Bolgar
Болгар
Town[1]
Other transcription(s)
 • TatarБолгар
Bolgar mosque
Bolgar mosque
Flag of Bolgar
Flag
Coat of arms of Bolgar
Coat of arms
Location of Bolgar
Map
Bolgar is located in Russia
Bolgar
Bolgar
Location of Bolgar
Bolgar is located in Tatarstan
Bolgar
Bolgar
Bolgar (Tatarstan)
Coordinates: 54°58′27″N 49°01′51″E / 54.97417°N 49.03083°E / 54.97417; 49.03083
CountryRussia
Federal subjectTatarstan[1]
Administrative districtSpassky District[1]
Founded1781[2]
Area
[3]
 • Total8.0 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
Elevation
80 m (260 ft)
Population
 (2010 Census)[4]
 • Total8,650
 • Estimate 
(2018)[5]
8,476 (−2%)
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
 • Capital ofSpassky District[1]
 • Municipal districtSpassky Municipal District[6]
 • Urban settlementBolgar Urban Settlement[6]
 • Capital ofSpassky Municipal District,[6] Bolgar Urban Settlement[6]
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[7])
Postal code(s)[8]
422840, 422869
Dialing code(s)+7 84347
OKTMO ID92632101001
Websitespasskiy.tatarstan.ru/rus/mo-gorod-bolgar.htm

Bolgar (Russian: Болгар; Tatar: Болгар) is a town and the administrative center of Spassky District in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Volga River, 140 kilometers (87 mi) from Kazan. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 8,650.[4]

It was previously known as Spassk (until 1926),[2] Spassk-Tatarsky (until 1935),[2] Kuybyshev (until 1991).[2]

History

View to the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex before the implementation of the complex programme

The excavated monuments of Bolghar, the medieval capital of Volga Bulgaria, are within easy reach from the town. The modern town of Spassk (Спасск) was formed from the village of Spassk (Chertykovo) on the bank of Bezdna River in 1781.[2] It was renamed Spassk-Tatarsky (Спасск-Татарский) in 1926, then Kuybyshev Куйбышев), in honor of Valerian Kuybyshev, in 1935, before getting its present name in 1991.[2] It served as a district administrative center since 1930.[3]

In 1957, due to the construction of Kuybyshev Reservoir and flooding of the original Spassk, the town was moved from the place of its foundation[3] closer to historical Bolgar.

In 1991, the town changed its name to Bolgar in honor of the remains of the medieval city of Bolghar (Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex) located nearby.

Since 2010, on the initiative and the supervision of the first president of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, the complex programme 'Cultural Heritage - Island-Town of Sviyazhsk and Ancient Bolgar' has been implemented in Bolgar. The programme involves the conservation of architectural and archaeological heritage of Bolgar and the development of its touristic infrastructure. The programme has the following results:

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Bolgar serves as the administrative center of Spassky District, to which it is directly subordinated.[1] As a municipal division, the town of Bolgar, together with the selo of Bolgary, is incorporated within Spassky Municipal District as Bolgar Urban Settlement.[6]

Economy

As of 1997, the town's industrial enterprises included a meat factory, a bakery, a brewery, a clothing factory, and a forestry farm.[3] The nearest railway station is Cherdakly on the Ulyanovsk–Ufa line, 71 kilometers (44 mi) south of Bolgar.[3]

Since 2010, the tourism flow to Bolgar has increased about 20 times: in 2010 Bolgar was visited by 50 000 tourists, in 2018 the annual visitation number has reached 541 000.[10] In 2016, Bolgar became the most popular touristic towns of Russia.[11]

Demographics

Bolgar population
2010 Census8,650[4]
2002 Census8,655[12]
1989 Census8,397[13]
1979 Census8,383[14]

As of 1989, the population was ethnically mostly Russian (83.4%), Tatar (12.9%), and Chuvash (2.1%).[3]

As of 2018, the town is on the 989 place from 1113 cities and towns of the Russian Federation in terms of the number of its inhabitants.[15]

Attractions

The town is bordering the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex World Heritage site. The property was inscribed to the World Heritage List in 2014 in accordance with criteria (ii) and (vi). Its architectural and archaeological heritage is considered evidence of the medieval city of Bolgar, which existed in the 7-15th centuries as a key political centre of the Volga Bulgaria and the first capital of the Golden Horde. The property also has a significant religious value as a symbolic place of the adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgaria in 922 and serves as a pilgrimage place for Tatar Muslims.[16] The following historic monuments are located in the complex:

The Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex is managed by the Bolgar State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, which museums are located inside of the property:[17]

There are several attractions located close to the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex:

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Order #01-02/9
  2. ^ a b c d e f Энциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 61. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Inhabited Localities of the Republic of Tatarstan, p. 246
  4. ^ a b c Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  5. ^ "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e Law #40-ZRT
  7. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  9. ^ Итоги. yanarysh.tatarstan.ru (in Russian). Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  10. ^ За минувший год Болгар и Свияжск посетили более миллиона туристов. www.tatar-inform.ru (in Russian). Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  11. ^ Самые Малые Города России, Популярные Для Путешествий — ТурСтат. turstat.com (in Russian). Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  13. ^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
  14. ^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Национальный состав населения по регионам России [All Union Population Census of 1979. Ethnic composition of the population by regions of Russia] (XLS). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года [All-Union Population Census of 1979] (in Russian). 1979 – via Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics.
  15. ^ "Population of the Russian Federation in municipal districts".
  16. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Болгарский музей-заповедник".

Sources

External links

Administrative divisions of Tatarstan
Authority control databases
Categories