Poltava News

What's new

05.07.2009 A new information about the Poltava Battle Museum has been added on 05.07.2009 in the section “Sightseeing”, where you will learn of the history preceding Poltava Battle, the battle in itself and the importance it had played in the past.

Site author

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The site is one year old!

Dear visitors!

The site accomplished 1 year on 26th of July, precisely one year from the time when its first pages had appeared in Internet.

Of course one year is not a big deal by any means, but the work done is quite considerable. Many new articles have been added all thanks to the vivid interest my readers had displayed, even some sections have appeared of which conception I hadn’t even thought at the very beginning.

I want to thank all visitors from whom I’ve been receiving reviews and wishes concerning my site. That makes me double joy since I not only analyze the site’s attendance, but take a keen interest in your opinions. And I tell you there are many of them and they are to distinct from each other. I try to answer every incoming letter as far as possible, and it is of great importance for me since though this site is all about history, but this is a developing history not stagnant one… Of that I am completely convinced once again when I write another articles here, indeed the history is moving round a circle repeating itself time and again…

Many thanks to directors and employees of Poltava museums for their help. Also sincere thanks to priests from the churches of different denominations for their blessings and permissions to take a photograph in the churches they serve in, as well as to registrars of Poltava Oblast Archives and to workers of Poltava State Research Library named after I.P. Kotlyarevsky.

Thanks a lot to our local official for their positive attitude towards published information on this site.

And the consequence of it as I fancy, will make glad not only city visitors for many years but first of all will please Poltavites. Though I was hoping for more, still and all I want to express gratitude to our authorities for what has already been done and achieved during this year, and that is quite a lot I daresay...

I hope that the purpose this site had been created for, has been accomplished for this year.

During this year Poltava became more familiar not only to its natives but to many people abroad as well. And it is not only “near abroad” citizens who are visiting this site but also citizens of Europe, America, Australia and Asia are taking deep interest in the history of our land.

Looking back at one year full of work, I want to admit that not everything went off smoothly as it may seem at first sight, and writing about bad things is not my favorite topic for discussion, especially since good things outweigh everything that is wicked and there are much more nice persons in this world than not – a valid occasion to be very joyful for.

I’d like to please all frequent visitors by informing you that this site will continue as before its perfection route getting enriched with more and more new and interesting articles. And believe me I have plenty of them and idling about is not for me…

Site author

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The monument to Ivan Mazepa, hetman of Ukraine, is publicly funded.

The day of monument erection to Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa is coming close. All things concerning the place for the monument and the date of its unveiling timed to Ukrainian Independence Day have already been co-ordinated with local officials.

Let me remind you that the president of Ukraine Victor Yuschenko has allocated one and a half million budget money for this project, but the Regional Council decided to use the funds for the construction of a sanative resort for children near Kiev instead, hence this money will not be returned to the regional budget. But the art workshop is busy right now with monument’s construction. Thanks to the beneficent donations, the sum of 1 100 951,20 grn has already been collected by August 17, 2009. The project’s initiators hope, that the money would have been collected till the end of the set up terms. The time will tell…

The monument may look like this: the sculpture of Ivan Mazepa in full height would be placed on the bell-shaped granitic pedestal in the Cathedral Square, in front of the Uspenskyi Cathedral bell tower

But for any supporter of the monument erection there is an opponent. Representatives of communist party had gathered at the intended for the monument place on July 14th holding a protest meeting thus foiling constructors’ plans to begin with a preliminary stage of the monument erection. Protest meeting was of a peaceful nature.





Site author

• More detailed information about problems with setting of monument read here: ПООТ "Просвіта"

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  Poltava had celebrated the 300th anniversary of Poltava Battle.

  On 27th of June 2009 Poltava had celebrated the 300th anniversary of Poltava Battle (for some reasons unknown the president of Ukraine on this occasion had decreed to celebrate “an armed advance of Mazepa”)

  More than thousand people took part in the service for the dead near the monument to lost Cossacks as well as in the mournful religious procession going through Poltava’s downtown. Beside Ukrainian national flag one could see many flags bearing symbols of UNP (Ukrainian National Party), “Svoboda” (Freedom), “Rukh” (Movement), Congress of Ukrainian nationalists, Cossacks. Prayers for the Cossacks who had lost their lives on Poltava lands 300 years ago had been uttered by people attending the service. As the people's deputy, organizer of the action Nikolay Kul’chinskyi put it – “Today, we as true Christians are praying for all those who had lost their lives near Poltava – for our Ukrainian Cossacks, and for Swedes, and for Russians. This is our Christian duty. Deep respect and love to Hetman Ivan Mazepa!”

