Berdychiv

Berdychiv (Ukrainian: Берди́чів, IPA: [berˈdɪtʃiu̯] ; Russian: Берди́чев; Polish: Berdyczów; Yiddish: בערדיטשעוו) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is 44 km (27 mi) south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximately 73,046 (2022 estimate). The area has seen various cultural influences and political changes over time, from its early settlement by the Chernyakhov culture to its position within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later, the Russian Empire. Berdychiv was an important trading and banking center in its heyday, but the town became impoverished after the banking industry moved to Odesa in the mid-19th century. Berdychiv was also a significant center of Jewish history, with a large Jewish population and an important role in the development of Hasidism. However, during World War II, the Nazis and their collaborators brutally massacred tens of thousands of Jews in Berdychiv. Before the Holocaust, about 80 percent of the town’s population was Jewish. The city has seen continued conflict, with damage sustained during the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022.