Tatarbunary (, ; ; ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion ( uk, Білгород-Дністровський район; ro, Raionul Cetatea Albă) is a raion (district) in Odesa Oblast of Ukraine. It is part of the historical region of Bessarabia. Its administrative center is ...
,
Odesa Oblast
Odesa Oblast ( uk, Оде́ська о́бласть, translit=Odeska oblast), also referred to as Odeshchyna ( uk, Оде́щина) is an oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administr ...
(
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
) of south-western
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 inv ...
. Administrative center of the
Tatarbunary municipality. It is located north of the
Danube Delta
The Danube Delta ( ro, Delta Dunării, ; uk, Дельта Дунаю, Deľta Dunaju, ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Ro ...
, in
Budjak
Budjak or Budzhak (Bulgarian and Ukrainian: Буджак; ro, Bugeac; Gagauz and Turkish: ''Bucak''), historically part of Bessarabia until 1812, is a historical region in Ukraine and Moldova. Lying along the Black Sea between the Danube ...
area, approximately south-west of the oblast center,
Odesa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...
, close to
Sasyk Lagoon
__NOTOC__
Sasyk, or Kunduk ( uk, Сасик, Кундук – transcribed as previous, ro, Limanul Sasic, Conduc, tr, Sasık Gölü, Kunduk Gölü), is a lagoon or liman in southern Ukraine, near the Danube Delta. It is a Ramsar listed wetland ...
. Population:
The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in
South Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages are one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches (West and East) ...
, with "bunar" borrowed from Turkic "pınar", "well". The name Tatarbunar is mentioned by
Dimitrie Cantemir
Dimitrie or Demetrius Cantemir (, russian: Дмитрий Кантемир; 26 October 1673 – 21 August 1723), also known by other spellings, was a Romanian prince, statesman, and man of letters, regarded as one of the most significant e ...
in his work ''
Descriptio Moldaviae'' (1714–1716).
History
The settlement appears to have been founded in the 16th century,
when the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...
, became dependent of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. Later it was annexed by 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. ...
in 1812
along with
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
(eastern half of the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...
). In the wake of the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, the region was claimed by the
Moldavian Democratic Republic
The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; ro, Republica Democratică Moldovenească, ), also known as the Moldavian Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–Novembe ...
, the
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...
and the
Odesa Soviet Republic. Ultimately occupied by
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n troops in mid February 1918, it formally became part of the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
in March, after a regional council in Chişinău proclaimed the whole of Bessarabia united with the latter. During 1924, the settlement was the site of a peasants' revolt known as the
Tatarbunary Uprising
The Tatarbunary Uprising ( ro, Răscoala de la Tatarbunar) was a Bolshevik-inspired and Soviet-backed peasant revolt that took place on 15–18 September 1924, in and around the town of Tatarbunary (''Tatar-Bunar'' or ''Tatarbunar'') in Budjak ...
.
In 1940, following
Soviet Ultimatum the city and the
Budzhak region was transferred to the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and incorporated into
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
as
Akkerman Oblast. In 1941–44 it was occupied by Romania following
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
*Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinate ...
attack on the Soviet Union.
During World War II, an
Einsatzgruppen
(, ; also ' task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the im ...
massacred the local Jewish population in a mass execution.
In 1978, Tatarbunary obtained city status.
It now produces wine and woollen cloth.
Environmental issues
An assessment in August 2007 highlighted several problems.
Drinking water
The central water supply serves 60% of the population, drawing water from a depth of 120 metres. The water tastes salty, and the limited capacity means that water is available for only four hours per day. The other 40% of the population use private wells, but the water is dirty and unsuitable for drinking. Many people harvest rainwater, but this is considered unsuitable for drinking and is used for irrigation and washing.
People have no choice but to drink processed water from water tanks.
Sanitation
Some sewage flows untreated into
Sasyk Lagoon
__NOTOC__
Sasyk, or Kunduk ( uk, Сасик, Кундук – transcribed as previous, ro, Limanul Sasic, Conduc, tr, Sasık Gölü, Kunduk Gölü), is a lagoon or liman in southern Ukraine, near the Danube Delta. It is a Ramsar listed wetland ...
, others use pit latrines which present a problem because of regular flooding.
Pollution
The
Sasyk Lagoon
__NOTOC__
Sasyk, or Kunduk ( uk, Сасик, Кундук – transcribed as previous, ro, Limanul Sasic, Conduc, tr, Sasık Gölü, Kunduk Gölü), is a lagoon or liman in southern Ukraine, near the Danube Delta. It is a Ramsar listed wetland ...
has become too dangerous for swimming because of pollution, including pesticides and heavy metals. The water is described as greenish with an unpleasant smell.
This follows a Soviet project in the late 1970s, when a dam was built separating Sasyk Lagoon from the Black Sea with the idea of converting the lagoon to a fresh water lake to use for irrigation. However, this failed and the use of water from Sasyk resulted in the salinization of about 30,000 hectares of land, with associated impact on crops, and mineralization of ground water and wells.
Many now favour breaking the dam and reconnecting the lagoon with the sea.
Health
The rates of cancer in this region are among the highest in Ukraine, especially among children and young adults.
Photographs
File:Tatarbunary culture palace.jpg, Tatarbunary culture palace
File:Успенская церковь..JPG, Church of the Dormition
File:Holy Trinity church in Tatarbunary.jpg, Holy Trinity Church
File:Tatarbunary Uprising monument 03.jpg, Tatarbunary Uprising monument
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Odesa Oblast
Populated places in Bessarabia
Akkermansky Uyezd
Holocaust locations in Ukraine
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion