Balta Балта | |
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 The city view | |
.png) Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Balta Location of Balta in Odesa Oblast Show map of Ukraine Balta Balta (Odesa Oblast) Show map of Odesa Oblast | |
| Coordinates:47°56′24″N29°37′19″E / 47.94000°N 29.62194°E /47.94000; 29.62194 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Odesa Oblast |
| Raion | Podilsk Raion |
| Hromada | Balta urban hromada |
| Founded | 1526 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Serhiy Mazur[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.97 km2 (8.87 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 17,854 |
| • Density | 777.3/km2 (2,013/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 66100—66105 |
| Area code | +380 4866 |
| Website | [1] |
Balta (Ukrainian:Балта,pronounced[ˈbɑltɐ]ⓘ;Romanian:Balta;Polish:Bałta;[3]Yiddish:באַלטאַ) is a city inPodilsk Raion,Odesa Oblast in south-westernUkraine. It hosts the administration ofBalta urban hromada, one of thehromadas of Ukraine.[4] Population:17,854 (2022 estimate).[5] The city's population was 19,772 as of the2001 Ukrainian Census.[6]
The first mentions of Balta, a town on the right bank of theKodyma River, go back to 1526. In the 18th century, Polish noblemanJózef Aleksander Lubomirski founded the border town of Józefgród, named after him, on the left bank of the Kodyma, opposite ofOttoman-ruled Balta.[3] In 1768, a Polish unit of theBar Confederation fled across the border to Ottoman-ruled Balta, followed by chasing Russian troops, who then burned the town, an event that sparked theRusso-Turkish War (1768–1774).[3] In 1776, KingStanisław August Poniatowski vested Józefgród withtown rights and established two annualfairs.[7] It was aprivate town of theLubomirski family, administratively located in the Bracław County in theBracław Voivodeship in theLesser Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland.[8]
Balta and Józefgród were annexed byRussia in 1791[7] and1793, respectively. In 1797, Józefgród, by then renamed toYelensk (Еленськ) and Balta were merged into one town, retaining the name of the latter.[7] It is located in the historicPodolia region.[9] According to theRussian census of 1897, with a population of 23,363 it was the fourth largest city of Podolia afterKamianets-Podilskyi,Uman andVinnytsia. In 1900, the city'sJewish population numbered 13,235.[9]
Pogroms occurred in Balta in 1882 and 1905.[10]
From 1924–1929, the city was the capital of theMoldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.[7] With theannexation of Bessarabia in 1940, Balta became a part of theOdesa Oblast of theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.[7] It was occupied byGerman andRomanian troops on 5 August 1941 and became part ofTransnistria Governorate inKingdom of Romania until its recapture on 29 March 1944 byRed Army.
Until 2016, Balta was part of Balta Raion. On 4 February 2016, it was designated the city of oblast significance but remained the administrative center of the raion.[11] It was incorporated as the center of Balta Municipality. The municipality was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Odesa Oblast to seven. The area of Balta Municipality was merged into Podilsk Raion.[12][13]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1849 | 9,810 | — |
| 1860 | 14,154 | +44.3% |
| 1897 | 23,363 | +65.1% |
| 1959 | 17,922 | −23.3% |
| 1970 | 20,317 | +13.4% |
| 1979 | 20,929 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 23,293 | +11.3% |
| 2001 | 19,962 | −14.3% |
| 2016 | 18,955 | −5.0% |
| Source:[3] | ||
Distribution of the population by ethnicity according to the2001 Ukrainian census:[14]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainians | 82.74% | |||
| Russians | 13.46% | |||
| Moldovans | 1.70% | |||
| Ashkenazi Jews | 0.56% | |||
| Belarusians | 0.37% | |||
| Bulgarians | 0.23% | |||
| Armenians | 0.13% | |||
| Poles | 0.10% | |||
| Georgians | 0.09% | |||
Distribution of the population by native language according to the2001 census:[15]
| Language | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | 81.02% | |
| Russian | 17.41% | |
| Romanian | 0.98% | |
| other/undecided | 1.28% |
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Media related toБалта at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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