Bratslav Брацлав Bracław · בראָסלעוו |
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Town | ||
River in Bratslav
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Location of Bratslav | ||
Coordinates: 48°50′N 28°57′E / 48.833°N 28.950°E | ||
Country | Ukraine | |
Province | Vinnytsia Oblast | |
Raion | Nemyriv Raion | |
Founded | 1362 | |
Area | ||
• Total | 19.2 km2 (7.4 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 201 m (659 ft) | |
Population (2015) | ||
• Total | 5,557 | |
Zip Code | 22870—871 | |
Area code(s) | +380 4331 |
Bratslav (Ukrainian: Брацлав; Polish: Bracław; Yiddish: בראָסלעוו, Broslev, today also pronounced Breslev or Breslov as the name of a Hasidic group, which originated from this town) is an urban-type settlement in Ukraine, located in Nemyriv Raion of Vinnytsia Oblast, by the Southern Bug river. It is a medieval European city and a regional center of the Eastern Podolia region (see Bratslav Voivodeship) founded by government of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, which dramatically lost its importance during the 19th-20th centuries. Population: 5,557 (2015 est.)
The first written mention of Bratslav dates back to 1362. City status was granted Magdeburg Rights in 1564. Bratslav belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania until the Lublin Union of 1569, when it became a voivodeship center in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
In the early 16th century, the Starosta of Bratslav and Vinnytsia (Winnica) was Hetman Kostiantyn Ostrozky, who commanded Polish-Lithuanian army in the Battle of Orsha. Nevertheless, Ostrozky was unable to protect Bratslav and its castle from destruction in 1497, when the town was raided by Crimean Tatars. The castle was rebuilt and reinforced by order of Polish King Alexander I Jagiellon, but it was destroyed once again, in 1551, during a Tatar raid commanded by Khan Devlet I Giray, after which Bratslav turned into a desert.