Izium is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. Izium is about 120 km (75 mi) southeast of the oblast capital, Kharkiv. Izium has a population of 45,884 as of 2021.

In 1681, a Cossack fortress was built within a small settlement, which marks the foundation date of Izium. It grew to be an important defense against Tatar invasions of the region. In 1684 the five-domed Baroque cathedral of the Saviour's Transfiguration
was built. The cathedral was renovated in 1902 and restored in 1955.

In 1765, Izium became a city, and in 1780 became an administrative center of Izyumsky Uyezd, one of the subdivisions of the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire.

The churches of Ascension (1819–21) and of St. Nicholas (1809–23) rank among the finest Neoclassical buildings in the region. In the 2nd half of the 19th c., the city's main exports were wool, sold to Kharkiv and Poltava, and building materials sold
to Taganrog.

During WWII, Izium was the site of numerous important battles. A Red Army salient was cut off by counterattacking German forces (during the 2nd Battle of Kharkiv) and was eliminated in one of the most expensive learning errors for the Red Army. Izium was
occupied by the German Army from 24 June 1942 until it was liberated on 5 Feb 1943. The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the city.

Izium expanded rapidly in the 20th century due to its importance as a junction between Kharkiv and the Donets Basin. In Jan 1989 the population was 64,334 people, up from 12,000 in 1926.

To comply with decommunization laws, the local "Lenin Square" was renamed "John Lennon Square" in Feb 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izium

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