensky cathedral, Roman-Catholic |
| musical instruments. | | | | church of Saint Sophia, Mikhalovskaya church |
| | | | in Zhitomir, memorial museum of Lesya |
| An ancient Slavic town, the first record of | | | | Ukrainka in Novograd-Volynskiy |
| Zhytomyr was chronicled when the city was | | | | |
| sacked in 1240 by the Mongol hordes of Batu | | | | The city has several good restaurants |
| Khan. The city subsequently passed into the | | | | offering local cousine as well as western |
| hands of the Lithuanians (1320), then the | | | | European cousine. |