Kamenets-Podolsky

Kamenets-Podolsky

Kamenets-Podolsk (Ukrainian: Кам’янець-Подільський, translit. Kam’yanets’-Podil’s’kyi; also referred to as Kamyanets-Podilsky or Kamenets-Podolsky; see #Nomenclature section below for more names) is a city located on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (Ukrainian: Хмельницька область, translit., Khmelnutska oblast’), the city is now the administrative center of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion (district) within the Khmelnytsky Oblast (province), after the administrative center of the oblast was moved from the city of Kamianets-Podilskyi to the city of Khmelnytskyi in 1941. The city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast.

The current estimated population is around 99,068.

The first part of the city's dual name originates from kamin’ (Ukrainian: камiнь) or kamen, meaning "stone" in the Old East Slavic language. The second part of the name relates to the historic region of Podillia (Ukrainian: Поділля) of which Kamianets-Podilskyi is considered to be the historic capital.

The name is written and pronounced similarly in different languages: Polish: Kamieniec Podolski; Russian: Каменец-Подольский (translit. Kamenets-Podolsky); Romanian: Cameniţa; Turkish: Kamaniçe; Latin: Camenecium; Yiddish: קאַמענעץ (Kamenets)

The different peoples and cultures that have lived in the city have each brought their own culture and architecture. Examples include the Polish, Ukrainian and Armenian markets. Famous tourist attraction include the ancient castle, and the numerous architectural attractions in the city's center, including the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the city hall building, and the numerous fortifications.

Ballooning activities in the canyon of the Smotrych River have also brought tourists. Since the late 1990s, the city has grown into one of the chief tourist centers of western Ukraine. Annual Cossack Games (Kozatski zabavy) and festivals, which include the open ballooning championship of Ukraine, car racing and various music, art and drama activities, attract an estimated 140,000 tourists and stimulate the local economy. More than a dozen privately owned hotels have recently opened, a large number for a provincial Ukrainian city.