Huliaipole

Huliaipole(Ukrainian:Гуляйполе,IPA:[ɦʊlʲɐjˈpɔle];lit.'walk-about field') is a smallcityinPolohy Raion,Zaporizhzhia Oblast,Ukraine. It is known as the birthplace of Ukrainian anarchist revolutionaryNestor Makhno. In January 2022, it had an estimated population of12,786.
Huliaipole wasattacked by Russian forcesduring theRussian invasion of Ukraineand sustained heavy damage, placing it on one of the lines of contact separating Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Prior to the annexation of theCrimean Khanateby theRussian Empire, the area was mostly settled by theZaporozhian Cossacksand the nomadicLesser Nogai Horde. The settlement arose during the 1770s,after the construction of theDnieper defensive line[ru]on the former lands of theZaporozhian Sich, as part of theRussian Empire's policy to populate and develop the conquered Zaporozhian lands. WhenCatherine the Greatdissolved the Sich, the local Cossacks either fled into exile or were brought intoserfdom, with the residents of what is now Huliaipole falling under the yoke of theShabelskiys.
In 1785, the board of theYekaterinoslav Governorateordered the Novomoskovsk Zemstvo Court to establish the Huliaipole state military settlement for protection from the Crimean Khanate. Archival data confirmed that the first settlers came to the newly formed settlement from the territory ofStarodubsky District, and laterKyiv region,Chernihiv region,Poltava regionandSloboda Ukraine. The name "Huliaipole" (lit.'walk-about field') reflected the nature of the area where it was founded, which had frequently played host to fairs for a long time before the settlement's foundation. The settlement was traditionally divided intocenturies, administrative-territorial units formed along military lines.Hundreds of people fromPodolia,Pishchanka,Guryan,Verbiv,Bokhansky,Khersonand laterPolandsettled in this way. In 1794 the settlement had 150 yards. The inhabitants of the region were actively engaged inagricultureandanimal husbandry.
In 1797 the woodenOrthodox Church"Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Christ" was built, and Huliaipole became the township center ofAlexandrovsky Uyezd.
From the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, the village of Huliaipole wastransformedinto a commercial and industrial town. In 1859, the first trades fair took place in Huliaipole. There were more than fifty trading companies with a total turnover of 1 millionrubles. Next to them there were a large number of shops. The increased trade contributed to a large influx of population.
In the post-reformperiod, industrial enterprises emerged one after another in Huliaipole. In 1882, Krieger's factory of agricultural machinery began operating. Ten years later, another such plant and steam mill was opened by the industrialist Kerner. Both factories producedharvesters,horse threshers,choppers, and so on. The landowner Schroeder also had a large steam mill. In the following years,distilleries, severaloil mills, andwarehouseswere put into operation. There were 18 shops in the village, and about three dozen merchants traded. In 1898, theChaplyne–Berdyanskrailway was laid nearby, which had a positive effect on the economic development of the village.
There were two agricultural machinery factories, four distilleries and onebreweryin Huliaipole. There were threesteam millsin Huliaipole and dozens more in the surrounding villages and economies that were part of Huliaipole parish. Besides them, there were a large number of peasant "windmills" around. In addition, there were two brick and tile factories in Huliaipole and twelve in villages and hamlets.
Along with industrial enterprises, in the village there were a dozen small, semi-artisanal productions - a crew workshop, several potters, as well as oil mills, smithies, carpentry and other workshops.
From 1884 until the First World War,Zemstvoexhibitions and auctions of agricultural and industrial products took place in Huliaipole every three years.
AfterWorld War I, new socio-economic transformations took place in Huliaipole, caused by the change of state power and political regime. Between 1917 and 1921, reflective of the turbulence in the region brought about by theRussian Civil War(and concurrentUkrainian War of Independence), the town changed hands no fewer than sixteen times. During this period, Huliaipole was variously held byAustro-Hungarianforces, theRed Army, theUkrainian People's Republic, theHetmanate,Anton Denikin'sWhite Armyand theNestor Makhno'sInsurgent Army, among others.During the conflict, Huliaipole became widely known as the headquarters of theRevolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraineand the capital of theMakhnovshchina.
During theindustrialization of the 1930s, a rapid industrial development began to take place in Huliaipole,resulting in it gaining city status in 1938.Meanwhile, at least 108 residents of Huliaipole died during theHolodomorof 1932–1933.
On 5 October 1941, as a result of theGerman offensive,Soviet troopsfled the city and it was occupied by theWehrmacht.On 16 September 1943, it was liberated by the Soviet troops of theSouthern Frontduring theDonbas strategic offensive.
In 1952, a brick factory, a butter factory, a garment and footwear factory, a pedagogical school, a secondary school, four seven-year schools, six elementary schools, a cinema and a club functioned here.In 1970, there was an agricultural machinery plant, a paint and varnish plant, an auto repair plant, a household goods plant, a cheese-making plant and a shoe factory.
By the time of theDeclaration of Independence of Ukraine, the basis of the city's economy was an agricultural machinery plant, a paints and varnishes plant, a shoe factory and food industry enterprises.In May 1995, theGovernment of Ukraineapproved the decision on theprivatizationof the agricultural machinery plant,the paints and varnishes plant, regional agricultural and chemistry plants.In July 1995, a decision was approved on the privatization of thestate farm.On 17 December 2004, the economic court of theZaporizhzhia Oblastfiled abankruptcycase against a privatized agricultural machinery plant.On 17 July 2020, as a result of administrative-territorial reform and liquidation ofHuliaipole Raion, the city became a part ofPolohy Raion.
During thesouthern Ukraine offensiveof the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, abattle for control of Huliaipolebroke out between theRussian Armed ForcesandUkrainian Armed Forces.Under constant bombardment by Russian forces,many of Huliaipole's residents have been evacuated by the local administration,while a number ofresidential buildingsand civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
The town of Huliaipole is located in the Gaichur river valley(the name of the reservoir is etymologized from theTurkic languages: gai "free" + chur "steppe"), upstream at a distance of 3.5 km is the village ofMarfopil, downstream at a distance of 1.5 km is the village ofZelene. It is located 8 km from the railway station of the same name and 98 km from the regional center ofZaporizhzhia(via highways H08 and T 0814). In the north,Polohy Raionborders withSynelnykove Raionof theDnipropetrovsk Oblast, in the east - withDonetsk.
Ethnic and linguistic composition according to the2001 Ukrainian census:
47°39′N36°16′E﻿ / ﻿47.650°N 36.267°E﻿ /47.650; 36.267