Novhorod-Siverskyi ( uk, Новгород-Сіверський ) is a historic city in

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

(

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

) of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. It is the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...

Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion ( uk, Новгород-Сіверський район) is a raion (district) of Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located at Novhorod-Siverskyi. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of t ...

, although until 18 July 2020 it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance and did not belong to the raion. Novhorod-Siverskyi is situated on the bank of the

Desna River The Desna (russian: Десна́; uk, Десна) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name means "right hand" in the Old East Slavic language. It has a length of , and its drainage basin covers .

, 330 km from the capital,

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

. It hosts the administration of Novhorod-Siverskyi urban hromada, one of the

hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...

s of Ukraine. As of 2021, its population is 12,647.

History

The town was first chronicled in 1044. From 1098 it was the capital of the

Siverian Principality Severia or Siveria ( orv, Сѣверія, russian: Северщина, translit=Severshchina, uk, Сіверія or , translit. ''Siveria'' or ''Sivershchyna'') is a historical region in present-day southwest Russia, northern Ukraine, eastern ...

, which served as a buffer zone against incursions of the

Cumans The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian language, Russian Exonym and endonym, exonym ), were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confede ...

(Polovtsy) and other

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

peoples. One of the numerous campaigns of local princes against the Cumans produced the great monument of early

East Slavic literature East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

, the

Tale of Igor's Campaign ''The Tale of Igor's Campaign'' ( orv, Слово о пълкѹ Игоревѣ, translit=Slovo o pŭlku Igorevě) is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language. The title is occasionally translated as ''The Tale of the Campaig ...

. After the town's destruction by Mongols in 1239, it passed to the princes of

Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...

and then to the

Grand Dukes of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—Hou ...

. It was ruled by

Dymitr Korybut Kaributas (''Koribut'', ''Korybut'', baptized ''Dmitry''; after 1350 – after 1404) was a son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and reigned in Severian Novgorod until 1393. Kaributas was born some time after 1350 (exact date is unknown) ...

(Kaributas), son of

Algirdas Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...

Muscovy Muscovy is an alternative name for the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 * Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and Domes ...

obtained the area following the

Battle of Vedrosha The Battle of the Vedrosha River was a battle in the course of the Russo-Lithuanian war of 1500–1503 which ended with a decisive Russian victory and proved to be of strategic significance. It was carried out on 14 July 1500, some 50 km to ...

in 1503, but lost it to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

after the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...

, when it submitted to

False Dmitry I False Dmitry I ( rus, Лжедмитрий I, Lzhedmitriy I) (or Pseudo-Demetrius I) reigned as the Tsar of Russia from 10 June 1605 until his death on 17 May 1606 under the name of Dmitriy Ivanovich ( rus, Дмитрий Иванович). A ...

in the

Battle of Novhorod-Siverskyi The Battle of Novgorod-Seversky was the first major battle of False Dmitry I against Boris Godunov. Prelude False Dmitry I crossed the border of the Tsardom of Russia in winter of 1604 commanding a mercenary army of Polish-Lithuanian noblemen. ...

. ''Nowogród Siewierski'' was granted

Magdeburg city rights Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within c ...

in 1620 by Polish King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...

. It was the easternmost

powiat A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powia ...

(county) seat of Poland. The town passed to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

as a result of the

Russo-Polish War (1654-1667) Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Russia (including the Soviet Union) include: Originally a Polish civil war that Russia, among others, became involved in. Originally a Hungarian revolution b ...

. During the Cossack epoch, it received the status of military company town (''sotenne misto'') and later regimental town (''polkove misto''); these were military and administrative divisions in the Cossack army and country. Also Novhorod-Siverskyi became a cultural center of

Left-bank Ukraine Left-bank Ukraine ( uk, Лівобережна Україна, translit=Livoberezhna Ukrayina; russian: Левобережная Украина, translit=Levoberezhnaya Ukraina; pl, Lewobrzeżna Ukraina) is a historic name of the part of Ukrain ...

. It was made the capital of a separate

namestnichestvo A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

in 1782–97. Thereafter its importance steadily declined. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Novhorod-Siverskyi was occupied by the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

from 26 August 1941 to 16 September 1943. Until 18 July 2020, Novhorod-Siverskyi was designated as a city of oblast significance and did not belong to Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion even though it was the center of the raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernihiv Oblast to four, the city was merged into Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion. During the 24 February 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, it was occupied by Russian forces.

Architecture

Despite historic disasters, the town has preserved many architectural monuments, and a branch of the Chernihiv State Historical and Architectural Preserve has been established. The town has managed to maintain random planning in its landscape. The boundary of the town historical center remains vague. Tourist attractions are located on two high capes divided by ravines: the ensemble of Our Savior and Transfiguration Monastery and the town centre. The architectural monuments of state significance are scattered on five separate areas which compose the territory of the preserve. The biggest area is the territory of Our Savior and Transfiguration Monastery. The other areas are Uspensky (Dormition) Cathedral, the wooden St. Nicolas church, a triumphal arch, and shopping arcades. There are constructions and residential buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries in the town centre. The main point of interest in the town is the former residence of the

Chernihiv Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

s, the monastery of the Saviour's Transfiguration. It features a Neoclassical cathedral (1791–1796, designed by

Giacomo Quarenghi Giacomo Quarenghi (; rus, Джа́комо Кваре́нги, Džákomo Kvaréngi, ˈdʐakəmə kvɐˈrʲenʲɡʲɪ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architectu ...

), 17th century stone walls, and several ecclesiastic foundations dating from the 16th century. Other landmarks include the

Cossack Baroque Ukrainian Baroque, or Cossack Baroque or Mazepa Baroque ( uk, Українське бароко або Козацьке бароко), is an architectural style that was widespread in the Ukrainian lands in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was th ...

Assumption Cathedral, a triumphal arch (1787), and the wooden church of St. Nicholas (1760).

Gallery

File:Новгород-Сіверський. Спасо-Преображенський монастир. Вид зі стіни монастиря..JPG, Novhorod-Siverskyi. Holy Transfiguration Monastery. View from the walls of the monastery. File:Новгород-Сіверський. Тріумфальна брама.JPG, Triumphal Arch File:Спасо-Преображенський монастир в Новгород-Сіверському2.jpg, Holy Transfiguration Monastery File:Бурса, Новгород-Сіверський.JPG, House of seminary File:Новгород-Сіверський. Успенський собор..JPG, Cathedral of the Assumption File:Спасо-Преображенский собор, Новгород-Северский.JPG, Holy Transfiguration Church File:Новгород-Сіверський. Гімназія N 1.JPG, Women's gymnasium File:Покої настоятеля, Новгород-Сіверський.JPG, The museum File:Микільська церква (дер.), Новгород-Сіверський 002.jpg, Nicholas Church

References

External links

Novhorod-Siverskyi on the Official Tourism website of Chernihiv Region
(in Ukrainian, nice photographs)
Some of the sites at Podorozh Ukraïnoyu
(in

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

, with pictures)
Forum
(in Russian, city info basically copied from the Wikipedia in Russian)
The murder of the Jews of Novhorod-Siverskyi
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

website. {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Cities in Chernihiv Oblast Novgorod-Seversky Uyezd Cossack Hetmanate Chernihiv Voivodeship Cities of district significance in Ukraine 1044 establishments in Europe Severians 11th-century establishments in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine Populated places on the Desna in Ukraine