Volodymyr (city)

Volodymyr (Володи́мир), previously known as Volodymyr-Volynskyi (Володи́мир-Воли́нський) from 1944 to 2021, is a small city in Volyn Oblast, north-western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Volodymyr Raion and the center of Volodymyr hromada. It is one of the oldest cities in Ukraine and the historic centre of the region of Volhynia; it served as the capital of the Principality of Volhynia and later as one of the capital cities of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. Population: The medieval Latin name of the town "Lodomeria" became the namesake of the 19th century Austro-Hungarian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, of which the town itself was not a part. south from Volodymyr is Zymne, where the oldest Orthodox monastery in Volynia is located. The city was named after Vladimir the Great (Volodymyr the Great), who was born in the village of Budiatychi, about 20 km from Volodymyr, and later also abbreviated Lodomeria, Ladimiri. Following the partitions of Poland and the annexation of Volhynia by the Russian Empire in 1795, it was called Volodymyr-Volynskyi (Vladimir-Volynsky) to distinguish it from Vladimir-on-Klyazma. The name was not in use between 1919 and 1939 when the city was part of Poland. In 1944, the name Volodymyr-Volynskyi was restored. On 1 October 2021, the city council voted to drop the regional qualifier and change the name of the city to just Volodymyr. The decision had to be ratified by Ukraine's national parliament (Verkhovna Rada) to take effect. On 14 December 2021 parliament approved the name change (it was supported by 348 people's deputies). The city of Vladimir in Russia opposed the name change, claiming that there can be only one city called Vladimir. Over the centuries its residents and rulers have used various names: Wolodymyr Lodomeria Владимирь Володимѣрь Володимєръ Włodzimierz Влади́міръ/Влади́міръ-Волы́нскъ/Влади́мир-Волы́нск/Влади́мир-Волы́нский Володимир/Володимир-Волинськ/Володимир-Волинський Уладзімер/Уладзімер-Валынск/Уладзімер-Валынскі לודמיר‎ The city is one of the oldest towns in Ukraine.