When was the city of Dnipro founded and what was its original name?
The settlement that emerged around Novyi Kodak fortress became known as Polovytsia by the mid-1730s. Russian Empress Catherine II signed an Imperial Ukase on the 23rd of January 1784 directing that the gubernatorial city be moved to the right bank of the Dnieper River near Kodak. A report from Azov Governor Vasily Chertkov to Grigory Potemkin dated the 23rd of April 1776 first mentioned the provincial city called Yekaterinoslav.
What industrial developments occurred in Dnipropetrovsk during the early 20th century?
John Hughes, a Welsh businessman, built an iron works at Yuzovka between 1869 and 1872. By 1904, the population had tripled to reach 157,000 people. In 1884, a railway supplying pig iron foundries in Krivoy Rog with Donbass coal crossed the Dnieper at Yekaterinoslav.
How did World War II affect the military industry of Dnipro?
As early as July 1944, the State Committee of Defence in Moscow decided to build a large military machine-building factory on the location of the pre-war aircraft plant. Thousands of German prisoners of war began construction in December 1945. This formed the foundation of the Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory.
When was the city of Dnipro officially renamed from Dnipropetrovsk?
To comply with the 2015 decommunization law, the city was renamed Dnipro in May 2016. By summer 2016, more than 350 streets, alleys, driveways, squares and parks were renamed. Karl Marx Avenue became Yavornytskyi Avenue honoring the once neglected city historian.
What major events occurred during the Russian invasion of Ukraine involving Dnipro?
The Russians first hit Dnipro on the 11th of March 2022. Three air strikes close to a kindergarten and an apartment building killed at least one person. The most deadly attack occurred on the 14th of January 2023 when a missile strike on an apartment building killed 40 people and injured 75.