Cherkasy

Cherkasy is situated on the high right bank of the Dnipro River, in the middle of the Kremenchuk Reservoir. Relief of the historical part of the city was influenced by Zamkova (Castle) mountain, where Cherkasy Castle was situated.[4][5] The major part of Cherkasy occurs as lowlands.

The city occupies an area of 69 km² (26.6 sq mi). The city's length is 17 km (10.56 mi) along the Kremenchuk Reservoir, while its widest point is only 8 km (4.97 mi).

From the north-west, Cherkasy is surrounded by forest. Known as Cherkaskiy Bir, it is the biggest (28,500 hectares or 70,400 acres) natural pine forest in Ukraine.[6]

View from Hill of Glory on the Rose Valley and water reservoir.

The climate of Cherkasy is mild continental, with mild winters and warm summers.[7]

The average temperature in the city is +7.7 °C (45.9 °F). Winters are usually cold and snowy (the average January temperature is −5.9 °C (21.4 °F)). Summers are dry and warm (the average temperature in July is +19.8 °C (67.6 °F)), with occasional highs reaching +35 °C (95 °F).

The ecological situation in the city is quite stable. The cumulative pollution index as of 2008 is 7.56, average with other Ukrainian cities. The main pollutant in the city is "Azot" plant, so the nearby area (south-east part of the city) is the most polluted.[11] The downtown area is heavily polluted as well, due to high traffic volume. The city itself is mostly clean of nuclear pollution from the Chernobyl disaster, although the northernmost part of Cherkasy may have been influenced a little.[12]

Distribution of the population by native language according to the 2001 census:[16]

According to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute in April-May 2023, 80 % of the city's population spoke Ukrainian at home, and 18 % spoke Russian.[17]

The history of Cherkasy has not been thoroughly explored. The year of establishment is considered by historians to be 1286 on the Kyivan Rus territory. There are few facts about the beginning of the city, but it is documented that Cherkasy existed in the 14th century. The first record about Cherkasy dates from 1305 in the Gustynskiy Chronicle, which is the Kyivan Rus chronicle. The city is mentioned as an existing city among other Kyivan Rus' cities, including Kyiv, Kaniv, Zhytomyr and Ovruch.

The city became one of the centers of the Cossack movement. Citizens took part in the Khmelnychchyna of 1648-1657 and in the Koliyivschyna of 1768–1769. The city was influenced by the cruel social and economical experiments of Soviet authorities and by World War II. In 1954 Cherkasy became the administrative center of Cherkasy Oblast (province), the youngest oblast of Ukraine.

Dmytro Baida-Vyshnevetskiy, Cherkasy headman

Ostafiy Dashkevich, Cherkasy headman

In the 1360s the city entered a new period in its development, becoming a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Cherkasy became an important defender of the southern borders of the Grand Duchy. In 1384 the city was recognized as a fortified town on the southern edge (of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), forming along with Vinnytsia, Bratslav and Kaniv part of a defensive line against Crimean Tatars. The city started to be ruled by a headman (starosta).

From the end of the 15th until the beginning of the 16th centuries, the post of Cherkasy headman was held by the prominent persons of that time – Bogdan Glinskiy (in office: 1488–1495), Kmyta Oleksandrovych (in office: 1494–1500), Vasyl Dashkevych (Ukrainian: Василь Дашкович Глинський, in office: 1504–1507), Andriy Nemyrovych (in office: 1511–1514), Ostafiy Dashkevych (in office: 1514–1535), Vasyl Tyshkevych, Dmytro Baida-Vyshnevetskiy (in office: 1550–1553) etc.

During the 15th and 16th centuries Cherkasy was one of the main centers that helped the Cossacks in the peopling of the Ukrainian south. Citizens took part in military campaigns against Tatars and Turks, including operations led by Ivan Pidkova (died 1578). New Cherkasy Castle, built in 1549–52 on the place of the old one, was the center of city life.

Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky

After the Union of Lublin in 1569 Cherkasy became a part of Poland. Cherkasy Regiment, which was created in 1625, played a big role in history of the city. During the Khmelnytsky Uprising the regiment became administrative-territorial subdivision (until 1686). During that time Cherkasy's Regiment was one of the most powerful military units and took part in all of the battles for Bohdan Khmelnytsky army. After a successful campaign, Khmelnytsky in 1654 signed an alliance with Muscovy at Pereyaslav. The war ended in 1667 with the Truce of Andrusovo. Cherkasy remained part of Poland, but territories east of the Dnieper River including left-bank Ukraine and Zaporizhia were secured for Muscovy. While in the Polish Kingdom the city was a seat of the county (powiat) which belonged to a greater unit – the Kyiv Voivodeship of the Lesser Poland Province until 1793. In 1768 during the Koliyivshchyna turmoils the city was severely damaged and pillaged. In 1791 the city gained Magdeburg rights. It was a royal city of Poland. After the Second Partition of Poland the city was incorporated into the Kyivan Guberniya of Imperial Russia.

