Vovchansk

Vovchansk lies on the Vovcha, or Wolf River, a tributary of the Siverskyi Donets. The Cossack sloboda of Vovchi Vody was founded in 1674 by Ukrainian settlers led by Martyn Starochudny, on the riverbank upstream from the later town centre. Like other settlements of Sloboda Ukraine it grew along the frontier's wooded rivers. In 1780 it became a district town under the name Vovchansk.