Lebedyan

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Coordinates: 53.0139° N 39.1406° E

Lebedyan (Russian: Лебедя́нь) is a town in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Don River 62 km northwest of Lipetsk. It is the location of the largest fruit juice manufacturer in Eastern Europe, Lebedyansky. Population: 22,966 (2002 Census); 22,850 (1989 Census).

Lebedyan was founded in the early 17th century as a border outpost protecting South Russia from the Crimean Tatar incursions. The Trinity Monastery was established there in 1621 and several churches were built until the end of the century; they are all now reduced to ruins.

Chartered in 1779, Lebedyan developed in the 19th century as a centre of horse racing and horse breeding. The locals claim that the first racetrack in Russia was opened there in 1826. The Agricultural Society of Lebedyan, founded in 1847, was influential in preparing the Emancipation Reform of 1861.

Lebedyan is the birthplace of Yevgeny Zamyatin. Other residents of the town include Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrey Bely. Ivan Turgenev incorporated a story titled Lebedyan in his collection A Sportsman's Sketches.

Lebedyan has two cathedrals, both dedicated to the icon of the Theotokos of Kazan. The old and neglected cathedral goes back to the 18th century, while the larger cathedral on the market square was designed in the Empire style and consecrated in 1839.

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