Settling of the territory
of Sumshchyna initiated
approximately 15 thousand years ago. Since the first centuries B.D. the
whole territory of Symshchyna
was a part of lands inhabited by early Slavonic tribes. In the VII-X
centuries Slavonic tribe of siveryan lived on the territory of the
present Sumshchyna. Long process of social and economic development of
the eastern Slavs caused the formation of feudal relations and
establishment of one of the most powerful states of that time – Kyiv
Rus’, about its grandeur and power Mykhajlo Hrushevsky wrote: “At the
end of the IX century already many state belonged to Kyiv Rus’,
rendered tribute to Kyiv princes – not only Ukrainian, but also the
others, up to the present Petersburg and Moscow”.
Kyiv Rus’ also comprised the lands of actual Sumshchyna. The
region borders upon the steppe; in spite of constant attacks of nomads,
it was densely populated. On the territory of oblast’ more than 80 old
Russian sites of ancient settlement, settlements, burial grounds.
Besides small settlements existed also large cities, described in old
Russian chronicles: Romny, Vyr, V’yakhan’, Putyvl’, Popash, Hlukhiv,
Zartyj. The territory of Sumshchyna
was a scene for implacable wars between the princes particularly in 40s
of the XII century. Using intestine wars polovtsi reinforced pressure
on Russian lands. The most remarkable memorial of Kyiv Rus’ – “The word
about Igor’s Regiment” was dedicated to our land, its people, deeds and
glory, failures and defeats. At the beginning of 20s of the XIII
century Mongolian-Tatar hordes invaded from the west. Might and power
changed into decline and oppression. In 50-60s of the XIV century the
region was a part of Grand Lithuanian Duchy, Rich Pospolyta. Bogdan
Khmelnytsky tried to revive the glory of Kyiv Rus’. During the years of
leberation war and to the death of Het’man existed a Ukrainian state,
and the territory of Sumshchyna
was a part of it, namely: Hlukhivshchyna, Konotopshchyna, Romenshchyna,
Krolevechchyna. Later these lands referred to Het’man Ukraine and southeastern
part belonged to Slobozhanshchyna. Large cities were Hlukhiv,
Krolevets’, Romny, Putyvl’, Sumy.
The army of Het’man I.Vyhotsky passed the lands of Sumshchyna.
Exactly here took place Sosnivska struggle where the Ukrainian army won
a victory over the Russian army. In 1708-1709 the population of
Sumshchyna was a center in the struggle of Het’man Mazepa against the
Russian Tsar Peter I. National tragedy was that one part of people
supported Het’man, the others – were on Tsar’s side, it resulted in
numerous repressions, victims, tortures. In Lebedyni adherents of
Het’man Mazepa were executed, in Sumy
a manifesto on Mazepa’s condemnation was proclaimed. After the Het’man
capital Baturyn was destroyed a new capital became Hlukhiv. When Catherine
II in 1764 abolished the Het’man power on the left-bank and in 1765
regimental system and self-government in Slobids’ka Ukraine political
division of the Russian Empire was spread over Sumshchyna, and then
except a short period between 1917-1919, when Ukrainian State system of
the totalitarian Russian Soviet Social state has been revived.
20-40s – was a period of repressions against adherents of other
parties and later against the Communists accused of espionage,
sabotage, bourgeois nationalism, participation in terrorist
organizations. They all considered to be “enemies of people”, their
rehabilitation initiated only in 50s, for several only in 90s. Among
rehabilitated were emigrants from Sumshchyna: poets and writers B.D.
Antonenko-Davydovych, M.K.Zerov, P.J.Kapel’horodsky, poet and painter
N.Kh. Onatsky, historians V.O.Rudynsky, M.O.Makarenko, geologist
M.H.Svitalsky, I.F.Fed’ko, teacher M.L.Dovhopolyuk.
Sumshchyna was a basic place of the partisan movement. Only on
the north of the region 35 partisan camps have been formed. People of Sumy
also took part in the Ukrainian partisan army (UPA). One of the leaders
of the Organization of Ukrainian nationalities was a son of the poet O.
Olesya Oleg Ol’zhych, executed by fascists in 1944.
