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Nizhyn (, ; ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the capital city of Nizhyn Raion. It hosts the administration of Nizhyn urban hromada which is one of the of Ukraine and was once a major city of the Chernigov Governorate. Nizhyn has a population of
In the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Nizhyn was granted Magdeburg rights (1625) as a self-governing town. In 1663, Nizhyn was the place of the Black Council of Ukrainian Cossacks, which elected Bryukhovetsky as the new Hetman of the Zaporizhian Host thus conditionally dividing Ukraine (Cossack Hetmanate) into left-bank Ukraine and right-bank Ukraine. It was also the seat of a major Nizhyn Regiment (until 1782).
In the Cossack Hetmanate, Nizhyn had six (a Muscovite military position) from 1665 to 1697. The voivodes of the city were Ivan Rzhevskiy (1665–1672), Stepan Khruscheov (1672–1673), Prince Vladimir Volkonskiy (1673–1675), Prince Semeon Zvenigorodskiy (1673–1675), Avraam Khitrovo (1689–1692), and Ivan Saveolov Junior (1692–1697).
Nizhyn was once a major center of Hasidic Judaism and is the site of the Ohel (tomb) of the Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber Schneuri of Chabad-Lubavitch. The city also housed the thriving Greek community, which enjoyed a number of privileges granted by Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
In the 19th century Nizhyn became an uyezd capital of the Chernihiv Governorate and the biggest city in the guberniya. In 1805, the Bezborodko Lyceum was established there (today — Nizhyn Gogol State University); its graduates include Nikolai Gogol whose statue graces one of city streets as well as Yevhen Hrebinka among other graduates. Nizhyn has also long been noted for its famous .
During World War II, Nizhyn was occupied by the Wehrmacht from 13 September 1941 to 15 September 1943.
A wave of severely affected the Jewish population in 1881 and 1905. One group of emigrants settled in Philadelphia and founded the Neziner Congregation in 1896.
During their retreat from the Germans in the spring of 1918, the Red Army carried out additional pogroms. During World War II, the region was occupied by German Army, who murdered all Jews in the area. Only those who escaped survived.
In 1959, 1,400 Jews lived in Nizhyn, about 3% of the town's population. In 2005, Nizhyn population reached 80,000. Only about 300 Jewish families lived in the city.
The city boasts 38 libraries with the total fund of 17,365 thousand books, which caters for 44,429 readers, more than a dozen of museums, including Nizhyn Regional museum with the following sections: art, history, Nizhyn Post Station, with about 31 thousand of exhibits of the main fund, the Museum of the History of School No.3, the Museum of the History of School No.7 with a room of M. V. Nechkina, the Korolyov Museum in School No.14, the Glory Museum of Agrarian and Technical Institute, the Museum-Chemists shop named after M. Ligda. The following institutions function at Nizhyn State Pedagogical Institute named after Gogol: The Museum of Nikolai Gogol, Art Gallery, the Museum “Rare book”, zoological museum, and botanical museum. Nizhyn is a well-known industrial center, where 16 industrial enterprises, which belong to 8 branches, operate. Nizhyn is also an attractive tourist city. It is included into the tour “Necklace of Slavutych”.
In 2017, Ukraine issued a postage stamp featuring the coat of arms of Nizhyn.
Until 18 July 2020, Nizhyn was designated as a city of oblast significance and did not belong to Nizhyn Raion even though it was the center of the raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernihiv Oblast to four, the city was merged into Nizhyn Raion.
There is the memorial museum of Russian naval officer and explorer Yuri Lisyansky in in Nizhyn and a monument by the house. Меморіальний будинок-музей Юрія Лисянського
==Gallery==
Particularly close relations have been established with the United States of America. One example of a successful partnership is the official cooperation with the city of Gainesville, Florida, which arose thanks to the initiative of students at the University of Florida and the Ukraine Rebuilt Initiative project. After Mayor Oleksandr Kodola visited the US in 2023, both cities launched joint humanitarian initiatives. In particular, engineering students developed a modern prosthetic arm for a Ukrainian veteran and created an innovative bus shelter for the residents of Nizhyn. This cooperation also included help for the education of the town: the Nizhyn Lyceum started working with the University of Florida's Institute for Advanced Learning Technologies, getting the American partners interested in its STEM research.
The fruitful partnership was established with the State College in Pennsylvania. With the active participation of the local community and thanks to the work of volunteer Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, Nizhyn received constant support, including the provision of heating and hot water to one of the city's large districts during the winter. The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation officially confirmed this initiative, making Nizhyn the first partner city of State College.
The partnership with the city of Preili in Latvia is equally important for Nizhyn. The agreement with this city was signed in August 2022. It involves exchanges in the fields of education, culture, art and sports, as well as the implementation of joint social and economic projects. The Latvian side has shown initiative and openness to long-term cooperation. Over the years of partnership, the sister city has provided Nizhyn with various equipment, vehicles for the military and the community, as well as financial assistance.
The Belgian community of Wachtebeke also provided support to Nizhyn. Following the official visit of the Nizhyn delegation in July 2022, a special charity account was created, to which the Belgians have already donated €5,000 in aid. Despite the small size of the municipality, the residents of Wachtebeke have been extremely active in sending humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, clothing, hygiene products, generators, lanterns and other necessary items.
The aid provided by German cities was extremely valuable. In Wolfsburg, where many Ukrainian women refugees live, a graduate of the Foreign Languages Faculty of Nizhyn Gogol State University has initiated a cooperation between cities. The partnership agreement was signed in November 2023. In 2025, Nizhyn received necessary equipment and vehicles for municipal institutions and military personnel as humanitarian aid. And the city of Neustadt, thanks to the connections with local authorities, provided a large amount of humanitarian aid to Nizhyn. In particular, the community received school furniture, interactive whiteboards, musical instruments, household appliances, bicycles, medical equipment, gowns, gloves, and other supplies for hospitals. In addition, in 2025, Nizhyn received important humanitarian aid, which will help to maintain the stability of the electrical energy supply during blackouts (inverters and eco-flow systems).
The Polish cities of Olkusz, Dębica, and Świdnica have become true friends to Nizhyn in its hour of need. From Olkusz, in particular, the community received generators from the Simo community organization and other important humanitarian aid. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, the residents of Olkusz provided aid, thanks to which it was possible to support the children of the Nizhyn orphanage, the elderly, the city hospital, representatives of the Nizhyn Society of People with Hearing Impairments, military personnel, as well as the population of the surrounding villages that suffered from the war. In addition, in 2025, in cooperation with Olkusz, a partnership program called “Vacation from War” was organized for active young people in Nizhyn. As a symbol of gratitude, some streets in Nizhyn were renamed in honour of the cities of Dębica and Świdnica, which have repeatedly provided support.
The cooperation with the Finnish city of Imatra, which was established through the mediation of the Ukrainian Embassy in Finland, became unique. The cooperation agreement was signed in December 2022. In early January 2023, the first cargo of generators, portable power stations, and solid fuel heaters arrived in Nizhyn, helping the community survive the winter. Every year since the beginning of the cooperation, the city has been sending various humanitarian aid to the Nizhyn community and the military personnel, including vehicles, different equipment, hygiene products, food, and communication devices. In addition, a delegation from Imatra often visits Nizhyn.
Thus, thanks to partnerships with twin towns, Nizhyn not only received vital assistance during difficult periods of war but also opened new horizons for cultural, educational, and economic development.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Nizhen/Nizhyn in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
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