Merefa

{{short description|City in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Merefa

| native_name = Мерефа

| native_name_lang = uk

| settlement_type = City

| image_skyline = File:Мерефа Православная церковь .JPG

| imagesize =

| image_caption = Church of the Nativity of Theotokos

| image_flag =

| image_shield = File:Coat of Arms Merefa.jpg

| shield_size =

| image_blank_emblem =

| image_map =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_map = Ukraine Kharkiv Oblast#Ukraine

| pushpin_relief = yes

| coordinates = {{Coord|49|49|N|36|03|E|region:UA_type:city|display=it}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{UKR}}

| subdivision_type1 = Oblast

| subdivision_name1 = Kharkiv Oblast

| subdivision_type2 = Raion

| subdivision_name2 = Kharkiv Raion

| subdivision_type3 = Hromada

| subdivision_name3 = Merefa urban hromada

| area_total_km2 =

| population_as_of = 2022

| population_total = 21202

| population_density_km2 = auto

| timezone = EET

| utc_offset = +2

| timezone_DST = EEST

| utc_offset_DST = +3

| elevation_m =

| postal_code_type = Postal code

| postal_code =

| footnotes =

| module = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=11 |frame-height=235 | stroke-width=1 |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}

}}

Merefa ({{Langx|uk|Мeрeфa}}) is a city in Kharkiv Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Merefa hosts the administration of Merefa urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.{{cite web |title=Мерефянская громада |url=https://gromada.info/ru/obschina/merefyanska/ |publisher=Портал об'єднаних громад України |language=ru}} Population: {{Ua-pop-est2022|21,202|punct=.}}

History

It was a village in Kharkovsky Uyezd of Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire.

City since 1938.Мерефа // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 1. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.794

In January 1989 the population was 28,952 people.[http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу] In 1992-1996, the Avangard football club of Merefa played in the national championship of Ukraine (third and second league in 1996/97) as a team that won the Kharkiv Oblast Football Championship (4 times in a row) and won prizes in transitional tournaments.

In January 2013 the population was 22,280 people.[http://database.ukrcensus.gov.ua/PXWEB2007/ukr/publ_new1/2013/sb_nnas_2012.pdf Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2013 року. Державна служба статистики України. Київ, 2013. стор.100]

On March 17, 2022, at about 3:30 am, Russian servicemen shelled the town of Merefa, Kharkiv district, destroying a secondary school and a house of culture. 15 people were killed. 25 people were injured, 10 of them in serious condition.{{Cite web |title=Унаслідок ворожого обстрілу Мерефи 15 людей загинули, 25 поранені - прокуратура |url=https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/814918.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Інтерфакс-Україна |language=uk}}

Name

Etymologists have not reached a final conclusion, but it is believed that the name originated from the Old Slavic "mьrRs" (to fade), which is derived from the Ukrainian merekhtyty (to flicker; barely visible). Another version is a hydronymic from "merecha" (Ukrainian for forest thicket; dense shrubbery in a swampy lowland), which is based on the Proto-Slavic "merRja" (Ukrainian for swampy place).Етимологічний словник української мови : в 7 т. / редкол.: О. С. Мельничук (гол. ред.) та ін. — К. : Наукова думка, 1989. — Т. 3 : Кора — М / Ін-т мовознавства ім. О. О. Потебні АН УРСР; укл.: Р. В. Болдирєв та ін. — 552 с. — ISBN 5-12-001263-9. Among the analogies is also merechytysia (to be seen), which is related to the root mereka ("delusion, ghost") derived from the Proto-Slavic morkъ ({{Lang|uk|морок}}).Лучик В. В.. Етимологічний словник топонімів України / В. В. Лучик; відп. ред. В. Г. Скляренко. — К. : ВЦ «Академія», 2014. — 544 с. (325 с.) — ISBN 978-966-580-454-3

Demographics

Distribution of the population by ethnicity according to the 2001 census:{{Cite web |title=Національний склад міст |url=https://datatowel.in.ua/pop-composition/ethnic-cities |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Datatowel.in.ua |language=uk}}

{{bar box|title=Ethnic groups in Merefa|titlebar=#ddd|left1=|right1=percent|bars={{bar percent|Ukrainians|dodgerblue|85.20}}

{{bar percent|Russians|purple|12.65}}

{{bar percent|Gypsies|black|0.62}}

{{bar percent|Belarusians|red|0.25}}

{{bar percent|Armenians|brown|0.20}}

{{bar percent|Georgians|orange|0.14}}

{{bar percent|Tatars|olive|0.10}}

{{bar percent|Azerbaijanis|green|0.06}}}}

Transport

  • a railway station

Gallery

File:Мерефа школа фасад.JPG|A school in Merefa

File:Мерефа стадион Авангард.JPG|Entrance to Avanhard Stadium, Merefa

References