Mena

Mena. Map: II-13. A town (2001 pop 12,940) on the Mena River and a raion center in Chernihiv oblast. It is mentioned in historical documents as early as 1066. In the 11th to 13th centuries it was an important trade center protected by a large fortress. In the 17th century it was a large fortified town. During Bohdan Khmelnytsky's rule Mena was a company center in Chernihiv regiment. In 1659 Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky fought several battles against the Russian army near the town. Before the close of the century Mena received the rights of Magdeburg law. In spite of its small size, in 1966 it attained city status. Most of Mena's enterprises belong to the food industry. It has a regional museum and a zoological park. Archeologists have found several settlements from the Bronze Age, the Yukhnove culture, and the early Slavic period (8th–10th century) in the vicinity.