Bila Tserkva

views updated

Bila Tserkva (byē´lä tsĕrk´vä), Rus. Belaya Tserkov, city (1989 pop. 197,000), in central Ukraine, on the Ros River. It is a rail junction and an industrial and commercial center. Industries include food processing and the manufacture of machinery, clothing, and building materials. The city was founded in 1032 and was the headquarters of the Ukrainian Cossacks in the 17th cent. It passed to Russia in 1793.