Nikolaev City Information

General Information and City Photos
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	Time Zone The Time in Nikolaev, Ukraine

Nikolaev (Mykolaiv, Mikolaiv in Ukrainian) is located in Southern Ukraine, about 600 km south-east from Kiev, 150 km from Odessa and 80 km from the Black Sea on the estuary of the Southern Bug and Ingul rivers. Its population is about 518,400.

This territory has been home to different peoples for a long time since the Stone Age. The Slavs have inhabited this territory since the 3rd century AD. It was one of the Southern provinces of Kievan Rus. But the Slavs were forced out from this land by the Tatar-Mongol Horde in the 13th century AD. Ottoman Turkey conquered it at the end of the 15th century.

The 18th century was marked by a number of the Russian-Turkish wars. Russia began to build its fleet. In 1788 dockyard Ingulskaya appeared in the estuary of the Ingul river. And a new town grew around it very quickly.

The governor-general of this territory, prince Grigory Potyomkin ordered to give to the town the name Nikolaev to honor the victory of the Russian army over the Turks on the day of St. Nikolay, the seamen's patron. The decree was signed on the 27th of August 1789. And this date is considered to be the city's birthday.

The name "St. Nikolay" was given to the first frigate with 46 cannons launched from the new dockyard. This was the beginning of shipbuilding industry, the industry in which Nikolaev has been majoring since then.

At the end of the 19th century Nikolaev was one of the biggest trading centers in Russia. During World War II heroic defenders of Nikolaev saved the seaport from barbaric destruction.

Today Nikolaev is the center of shipbuilding industry of Ukraine. Headquarters of Ukrainian shipbuilding corporations are situated here. The city is nice and inhabited by nice people. And women there are beautiful and full of charm. Maybe in this very city the lady of your dreams lives?