Founded 1635 Area 43.78 km² Local time Friday 7:52 AM | Elevation 171 m (561 ft) Population 92,687 (1 Dec 2013) University IPT KI SumGU | |
 | ||
Weather 1°C, Wind N at 13 km/h, 90% Humidity | ||
Konotop (Ukrainian: Конотоп, [konoˈtɔp]) is a city in northern Ukraine within the Sumy Oblast. Konotop is the center of the Konotop Raion (district), and is located about 129 km from Sumy, the Oblast capital. It is host to Konotop air base.
Contents
Map of Konotop, Sumska, Ukraine
History
During the beginning of the 17th Century, Ukrainian Cossacks were first based in that area. The settlement was first mentioned in 1635 in various documents as Novoselitsa. In 1642 a Polish fortress was built in that place named after the river Konotopka. Probably the river disappeared, and another one was created, Yezuch. The fortification became a key point in the struggle against the Moscow state. Some historians suppose that Konotop was inhabited even before the Tatar-Mongolian invasion.
In 1659 the Battle of Konotop took place near the city, in which Ukrainian Cossacks led by Ivan Vyhovsky (allied with Poles and Crimean Tatars) defeated Muscovite forces. In 1782 Konotop was granted municipal rights.
During World War II, Konotop was occupied by the German Army from 3 September 1941 to 6 September 1943.
In 2015, the city elected Artem Semenikhin of the far-right Svoboda as its mayor. Semenikhin reportedly has the number "14/88" displayed on his car and has refused to display the city's official flag because it contains a star of David, and has implied that Jews were responsible for the Holodomor.
Economy and Transport
Konotop is an important mechanical engineering center, food production center, and an important transportation center. Various railroad connections from Konotop are: Moscow–Kiev, Simferopol–Minsk, Bakhmach–Kiev, Bryansk–Sumy/Belgrade. It is the smallest city in the country with its own tram system.