The city, which is situated on an elevated plain green Bukovyna region has always attracted the attention of the invaders. Back to the XI century the Kiev Prince Vladimir the Great, with strengthening of the borders, formed a system of fortresses, among which there was Khotin too. The city of Khotin took its name after Khotin fortress. In the XI - XIII centuries Khotin occupied an area of approximately 20 hectares - it was the big place for that time. In the middle of the thirteenth century by Prince Daniil Galitsky replaced the wooden fortifications of the fortress with stone ones. At the end of the XIV centuries. Khotin and the fortress became a part of the Moldavian Principality and for two centuries the fortress has been considerably expanded and strengthened, and the city, thanks to its favourable place, successfully developed - Khotin became the customs at the intersection of important trade routes. After the decline of the Moldovan Principality of the city the fortress took possession of the Turks, and in 1615 Polish troops occupied Khotin. In 1621 Khotin became the main border of defense against the Turkish invaders.

The Turks, after they occupied the fortress, entrenched there and began the reconstruction, already in the 1712-1718 years the fortress was the most powerful defense strengthening of the Osman Empire in the East of Europe. In XVIII - XIX centuries the fortress gradually lost its military significance, but the war continued.

In 1739, a battle took place near Stavchany, during which the Russian army won the victory over the Turks, but Khotin became a part of Russia after the Russian-Turkish war (1806-1812).

At the end of the XIX century, Khotin became quite developed city with a population of 18126 residents, but the First world war and the Civil war brought a lot of suffering to the citizens. On November 10, 1918 the troops of the Royal Romania entered the city of Khotin. For 22 years Khotin was occupied by Romania. On July 6, 1941, in Khotin came the German-Romanian troops and once again began the years of suffering. In Khotin during the German occupation acted anti-fascist underground organization headed by Kozma Galkin. Only in August 1942, the Germans found and detained the underground. The Germans hastily shot heroes. The city of Khotin was released on April 3, 1944. As for the whole of Ukraine in Khotin came the times of the totalitarian communist life. Century-old dream of the inhabitants of the town for their state took place on July 16, 1990, the day of proclamation of independence of Ukraine.

 

Photo by: Valery Koretnik, Nikolai Khauka, Oleksandr Didyk, Vladimir Goldstein, Nina Korytnik.