Lebedyan (russian: Лебедя́нь) is a town and the administrative center of

Lebedyansky District Lebedyansky District (russian: Лебедя́нский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #382-OZ and municipalLaw #114-OZ district (raion), one of the eighteen in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northern central part of the oblas ...

in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the upper Don River, northwest of Lipetsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population:

History

It was founded in 1613 largely to guard the holdings of I. N. Romanov, the

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

's uncle, and served as a border outpost protecting South Russia from the Crimean Tatars' incursions. The Trinity Monastery was established in 1621 and several churches were built by the end of the century; they are all now reduced to ruins. Chartered in 1779, Lebedyan developed in the 19th century as a center of

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and horse breeding. The locals claim that the first racetrack in Russia was opened here in 1826. The Agricultural Society of Lebedyan, founded in 1847, was influential in preparing the

emancipation reform of 1861 The emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia, also known as the Edict of Emancipation of Russia, (russian: Крестьянская реформа 1861 года, translit=Krestyanskaya reforma 1861 goda – "peasants' reform of 1861") was the first ...

. In 1984 construction of an underground metro began as

hobby tunneling Hobby tunneling is tunnel construction as a diversion. Usually, hobby tunnelers dig their tunnels by hand, using little equipment, and some can spend years or even decades to achieve any degree of completion. In some cases tunnels have been dug ...

. However this was abandoned in 2010 without having opened.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Lebedyan serves as the administrative center of

.Law #382-OZ As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Lebedyansky District as Lebedyan Town Under District Jurisdiction. As a municipal division, Lebedyan Town Under District Jurisdiction is incorporated within Lebedyansky Municipal District as Lebedyan Urban Settlement.Law #126-OZ

Economy

The town is the location of the largest fruit juice manufacturer in Eastern Europe, ''

Lebedyansky Lebedyansky (masculine), Lebedyanskaya (feminine), or Lebedyanskoye (neuter) may refer to: * Lebedyansky District, a district of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia *Lebedyansky (company) Lebedyansky (russian: Лебедянский) is a Russian multi-nation ...

''.

Architecture

Lebedyan has two cathedrals, both dedicated to the icon of the ''

Theotokos of Kazan ''Our Lady of Kazan'', also called ''Mother-of-God of Kazan'' (russian: Казанская Богоматерь, translit=Kazanskaya Bogomater'), is a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Ma ...

''. The old and neglected cathedral goes back to the 18th century, while the larger cathedral on the market square was designed in the Empire style and consecrated in 1839.

Notable people

Lebedyan is the birthplace of Yevgeny Zamyatin. Other residents of the town include

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

and Andrey Bely. Ivan Turgenev incorporated a story titled ''Lebedyan'' in his collection '' A Sportsman's Sketches''. It was also the home of Leonid Mulyarchik, who attempted to singlehandedly build a subway system in the town. (He eventually gave up on the project.)

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Lipetsk Oblast Lebedyansky Uyezd Populated places established in 1613 1613 establishments in Russia