The Dnipro River has officially aged by 250 years
The Dnipro City Council has officially changed the city’s founding date—instead of 1776, documents will now list 1526. Council members adopted this decision on August 19 during the 84th regular session of the city council and added the new date to the Charter of the Dnipro Territorial Community. The decision is based on research by historians and archaeologists, who point to the existence of the settlement of Stara Samara on the territory of the modern city as early as the 16th century.
Previously, 1776 was considered the official founding date of Dnipro. It was with this year that the emergence of Katerynoslav—a city founded during the period of Russian imperial rule and associated with an order from Empress Catherine II—was linked. Now, city authorities have decided to abandon this date. The new year of Dnipro’s founding has been set as 1526—250 years earlier.
The reason for the change is not that someone built the first house on the site of modern-day Dnipro in 1526. Rather, it refers to the much older history of the territory where the city eventually took shape. Historians and archaeologists believe that a settlement called Stara Samara once existed here, providing evidence of human life and the development of the settlement long before the emergence of Katerynoslav. The city council emphasizes that revising the date is intended to restore Dnipro’s Ukrainian and Cossack periods to its history. In this way, the city aims to move away from the narrative that its history began only during the era of the Russian Empire.
What Is Known About Stara Samara
One of the main arguments in favor of the new date is the archaeological research on the Stara Samaria settlement. It was located on the territory of modern-day Dnipro and was connected to important trade and transportation routes. According to data provided by the city council, archaeologists have uncovered more than 6,000 artifacts. Among them are items that help reconstruct the lives of the people who inhabited this area many centuries ago.
These findings are important not only in and of themselves. They help us understand that the territory of modern-day Dnipro was not uninhabited before the emergence of Katerynoslav in the 18th century. This is precisely what historians are highlighting. According to them, the archaeological evidence points to a continuous history of settlement in the area of the modern city. In other words, the city did not spring up from nothing by order of the imperial authorities. Even before Katerynoslav was founded, people were already living here, settlements existed, trade and crafts were flourishing, and the territory was part of the Ukrainian historical space.
What Historians Say
Ukrainian scholars have been debating the question of exactly when Dnipro’s history as a city began for many years. According to Serhii Svitlenko, Ph.D. in History and professor, the discussion regarding changing the date has been ongoing for about 25 years. “This change was long overdue. We have been living within Ukrainian historical time and space for 35 years now. And the chronology of our metropolis—Dnipro—must be brought into line with these realities,” said the historian.
For supporters of the new date, this issue is not just about a number on the calendar. It’s about the starting point from which the city tells its own story. If we count it only from 1776, then the previous centuries of life in this territory are effectively left out of history. The new date allows us to include in Dnipro’s history the period associated with Cossack settlements and the region’s development long before Katerynoslav.
Why 1776 Was Associated with Katerynoslav
For a long time, the year 1776 served as the basis for the official account of Dnipro’s origins. It was then that Katerynoslav’s history as an imperial city began. Over time, this version became part of the city’s historical tradition. It emphasized the role of Catherine II and the Russian Empire in the city’s founding.
However, the history of the territory of modern-day Dnipro is much older. Settlements existed here, trade routes passed through the region, and the area was important to the Zaporizhian Cossacks. Therefore, modern Ukrainian historians suggest taking a broader view of the city’s past. Katerynoslav is an important part of Dnipro’s history, but not necessarily its beginning. It is precisely this approach that became one of the arguments for revising the official date.
What the City Council Decided
City council members adopted the resolution to change the year of founding on August 19, 2026, during the 84th regular session of the Dnipro City Council. The new date—1526—was added to the Charter of the Dnipro Territorial Community. This means that from now on, this year will be listed as the city’s founding date in the community’s official documents.
City council officials explained that the decision will not require additional budget expenditures. Essentially, this involves changing a historical date in documents, rather than launching a separate, costly program. For the city itself, this signifies a shift in its official approach to its own history. From now on, Dnipro aims to highlight not only the history of Katerynoslav from the 18th century but also a much earlier period.
Does this mean that Dnipro is now 500 years old?
If we formally count from 1526, then 2026 will mark the 500th anniversary of the new official founding date. But it’s important to understand the wording correctly here. This doesn’t mean that scholars have pinpointed the exact day in 1526 when Dnipro was founded in its modern form.
Rather, it refers to the date that city authorities selected—based on historical and archaeological research—as the starting point for the city’s history. Archaeological findings confirm that the area was settled much earlier, and researchers link the new date to Stara Samara. Therefore, we can now say that, according to the new official date, Dnipro is 500 years old, although the modern city itself took shape over many centuries and had various names and stages of development.
Why This Is Important for the City’s History
The change in the date has more than just calendar significance. For Dnipro, it’s also a matter of how the city presents itself and its own past. Ukrainian cities often have histories that are significantly older than the dates established during imperial or Soviet times. In such cases, archaeology helps bring back into the historical narrative periods that may previously have been overlooked.
For Dnipro, such a period is the history of Stara Samara and other settlements on the territory of the modern city. The city council is, in fact, emphasizing that Dnipro’s history does not begin with Catherine II. Life already existed here before the 18th century, and the territory was part of the broader development of Ukrainian lands. At the same time, the year 1776 is not disappearing from history. It remains an important date associated with the founding of Katerynoslav and the subsequent development of a major urban center.
Now, however, the year 1526 will officially stand alongside this date as a new starting point for Dnipro’s history. This means that the city has suddenly become 250 years “older,” and its historical calendar has been reset. This was reported by the Dnipro City Council.
Since the evening of August 19, Russian troops have attacked four districts of the Dnipropetrovsk region nearly 20 times. The occupiers used drones, aerial bombs, and artillery in their strikes.