City plan as of 1826

Since the beginning of the 19th century the city was planned by Russian architect, civil engineer and town planner of Scottish descent, William Heste. After the second division of Poland in 1793, Cherkasy became part of the Russian Empire. From 1797 it was a povitove town of Kyiv Governorate. In the second half of the 19th century the city experienced a great economical growth. After the railroad appeared in the city, a lot of new industrial enterprises were built. Sugar, tobacco, metalwork, mechanical engineering and trade industries were at peak development at that time. Architect William Heste made a general development plan for the city, which involved building square blocks with straight streets.

Monument to Holodomor victims

After the October revolution in 1917 Cherkasy fell under Bolshevik control. After that, however, the city changed its ruler at least 18 times – during the civil war it was conquered by hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, then again by Bolsheviks, later by Nykyfor Hryhoriv. On 1 January 1920, the city finally and for a long period fell under Soviet rule. As with all villages and towns in the area, it was a victim of man-made famine in 1932–1933 (Holodomor) and a Great Purge (a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union organised by Joseph Stalin in 1936–1938).

Memorial to the Warriors of the 254th Infantry Division, Liberators of Cherkasy

The Second World War damaged the city greatly. On 22 June 1941, German bombers attacked Cherkasy. For two months soldiers defended the city, but on 22 August, the invaders took the city. On 14 December 1943, Cherkasy was liberated from the German invaders. After the end of the war, the city began to recover after being almost obliterated. According to 5-year plans, the city began to re-develop its economy, infrastructure and socio-cultural sphere. In 1954 the city became the administrative center of Cherkasy Oblast (province), the youngest among other oblasts in Ukraine. In the 1960s Cherkasy became the chemical giant of the Ukrainian SSR, after "Azot" (the biggest nitrogen fertilizer producing plant), "Himvolokno" (artificial fiber manufacturing plant), "Himreaktyv" (chemical reagents for military purposes) and many others were built in the city. In 1961 a Kremenchuk hydro power plant was built, forming the Kremenchuk Water Reservoir, which Cherkasy is now standing on. This makes the city a big transport hub, serving the longest dyke in Ukraine (15 km) with rail and road on it.

Since gaining independence, industry in the city has declined, along with the number of citizens and living standards. A lot of big and powerful factories and plants were privatized but couldn't survive in a competitive market. Some enterprises changed their profile – several (3) factories and plants around the city were united under the "Bogdan Corporation" and started production of buses and cars. Some of the companies remained working and became successful, like "Azot". On 28 November 2008, the monument of Lenin was removed from the central square. This caused different reactions in different people. Now the central square, formerly called "Lenin Square", is called "Soborna Square" (Cathedral Square). The square was recently renovated. In 2009, Cherkasy airport received International Airport status (IATA: CKC – ICAO: UKKE).

Until 18 July 2020, Cherkasy was designated as a city of oblast significance and belonged to Cherkasy Municipality but not to Cherkasy 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 Cherkasy Oblast to four, the city was merged into Cherkasy Raion.[18][19]

Public transportation is represented by trolleybuses and buses. Trolleybuses started serving the city in 1965, and now are operating on 10 routes, from approximately 6 am till 11 pm. The fleet is old, and mostly consists of ZiU-9 and ZiU-10 vehicles. Recently, 3 new trolleybuses (manufactured by LAZ) appeared in the city. Buses are mostly represented with "Etalon", "Bohdan", and "PAZ" buses. Cherkasy City Bus is the authority that controls the buses in the city, it consists of several private contractors which actually operate the transport system.

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  Cherkasy trolleybus LAZ E183
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  PAZ-3206
• 
  Cherkasy-made "Bohdan" bus in the street
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  Cherkasy trolleybus ACSM-321

View from bridge (P10) over railway and H16

Cherkasy is a big transport hub due to its location in the center of the country. Two major automobile routes go through the city –  H16  (Uman-Zolotonosha, national route) and  P10  (Kaniv-Kremenchuk, regional route). There is a 4-lane highway between Cherkasy and Smila (which is a part of Cherkasy Urban Agglomeration). The roads are in poor technical condition and road maintenance is poor.

