Vinnytsia City Map Poster

About Vinnytsia

The city is an important industrial center, with a railway junction and an international airport. It is also home to the Vinnytsia National University. Vinnytsia has been known since the 13th century, although there are archaeological traces of human settlement dating back to the Stone Age (see Archaeology of Podillya). The name "Vinnytsia" derives from a legend about three brothers who founded it: Vynyatyi, Kuryati and Horyn. The area was part of Kyivan Rus' before falling under Polish control in 1340 when King Casimir III conquered Podolia during his war with Lithuania (1349–1366). In 1434 king Sigismund I the Old granted it town rights under Magdeburg law; this privilege was expanded by Casimir IV Jagiellon in 1566 when he signed a decree that officially made Vinnytsia into a city.