Sumy
Encyclopedia
- 1897 - 70.53% UkrainiansUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
, 24.1% RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, 2.6% Jewish, 2.67% others - 1926 - 80.7% Ukrainians, 11.8% Russians, 5.5% Jewish, 2% others
- 1959 - 79% Ukrainians, 20% Russians, 1% others
The majority of residents are Christians (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics
Roman Catholic Deanery of Sumy
The Roman Catholic Deanery of Sumy is a part of Kharkov-Zaporojian Diocese of the Roman-Catholic Church in Ukraine. It includes four North-East Ukrainian towns Sumy, Romny, Konotop and Shostka....
and Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
) There is also a Jewish minority.
From the beginning of 20th century, when in 1901 the Blessed Virgin Mary Annunciation Church was founded in Sumy, the town had become the center of North-East Ukrainian Catholicism
Roman Catholicism in Ukraine
The Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. The present Archbishop is Mieczysław Mokrzycki ....
.
After its consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in 1911 and closing down by the authorities in two decades, the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
was used for non-religious purposes. The temple was restored as a Roman Catholic parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in May 1994, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and it was reconsecrated in spring 1998.
Sights
- The city centre is dominated by the large cathedral of the Saviour's Transfiguration. It is a neoclassicalNeoclassical architectureNeoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
structure of the 18th century, extensively repaired and reconstructed in 1858 and in the 1880s, when the 56 metre (180 ft) high bell tower was added. The interior features frescoes by Vladimir MakovskyVladimir MakovskyVladimir Yegorovich Makovsky 1846, Moscow - 21 February 1920, Petrograd) was a Russian painter, art collector, and teacher.Makovsky was the son of collector, Yegor Ivanovich Makovsky, who was one of the founders of the Moscow Art School. Vladimir had two brothers, Nikolai Makovsky and Konstantin...
and Klavdiy LebedevKlavdiy LebedevKlavdy Vasiliyevich Lebedev was a Russian painter, a member of The Wanderers group.- Work :...
.
- The Resurrection Church (1702), the oldest structure in the town, is still in fair preservation, owing to recent restoration work.
- The cathedral of the monastery of St. Pantaleon was erected in 1911 to a design by Aleksey Shchusev and is scored to resemble medieval monuments of Novgorod and PskovPskovPskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
.
- A lovely church of Saints Peter and Paul is in the town’s cemetery. It was built in 1851 on the donations of Sumy citizens. Beside the church there are tombs of the Kharytonenkos and Sukhanovs with artistic monuments by the famous sculptors – A. Croisy and M. Antokolsky.
- The Cathedral of Holy Trinity was built in 1902-1914 on the same pattern as the Cathedral of St. Isaac in St. Petersburg. The author of the design was Sumy architect G. Sholts. It was built at the expense of Pavlo Kharitonenko, the local manufacturer and Maecenas who fulfilled his father’s last will. Icon-painting is by famous artist M. Nesterov. The work on the decorative design was not completed because of the revolutionary events of 1917.
Museums
The Sumy Regional Art MuseumNikanor Onatsky Regional Art Museum in Sumy
Nikanor Onatsky Regional Art Museum in Sumy is a state museum in Sumy, Ukraine. Its collection is one of the best in Ukraine and contains works of native and from all over the world artists.- History and exposition :...
was opened in 1920. It was started from nationalized private collections of the town and district. Paintings of Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
, Vladimir Borovikovsky
Vladimir Borovikovsky
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky was a Russian painter who dominated Russian portraiture at the turn of the 19th century.-Biography:Vladimir Borovikovsky was born Vоlоdymyr Borovyk in Myrhorod on July 24, 1757. His father, Luka Borovyk was a Ukrainian Cossack and an amateur icon painter...
, I. Shyskin, Arkhip Kuindzhi
Arkhip Kuindzhi
Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was a Russian landscape painter.Arkhip Kuindzhi was born in January 1841 in Mariupol , but he spent his youth in the city of Taganrog. He grew up in a poor family, and his father was a Greek shoemaker Ivan Khristoforovich Kuindzhi...
and Tetyana Yablonska
Tetyana Yablonska
Tetyana Yablonska was a Ukrainian painter. Her early vital pictures are devoted to work and a life of Ukrainian people . She has passed to generalizing images of the nature, differing a subtlety of plastic and color rhythms .Yablonska was born in Smolensk, Russia...
are on display, including a beautiful Dutch landscape by a painter of Jan van Goyen's circle. Today the museum is one of the most outstanding art centres which contains unique paintings and works of applied art. The building of the early 20th century originally belonged to the State Bank
State Bank of the Russian Empire
The State Bank of the Russian Empire was the main bank of the Russian Empire from 1860 to 1917. This bank is considered to be the predecessor of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.- History :...
.
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 a unique architectural complex representing Lintvarev’s country estate of the 18th – 19th centuries. In 1888–1889 a great writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
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.
Sports
Sumy was formerly home to the Ukrainian First LeagueUkrainian First League
The Persha Liha or Ukrainian First League is a football league in Ukraine and the second tier of national football competitions. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team FC Spartak Sumy
FC Spartak Sumy
FC Spartak Sumy was a Ukrainian football club based in Sumy.-History:January 12, 1982 at the village forestry Krasnopillyaa club with the name Yavir was established...
(now defunct).
The Ukrainian Premier League
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club FC Kharkiv
FC Kharkiv
FC Kharkiv was a professional football club based in Kharkiv, Ukraine.After 2009–10 Ukrainian First League season the club was relegated to the Ukrainian Second League...
are currently leasing the city's state-of-the-art Yuvileiny Stadium
Yuvileiny Stadium
Stadion Yuvileiny is a football-only stadium located at 9 Gagarin street, Sumy, Ukraine 40030. The stadium comprises an area of .Stadion Yuvileiny is currently used mostly for football matches, and is the previous home of the now-defunct FC Spartak Sumy. The ownership of the stadium currently...
.
Weather and climate
Sumy is located in the northeastern part of Ukraine. So its weather is similar to that in Kharkov.Sumy's climate is moderate continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
: 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 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.
Famous people from Sumy
- Karl BurmanKarl BurmanKarl Burman sen. was an Estonian architect and painter.In 1900 he attended the Stroganovi Art School in Moscow, and then between 1901 - 1902 he attended the Stieglitzi Art School in St. Petersburg. Then he studied architecture at the St...
(1882–1965), Estonian architect; was born in Sumy - Lev Yefimovitch Kerbel, Soviet sculptor
- Oleh HusyevOleh HusyevOleh Anatoliyovych Husyev is a Ukrainian football midfielder for FC Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukrainian national football team. He is a winger who can also play right full-back.- Club career :Husyev started his career for FC Arsenal Kyiv....
(born 1983), Ukrainian football player - Ekaterina Tsibulskaya, polyglot, traveller, philosopher, historian
- Bogdan TitomirBogdan TitomirBogdan Titomir is a Russian musician, rapper and DJ, who began his career in a popular 1990s duo Car-Man. He is widely regarded as one of the first successful Russian rappers...
(born 1967), Russian musician, rapper and DJ - Viktor YushchenkoViktor YushchenkoViktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
(born 1954), President of Ukraine
Twin towns — Sister cities
Sumy is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1998) Vratsa
Vratsa
Vratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...