Sumy


Sumy is a city in north-eastern Ukraine, and the capital of Sumy Oblast. Sumy also serves as the administrative center of Sumy Raion of Sumy oblast. Sumy is administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance and does not belong to the raion. As of 2019 its population is estimated at 265,140.

History

Sumy was founded by Cossack Herasym Kondratyev from Stavyshche, Bila Tserkva Regiment on the bank of the Psel River, a tributary of the Dnieper. The date of its foundation is a subject of discussion. In 1656–58 at the site of Sumyn early settlement under leadership of Muscovite voivode K. Arsenyev, there was built a city-fort that consisted of a fort and a grad. In the 1670s it was expanded by adding a fortified posad, after which Sumy became the biggest fortress of Sloboda Ukraine. Since 1658 Sumy was a center of the Sumy Cossack Regiment. In the 1680s around Sumy started to form unfortified suburbs.
At the end of 17th century, Sumy played a role of collection point of Muscovite troops during the Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689. During the Great Northern War, from December 1708 to January 1709 the city was the Stavka of Muscovite Chief of Commander headed by Tsar Peter the Great. Established under the leadership of Prince A.Shakhovskoy, in 1734–43 in Sumy was located the Commission on streamlining the Sloboda Cossack regiments. From its establishment and until the liquidation of Cossackdom in Sloboda Ukraine in 1765, the Cossack officer family of Kondratyevs had a great influence over the city.
Following the liquidation of Cossack community in 1765, Sumy Cossack Regiment as an administrative division was turned into Sumy Province of the newly created Sloboda Ukraine Governorate and the city of Sumy became its center. In 1780 Sumy was turned into a centre of Sumy uyezd. In 1786-89 the city was reformed by removing its city fort vallums. After a period of stagnation, Sumy began to transform into a big industrial and trade center with the Paul's Sugar-Refining Factory and the Sumy Engineering Workshops. With the construction of a railroad Vorozhba – Merefa, in January 1877 in the city was built the Sumy train station. A great contribution in development of Sumy made various families of philanthropists industrialists, the most famous of which are Kharytonenkos.
During the Revolution of 1905, Sumy was one of several areas which became famous throughout Russia for in effect having established an independent peasant republic; the Sumy Republic was established by a peasant union.
During the German occupation of Ukraine during World War II, Sumy sustained heavy damage and was occupied from October 10, 1941 to September 2, 1943. After the war, the destroyed parts of the city were rebuilt. Sumy has been a twin town of Celle, Germany since January 17, 1990.

Geography

Sumy is located in the northeastern part of Ukraine within the Central Russian Upland and in the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. It is located on the banks of Psel River.
Due to its relatively close location, the city's weather is similar to Kharkiv. Sumy's climate is a humid continental one: cold and snowy winters, and hot summers. The seasonal average temperatures are not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer: in January, and in July. The average rainfall totals per year, with the most in June and July.

Government

Sumy is a city of oblast significance which makes a separate subdivision within the Sumy Oblast. Sumy is also an administrative center of Sumy Raion which surrounds the city.
The city used to be divided into two urban raions, Zarichny and Kovpakovsky, and 13 micro-raions. Since 2006, the subdivision into urban districts is not in effect.
The city municipality also includes several adjacent villages including Verkhnie Pishchane, Zhyteiske, Zahirske, Kyryiakivshchyna, Pishchane, and Trokhymenkove.

Demographics

The majority of residents are Christians. There is also a Jewish minority.
From the beginning of the twentieth century, Sumy was the center of Roman Catholicism in northeastern Ukraine. The Blessed Virgin Mary Annunciation Church was established in the city in 1901 and consecrated in 1911, but closed by governmental authorities two decades later; the churchhouse was thereafter used for non-religious purposes until its restoration as a Roman Catholic parish in May 1994, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. It was reconsecrated in the Spring of 1998.

Population

According to the census held in 1660 year the population of Sumy was 2740 people. In 1732 year it was 7700 people, in 1773 year — 9380 people, in 1850 year — 10,256 people, in 1898 year — 26,355 people.
During the soviet times the population grew significantly. In 1939 it reached 63,9 thousand people. In 1959 year it was 98 015 people, in 1970 year — 159 thousand people, in 1975 year — 194 thousand people, in 1989 year — 291,264 people, in 1991 year — 303,3 thousand people.
According to the Ukrainian Census held in 2001 year the population of Sumy was 292,139 people. By January 1, 2013 it decreased to 269,177 people. At January 1, 2016 the population was 267,633 people.

Economy and infrastructure

Enterprises

Landmarks

The Sumy Regional Art Museum was opened in 1920. It was started from nationalized private collections of the town and district. Paintings of Taras Shevchenko, Vladimir Borovikovsky, I. Shyskin, Arkhip Kuindzhi and Tetyana Yablonska are on display, including a Dutch landscape by a painter of Jan van Goyen's circle. Today the museum contains unique paintings and works of applied art. The building of the early 20th century originally belonged to the State Bank.
The Museum of Local Lore was opened in 1920. In the years of fascist occupation, the most important items of its collections were lost. Today it contains unique collections covering archeology and natural history of the Sumy region. It is located in the building of the 19th century which originally was the seat of the district government. In 1905 it was given to the printing house and publishing house of the first Sumy newspapers. In different years the building was visited by A. Kuprin and V. Korolenko, the famous Russian writers.
The Chekhov Museum, located in Chekhov street is an architectural complex representing Lintvarev's country estate of the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1888 and 1889 a great writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov was dreaming to settle in Luka forever but his dream did not come true. “Abbacia and the Adriatic Sea are wonderful, but Luka and Psiol are better” – he wrote in his letter from Italy to his friends in Sumy in 1894. This is also a place where Anton Chekhov's brother, Nikolai Chekhov, died in 1889.
The Museum of Banking history in the Sumy oblast and the History of Ukrainian Money was founded in 2006 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Ukrainian Academy of Banking on the basis of a unique collection of Ukrainian bonds – the paper money out of circulation, which were given to the academy by the National Bank of Ukraine. The exposition of the bonds is arranged in the thematic-chronological order - from the first appearance of money to the present day. In addition to the numerous historical documents, photographs, metal money, and commemorative medals of the National Bank of Ukraine, there is an exhibition presenting technical appliances used in the banking industry in the late 20th century.

Gallery

Famous people from Sumy

The field hockey club Sumchanka is 12 times a champion of Ukraine and a champion of Europe.
Sumy is home to the Ukrainian First League football team FC Sumy.
The Ukrainian Premier League football club FC Kharkiv were leasing the city's state-of-the-art Yuvileiny Stadium.
The Yuvileiny Stadium, formerly known as Spartak, was planned to be renovated just before dissolution of the Soviet Union and in 1989 was demolished to be built anew. It was not until 1998 when the actual construction was resumed and finally finished in 2002.

Twin towns – sister cities

Sumy is twinned with: