8th–10th c.
The Monastyryshche hillfort
A Siverian settlement stood on the site of present-day Romny. Excavations by Mykola Makarenko in the early 20th century gave the name to the entire Romny archaeological culture of the 9th–11th centuries.
1096
First chronicle mention
The town of “Romen” appears in the Tale of Bygone Years, in an account of the Rus princes’ struggle with the Cumans. The Posullia defensive line of Kyivan Rus ran through here.
16th–17th c.
The Cossack era
Romny becomes an important centre of Cossack life. The town belonged to the Myrhorod and Lubny regiments and for a time served as the administrative centre of the Lubny regiment.
late 15th — 19th c.
The Illinskyi fair
The fair grew into one of the largest in Eastern Europe and a major hub of international trade. Thanks to it Romny became a centre of theatre and book distribution.
1708–1709
The Great Northern War
The town is linked to the stay of Hetman Ivan Mazepa and King Charles XII of Sweden. A memorial sign was unveiled in Romny in 2024 to mark the event.
1845
Taras Shevchenko in Romny
The poet visited the town and the Illinskyi fair. Seventy-three years later, in 1918, the world’s first monumental statue of Kobzar by Ivan Kavaleridze would rise here.
1874
The railway
The opening of the railway gave a powerful boost to industry, trade and banking — Romny became one of the leading commercial and industrial centres of the Left Bank.
1919
The local lore museum
The Romny Local Lore Museum was founded — a leading centre for preserving the region’s historical and cultural heritage. Today it is part of the Posullia reserve.
Today
The Romny community
The community cares for 173 monuments and heritage sites, 136 of which are listed in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.
People who made the Romny area famous
Science
Микола Макаренко · Абрам Йоффе · Степан Тимошенко · Олексій Борисяк · Володимир Коршак · Василь Чаговець
Culture & arts
Іван Кавалерідзе · Олександр Потебня · Степан Шкурат · Ганна Затиркевич-Карпинська · Микола Бажан · Дмитро Білоус
Kobzar tradition
Мусій Олексієнко · Євген Адамцевич — творці та популяризатори «Запорізького маршу»
A life of courage
Олександра Деревська — мати-героїня, яка усиновила та виховала 48 дітей-сиріт різних національностей