Mykolayiv – Gem on the Black Sea Coast
Mykolaiv was originally founded in 1789 by Novorossiya Knyaz Potemkin, the Russian Governor General at the time. Initially it was to act as a naval base and shipyard known simply as the “New Shipyard on the Ingul River”. Later it was renamed in commemoration of the day Ochakov was captured by the Russian troops on December 6 of 1788, just thirteen days before the day of Saint Nicholas. This is a practice honored by the Russian Orthodox Church, thus making the name “Nikolaev” befitting. The main purpose of the town and its harbor was to service and repair the residential Russian Navy ships. In that same year Mykolaiv was given city rights and has become one of southern Ukraine’s major municipalities to date.
Today, the city is also commonly referred to as Mykolayiv, Nikolayev or Nikolaev and is recognized as the administrative center for the Mykolayiv Oblast and the districts of Mykolaivsky and Zhovtnevy, which lie within the Oblast as mentioned above. It must also be noted that, unlike other cities that are governed by the raion administration normally located in the municipality, Mykolayiv city is regarded as a subordinate of the Oblast, this in turn means that the area is subjected directly to the Oblast or province authorities rather then the district.
Much time went by, then in 1862 a commercial harbor was established along the coast, opening up for a direct railway route to the port. Presently, it has become one of the most important harbors, supporting the broad steppe grain lands as well as the Kryvyy Rih area. The city of Mykolayiv is also renowned for its extensive range in the consumer goods and engineering industries that are set-up here.
This beautiful city, modern in style, boasts a population of over 514,000 people and lies along the banks of the Southern Buh River estuary. It is also regarded highly for its location just 65 kilometers away from the Black Sea, or as it’s commonly referred to in Ukraine as ‘Chorne more’. It is interesting to take note of its position, giving the impression of an ‘inland’ sea situated in-between Anatolia and the southeastern Europe. However in essence it is just an extension of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
