Baturyn (, ) is a historic

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast (), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 sett ...

(

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

) of northern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It is located in Nizhyn Raion (

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

) on the banks of the

Seym River The Seym or Seim (; ) is a river that flows westward in Russia and Ukraine. It is long (250 km within Ukraine) and its basin area about . It is the largest tributary of the Desna (river), Desna. Places on the river include Kursk, Kurchatov, Rus ...

. It hosts the administration of Baturyn urban hromada, one of the

hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

s of Ukraine. Population: Baturyn is twinned with Cobham, a Kent parish in the south east of the United Kingdom. The twinning agreement was signed in a virtual ceremony on 11th March 2025.

History

Traces of a settlement dating back to the 9th–10th centuries and a fortified hilltop stronghold dating back to the 11th–13th centuries have been found at the Baturyn site. This fortified settlement was destroyed as a result of the Mongol invasion of 1239. Chernihiv region was part of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

in the 14th century, but was lost to

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality 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 mosch ...

as a result of the 1500–1503 war. It returned to the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

in 1618. The land on which Baturyn was built was granted to Aleksander Piaseczyński. With royal permission, the town and fortress of Baturyn were founded by Matwiej Stachurski in 1625, who was in Piaseczyński's service. The fortress was captured and burned by Russian troops during the Smolensk War in 1633. Control of the town was wrested away from the Commonwealth by Cossack forces during the

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising, also known as the Cossack–Polish War, Khmelnytsky insurrection, or the National Liberation War, was a Cossack uprisings, Cossack rebellion that took place between 1648 and 1657 in the eastern territories of the Poli ...

of 1648–1657, when they captured the fortress and slaughtered the Polish nobles. In 1648 Baturyn was transformed into a Cossack regional center (

sotnia A sotnia ( Ukrainian and , ) was a military unit and administrative division in some Slavic countries. Sotnia, deriving back to 1248, has been used in a variety of contexts in both Ukraine and Russia to this day. It is a helpful word to create ...

), first hosting the Starodub Cossack Regiment and then the

Nizhyn Regiment The Nizhyn Regiment () was one of ten territorial-administrative subdivisions of the Cossack Hetmanate. The regiment's capital was the city of Nizhyn, now in Chernihiv Oblast of central Ukraine. Other major cities of the regiment were Hlukhiv and ...

. After the signing of the Pereiaslav Agreement, the residents of Baturyn swore an oath of allegiance to the tsar on February 7, 1654, after which the city was handed over to the acting Hetman, Ivan Zolotarenko. However, the city burned to the ground later that same year. In July 1655 Zlotarenko asked the tsar to give him two other towns, Borzna and Hlukhiv, in exchange for burned Baturyn. The city rebuilt itself over time. In 1663, in Baturyn, Hetman Ivan Briukhovetsky signed a settlement with Russia that increased dependence on Russia. In 1668, the Baturyn Cossacks supported the anti-Moscow uprising. However, unlike other cities, Baturyn was not burned down after the uprising was suppressed. For this reason, the Cossack elders with the new Hetman Demian Mnohohrishny chose Baturyn as the new center of power, moving it from Hadiach. From 1670, troops of Muscovite

Streltsy The streltsy (, ; , ) were the units of Russian firearm infantry from the 16th century to the early 18th century and also a social stratum, from which personnel for streltsy troops were traditionally recruited. They are also collectively kno ...

were stationed here. The capital of the

Cossack Hetmanate The Cossack Hetmanate (; Cossack Hetmanate#Name, see other names), officially the Zaporozhian Host (; ), was a Ukrainian Cossacks, Cossack state. Its territory was located mostly in central Ukraine, as well as in parts of Belarus and southwest ...

(an autonomous Cossack republic in

Left-bank Ukraine The Left-bank Ukraine is a historic name of the part of Ukraine on the left (east) bank of the Dnieper River, comprising the modern-day oblasts of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy as well as the eastern parts of Kyiv and Cherkasy. Left-bank Ukrain ...

