Shakhty
Шахты
City[1]
A view of the city from the KhBK (cotton plant) area
A view of the city from the KhBK (cotton plant) area
Flag of Shakhty
Flag
Coat of arms of Shakhty
Coat of arms
Location of Shakhty
Map
Shakhty is located in Russia
Shakhty
Shakhty
Location of Shakhty
Shakhty is located in Rostov Oblast
Shakhty
Shakhty
Shakhty (Rostov Oblast)
Coordinates: 47°42′N 40°14′E / 47.700°N 40.233°E / 47.700; 40.233
CountryRussia
Federal subjectRostov Oblast[1]
Foundedbeginning of the
19th century[2]
Government
 • MayorDenis Stanislavov[3]
Elevation
100 m (300 ft)
Population
 (2010 Census)[4]
 • Total263,377
 • Estimate 
(2018)[5]
233,814 (−11.2%)
 • Rank79th in 2010
 • Subordinated toShakhty Urban Okrug[1]
 • Capital ofShakhty Urban Okrug[1]
 • Urban okrugShakhty Urban Okrug[6]
 • Capital ofShakhty Urban Okrug[6]
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[7])
Postal code(s)[8]
346500
Dialing code(s)+7 8636
OKTMO ID60740000001
City DayThird Sunday of September
Websitewww.shakhty-gorod.ru

Shakhty (Russian: Шахты, IPA: [ˈʂaxtɨ]) is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the southeastern spur of the Donetsk mountain ridge, 75 kilometers (47 mi) northeast of Rostov-on-Don. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 263,377.[4]

It was previously known as Alexandro-Grushevskaya (until 1867),[2] Gornoye Grushevskoye Poseleniye (until 1881),[2] Alexandrovsk-Grushevsky (until 1920).[2]

History

In the beginning of the 19th century[2] sergeant-major Popov founded[citation needed] on the Grushevka River a Cossack stanitsa of Alexandro-Grushevskaya (Александро-Грушевская).[2] While the exact reasoning behind this name is unclear, it is possible that the name was given in honor of Emperor Alexander I.[2] Twelve Cossacks and fourteen peasant serfs lived in the stanitsa at that time.[citation needed] By the mid-19th century, fifty-seven coal mines operated in this area.[2] In 1867, it was granted town status and renamed Gornoye Grushevskoye Poseleniye (Горное Грушевское Поселение).[2] The name was changed to Alexandrovsk-Grushevsky (Александровск-Грушевский) in 1881.[2]

By 1914, the population had reached 54,000. The main source of income was coal mining, which had been carried out in that region since the end of the 18th century. The population was poor, but the town had rail, telegraph and telephone networks, electricity and plumbing as well as libraries, hospitals and a post office. 1917 saw the city change hands three times, until it was taken on April 28, 1919, by the Don Army, under General Aleksandr Fitskhelaurov [ru]. For twenty months it was independent of the Bolsheviks, but was ravaged by typhoid.

In 1920, the city was given its present name.[2] The name, which literally means mines in Russian, was chosen due to the strong association with coal mining.[2] In 1920–24 Shakhty was part of Donetsk Governorate of the Ukrainian SSR. During the 1920s, many of the churches and the archives were destroyed. In 1928, the city was the location of the Shakhty Trial, a precursor of the show trials of the 1930s.

In 1941, an independent Cossack republic had been declared in Shakhty although this was suppressed by the NKVD before the Russian invasion.[9] In July 22, 1942, during the Great Patriotic War, the city was occupied by the Germans; many coal pits and buildings were blown up by the Germans during their retreat in February 12, 1943. Twenty-nine of the townsmen were awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1948, production levels in the mines reached what they had been before the war. During the Leonid Brezhnev years, the city was at the height of its development, with a population of over 250,000, and about ten million tons of coal being mined each year.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the city was the scene of many of Andrei Chikatilo's murders.

Perestroika proved devastating for the city, as mines were privatized and shut down, causing massive unemployment, which led to a severe rise in crime and drug abuse. Today's Shakhty is the main industrial center of the Eastern Donbas. The city is also one of the main producers and exporters of tile in Eastern Europe.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as Shakhty Urban Okrug—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.[6]

Demographics

The city's population was 239,987 as of the 2010 Census;[4] up from 222,592 recorded in the 2002 Census.[10] As of the 1989 Census, the population was 225,797.[11]

Attractions

There are several monuments and historical sites in Shakhty.

Drama theatre
Monument to Vasily Alexeyev

The monument was built by Yuri Alekseevich Levochkin.[12] Its pedestal is made of dark granite, and the statue itself is cast from bronze. The lower half stand 5.7 meters high, and the figure of Alexander II is another 2.4 meters. On the front side, there is an engraving in gold letters that reads, "Alexander II. Tsar the Liberator". Viewed from the back, there is a brief biographical note on the ruler—"Emperor Alexander II abolished serfdom in Russia in 1861 and freed millions of peasants from centuries of slavery, conducted military and judicial reforms, introduced the system of local self-government, city dumas and local administrations, brought to an end the long-lasting Caucasian War, and liberated the Slavic peoples from the Ottoman yoke. He was killed on March 1, 1881 and was a victim of a terrorist."[13][14]

The fountain in the Park (1920-1930)

The monument was erected on an initiative of the Historical Council of the City of Shakhty.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Shakhty is twinned with:[18]

Notable people

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Law #340-ZS
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Pospelov, p. 26
  3. ^ Official website of Shakhty Administration. Denis Ivanovich Stanislavov Archived March 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  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 Law #191-ZS
  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. ^ p.88, Stalingrad, Antony Beevor
  10. ^ 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).
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "В Шахтах начали устанавливать памятник Александру II". kvu.su (in Russian). Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  13. ^ "Члены ИППО приняли участие в открытии памятника императору Александру II в Шахтах". ippo.ru. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  14. ^ "В городе Шахты открылся памятник Александру II - Администрация города Шахты". shakhty-gorod.ru. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  15. ^ Fyodorov, Gennady (November 25, 2011). "Weightlifting-World record holder Alekseyev dies at 69". Reuters. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  16. ^ Croft, Lee B (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P (ed.). Great Athletes. Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 35–37. ISBN 1-58765-008-8.
  17. ^ Vasily Alekseyev Archived 22 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  18. ^ "Города-побратимы". shakhty-gorod.ru (in Russian). Shakhty. Retrieved February 4, 2020.

Sources

External links

Administrative divisions of Rostov Oblast
Authority control databases
Categories