Shostka is town in Sumy province
in north-east of Ukraine. The population
is 85,800. The town lies on the river Shostka,
a tributary of Desna, from which it gets
its name. Shostka is an important centre
of industry; in chemicals and in dairy:
Shostka City Milk Plant was recently acquired
by Fromageries Bel. Shostka started out
as a village at the beginning of the 17th
century for Ukrainian Cossacks which were
based there. In 1739, a gunpowder factory
was built there. Since that time Shostka
was one of the most important gunpowder
suppliers in the Russian Empire. In 1893,
a branch of a nearby railroad line was built.
Shostka was granted municipal rights in
1920. In 1931, a film factory was built
in Shostka which was one of the main suppliers
of cinema and photo film in the USSR. Shostka's
population: 1926 - 8,600 inhabitants, 1959
- 39,000 inhabitants, 1970 - 64,000 inhabitants,
1979 - 80,000 inhabitants, 1984 - 84,000
inhabitants