) was located in Baturyn from 1669 to 1708 and from 1750 to 1764. BaturynXVIII

The area prospered under the rule of Hetman Ivan Mazepa (1687–1708), increasing in size and population (with upwards of 20,000 residents). Baturyn boasted 40

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

es and

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

s, and two

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

. Two of the most important institutions of the Hetmanate were located in Baturyn: The General Military Chancellery and the General Military Court. Next to the General Chancellery was the Chancellery Kurin, which prepared for administrative and judicial service. Mazepa also built a fortified palace in Honcharivka near Baturyn as his headquarters. In 1708 the

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossa ...

became involved in the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

. Hetman Mazepa, after realizing that the Russians planned to remove him from power, switched his allegiance to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

(then at war with the Russian Empire) and began to place more emphasis on Ukraine's independence. On 13 November 1708 a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n army under the command of Alexander Menshikov sacked and razed Baturyn and slaughtered all of its inhabitants in a punitive response. The Russians broke , the commanding officer of the Baturyn garrison, on the wheel. Historian Serhiy Pavlenko estimates that Menshikov's army murdered 6 to 7.5 thousand civilians and 5 to 6.5 thousand military personnel. In 1708 the city had had a population of 20,000; by 1726 it had become a ghost town. The capital of Hetmanate was moved to Hlukhiv. The town was rebuilt in the 1750s, and served as the capital for Hetman Count Kirill Razumovsky (in office 1750 to 1764). Andrey Kvasov designed Razumovsky's palace in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style (later Charles Cameron rebuilt it in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

in 1799–1803). The home of the famous Cossack Vasyl Kochubey ( 1640–1708), constructed some 50 years earlier, is surrounded today by a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

in his name (although hostilities devastated this building during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was restored during

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

times). Following the death of Hetman Razumovsky (1803) the town lost most of its political stature. In 1756 a textile plant was founded with 12 weaving machines. It quickly grew to include 76 machines. When

n empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

(reigned 1762 to 1796) abolished the Ukrainian Cossack state and incorporated its territories into the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, Baturyn continued manufacturing textiles, feeding a growing demand for carpets. In 1843

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

stayed in the town, using his time to paint many of the architectural sights. In 1860, Baturyn had a population of 3,563, which by 1880 grew to 6,580. Three annual

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

s were held in Baturyn in the late 19th century. Baturyn lost its city status in 1923 and received it back only in 2008. During

, the German occupiers operated a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

forced labour battalion in Baturyn. In June 1993 the Ukrainian government declared Baturyn the center of a national site of Ukrainian history and culture. In August 2002, at the prodding of President

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

, a government program was approved to restore Baturyn to its former glory. On 22 January 2009 Ukraine's President

officially opened the "Hetmans' Capital" monumental complex (including the newly renovated Razumovsky Palace). Until 18 July 2020, Baturyn belonged to Bakhmach Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernihiv Oblast to five. The area of Bakhmach Raion was merged into Nizhyn Raion.

Kyrylo Rozumovskyi Palace

The Hetman palace of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi is the main adornment and the central feature of Baturyn (Chernihiv region, Ukraine). K. Rozumovskyi decided to transfer the capital of the Hetmanate (Ukrainian Cossack State) from Hlukhiv to Baturyn town soon after being elected the hetman of Ukraine. Baturyn was re-established as capital and Rozumovskyi rebuilt the town and ushered in a brief renaissance. He established the manufacturing of carpets, broadcloth, silk, candles, bricks, and cocklestove tiles, and a stud-farm, a parish school, and a hospital. Hetman also planned to set up a university there. His intention to gain more autonomy for Ukraine triggered imperial wrath. He was removed from his post of Ukraine's hetman in 1764. Only in 1794 he returned to Baturyn and decided to establish a grandiose palace and a park ensemble. For that purpose he invited the Scottish architect Charles Cameron, whose architectural designs were much appreciated by the Russian Empress Catherine II. Cameron was the chief architect of palaces in Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk and others. The only creation of Charles Cameron in Ukraine is this Palace and park ensemble of K. Rozumovskyi in Baturyn. During 1799–1803 the construction of this historical complex was performed in accordance with his design: the 3-storeyed Palace, constructed in the classicism style and 2 outbuildings, located on both sides of it, as well as a great park around them. In 1803 after the death of K. Rozumovskyi everything was changed. The decoration works were stopped, and the palace was abandoned. The fire of 1824 ruined practically all its interior decorations. The issue of the palace restoration was raised in 1908 at the XIV All-Russian Archaeological Convention. Since 1911 the palace was under the guardianship of the "Society for Preservation and Protection of the Architectural and Ancient Monuments in Russia". The great grandson of K. Rozumovskyi, Kamil Lvovych Rozumovskyi, visited Baturyn in 1909. He donated money for the palace restoration with the desire to settle a Folk Art Museum there. An architect from Petersburg Oleksandr Bilogrud worked out the design of restoration, and guided the restoration works till 1913. Further tragic events, WWI and the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 put the restoration aside for a long period of time. The building suffered a lot in the fire of 1923. The outbuildings were completely ruined at the beginning of the 20th century. During World War II the facade walls and the decoration elements of the palace were seriously damaged. The second half of the 20th century has seen several restoration attempts, which preserved the state of the palace, though none of them were completed. In 2002, under the initiative of V. Yushchenko, then the Prime-Minister of Ukraine, "The Comprehensive Programme On "Hetman's Capital" Monuments' Preservation" was developed. The realization of this Programme started in 2003. The volume of works increased considerably in 2005 – after Ukrainian philanthropists donated money for restoration, and the works for the palace and outbuildings' restoration were conducted in 2005–2006. In 2007–2008 the State Budget spent significant sums on it as well. A large amount of work was performed in 2008 and for the first time in its history the Palace obtained its original state. The palace was opened on August 22, 2009. The descendant Gregor Rozumovskyi was invited with his family on the ceremony of the grand opening and he presented the priceless heirloom – a broadsword of Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovskyi. The imposing Hetman palace in all its beauty can compete with the most distinguished palaces of the world. The restorers of the palace managed to recreate the authentic greatness of the palace, saving the concept for one from the best architects of that time, Charles Cameron. The restorers recreated the modelling and decoration of the walls, filled the interiors with paintings of Ukrainian hetmans, exclusive chandeliers, floors of palace and artistic parquet. Dancing halls were reconstructed true to their former greatness and grandiosity in the atmosphere of the 19th century. The classical music, performed on the old grand piano, conducts the excursions. Nowadays the palace of Kyrylo Rozumovskyi is the excellent and remarkable place for different concerts, theatrical performance and weddings.

