Vinnytsia is a provincial city in central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Buh river at Volhynian-Podolian Upland. It boasts population of 371 433 inhabitants (as of April, 2012). The name Vinnitsa was mentioned for the first time in 1363. Since 1395 it was situated within the borders of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vinnitsa was annexed to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in 1569. It was granted city rights in the 15th or in the first half of the 16th century. It had been a seat of Magistrates’ Court, Lands Tribunals and Regional Councils since 1589. It had belonged to the Russian Partition since 1793. In the 19th century it functioned as a trade and food industry centre. In 1922-1991, it was within the borders of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. It has been the administrative center of the Vinnitsa Oblast (province) since 1932. In 1941-1944, Vinnitsa was occupied by the German soldiers.
Today, Vinnitsa is a major industrial, cultural and academic centre of the western part of the country. Food, textile and chemical industry factories are operating in the city, as well as clothing industry, timber and machinery industry. In 2007, a company from Kielce, “Barlinek”, opened its factory in Vinnitsa too.
Four state schools of higher education operate in the city together with few private ones. Consulate General of the Republic of Poland has functioned there since February 2010. Social organisations as well as associations are very active in Vinnitsa, they bring Poles living in the city together and are a platform for culture revival.
The following monuments and places of interest are worth seeing in Vinnitsa: