Pervomaisk ( uk, Первомайськ, , ; russian: Первомайск) is a landlocked city in
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast ( uk, Микола́ївська о́бласть, translit=Mykoláyivsʹka óblastʹ, ), also referred to as Mykolaivshchyna ( uk, Микола́ївщина, Mykoláivshchyna, ) is an oblast (province) of Ukraine. The administra ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
and the administrative center of the
Pervomaisk Raion. It is located on the
Southern Bug
, ''Pivdennyi Buh''
, name_etymology =
, image = Sunset S Bug Vinnitsa 2007 G1.jpg
, image_size = 270
, image_caption = Southern Bug River in the vicinity of Vinnytsia, Ukraine
, map = PietinisBu ...
river which bisects the city. Pervomaisk hosts the administration of
Pervomaisk urban hromada, one of the
hromada
A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...
s of Ukraine.
Population: In 2001, population was 70,170.
The city is known for being a center (headquarters) of the Soviet
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Фед� ...
during the Soviet period.
Until 18 July 2020, Pervomaisk was incorporated as a
city of oblast significance. It also served as the administrative center of Pervomaisk Raion even though it did not belong to the raion. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Mykolaiv Oblast to four, the city of Pervomaisk was merged into Pervomaisk Raion.
Etymology
The name derives from the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
''pervomay'' (первомай) meaning "the first of May," (
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...
), referring also to the city's formation on 1 May 1919 from the merger of three neighbouring places.
The name for one of the merged towns, Bohopil (or Bohopol), was derived from the name of a local river
Southern Bug
, ''Pivdennyi Buh''
, name_etymology =
, image = Sunset S Bug Vinnitsa 2007 G1.jpg
, image_size = 270
, image_caption = Southern Bug River in the vicinity of Vinnytsia, Ukraine
, map = PietinisBu ...
which in
Polish and
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
is named Boh.
History
The city was formed when three neighbouring settlements: the village of Holta (Голта) and the town of Bohopil (Богопіль) around a county city of Olviopol (Ольвіополь) were merged. The merger was adopted by the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee on June 6, 1919. These cities existed from 1773 and the first settlement in the area was mentioned as early as 1676.
In the 17th century Holta was part of
Zaporizhian Sich
The Zaporozhian Sich ( ua, Запорозька Січ, ; also uk, Вольностi Вiйська Запорозького Низового, ; Free lands of the Zaporozhian Host the Lower) was a semi-autonomous polity and proto-state of C ...
, Bohopil was the customs point of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
and Olviopol was part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
.
[No Holds Barred](_blank)
The Ukrainian Week
''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...
(19 July 2013)
World War II
In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Pervomaisk was occupied by the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
in 1941 and was divided between
German occupation authorities on the east bank (Bohopol and Olviopol) and the Romanian-occupied
region of Transnistria to the west (Holta). Holta served as the center of the Golta ''
judeţ'' (district) of Transnistria. Pervomaisk had been more than 1/3
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
before the war but most were murdered during the occupation.
Current history and Russo-Ukrainian War
Had the
Russian-held Mykolaiv Military–Civilian Administration pushed northwards capturing
Nova Odesa,
Voznesensk
Voznesensk ( uk, Вознесенськ, ; russian: Вознесенск) is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of Ukraine and the administrative center of Voznesensk Raion (district). It hosts the administration of the Voznesensk urban hroma ...
and
Yuzhnoukrainsk
Yuzhnoukrainsk (, ) is a city on the Southern Bug river, in Voznesensk Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine, about 350 kilometers (over 200 miles) south of the capital Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Yuzhnoukrainsk urban hromada, one of the hro ...
, Pervomaisk will be the ''de jure'' capital of the oblast.
Climate
Notable residents
*
Selig Brodetsky (1888–1954), British mathematician, President of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
Remarkable buildings and structures
In Pervomaisk, there is at 48°4'0"N 30°51'29"E a 196 metres tall guyed TV mast, equipped with 6 crossbars running from the mast body to the guys.
Pervomaisk was the former location of the
46th Rocket Division The 46th Nizhnedneprovskaya Rocket Division was a division of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces, active from 1961–62 to 1992 under the Soviet Union, and from 1992 to 2002 as part of Ukraine. The division traced its history back to the 188th Rif ...
of the
43rd Rocket Army
The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces. It was formed in Vinnytsia from the 43rd Air Army of Long Range Aviation. In 1991, it came under the control of the Commonwealth of Independent States while stat ...
of the Soviet
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation (RVSN RF; russian: Ракетные войска стратегического назначения Российской Фед� ...
, formed during the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
. One of the commanders of the division, appointed in 1991, was General Major Mikhail Filatov.
[Woff, Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, B39-16] The
RT-23UTTKh intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapo ...
silos based at Pervomaisk were destroyed, partially with
Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction
As the collapse of the Soviet Union appeared imminent, the United States and their NATO allies grew concerned of the risk of nuclear weapons held in the Soviet republics falling into enemy hands. The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program was ...
programme funding, during the 1990s.
Gallery
File:PervMR.jpg, Pervomaisk city council
File:Bogopol.jpg, Orthodox church of the Intercession of Our Lady in Pervomaisk
File:SS-24 silo destruction.jpg, Workers destroying a SS-24
The RT-23 Molodets (russian: РТ-23 УТТХ «Мо́лодец», lit. "brave man" or "fine fellow"; NATO reporting name: SS-24 Scalpel) was a cold-launched, three-stage, solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile developed and produced b ...
silo at Pervomaisk
See also
*
Lysa Hora
References
External links
Official website of Pervomaisk
{{Authority control
Cities in Mykolaiv Oblast
Cities of regional significance in Ukraine
Populated places on the Southern Bug
Populated places established in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Populated places established in 1919
Yelisavetgradsky Uyezd
Soviet toponymy in Ukraine
Holocaust locations in Ukraine