Population: 350,000

City Founded in 1345

The city is located in Central Ukraine, with direct train and bus connections to Kyiv, L’viv, Odessa, Moscow, Bratislava and other major Eastern European cities.

Vinnytisa is a bi-lingual city, with most residents speaking both Ukrainian and Russian. Due to the Vinnytsia Pedagological University, as well as a good local school system, many young people also speak English, German and/or French.

Famous residents of the area include:

• Nikolay Pirogov, founding father of anesthesia and modern battlefield medicine;
• Mykhailo Grushevsky, first Ukrainian president;
• Mykhailo Kotsybyns’ky, famous author;
• Pyotr Tchykovski, famous composer.

Vinnytsa has sister city relationships with Birmingham, Alabama (USA), Kielce (Poland), Peterborough (England), Rîbniţa (Moldova).

The Southern Bugh River flows through the center of Vinnytsa.

Vinnytsa is home to many respected universities and institutes, including the internationally-recognized Pirogov Medical University. The large foreign student population helps to make Vinnytsa one of the more diverse cities in Ukraine.

Vinnytsa is home base for the Ukrainian Air Force.

Agriculture is a major industry in the Vinnytsa oblast of Ukraine. This is due to the area’s famous ‘black soil’. In addition to industrial production of sugar beets, wheat, corn and tomatoes, local residents produce an enormous variety of fruits and vegetables that are available in the city markets.