Kremenchug

History

City plan at the end of 18th century.

Kremenchuk was supposedly founded in 1571. The name Kremenchuk consists of two words "kremen" -Chert(a mineral) and "chuk"- from Ukrainian "chuyu"because the city is located on a giant chert plate. From its situation at the southern terminus of the navigable course of the Dnieper river, and equally advantageous positioning on the crossway from Muscovy to Black Sea, it acquired a great commercial importance early on, and by 1655, it was a wealthy Cossack town. In 1625, at Lake Kurukove in Kremenchuk, the Treaty of Kurukove was signed between the Cossacks and the Poles.

During World War II (1939-1945), Kremenchuk suffered heavily under Nazi occupation. More than 90% of the city's buildings were leveled over the course of the war, and most of Kremenchuk's once substantial Jewish population was wiped out. September 29, the day when the city was liberated from the Nazis in 1943, is celebrated in Kremenchuk as the City Day. Despite a remarkable post-war recovery and a healthier economy, Kremenchuk lacks much of the architectural charm and distinctly Ukrainian (rather than Russian) character of its sister city, the oblast capital of Poltava. Some people, however, consider a benefit the nearly complete lack of old (pre-World War II) buildings, claiming that it gives Kremenchuk its own special appeal.

Lenin statue in the city-center.

Coordinates: 49°04′00″N 33°25′00″E / 49.066667°N 33.416667°E / 49.066667; 33.416667 Country  Ukraine
Oblast  Poltava Oblast
Mayor Mykola Volodymyrovych Hlukhov

Area  - Total 96 km² (37.1 sq mi)

Elevation 80 m (262 ft) Population (2005)  - Total 231,202

Time zone EET (UTC+2)  - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Postal code 39600-39689 Area code(s) 5366 Licence plate BI Sister cities Bydgoszcz, Svishtov, Bila Tserkva, Bitola, Novomoskovsk(Russia) Website rada.kremenchug.net