About Bila Tserkva

Bila Tserkva (Russian Belaya Tserkov) is a city in Kiev oblast (province), north-central Ukraine. Situated on the Ros' River, about 75 km (about 45 mi) southwest of Kyiv, Bila Tserkva (Ukrainian for "white church") is a regional center in a rich farming region. It has factories that make farm machinery, food products, electrical equipment, tires and other rubber-asbestos goods, clothing, shoes, furniture, and building materials. The city has an institute of agriculture, an ethnographic museum, two drama theaters, Saint Nicholas Church (built in 1706), market stalls (built in the early 1800s), and Oleksandriya Park, which was laid out in the 1790s and covers 2000 hectares (4942 acres). Bila Tserkva is served by major highway and rail connections. Bila Tserkva was founded as Yuryiv in 1032 and obtained its present name in 1155. It passed to Lithuania in the 14th century and to Poland in 1569. Under Polish rule it became an important county town. During the 17th century, it served as the seat of the Cossack Bila Tserkva Regiment, and was the site of the signing of a treaty between Bohdan Khmel'nyts'kyy (the Ukrainian Cossack leader) and the defeated Poles in 1651. The treaty established an independent Cossack state. In 1793 Bila Tserkva became part of the Russian Empire. In the late 19th century it grew into a center for food production and trade. Following World War II (1939-1945), it developed a manufacturing base. Population (1998 estimate) 215,000.