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Early history[edit]
The history of Cherkasy has not been thoroughly explored. Historians believe that the city was established in 1286, within the territory of Kievan Rus'. Little is known about the early history of the city. Cherkasy is first documented in the 1305 Hustyn Chronicle, in which it is mentioned along with other Kievan Rus' cities such as Kyiv, Kaniv, Zhytomyr and Ovruch.
Lithuanian rule[edit]
In the 1360s the city entered a new period in its development, becoming a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Cherkasy became an important defender of the southern borders of the Grand Duchy. In 1384 the city was recognized as a fortified town on the southern edge (of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), forming along with Vinnytsia, Bratslav and Kaniv part of a defensive line against Crimean Tatars. The city started to be ruled by a starost. It also became the seat of the Ukrainian Cossack Hetman. Since the 15th century it was one of the chief cities of Ukraine (modern central Ukraine).
From the end of the 15th until the beginning of the 16th centuries, the post of Cherkasy starost was held by the prominent persons of that time – Bogdan Glinskiy [uk] (in office: 1488–1495), Kmyta Oleksandrovych [uk] (in office: 1494–1500), Vasyl Dashkevych (in office: 1504–1507), Andriy Nemyrovych (in office: 1511–1514), Ostafiy Dashkevych (in office: 1514–1535), Vasyl Tyshkevych, Dmytro Vyshnevetsky (in office: 1550–1553) etc.
During the 15th and 16th centuries Cherkasy was one of the main centres that helped the Cossacks in the peopling of the Ukrainian south. Citizens took part in military campaigns against Tatars and Turks, including operations led by Ivan Pidkova (died 1578). In 1523, the city was unsuccessfully besieged by the Crimean Tatars. New Cherkasy Castle, built in 1549–52 on the place of the old one, was the centre of city life. In 1560, Prince Michał Wiśniowiecki was appointed starost of Cherkasy.
Polish rule[edit]
Depiction of Cherkasy from a book from 1700
After the Union of Lublin in 1569 Cherkasy became a part of Poland. Local starost Michał Wiśniowiecki, enjoying the favor of the King of Poland, obtained from him the right to pardon any local Cossack who had defected to Muscovite service for profit. There was a dispute between the castle captains and starost Michał Wiśniowiecki over the operation of taverns and inns, as a result of which, in 1571, the starost brought a complaint against the captains to the King of Poland. In 1580, an envoy of King Stephen Báthory arrived in the city to resolve a conflict between the city's residents and the Zaporozhian Cossacks.
The Cherkasy Regiment, which was created in 1625, played a big role in history of the city. The city became one of the centres of the Cossack movement. Citizens took part in the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648-1657, during which the regiment became an administrative-territorial subdivision (until 1686). During that time Cherkasy Regiment was one of the most powerful military units and took part in all of the battles with Bohdan Khmelnytsky's army. After a successful campaign, Khmelnytsky in 1654 signed an alliance with Muscovy at Pereiaslav. The war ended in 1667 with the Truce of Andrusovo. Cherkasy remained part of Poland, but territories east of the Dnieper River including left-bank Ukraine and Zaporizhzhia were secured for Muscovy.
While in the Polish Kingdom, the city was a seat of the county (powiat) which belonged to a greater unit – the Kyiv Voivodeship of the Lesser Poland Province until 1793. It was a royal city of Poland. In 1768, during the Koliiivshchyna turmoils, in which the city's residents participated, Cherkasy was severely damaged and pillaged. In 1791 the city gained Magdeburg rights. After the Second Partition of Poland, in 1793, the city was annexed by the Russian Empire.
19th – early 20th centuries[edit]
Khreshchatyk Street in c. 1910
From the beginning of the 19th century, the city was planned by William Heste, a Russian architect, civil engineer and town planner of Scottish descent. His plan for the city involved building square blocks with straight streets. In 1797, it became the seat of the newly established Cherkassy uezd in the Kyiv Governorate. In 1799, it was merged with the Chigirin uezd, and then reinstated in 1800. By the 1870s, the city had a sugar refinery and 56 tanneries. In the second half of the 19th century the city experienced great economic growth. The construction of a railroad through the city resulted in many new industrial enterprises. Sugar, tobacco, metalwork, mechanical engineering and trade industries were at peak development at that time.
Ukrainian War of Independence[edit]
After the October Revolution in 1917 Cherkasy fell under Bolshevik control. After that, however, the city changed its ruler at least 18 times – during the Ukrainian War of Independence it was conquered by hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi, then again by Bolsheviks, later by Nykyfor Hryhoriv.
On 6 March 1918, Cherkasy became the seat of Cherkasy land, a zemlia of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which was disbanded on 29 April 1918 by Hetman of Ukraine Pavlo Skoropadsky, who brought back old governorate divisions of the Russian Empire.
On 1 January 1920, the city eventually fell under Soviet rule. Afterwards it was administratively part of the Kremenchuk Governorate of Ukraine, and after its dissolution of the Kyiv Governorate of Ukraine.
Soviet rule[edit]
Cherkasy in 1930
As with all villages and towns in the area, it was a victim of man-made famine in 1932–1933 (Holodomor) and a Great Purge (a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union organised by Joseph Stalin in 1936–1938).
Second World War period[edit]
The Second World War damaged the city greatly. On 22 June 1941, German bombers attacked Cherkasy. For two months soldiers defended the city, but on 22 August, the invaders took the city. On 14 December 1943, Cherkasy was liberated from the German invaders. After the end of the war, the city began to recover after being almost obliterated. According to 5-year plans, the city began to re-develop its economy, infrastructure and socio-cultural sphere.
post Second World War period[edit]
In 1954 the city became the administrative centre of Cherkasy Oblast (province), which remains the youngest oblast in Ukraine to date. In the 1960s Cherkasy became the chemical giant of the Ukrainian SSR, after "Azot" (the biggest nitrogen fertilizer producing plant), "Khimvolokno" (artificial fiber manufacturing plant), "Khimreaktyv" (chemical reagents for military purposes) and many others were built in the city. In 1961 a Kremenchuk hydro power plant was built, forming the Kremenchuk Water Reservoir, which Cherkasy is now standing on. This makes the city a big transport hub, serving the longest dyke in Ukraine (15 km) with rail and road on it.
Independence from the Soviet Union[edit]
Since gaining independence, industry in the city has declined[citation needed], along with the number of citizens and living standards[citation needed]. A lot of big and powerful factories and plants[which?] were privatized but couldn't survive in a competitive market[citation needed]. Some enterprises changed their profile – several (3) factories and plants around the city were united under the "Bogdan Corporation" and started production of buses and cars. Some of the companies remained working and became successful, like "Azot".
On 28 November 2008, the monument of Lenin was removed from the central square. This caused different reactions in different people.[citation needed] Now the central square, formerly called "Lenin Square", is called "Soborna Square" (Cathedral Square). The square was recently renovated.
In 2009, Cherkasy airport received International Airport status (IATA: CKC – ICAO: UKKE).
Until 18 July 2020, Cherkasy was designated as a city of oblast significance and belonged to Cherkasy Municipality but not to Cherkasy Raion even though it was the centre of the raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Cherkasy Oblast to four, the city was merged into Cherkasy Raion.
The city has occasionally seen Russian air strikes and missile attacks as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
