Gammalsvenskby
Gammalsvenskby (Gammalsvenska: Gammölsvänskbi, lit. 'Old Swedish Village'; Ukrainian: Старошведське, romanized: Staroshvedske; German: Alt-Schwedendorf) is a former village that is now a neighbourhood of Zmiivka (Ukrainian: Зміївка) in Beryslav Raion of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. It was briefly known as Verbivka (Ukrainian: Вербівка) prior to being integrated with Zmiivka. Gammalsvenskby is known for its Estonian Swedish cultural heritage.
Gammalsvenskby
Gammölsvänskbi Старошведське (Staroshvedske) | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Gammalsvenskby Location of the village Gammalsvenskby Gammalsvenskby (Ukraine) | |
| Coordinates: 46°52′28.83″N 33°35′15.59″E | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Oblast | Kherson Oblast |
| Raion | Beryslav Raion |
| Hromada | Beryslav urban hromada |
| Village | Zmiivka |
| Elevation | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Post Code | 74372 |
Zmiyivka also includes three former villages settled by ethnic Germans: The Lutheran villages of Schlangendorf and Mühlhausendorf and the Roman Catholic village of Klosterdorf. In the nineteenth century, the whole region, and large parts of southern Russia, contained villages settled by Germans belonging to various Protestant faiths, particularly Lutherans and Mennonites, as well as Roman Catholics.
In April 2022, Russian military forces reached Gammalsvenskby as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The village remained occupied until 11 November 2022, when it was reclaimed by the Ukrainian army. After the Ukrainian liberation, Russia has repeatedly targeted the civilian population in Gammalsvenskby with bombings including use of white phosphorus munitions.