Belaia Tserkov

a city in Kiev Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR. Situated on the Ros River (Dnieper basin), 84 km to the south of Kiev. Railroad station. Population, 103,000 (1970).

The first mention of Belaia Tserkov’ dates back to 1155. In 1363, Belaia Tserkov’ was captured by Lithuania, and in 1569 it fell under Polish domination. The Treaty of Belaia Tserkov’ (1651) between B. Khmel’nitskii and the Poles was signed here. In 1793, Belaia Tserkov’ was annexed by Russia, and in the 19th century it became a major trade and marketing point. During the years of Soviet power, Belaia Tserkov’ has become an important industrial and cultural center with the following major industrial enterprises: the Sel’mash (agricultural machinery) and Elektrokondensator (electrical condenser) plants, the Stroiindustriia Combine (which produces precast reinforced concrete, rock-wool products, and so forth), and two housing construction combines. Combines which will manufacture tires and rubber-asbestos products were under construction in 1970. The city has footwear, knitted goods, and furniture factories, a meat-packing combine, and other enterprises of the food industry. There is an agricultural institute, a technical school for the meat and dairy industry, and a medical school. The city has a museum of regional studies, a drama theater, and a picturesque arboretum—the preserve of the botanical garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, called Aleksandriia (area approximately 200 hectares).

Belaia Tserkov’ is a center for balneological medical treatment. The summers are warm (with an average July temperature of 18–20° C), and the winters are moderate (with an average January temperature of -6° C). The means of treatment include slightly mineralized radioactive (containing radon) water (1.0 × 10⁶ disintegrations per second per cubic meter, or 78 Maché units), used for the baths. Circulatory and gynecological diseases, ailments of the organs of motion, and disorders of the nervous system are treated here.