Sychyovka

Sychyovka ( _ru. Сычёвка) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vazuza and Losmina Rivers some 234 km northeast of Smolensk. Population: 8,300 (2005 est.); 8,683 (2002 Census); 9,643 (1989 Census).

Sychyovka was first mentioned in 1488 as a votchina of a Tver prince Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III. In 1493, it became a palace village ( _ru. дворцовое село) of Vyazma uyezd. In 1776, Sychyovka was transformed into a town. The name derives from a Russian word "sych" ( _ru. сыч, lit. "Little Owl"), which also means "a gloomy person".