Okhtyrka
Encyclopedia
Okhtyrka is a city in Ukraine
, a raion
centre within Sumy Oblast
. It is situated near the Vorskla River
, on an eleven-mile spur of the Kiev
–Kharkiv
railway line. It is home to Akhtyrka air base. Population 50,400 , 25,965 (1900), 17,411 (1867).
The villages of Velyke Osero (274 inhabitants), Saluschany (28 inhabitants), Prystan (7 inhabitants) and Kosyatyn (6 inhabitants) belong to the Okhtyrka city administration.
outpost in 1641 and was an important centre of Sloboda Ukraine
in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it rivalled Kharkov itself. The town's coat of arms was introduced by Catherine II on September 21, 1781 and reinstated in 1991 by the city council.
Okhtyrka was the first city in Ukraine to acquire tobacco factory.
The city has a beautiful cathedral (1753–62), formerly attributed to Bartolomeo Rastrelli
and Dmitry Ukhtomsky
. Its singular architecture is the complex medley of traditional Sloboda Ukraine Baroque with fashionable elements derived from the imperial capital. Near at hand stands the Nativity Church (1825), which resembles a palace rather than a church. The cathedral belltower was built in three tiers and adorned with statuary in 1783.
en stuffs and a trade in corn
, cattle
and the produce of domestic industries. The environs are fertile, the orchards producing excellent fruit. Obolon CJSC
has a brewery in Okhtyrka. The current city mayor
is Iryna Demchenko.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, a raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
centre within Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
. It is situated near the Vorskla River
Vorskla River
The Vorskla River , located in Russia and northeastern Ukraine, is a south-flowing tributary of the Dnieper River.An ancient fort, thought to be Gelonos, is on the Vorskla south of Okhtyrka. In 1399, the Battle of the Vorskla River was fought in the area...
, on an eleven-mile spur of the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
–Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
railway line. It is home to Akhtyrka air base. Population 50,400 , 25,965 (1900), 17,411 (1867).
The villages of Velyke Osero (274 inhabitants), Saluschany (28 inhabitants), Prystan (7 inhabitants) and Kosyatyn (6 inhabitants) belong to the Okhtyrka city administration.
History and architecture
Okhtyrka was founded as a PolishPoland
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...
outpost in 1641 and was an important centre of Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine was a historical region which developed and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the southwestern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia....
in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it rivalled Kharkov itself. The town's coat of arms was introduced by Catherine II on September 21, 1781 and reinstated in 1991 by the city council.
Okhtyrka was the first city in Ukraine to acquire tobacco factory.
The city has a beautiful cathedral (1753–62), formerly attributed to Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
and Dmitry Ukhtomsky
Dmitry Ukhtomsky
Prince Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky, Дмитрий Васильевич Ухтомский was the chief architect of Moscow, Russia during the reign of Empress Elizabeth.-Biography:...
. Its singular architecture is the complex medley of traditional Sloboda Ukraine Baroque with fashionable elements derived from the imperial capital. Near at hand stands the Nativity Church (1825), which resembles a palace rather than a church. The cathedral belltower was built in three tiers and adorned with statuary in 1783.
Economy
Okhtyrka region produces the most oil in Ukraine.There are manufacturers of light woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
en stuffs and a trade in corn
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and the produce of domestic industries. The environs are fertile, the orchards producing excellent fruit. Obolon CJSC
Obolon CJSC
Obolon CJSC is a Ukrainian producer of beverages. These include low alcohol drinks , soda drinks and locally extracted natural mineral water. Obolon CJSC has sites across the Ukraine and employs several thousand staff...
has a brewery in Okhtyrka. The current city mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is Iryna Demchenko.