In the work of the prominent Ukrainian historian Valentyn Otamanovskyi, Vinnytsia in the 14th–17th Centuries, a map of the old city shows a marking labeled “Yakushynets Gate.” These were among the western gates of Vinnytsia, through which residents and visitors could enter the city via Dovha Street (later Torgova, now Mahistratska) in the 17th–18th centuries.
It is believed that the gate was located near the present-day intersection of Mahistratska Street and Selianskyi Lane. The Yakushynets Gate, along with other entrances to the city (in the area of today’s Soborna and Hrushevskoho streets), formed part of an earthen defensive rampart that protected Vinnytsia from the west and separated the city from the suburb known as Zavallia (modern Mykoly Ovodova Street).
By the 19th century, the need for such fortifications had disappeared, and the city expanded significantly toward the Kalichansky Ravine (present-day Kalichanska Square). Even today, a visible marker of the former city gate on Mahistratska Street is the distinctive curve of the roadway.