  After the service for the dead, high priest Fedor took the floor: “We are celebrating Poltava Battle now, the battle that had changed the course of events. Ukraine had lost its independence. Poltava Battle became a tragedy for Ukrainian people. And again our nation got divided at that time fighting each other. But we’ve gotten blessing from God, we have our independent state. And for that we should be thankful to God for this bounty and we have to protect our State system”. All men are equal before God as was noted by high priest Fedor. He asked God to accept all prayers and give eternal peace to all departed in Poltava Battle.

  Then a small concert was offered to all present at the service - kobza-players from Poltava and Kiev chorus were performing on the stage. After that, the mournful procession started to move from Panyansky avenue towards the temple of Saint Great Martyr Yuriy Pobedonosets (Zen’kovskaya Street, 16) it was 200 meters long. Priests stood at the head of the procession followed by pretty girls with the basket full of flowers, high officials, deputies, as well as by political and public organizations and interested Poltavites.

  Also the service for the dead in memory of Russian warriors who died in Poltava Battle was held in St. Sampson church, the church is situated in the reserve area “Poltava Battlefield”. And unveiling of Rotunda of reconciliation took place on 27th of June.

  Representatives from Ukrainian, Russian, Swedish and Finnish delegations partook in the consecration ceremony and unveiling of Rotunda of reconciliation – the monument in commemoration of all warriors who died in the battle. Three anthems were heard at the battlefield, three national flags were fluttering up in the hot summer air. The words “Time heals wounds” in Russian, Ukrainian and Swedish languages were engraved on the monument.

  Rotunda was designed in the form of arc with the huge bell above, which was ringing in memory of the brave warriors who lost their lives 300 years ago near Poltava. Idea of mutual understanding and reconciliation was expressed by each delegation on that day. Among guests of high standing at the ceremony one could see – Sergey Naryshkin Head of Russian president’s State machinery, Viktor Chernomyrdin Russian president’s councilor, Marina Stavniychuk vice-chairman of presidential secretariat of Ukraine, Stephen Gullgren Swedish ambassador in Ukraine.

  A solemn presentation of the bust of Swedish king Charles 12th, a gift to Poltava museum of local lore was held on the eve of celebration.

  Bernard Engmund Swedish sculptor, historian and cavalry officer expressed the hope that the Charles’s bust would be set up in more appropriate place – thematic museum of Poltava Battle. He said this to pressmen right before the solemn ceremony of bust’s placing. Much to his astonishment as he later remarked, the State museum of Poltava Battle being in subordination to the city administration has refused to accept his creation the bust of Charles 12th, though many gifts from Northern War’s period had been willingly accepted before.

  Engmund told that more than month he had spent to mould the sculpture from the original. In 1917 remains of Charles 12th had been extracted from a sarcophagus. “When doing my work I took the distance between eyes, nose and ears as a reference” he noted. By the way, many Swedish historians tend to think that this bust is the closest one to the original if compared with other images of Charles 12th

  Site author 05.07.2009

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  Guess... What's this?

  Last year, in the summer, Poltava authorities planed to restore a part of the fortress, which had protected the ancient city along the perimeter from enemies' attacks. And now, the construction has begun on some of the city plots. But construction of what?

  Maybe I don't fully appreciate the plans of our authorities, or there is nobody to suggest something to them, though we have many historians in the city, or maybe they make suggestions but aren't listened to, whatever the case, what's being built right now, doesn't seem to resemble those towers and gates, which used to stand once here. Suffice it to read the book «Русское деревянное оборонное зодчество» (Russian wooden defensive architecture) by N.P. Kradin 1988, to understand that what's being built, neither by its appearance nor by its size resembles those towers back in 17-18 centuries. Secondly, if one looks at the old blueprints of the city-fortress really closely, one would surely notice that, there weren't any towers at this spot, and Sampson gates somewhat below, were put right at the fortress entrance. But the gate size was only sufficient for carriages to pass by. In the third place, no footbridges running to towers and gates like to that one, which is already built.

  So, the inscription might easily be placed on it saying: “The wooden observation platform, designed by “City Fathers” to 300th anniversary of the Battle of Poltava”, or as someone may put it in Ukraine, “armed advance of Mazepa”

  Site author