Ukraine: Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia is the capital of Vinnytsia oblast in west-central Ukraine and dates back to 1363. Typical of most Ukrainian towns west of Kiev, it was once a prominent city in the Great Duchy of Lithuania (the town was granted Magdeburg city rights), then was part of Poland (here Winnica was considered the royal city), then under Russian Empire (that embarked on forceful russification), then communism and Nazi during WWII (35,000 people were exterminated here). Today, Vinnytsya is a beautiful town with turn of the century architecture, a lot of grand buildings, open squares, churches and cathedrals. The oldest part of the town is the Muir walls, remnants of the old fortifications. The most beautiful is the old water tower (now a museum) in the heart of the city. All in all, Vinnytsya is a fantastic town to walk around and enjoy.