Gallery

File:Архітектурно-меморіальний комплекс Цитадель.jpg, The citadel of the Baturyn fortress, rebuilt in 2008 File:Алея в парку садиби Кочубея.jpg, Kochubeivskyi Park Alley File:Вхід до Воскресенської церкви, Батурин.jpg, Church of the Resurrection File:Парк біля палацу К. Розумовського в Батурині 3.jpg, Rozumovskyi Palace File:Будинок генерального судді Кочубея в Батурині.jpg, House-museum of General Judge Vasyl Kochubey File:Вид з Батуринської цитаделі на р. Сейм.jpg, View of the Seim River File:Палац Розумовського у Батурині фото 02.jpg, Palace of Razumovsky File:Baturyn - Palace wing (p2).JPG, Western wing File:Baturyn - Palace wing.JPG, Eastern wing File:Baturyn fortress1.jpg, Tower of the Fortress File:Охоронний рів навколо цитаделі.jpg, Defense moat File:Воскресенська церковнопарафіяльна школа.jpg, Archaeology Museum File:Baturyn - Fortress Mazepa house.JPG, Hetman's house File:Кочубеївський парк в Батурині 002.JPG, Apiary named after P.I. Prokopovych. File:Baturyn - Kochubey's house.JPG, House-Museum of Judge General Vasyl Kochubey File:Baturyn - Fortress guns.JPG, Cannons File:2. Батурин, готель Стокоза, ХІХ ст.jpg, Hotel Stokoza, 19th century

References

* (1972) ''Історія міст і сіл Української РСР – Чернігівська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR – Chernihiv Oblast)'', Kiev.

References

External links

Baturyn article in Encyclopedia of Ukraine

Mezentsev, Dr. Volodymyr: "Baturyn: historic capital of the Kozak Hetman state,"
in The Ukrainian Weekly on March 3, 2003
Baturyn coat of arms (17th Century)
*
Baturyn at Castles of Ukraine
*
Постанова Кабінету Міністрів України від 14 червня 1993 р. №445 «Про державний історико-культурний заповідник "Гетьманська столиця"»
(Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from June 14, 1993 No. 445 "On the State Historical-Cultural Site 'Hetman Capital'") *
Постанова Кабінету Міністрів України від 17 серпня 2002 р. №1123 «Про затвердження Комплексної програми збереження пам'яток Державного історико-культурного заповідника "Гетьманська столиця" і розвитку соціальної та інженерно-транспортної інфраструктури смт Батурина
(Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from August 17, 2002 No. 1123 "On the Approval of the Complex Program of Protecting Monuments from the State Historical-Cultural Site 'Hetman Capital' and the Development of Social and the Engineering-Transportation Infrastructure of the Town of Baturyn)

{{Authority control Cities in Chernihiv Oblast 1625 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Populated places established in 1625 Cities of district significance in Ukraine Blackboard places Forts in Ukraine Capitals of former nations

History

Kyrylo Rozumovskyi Palace

See also

Gallery

References

References

External links