On the second weekend of September (second Saturday-Sunday), residents of Zhytomyr celebrate the holiday of their hometown – Zhytomyr City Day.

Zhytomyr is one of the oldest cities in Russia and is located in the north of modern Ukraine. The year 884 is considered the date of foundation. Archaeological studies indicate that the first settlements here were in the Bronze Age. The city has long been inhabited by the Drevlians, in particular, the Zhytichi, who were part of their tribal union (according to the scientist Shafarik). The name of the tribe, according to some sources, gave the name to the city – Zhytomyr. However, there are other versions. For example, Zhytomyr was the name of one soldier of the Kiev princes Askold and Dir, who, having refused to serve Oleg, hid in these regions.

In 1240, during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the city was ruined and destroyed, like most of the Russian settlements of that time. In 1320, Zhytomyr was recaptured by the Lithuanian prince Gedimin and freed from the Golden Horde, although the city was subject to Tatar raids several more times until the 17th century.

Zhytomyr received Magdeburg rights in 1444. In 1569, it became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and later – the Russian Empire, in 1804 it became the administrative center of the Volyn Province. The city suffered the greatest destruction during the Second World War and only in the 50s of the 20th century the population reached its pre-war level.

Interesting information

• Today, Zhytomyr is an extremely beautiful city with many architectural monuments. One of them is the Zhytomyr Regional Philharmonic named after Svyatoslav Richter, which was built in 1858 and is the oldest theater in Ukraine.
• It is also an interesting fact that every third pack of ice cream in Ukraine is made in this city.
• Even in Zhytomyr, original spare parts for BMW and Audi cars are produced.