Oleksandriia or Aleksandriya (Ukrainian: Олександрія, Russian: Александрия) is a city located in the Kirovohrad Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Oleksandriiskyi Raion (district), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast.
The current estimated population is around 93,357 (as of 2001). Including the villages (selo) and townlets in the city raion, the total population rises to 103,856.
The city was founded in 1754, as the settlement Usivka (Ukrainian: Усівка), and has carried the name Oleksandriia since 1784. It was the center of rebellion of Ukrainian farmers in 1919, under Ataman Grigoriev.
The most popular place to visit in the town, is the Oleksandriia's square, known as Lenin's square ("Площадь Ленина").There are located a number of Pubs, Bars, Cafes and Shops. In the middle of the Town's square there is a statue of Lenin, and not far from it, an old cinema, which is currently not in use.
The history of Kirovohrad starts from that of Fort of St. Elizabeth. This fort was built in 1754 by the order of empress Elizabeth of Russia and it played a pivotal role in the new lands added to Russia by the Belgrad Peace Treaty of 1739. In 1764 the settlement received status of the center of the Elizabeth province, and in 1784 the status of chief town of a district, when it was renamed after the fort as Yelizavetgrad.
The Fort of St. Elizabeth was located on the crossroads of trade routes, and it eventually became a major trade center. The city has held regular fairs 4 times a year. Merchants from all over the Russian Empire have visited these fairs. Also, there were a lot of foreign merchants, especially from Greece.
The first Ukraine theater was built in Kirovohrad, which was founded by M. Kropyvnyts'ky, I. Karpenko-Karyy, M. Zankovets'ka, P. Saksahans'ky and M. Sadovs'ky.
- Leonid Popov, a former Soviet cosmonaut of Ukrainian descent
