Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine

🇺🇦 Yaremche (Яре́мче, Jaremcze or Jaremcza) is a city in Nadvirna Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of west Ukraine. The city is located at the altitude of around 580 metres (1,900 ft) above mean sea level. Yaremche hosts the administration of Yaremche urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Yaremche hosts the headquarters of the nearby Carpathian National Nature Park.

History A possible root of the word "Yaremche" comes from the Turkish. In Turkic languages "yarım" means "half" and "yarımca" means "little half". It was founded in 1787 and received city status on December 30, 1977. In the interwar period (1918–1939) it belonged to Poland and was the most popular tourist centre in eastern part of the Carpathian Mountains (in the late 1920s more than 6 000 guests came there yearly). Yaremche was growing year by year in importance and number of tourists. According to some, it had the chance to achieve same importance as other key Polish mountain spas, Zakopane and Krynica. However, in September 1939 it was captured by Soviet troops and became a part of Soviet Union as part of the Ukrainian SSR. During the World War II it was part of the Distrikt Galizien and was liberated by the Soviet forces in 1944. On December 30, 1977, the city of Yaremcha became a municipality within Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Since 1991 it has been a part of independent Ukraine.

There are a number of interesting houses with long sloping roofs. There is a wooden Orthodox church and an impressive rail viaduct, located over the Prut valley at the height of 30 meters (98 feet). Next to this there is a swinging pedestrian toll bridge.

On December 14, 2006, the Parliament of Ukraine, officially renamed the city from Yaremcha to "Yaremche". The decision was based on the results of a city referendum, as well as the recommendations of City Council, and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Council.

Until 18 July 2020, Yaremche was incorporated as a city of oblast significance and was the centre of Yaremche Municipality which also included the urban-type settlement of Vorokhta, a ski resort, and five other villages: Mykulychyn, Polianytsia, Tatariv, Voronenko, and Yablunytsia. The municipality was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast to six. The area of Yaremche Municipality was merged into Nadvirna Raion.