Uman
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| Uman Умань |
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  Uman
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country Oblast Raion |
Ukraine Cherkasy Oblast Umanskyi Raion |
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| First mentioned | 1616 | ||
| City rights | 1795 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Yuri Bodrov | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 41 km² (15.8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 166 m (545 ft) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 88,730 | ||
| - Density | 2,154/km² (5,578.8/sq mi) | ||
| Postal code | 20300 | ||
| Area code(s) | +380 4744 | ||
| Website: www.uman.kiev.ua | |||
Uman (Ukrainian: Умань, translit. Uman’; also referred to in Polish as Humań and in Yiddish as Imen' with palatized n) is a city located in the Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. The city rests on the banks of the Umanka River at around , and serves as the administrative center of the Umanskyi Raion (district), however the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast.
The current estimated population is 88,730 (as of 2004).
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[edit] History
Uman is known since 1616 as a defensive fort built against Tatar raids and a prominent Cossack regiment was stationed in the town. In 1670–1674, Uman was a residence of the Hetman of right-bank Ukraine.
In 1768 Massacre of Uman occurred after Cossack (Haydamak) rebels Maksym Zalizniak and Ivan Gonta captured Uman during anti-Polish uprising known as "Koliyivschyna" in the area (Uman's modern coat-of-arms commemorates the event depicting a "Koliy" rebel armed with a spear). In 1793 Uman became part of the Russian Empire and a number of aristocratic residences were built there. Uman's landmark is a famous park complex Sofiyivka (Софiївка; Polish: Zofiówka) founded in 1796 by Count Stanislaw Szczesny Potocki, a noble Polish szlachcic, who named it for his wife Sofia. The Sofia Park has a number of waterfalls and narrow, arching stone bridges crossing the streams and scenic ravines. These bridges may have been the inspiration for the famous quote by Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (see below): "All the world is just a narrow bridge, but the main thing is not to fear." This was set to music in both Hebrew and English, and is still sung by Jews around the world.
[edit] Jewish community
A large Jewish community lived in town in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the Second World War, in 1941, the battle of Uman took place in the vicinity of the town, where the German army encircled Soviet positions.
[edit] Burial site of the Rebbe
Uman is the burial place of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the Rebbe of the Breslov group of Hasidic Jews. Rabbi Nachman spent the end of his life in Uman, and specifically requested to be buried there. During Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) there is a major pilgrimage by Breslov Hasidim and others to visit the grave in Uman; this has increased in recent years to the point where some 30,000 chassidim attend each year (mainly men). This practice dates back to 1811, the year after Rabbi Nachman was buried in Uman. The Rebbe told his hassidim, before he died, that they should join him for Rosh Hashana, and this is why the devout Breslov Hassidim still visit him every year for the Jewish new year.
During the Soviet regime the pilgrimage was forbidden by the authorities, but was resumed in 1989 before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. [1]
The Soviet general Ivan Chernyakhovsky and a Yiddish writer Hershl Polyanker were born in Uman.
[edit] See also
- Sofiyivsky Park - a landscape park near the city
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] References
- (Ukrainian) (1972) Icтopia мicт i ciл Укpaїнcькoї CCP - Черкаськa область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast), Kyiv.
- (English) Uman in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- ^ See the article "A New Phase in Jewish-Ukrainian Relations" by Mitsuharo Akao; bibliographical details at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a780715503~db=all
[edit] External links
- (Ukrainian) Uman informational portal
- (English) All about Uman
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