Kharkov region's second largest town, one of the oldest
towns in the region, it is situated in a picturesque bend of the Seversky Donets, at the
foot of the famous Mount Kremenets. When one goes by the road Kharkov - Donetsk, one
passes Izyum town.
The first mention of the Russian fortification "Izyumskaya
Sakma" is found in written sources dated back to 1571. In the records of 1680 the
settlement is referred to as Izyumsky town. In the 1680's, a fortress was built in the
place of the present Izyum. The fortress consisted of the "big" and the
"small" towns. At present the central part of Izyum occupies the spot where the
"big" town used to be. The five-domed Preobrazhensky cathedral is an extant
representative of architecture of that time.
Izyumsky Slobod regiment created in 1685 with the headquarters in Izyum
comprised 13 towns and districts. The regiment took part in Russian- Turkish campaigns,
stormed Ochakov, Bendery, Izmayil under the command of Suvorov, fought near Borodino,
victoriously paraded along the streets of Paris. Here are lines from a regiment song:
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Paris in its glorious walls
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Was once in disarray
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And saw your red dolman
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And your blue braided overcoat
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The wide tarmac road from the centre of Izyum goes up to Mount
Kremenets. The mount is the highest point in Kharkov region (218 metres above sea level).
This mount is a geological natural wonder. It is interesting because of its outcrops of
higher cretaceous and Jurassic strata with numerous organic fossils. At the same time
Mount Kremenets is an interesting historical site. "Izyumsky pass" is a
convenient ford across the Seversky Donets at the foot of the mount - many experts see a
connection with Prince Igor's army's march against the Polovtsi in 1185, the famous story
that became a minstrel's song and later a masterpiece of Old Russian literature. The
famous battle near the Kayala river was also fought in the vicinity of Izyum.
Hundreds of years ago the way of the Tartars' raids passed across the mount or around
it. Izyumskaya Sakma is the eastern branch of the notorious Muravsky Road. In Turkish
languages "long mount" is pronounces as "uzyun-kurgan" (or
"izyum-kurgan"). The hill near the river gave name to Izyumsky Road and later to
the town. In the XIV century there was a Tartar fortification called "Kermen" on
the top of the mount. The ruins of this fortification were still visible until the end of
the last century. Its name seems to have been transformed into similar Russian words
"Kremlin", "kremen (flint)" and gave name to Mount Kremenets. Later
this place was used by Russian watch patrol men. And in 1681 here was started construction
of "the small town" - the fortress whose rampart and ditch are still extant in
some parts.
In the second half of the XIX - the beginning of the XX century, rapid industrial
development begins in Izyum. In 1910, the railway line Kharkov - Donbass was built that
went near Izyum, and two years railway shops began to be constructed. In 1917, optical
glass plant was started to be built (currently Device Construction Plant). Izyum's working
class was noted for its revolutionary sentiment. Soviet power was established in the town
on 22 December 1917.