Railway Station

The city has a railway station and one railway stop, both are operated by the state-owned Ukrzaliznytsia company. Cherkasy has regular connections to neighbouring cities with small diesel trains. Major route Odesa-Moscow passes through Cherkasy. One of the most important railway junctions in Ukraine, is located 23 kilometres (14 miles) from Cherkasy, in the city of Smila, where the Kyiv–Dnipro and Odesa–Moscow rail routes cross.

As Cherkasy is located on the bank of Kremenchuk reservoir, it has a small riverport. The previously extensive riverboat service along the Dnieper featuring the Raketa hydrofoil ships no longer exists, limiting river transport to cargo and tour boats and private pleasure craft. There is also a cargo port located in the city.

Cherkasy International Airport is located on the western edge of the city. It handles chartered flights around Ukraine, because Boryspil airport in Kyiv handles most of Ukraine's International flights. In addition, Cherkasy airport is used as the alternative airport for Boryspil in case of unforeseen situations and adverse weather conditions.

Cherkasy Oblast Local History Museum

The biggest museums of Cherkasy are:

• Cherkasy Oblast Local History Museum – the collection of artifacts from the history, nature, culture, and ethnography of Cherkasy Oblast.
• "Kobzar" Museum of Taras Shevchenko – the only museum in the world about one book.
• Cherkasy Art Museum – big museum where different exhibitions are held throughout the year.
• Cherkasy Literary Memorial Museum of Vasyl Symonenko.
• Cherkasy Museum of Vyshyvanka

Cherkasy Philharmonic

There are several theaters in Cherkasy, such as:

• Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Academic Drama Theatre of Cherkasy
• Cherkasy Academic Puppet Theater
• Youth Theater "Suchasnyk"

The city has its own philharmonic, which was created in 1955. The big cultural center is concert hall "Druzhba Narodiv" (Friendship of Nations), where all major concerts are held. Besides, there are numerous local cultural clubs.

The city has 4 modern movie theaters – "Salut" (a very old building, was the first cinema in Cherkasy), "Ukraine", "Dnipro Plaza" and "Lubava".[20]

Park Peremohy (Victory Park) in summer

Cherkasy is famous as a green city. The main parks are Park Peremohy (Victory Park) with a zoo, Sobornyi Park (Cathedral Park), Juvileyniy Park (Jubilee Park), Park Himikiv (Park of Chemists), Dolyna Troiand (Rose Valley), and two children's parks.[21] Traditional places of summer recreation are beaches of Dnipro River. The coastline of the city is as long as 15 kilometres (9 miles), and is usually represented with sand beaches. Infrastructure of the beaches is under development right now, although several recreational complexes are already built. On the northern end of the city, in Cherkasy Forest, sanatorium "Ukraine" is situated, along with three-star hotel "Ukraine", and "Kosmos-Bowling" club. There are also several hotels in the city which can accommodate people with different tastes.

Wood sculptures at "Drevlyandia" festival

The city is famous for its sculpture festivals – "Kryzhtal" (held in winter, sculptures are made of ice), "Drevlyandia" (held in summer, sculptures are made of wood, then placed in parks around the city), and "Zhyvyi Kamin" (held in autumn, sculptures are made of stone). Along with the last, "Cherkasy's Singing Nights" are held in the open-air theater in park. Since 2003, Cherkasy hosts international bike festival "Tarasova Gora", which gathers bikers from Ukraine, Russia, and other European countries. This is the biggest festival of this kind held in Ukraine.

The city also hosts a music festival (sponsored by Pentax-Richo), that takes the name "Takumar5555", that is the old Pentax brand name, and a play on the city's 55th year of independence.

• Nazar Chepurnyi (born 2002), a Ukrainian artistic gymnast.
• Valentin Demyanenko (born 1983) former Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani flat-water canoeist.
• Artem Dovbyk (born 1997) a footballer with over 120 club caps and 11 for Ukraine
• Serhiy Kulish (born 1993) Ukrainian sport shooter, silver medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• Illia Kovtun (born 2003), a Ukrainian artistic gymnast
• Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (born 1997), a Ukrainian professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association.
• Vitaliy Mykolenko (born 1999) footballer with Everton, over 100 club caps and 26 for Ukraine
• Ihor Stolovytskyi (born 1969) former Soviet and Ukrainian footballer and coach with 510 club caps.
• Stanislav Sukhina (born 1968) a Russian football official and former referee and player.
• Katerina Zhidkova (born 1989), a Ukrainian-born Azerbaijani volleyball player