# Lebedyn

Lebedyn (Ukrainian and Russian: Лебедин, Ukrainian pronunciation:) is a city in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. Lebedyn is located in Sumy Raion. Before July 2020, Lebedyn served as the administrative center of Lebedyn Raion; it was administratively incorporated as a city of oblast significance and did not belong to the raion. Population: 23,892 (2022 estimate). An air base is located nearby. The city also has a railway station.

## History

Lebedyn was built in 1653 as a small wooden fortress (ostrog) of the Tsardom of Russia. Lebedyn reportedly got its name from the nearby Lebedyn Lake.
In 1708, the settlement was a site of executions of Cossacks in Lebedin, in which supporters of Ivan Mazepa were mass executed on the orders of Peter the Great.
Since April 1780, it was the administrative centre of Lebedin uyezd in Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire The district had a territorial extent of 2723.1 versts, or around 1,805 miles, with Lebedyn its capitol.
In the 1897, census the town had a population of 14,301 (6,871 men, 7,430 women), while the District as a whole had a total of 178,144 (88,681 men, 89,463 women) inhabitants.
Following the creation of the Lebedyn Raion on the 7 of March 1923, Lebedyn remained the capitol of the new regional administration.
During World War Two from October 11, 1941, to February 21, 1943, and from March 10 to August 19, 1943, Lebedyn was under German occupation.
In 1994, an oil plant was opened in Lebedyn.
On the 27 of February 2022, a series of clashes broke out in Lebedyn, with Ukrainian elements defending on the outskirts of Lebedyn at the town of Kamiane at 10:45 PM that day.
At around 7:30 AM, March 5, 2022, Russian forces launched an airstrike on infrastructure in Lebedyn. This included multiple private homes of civilians and cars, as well as gas stations. By 4 April Russian troops had withdrawn from the Sumy region.
By April 7, Sumy Oblast, including Lebedyn, regained its communications.

## Culture

Visitors are welcomed by the local history museum, the city art museum, three libraries, the city center of culture and leisure, a children's art school, a sports school, a house of children and youth creativity, a young technicians' station, and others. The Lebedyn Art Museum is a prominent center of spirituality and culture, standing at the origins of the revival of spiritual culture.
The city's amateur artists and individual performers strive to convey to the audience the beauty of folk songs and dances. A significant contribution to the promotion of national culture in Sumy region was made by members of the Lebedynska Pisnia amateur folk ensemble, the 43rd Missile Division Veterans Choir, the Bal and Arrow groups, the Veselka dance group, and the Sunflower dance group.
In Lebedyn, children also glorify their city by singing, and the exemplary amateur children's ensemble "Feyerii" is always happy to welcome new students.The amateur folk vocal ensemble "Lebedynska Pisnia" is a source of inspiration for the realization of creative ideas. It is from them that the undying love for folk songs flows. Iryna Kapusta, the head of the Sunflower dance group, creates extremely interesting dance compositions that are well known not only to the residents of the city but also beyond.
It has become a tradition in Lebedyn to hold the Ukrainian song festival "In the Name of a Glorious Fellow Countryman" dedicated to the 100th anniversary of B. R. Hmyrya's birth.

## Gallery

* St. Nicholas Church
* Resurrection Church
* Intercession Church
* Former city hall
* Old market
* World War II memorial