Krolevets

Krolevets (Кролевець, ; see below for other names) is a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. Population: In 2001, the population was 25,183.

Names
The city is also historically known by different names in other languages – Królewiec; Кролевец.

History
Named in honor of the Polish King Sigismund III, Krolevets was founded in 1601, and it was originally part of Poland. The original name was written as Krolewac (Krulevats). In 1644, it was granted Magdeburg city rights by Polish King Władysław IV Vasa. Krolevets was annexed by the Tsardom of Russia in 1667 (Truce of Andrusovo).

In 1802, it was incorporated into the Chernihiv Governorate.

A local newspaper is published in the city since 1919.

During World War II, Krolevets was occupied by the German Army from 3 September 1941 to 1 September 1943.

Language
Distribution of the population by native language according to the 2001 census:

Transportation
Krolevets is situated on the Kyiv — Moscow railway and autoroute. Distance from Kyiv — approx. 260 km. Distance to Russian border — approx. 80 km.

Nature
Krolevets is the location of a unique apple tree, which has self-propagated into a colony of fifteen family trees that combined cover an area of 1,000 sq. meters (10,763 sq. feet). This self-propagation, where drooping branches create new roots and trunks, has not been observed in other apple trees.