In addition to the Ukrainian Летичів (Letychiv), in other languages the name of the city is Polish: Latyczów, Yiddish: לעטיטשעוו, romanized: Letichev, and Russian: Летичев.

Even with natural moats on all sides, Letychiv did not have the topographic relief that blesses other Podolia Province strongholds (such as Medzhibozh or Kamenets Podilsky).

Dominican friars brought an icon of Mary, mother of Jesus to Letychiv in the late 15th century.

Very little of these survive today, with the exception of one tower and the adjacent walls around the Assumption Church (rebuilt by Potocki in 1605).

However, Poland did not regain full control until 1699 because the town was frequently ravaged by ongoing struggles between the Poles and Turks.

The town changed hands many times as different militia units from either the Bolsheviks, Ukrainian Nationalists, Poles, or Whites gained temporary control.

In World War II, Letichiv fell to German forces during Operation Barbarossa on July 17, 1941 after heavy fighting.

In that action, retreating Soviet troops blew up the dam over the river Volk over which carried the main east-west road.

Letychiv was astride an important east-west supply road that the German government wanted to expand into a highway.

Vinnytsia was the site of Hitler's headquarters bunker in Soviet territory where he personally directed the war between 1942 and 1943.

Soviet authorities reported that a total of 7,200 Jews were murdered in a ravine in Zaletichevka, just south of town.

On this day, a new law entered into force which abolished this status, and Letychiv became a rural settlement.