Pavlohrad

Pavlohrad (Ukrainian: Павлоград, pronounced [pɐu̯loˈɦrɑd] ^ⓘ) is a city in eastern Ukraine, located within Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. It serves as the administrative center of Pavlohrad Raion. Its population is approximately 101,430 (2022 estimate).

The rivers of Vovcha (runs through the city 12.85 kilometres (7.98 mi) towards the Samara River), Hnizdka (3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi)), Kocherha (2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi)) flow through Pavlohrad. The area of the city is 59.3 square kilometres (22.9 sq mi). There are 15 schools (including lyceums and gymnasiums) in the city.^{[not verified in body]}

Pavlohrad, one of the oldest modern settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast appears in documents from the 17th century. Pavlohrad is located in the territories known as the Wild Fields, which belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries.

At the beginning of the 1770s, Zaporozhian Cossack Matvii Khizhnyak built winter quarters, which soon became known as sloboda Matviivka (Ukrainian: Матвіївка). In 1779, Matviivka was renamed to Luhanske, as the latter became headquarters of the Luhanske pikemen regiment headed by M. I. Golinishchev-Kutuzov. With the establishment of Yekaterinoslav Viceroyalty in 1783, the city became a part of this administrative unit as a district town, and then renamed to Pavlohrad. In 1784, Pavlohrad received city status.

There were 426 homes and 2419 inhabitants in the city at the end of the 18th century. The citizens of Pavlohrad lived in wattle and daub huts. The first stone building was the Holy Ascension Cathedral on Soborna Square. The first coat of arms of the city was affirmed on 29 July 1811, the second one on 26 September 1979. The first citizens were Cossacks of Samara [uk] and Kalmius [uk] Palankas and demobilized military. The city plan by Scottish architect W. Geste was affirmed by emperor Nicholas I on 31 July 1831.

In 1871, local merchant A.K. Shalin was elected the first head of the city. The central street was named after him (Shalinska Street), later renamed Leninska Street. In 2015, the Ukrainian government approved laws that outlawed communist symbols and street names. As of 2022^[update] the street is named Soborna. Merchant of ІІ Guild A.V. Permanin was elected as city governor in 1892. Under his leadership the city started to develop rapidly: several churches, temples, barracks, gymnasiums, factories and plants were built.

In the 1870s, a railway connecting St. Petersburg and Simferopol passed through Pavlohrad. In 1896, the Golenishchev-Kutuzov family built the "Earl's Theatre".^{[citation needed]}

In 1930, an uprising against Soviet rule took place in Pavlohrad. From 1780 to 1941, a significant Jewish community existed in the city. The pre-Holocaust Jewish population was approximately 4,000.