Alagir
Encyclopedia
Alagir is an industrial town and the administrative center of Alagirsky District
of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia
, situated on the west bank of the Ardon River
, 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) west of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz
. Population:
, the namestnik of the Caucasus
, near an ancient silver
/lead
mine in the nearby Alagir Gorge. It was built up as a fortified settlement around a smelting plant and became a major mining center. By the end of the 19th century, the town had been increasingly populated by Georgians
and Russians
who came to work there. During the Russian Civil War
, in January 1919, Alagir was a scene of intense fighting, which resulted in heavy casualties in the town's Georgian population and difficult flight of the survivors through the mountainous passes into Georgia
. The Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin
commented on the incident, blaming "counter-revolutionaries" for atrocities in Alagir, which Georgians tend to attribute to the Ossetian radicals.
Alagir was granted town status in 1938. Alagir's economy is still dominated by mining and mineral extraction, but it also has a significant woodworking, canning and manufacturing industry. During World War II
, on 5 November 1942, the German 3rd Panzerkorps and Romanian 2nd Mountain Division (under von Kleist
) captured the town and held it until Alagir was recovered by the Soviet forces.
Alagirsky District
Alagirsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the eight in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the central and southern portions of the republic along the Russian border with South Ossetia/Georgia. Its administrative center is the town of Alagir...
of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, situated on the west bank of the Ardon River
Ardon River
Ardon River is a river in North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, a left tributary of the Terek River. The length of the Ardon is 102 km, the area of its drainage basin is 2700 km². The Ardon originates in the glaciers of the Greater Caucasus. The Ossetian Military Road crosses the valley of the Ardon...
, 54 kilometres (33.6 mi) west of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
. Population:
History
The town was established in 1850 by Prince Mikhail Semyonovich VorontsovMikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov , was a Russian prince and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars, and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853....
, the namestnik of the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, near an ancient silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
/lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mine in the nearby Alagir Gorge. It was built up as a fortified settlement around a smelting plant and became a major mining center. By the end of the 19th century, the town had been increasingly populated by Georgians
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
and Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
who came to work there. During the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, in January 1919, Alagir was a scene of intense fighting, which resulted in heavy casualties in the town's Georgian population and difficult flight of the survivors through the mountainous passes into Georgia
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. The Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
commented on the incident, blaming "counter-revolutionaries" for atrocities in Alagir, which Georgians tend to attribute to the Ossetian radicals.
Alagir was granted town status in 1938. Alagir's economy is still dominated by mining and mineral extraction, but it also has a significant woodworking, canning and manufacturing industry. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on 5 November 1942, the German 3rd Panzerkorps and Romanian 2nd Mountain Division (under von Kleist
Von Kleist
Von Kleist is a Pomeranian Prussian noble family. Notable members of this family include:* Ewald Jürgen Georg von Kleist ; co-inventor of the Leyden jar* Ewald Christian von Kleist ; German poet and soldier...
) captured the town and held it until Alagir was recovered by the Soviet forces.
Ethnic groups
Major ethnic groups comprising the town's population, as of 2002, are:- OssetiansOssetiansThe Ossetians are an Iranic ethnic group of the Caucasus Mountains, eponymous of the region known as Ossetia.They speak Ossetic, an Iranian language of the Eastern branch, with most also fluent in Russian as a second language....
(91.07%) - RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(6.19%)