Sumy

A city (2011 pop 270,039) at the confluence of the Psol River and the Sumka River and an oblast center.

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 1652 or 1655). In 1656–58 at the site of Sumyn early settlement, under the leadership of Muscovite voivode K. Arsenyev, there was built a city-fort that consisted of a fort and a grad (town). In the 1670s it was expanded by adding a fortified posad (craftsmen town), after which Sumy became the biggest fortress of Sloboda Ukraine. From 1658 Sumy was a center of the Sumy Cossack Regiment (military unit and local administrative division). In the 1680s around Sumy started to form unfortified suburbs.

At the end of the 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 (headquarters) 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 (1765–1860s), Sumy began to transform into a big industrial and trade center with the Paul's Sugar-Refining Factory (est. 1869 by I.Kharytonenko) and the Sumy Engineering Workshops (est. 1896, producing equipment for sugar refineries). 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 (1941–1944), 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.

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 warm-summer humid continental (Köppen: Dfb) with cold and snowy winters, and hot summers. The seasonal average temperatures are not too cold in winter, not too hot in summer: −6.9 °C (19.6 °F) in January, and 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) in July. The average rainfall totals 513 mm (20 in) per year, with the most in June and July.

Trends show an increase in the fall in precipitation in the coming decades.

Sumy places of interest

Churches

Holy Resurrection Cathedral (1702) - the main Orthodox church of Sumy, the oldest stone building in the city, and a great example of Ukrainian baroque. The architecture of this two-story cathedral repeats the traditional forms of Ukrainian wooden church architecture - it is similar to the Cossack churches. Initially, the cathedral was part of the town’s defensive system. Nezalezhnosti Square, 19.

Transfiguration Cathedral (1776-1788) - a majestic church located on a pedestrian street in the heart of Sumy uniting in its appearance elements of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism. The height of the bell tower with chimes is 56 meters. Soborna Street, 31.

Trinity Cathedral (1901-1914) - one of the most beautiful churches in Sumy and Ukraine built in the style of classicism with baroque elements, similar to St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. Troitska Street, 24A.

Museums

Art Museum. Sumy Regional Art Museum named after N. Onatsky is located in the building of the former State Bank built in the early 20th century. Paintings created by Italian artists of the 17th-19th centuries are of the greatest interest.

There are also paintings made by such famous artists as Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Levitan, Savrasov, Vasnetsov, Serov, Kotarbinsky, Aivazovsky. Pokrovskaya Square, 1. Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (Thursday - 16:00). Day off: Friday.

Sumy Regional Museum (House with Caryatids) (1889). On the pylons of the second floor of this picturesque building you can see four caryatids (sculpted female figures) that support the balcony.

The exposition presents items from archaeological excavations of Early Slavonic and Old Russian monuments, rare materials on the history and nature of the Sumy region. Herasima Kondratieva Street, 2. Opening hours: 9:00-17:00. Day off: Monday.

House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov. The museum was opened in the manor of the noble family of Lintvarev (the 18th-19th centuries). In 1888-1889, the writer lived in the western wing of the manor. Chekhov used his impressions of life in Sumy in several of his stories and plays.

You can see the restored interiors of the living room and dining room, guest rooms, and “Antosha’s room”, which served Chekhov’s bedroom and study room. Chekhova Street, 79. Opening hours: 10:00-17:00 (Thursday - 16:00). Day off: Friday.