Vinnitsa as a small settlement was founded on the picturesque banks of the Southern Bug river in 1363 by Lithuanian Prince Olgert.

But numerous archeological excavations have proved that Slavic tribes lived in this area as far back as deep antiquity. The history of this land is closely connected with the names of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ivan Bogun, Maxim Krivonos, Yustim Karmalyuk and many other heroes of Ukrainian people. Since the Middle Ages and XVII-XLX centuries, pieces of a tall brick town wall, several churches and cathedrals, as well as many private residences have remained, which are used for different purposes.

Monument to N. Pirogov If you are interested in history, it would be worthwhile to visit our museum of Local Lore which is situated in the center of Vinnitsa near the bridge across the Southern Bug. There are expositions devoted to various periods of the development of Vinnitsa - from the times of antique coins, vases and cutlery of the Slavs to the modern examples of products which Vinnitsa enterprises produce. The citizens of Vinnitsa and guests like to attend the estate-museum of famous doctor Pirogov (1810-1881), the founder of the battle-field surgery, a famous scientist and pedagogue. He invented narcosis, gypseous cast and many other things. One of the main streets in our town, the Medical University and the regional hospital are named after him. On Pirogov street, you can see the monument to this outstanding doctor. The monument was unveiled in 1971 on the occasion of the centenary of the Red Cross Society in Russia. Every day many tourists

from Ukrainian towns and villages, as well as from abroad, come to this estate- museum on excursions. They can look at the rooms where the professor wrote his scientific works, examined patients, rested, listened to music by P. Tchaikovsky, etc. They will surely enjoy walking in the park that surrounds the house. Some old trees in the park were planted by Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov and the members of his family. Not far from this place, there is a church which the family attended, and the burial vault where the embalmed body of the scientist is kept.

Nikolayevskaya Church - crypt of N. Pigorov
Many of our guests enjoy visiting the museum of the classic of Ukrainian literature Michailo Kotsubinskiy (1864-1913). The small white washed house where he lived with his family is in the center of Vinnitsa.

There is one more place in our town which is known all over the world – Hitler's Headquarters. It is situated between Vinnitsa and the village of Strizhavka.

During the Great Patriotic War, many soldiers and officers were captured and imprisoned in special camps. There were engineers, builders and good workers among them. They were picked out and taken to Vinnitsa to build a huge underground structure for Hitler and his staff. Many thousands of people were shot after the headquarters was built. Al the entrances were concreted, mined and hidden. At the end of World War 2 this place was heavily bombarded, and still nobody really knows what is inside.

Now Vinnitsa is one of the 25 regions of Ukraine. It is situated in the central part of Ukraine. The total area of Vinnitsa region is about 16 thousand sq. miles, the population of city is about half a million people.

The main rivers are the Southern Bug and the Dniester. We also have nearly 50 small rivers and 2300 lakes. The natural resources are the following: deposits of granite, lime stone, clay, sand and mineral spring water in several places. Our rivers and lakes are full of fish: carps, pikes, perches, catfishes.

The climate of Vinnitsa region is moderately humid. The usual temperature in summer is +22°C, in winter - 6°C. The bathing season lasts from June to August and many citizens go picnicking in open air on weekends. Sometimes, you can come across a wolf or an elk.

It is quite obvious that Vinnitsa is the main industrial, transport, agricultural, cultural, and educational center of the region. The enterprises of Vinnitsa and industrial centres such as Kalynivka, Zhmerinka, Gaisin, Bershad etc can produce chemicals, motors and instruments, radio and TV lamps, building details, furniture, food products.

Vinnitsa is known as agricultural center because the fertile soil of the region is favorable for vegetables in and fruit trees. The main crop is sugar beet. Sugar beets raising and sugar industry are widely spread.

Although Vinnitsa region has a great economical and agricultural potential but still most of the enterprises do not work and unemployment is constantly increasing.