Everything about Bilhorod-dnistrovskyi totally explained
» "Akkerman" redirects here. For other uses, see Akkerman (disambiguation). For the city in Russia, see Belgorod.
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (
transliteration:
Bilhorod-Dnistrovs’kyi) is a city situated on the right bank of the
Dniester Liman (on the
Dniester estuary leading to the
Black Sea) in the
Odessa Oblast (
province) of southwestern
Ukraine, in the historical region of
Bessarabia. In 2004, its population was estimated at 48,100.
Names
The city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is also referred to by alternative
transliterations from Ukrainian as
Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky or
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyy.
Previous settlements on the current site of the city were called
Ophiusa (Οφιούσα) or
Tyras (Τύρας), also the name for the
Dniester) by the
ancient Greeks and
Album Castrum ("White Castle") by the
Romans.
The
Byzantine fortress was first noted as
Asperon, a name deriving from the local
Turkic Pecheneg word for "white," after the appearance of the shoreline with its high content of white
seashells. The word "white" as a basis for the name of the city has persisted ever since.
Greek forms of the name were
Leukopolis (Λευκόπολης), meaning "white city",
Asprokastron (Ασπρόκαστρον) from
Asperon, and
Maurokastron (Μαύροκαστρον), ironically meaning "black castle". The latter was modified to
Latin Maurocastrum and
Moncastrum and, later, became
Italian Moncastro or
Maurocastro.
From 1503 to 1918 and 1940 to 1941, the city was known as
Akkerman,
Turkish for "white rock". From 1918 to 1944 (with a short brief in 1940-1941), the city was known by its
Romanian name of
Cetatea Albă, literally "white citadel". From 1944 to 1991, the city was most commomly known by its
Russian name of
Belgorod-Dnestrovskiy (Бе́лгород-Днестро́вский), literally "white city on the Dniester". Currently, the city is most commonly referred to by the
Ukrainian version of the same name Bilhorod-Dnistrovs’kyi (Білгород-Дністровський).
The city is known by translations of "white city" or "white rock" in a number of languages including Белгород Днестровски (
Belgorod-Dnestrovski) in
Bulgarian,
Akerman (Акерман) in
Gagauz,
Białogród nad Dniestrem in
Polish,
Dnyeszterfehérvár in
Hungarian, עיר לבן (
Ir Lavan) in
Hebrew, and
Walachisch Weißenburg by local
German speakers (although
Akkerman was usually used).
In western European languages, including English, the city has typically been known by the official name of the time or a transliteration derived from it.
Administrative status
Serving as the
administrative center of the
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion (
district), Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi itself is a
city of oblast subordinance, thus being subject directly to the
oblast authorities rather to the
raion administration housed in the city itself.
History
In the
6th century BC,
Milesian colonists founded a settlement named
Tyras on the future location of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, one which later came under
Roman and
Byzantine rule. The Byzantines built the fortress and named it
Asprocastron ("White Castle" - a meaning kept in several languages). The
Voskresensk Chronicle lists Belgorod "at the mouth of the Dniester, above the sea" among the towns controlled by
Kievan Rus.
In 14th century the city was briefly controlled by the
Republic of Genoa and by
King Louis I of
Hungary. Sfântul Ioan cel Nou (
Saint John the New), the
protector of
Moldavia, was
martyred in the city in
1330 during a
Tatar incursion. In
1391, Cetatea Albă was the last city on the right bank of the Dnister to be incorporated into the newly-established principality of
Moldavia, and for the next century was its second major city, the major port and an important fortress.
In 1420, the citadel was attacked for the first time by the
Ottomans, but defended successfully by Moldavian
Prince Alexander the Kind.
In 1484, along with
Kilia, it was the last of Black Sea ports to be conquered by the Ottomans. The Moldavian prince
Stephen the Great was unable to aid in its defence, being under threat of a
Polish invasion. The citadel surrendered when the Ottomans claimed to have reached an agreement with Prince Stephen, and promised safe passage to the inhabitants and their belongings; however, most of the city-dwellers were slaughtered. Later, attempts by Stephen the Great to restore his rule over the area were unsuccessful. Cetatea Albă was subsequently a base from which the Ottomans were able to attack Moldavia proper.
It was established as the fortress of
Akkerman, part of the Ottoman defensive system against
Poland-Lithuania and, later, the
Russian Empire. Major battles between the Ottomans and the Russians were fought near Akkerman in
1770 and
1789. Russia conquered the town in
1770,
1774, and
1806, but returned it after the conclusion of hostilities. It wasn't incorporated into Russia until
1812, along with the rest of
Bessarabia.
On
September 25,
1826, Russia and the Ottomans signed here the
Akkerman Convention which imposed that the
hospodars of Moldavia and
Wallachia be elected by their respective
Divans for seven-year terms, with the approval of both Powers.
In
1918 the city, along with the rest of Bessarabia, became part of
Romania. In the
interwar period, projects aimed to expand the city and the port were reviewed. Romania ceded the city to the Soviet Union following the
1940 Soviet Ultimatum but recaptured it in 1941 during the
invasion of the USSR by the
Axis forces in the course of the
Second World War and held it until 1944 when the
Red Army advance re-established the Soviet control over the area. The Soviets divided Bessarabia and its southern sides (including Bilhorod) became part of the
Ukrainian SSR, and after 1991, of nowadays Ukraine.
According to the
2001 Ukrainian census
, the majority of city population are
Ukrainians. The rest are
Russians (28%),
Bulgarians (4%) and
Moldovans (2%).
Natives
Further Information
Get more info on 'Bilhorod-dnistrovskyi'.
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