Medzhybizh
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Medzhybizh (Ukrainian: Меджибіж, Russian: Меджибож, translit. Medzhibozh, Polish: Międzybórz, Międzyborz or Międzybóż, Yiddish: מעזביזש, translit. Mezbizh) is a town in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the Letychivsky Raion (district), and is the birth place of Nachman of Breslav.
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[edit] History
The town's original name was Межибоже (Mezhybozhe) which means "between Buhs": the town is located between two rivers Southern Buh (Boh) and Bozhok (which means "small Boh").
For centuries, Medzyhbizh served as a cultural and commercial center because of its location at an intersection between Eastern and Central Europe. In the 14th century, it belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, after 1569 to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The principal landmark in the town is Medzhybizh fortress, built in 1540 by hetman Mikołaj Sieniawski, and which is still preserved, in spite of numerous attacks in the course of the town's turbulent history. In 1593, the town was granted the Magdeburg rights, which significantly elevated its status and strengthened commerce. In the 17th century, the town's population was approximately 12,000 (only 3,000 less than contemporary Kiev). The heterogeneous population of city was composed of Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Armenians, Greeks, Germans, Tatars and others. The Medzhybizh fairs were attended by merchants from Polish, German and Italian localities.
In the period from 1672 to 1699, Medzhybizh, together with parts of Podolsky and Kievsky voyevodeships, was occupied by Turkey, and its church was converted into a mosque.
In the 18th century the city became the center of hasidism, and the founder of the movement Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (also known as Ba'al Shem Tov, or Besht) of Medzhibozh resided there. After his death in 1760, his grave became the place of pilgrimage.
In the Soviet times the town became a provincial village. Image:Medzhibozh graves.jpg After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, activists from around the world work with Ukrainian authorities on restoration projects to turn the town into a center of international pilgrimage and tourism.
[edit] People
- Grand Rebbe Ba'al Shem Tov
- Grand Rebbe Boruch of Medzhibozh, Son of Adel the daughter of the Ba'al Shem Tov
- Grand Rebbe Nachman of Breslav, Great Grandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov
- Micha Josef Berdyczewski (Micha Bin Goryon), Hebrew author
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
- Meziboří (Schönbach), near Most, is a different city in the Czech Republic.
- Międzybórz (Sycowski) (Neumittelwalde) is the eponymous city in Silesia, now Poland.
- Międzybórz (disambiguation page).
| Image:Chmelnyzkyj-oblast-COA.PNG | Subdivisions of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine | Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg |
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Raions: Bilohirskyi | Chemerovetskyi | Derazhnianskyi | Dunaievetskyi | Horodotskyi | Iziaslavskyi | Kamianets-Podilskyi | Khmelnytskyi | Krasylivskyi | Letychivskyi | Novoushytskyi | Polonskyi | Shepetivskyi | Slavutskyi | Starokostiantynivskyi | Starosyniavskyi | Teofipolskyi | Vinkovetskyi | Volochyskyi | Yarmolynetskyi | ||
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Cities: Derazhnia | Dunaivtsi | Horodok | Iziaslav | Kamianets-Podilskyi | Khmelnytskyi | Krasyliv | Netishyn | Polonne | Shepetivka | Slavuta | Starokostiantyniv | Volochysk | ||
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Urban-type settlements: Antoniny | Bazaliya | Bilohirya | Chemerivtsi | Chornyi Ostriv | Hrytsiv | Letychiv | Lozove | Medzhybizh | Narkevychi | Nova Ushytsya | Poninka | Sataniv | Smotrych | Stara Syniava | Stara Ushytsya | Teofipol | Vinkivtsi | Viytivtsi | Vovkovyntsi | Yampil | Yarmolyntsi | Zakupne | more... | ||
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de:Medschybisch he:מז'יבוז' pl:Międzybóż ru:Меджибож uk:Меджибіж yi:מעזעביזש
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