Island of Baida

The island of Baida was formed as a result of a major flood in the spring of 1843. Prior to this, it was connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus. The area is 6,54 hectares. Monuments of the III-I millennium BC were discovered and explored on the island and 12-18 centuries of our era. In 1556, Prince Dmytro Vyshnevetsky built here a «wooden-earthen town» and kept with him 300 Cossacks. From its fortification, the prince repeatedly attacked the Tatar and Turkish fortresses in the lower reaches of the Dnipro, seizing cannon and ammunition to defend his fortifications. In 1558 the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey unexpectedly approached the shores of Khortytsia. A prolonged siege of fortification forced Vyshnevetsky to leave his outpost. «Town» of the Cossacks was burnt by the Tatars. The People’s Duma identifies the prince with the Cossack Baida, and therefore the island in recent years is called his name. The word «Baida» means a free, unmarried, carefree person.