Vinnytsia  was first mentioned in historical documents in 1363, as a Lithuanian fortress. The settlement gradually developed from a farming village into a manufacturing and trade centre. By the 16th century it held regular fairs, had several
guilds, and traded with cities on the Black Sea 
coast. As a frontier town Vinnytsia was exposed to
Tatar attack: between 1400 and 1569 it was raided
more than 30 times. In 1558 a new fortress was built
on a river island, and then a new town sprang up
on the right bank. From 1569 Vinnytsia was under
Polish rule. In 1640 it was granted the rights of
Magdeburg law. The Poles established two mona-
steries and a Jesuit college (1642).

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    After being liberated from the Poles by Maksym Kryvonis in 1648, Vinnytsia became a regimental centre (1653–67) in the Cossack Hetman State . Under Ivan Bohun's command it withstood a major Polish siege in 1651. After 1667, it was captured by the Turks, and entered a period of economic decline (1672–99) until it once more came under Polish control. In the 18th century its inhabitants revolted repeatedly against their Polish overlords and with the help of the haidamakas seized the town several times.

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        In 1793 Vinnytsia was annexed by the Russian Empire and became an important administrative center in Podilia gubernia (1797–1925). It developed rapidly in the second half of the 19th century. The Kyiv–Balta railway line (1871) linked the town with Kyiv, Odesa, Saint Petersburg, and Moscow. Vinnytsia became the gubernia's leading exporter of foodstuffs and trading center. The population grew from 10,000 in 1860 to 30,000 in 1897. About 35 percent of the population was Jewish in 1897 (45 percent in 1910).

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        During the revolutionary period the city

changed hands several times. In 1919 it was

the seat of the Supreme Command of the 

Ukrainian Galician Army. Then the government

of the Ukrainian People Republic stayed there

for a brief period. Under the Soviet regime

Vinnytsia became an important cultural centre.

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        After the Second World War the city deve-
loped into a large industrial and communications

centre. Its population rose from 93,000 in 1939 to 211,400 in 1970 and 314,000 in 1979. During the 20th century the city continued its development as a cultural and educational centre of the country.