Travel Guide Berdychiv (Бердичів)

Today, it is difficult to guess that this sleepy little town at the gates of Polesia was once one of Europe's main trading hubs, a huge home for smugglers and, in addition, an important centre of Jewish culture, to the extent that Berdychiv was also called the Jerusalem of Volhynia. Founded in the mid-16th century, thanks to its strategic position at the crossroads of trade routes, the city has always been very prosperous, but its importance increased significantly from the end of the 18th century when it became Ukraine's major trading centre. Fairs were regularly organised in Berdychiv, such as the Onufrievska fair, which was as large as in Leipzig. Smuggler trafficking also flourished there. For a long time Berdychiv remained a Jewish city, a true shtetl of Eastern Europe. In 1765, Jews accounted for 80% of the population. Unfortunately, only 20% of Jews survived the Nazi occupation, the rest were exterminated in the camps around the city. Today, there are only a few hundred Jews here. The central synagogue (Центральна синагога, Sverdlova Street 8) dates from 1891 and is still in operation. The tomb of Rabbi Levi Isaac Ben Meir is the subject of pilgrimages by Hassides from all over the world.The city is linked to several famous people: the Soviet writer Vasili Grossman dedicated to his hometown the story In the city of Berditchev, the English writer of Polish origin Joseph Conrad was born here, Rabbi Levi Isaac Ben Meir, one of the main representatives of Hasidism in the 18th century, spent most of his life in Berdychiv. Not to mention... Honoured by Balzac! From 1847 to 1850 the French writer stayed in the residence of Countess Ewelina Hańska in her property in Verkhivne, not far from Zhytomyr, and married her in 1850 in Berdychiv, three months before her death. The wedding took place in the Catholic Church of St. Barbara (костьол святоï Варвари, rue Liebknecht 25). In 2011, a monument in honour of the writer was inaugurated in front of the church.