Sumshchyna is a native land of many famous figures of science
and culture: philosopher and critic M.O. Antonovych, philologist
O.O.Potebni, astronomer O.M.Savych, poets P.A.Hrabovsky and
Y.Ishchogolev, historian O.M.Lazarevsky, teacher T.H.Lubenets’,
bibliographer S.I.Ponomaryov, painter and teacher M.I.Murashka, painter
H.I.Narbuta and many others.
The most interesting tourist places are: monuments of
architecture of the XVII-XIX centuries in the city of Putyvl’, memorial
of lanscape art and architecture – park and palace of the XIX century
in the village of Kyyanytsya; architecture of the XVIII-XX centuries,
museums: of arts and crafts, museum house of the prominent writer
A.P.Chekhov in the city of Sumy; architecture of the XVIII-XIX
centuries in the cities of Romny, Lebedyn and Okhtyrka.
Political division
Sumy oblast’ was
established on December 10,
1939. It comprised 12 districts of Kharkiv, 17 districts of Chernihiv
and 2 districts of Poltava
regions. Today it comprises 18 districts, 15 cities, 7 regions in the
cities, 20 urban villages, 384 village councils, 1500 villages. The
largest cities are – Sumy,
Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, Shostka.
Authority
Leadership of Sumy regional state administration comprises the
Head, first deputy of the Head, deputy of the Head of information
sphere, religion, nationalities, culture, sport; deputy of the Head of
energy, industry, transport, and communication; deputy of the Head of
building, communal services and motor road economy; deputy of the Head
on territory development and foreign economic relations; deputy of the
Head of agriculture and food, trade, consumer services of the
population; deputy of the Head on political and legal issues and deputy
of the Head on organizational staff activity of regional state
administration on organization, legal, personnel and inspection work.
Borders
Sumy oblast’ is
situated in the northeastern part of Ukraine.
On the north and east it borders upon Bryans’k, Kurs’k, Byelhorod
regions of Russia,
on the south and the southern east – Poltavavs’ka, Kharkivs’ka, on the
west – Chernihiv region of Ukraine.
Population
Population is 1 million 369 thousand 800 people, among them
886100 are town-dwellers, 483700 – villagers.
Economic potential
The main directions of industry enterprises activity of oblast’
are chemical mechanical engineering, pumping and energy mechanical
engineering, agricultural machine-building, instrument-making industry
and radio electronics, technical equipment production for processing
fields of agroindustrial complex, for mining and ore industry,
polygraph industry and medicine, oil and gas building and processing
sphere, chemicals, film and photo materials, chemical fertilizers.
Industry
In the structure of industry production of the region the most
important are food industry, mechanical engineering, fuel industry,
chemical and petrochemical industries. Segment of foodstuffs in the
structure of ware production of national consumption is 76%. In general
there are 273 industry enterprises in the regional that have their
independent balance besides there are 327 small industry enterprises.
Agriculture
In 1999 the gross grain yield was about 446,0 thousand tons,
sugar beets – 664,0 thousand tons, sunflower seeds – 27,7 thousand
tons, potatoes – 343,6 thousand tons. It also produced 108,7 thousand
tons of meat, 517,8 thousand tons of milk and 295,3 million eggs. At
the beginning of 1999 there were 781 farms in the region.
Culture and traditions
Nowadays Sumy is a beautiful modern city where historical
memorials and primeval places of nature are united in harmony, creating
unique ensembles. In the center of the city there is the Voskresens’ka
Church – a unique examplar of architecture of the end of XVII century
that absorbed the best features of old Russian and Ukrainian wood
architecture.
People of Sumy are proud of their museum of art, one of the most
ancient and attractive in Ukraine. Works of art, graphics and sculpture
can be found in the building of former Treasury, monument of
architecture of the XIX century.
In collections of the west European art – works of Italian,
Flemish, Holland, French masters of the end of the XVI – the beginning
of the XX centuries.
The collection of Ukrainian pre-revolutionary art contains a
number of icons of the XVIII century etc.
Nature and ecology
Sumy is a unique natural nook of Ukraine. Oblast’ numbers 168
objects and territories of nature and reserve fund (Ukrainian steppe park
Mykhajlivs’ka tsylina, parks, reserve tracts). Oblast’ is rich in
picturesque banks of numerous rivers, sources of mineral waters.
Monuments of architecture are found in Putyvli, Romny, Lebedyn,
Okhtyrtsi.
