History of Taganrog
Encyclopedia
Ancient history
The excavations conducted by the German Archaeological InstituteGerman Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
led by Ortwin Dally and Don Archaeological Society, brought to conclusion that there was a Greek settlement in the place of the modern-day Taganrog, founded in the late 7th century BC.
It played an important role in the course of the early Greek colonization of the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
region, and was founded probably soon after Berezan
Berezan
Berezan is a city in Kiev Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 16,761 ....
and Histria, it is anyway much older than the first settlements and colonies in the Cimmerian Bosporus (Strait of Kerch) or Tanais
Tanais
Tanais is the ancient name for the River Don in Russia. Strabo regarded it as the boundary between Europe and Asia.In antiquity, Tanais was also the name of a city in the Don river delta that reaches into the northeasternmost part of the Sea of Azov, which the Greeks called Lake Maeotis...
that were founded between 580 and 60 BC.
According to scientists, the name of the settlement might be Emporion Kremnoi on the coast of Palus Maeotis, mentioned by Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
,,,.
Foundation of Taganrog
Peter the Great tried to conquer the Turkish fortress of AzovAzov
-External links:** *...
to get an entrance to the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. His first Azov campaigns
Azov campaigns
Azov campaigns of 1695–96 , two Russian military campaigns during the Russo-Turkish War of 1686–1700, led by Peter the Great and aimed at capturing the Turkish fortress of Azov , which had been blocking Russia's access to the Azov Sea and the Black Sea...
in 1695 failed, but his second attempt the next year led to victory.
To keep Azov in his possession and hold off the Turkish Navy, the tsar gave orders to expand his small war fleet, built during the winter of 1695-96. Peter the Great put the Azov Fleet under the command of admiral Fyodor Golovin, a Russian nobleman who was the successor of the Swiss François Lefort
Franz Lefort
Franz Lefort was a Russian military figure of Swiss origin, general admiral , and close associate of Peter the Great....
. Golovin was assisted by vice-admiral Cornelis Cruys and rear-admiral Jan van Rees.
The first Russian Navy base, Taganrog (Taygan for Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
sources) was officially founded by Peter The Great on September 12, 1698. Taganrog is one of the first Russian cities, which was built according to a detailed plan. Vice-Admiral Cornelis Cruys, who is regarded as the architect of the Russian Navy, became the first Head of Taganrog city in 1698-1702 and in 1711, and produced the first maps of Azov Sea and Don River. The project for planning and building works in the city was established in 1698, basing on the instructions provided by Peter The Great.
City development in the 18th century
In 1704 the ploughing of virgin lands started. Next year were planted the imperial vineyard and orchards. The building and construction of the seaport, fortress and town were generally completed by the end of the first decade of the 18th century. The seaport of Taganrog represented an irregular water surface of some 774000 square meters; it was the first artificial seaport in RussiaRussia
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...
. Boyar Aleksei Shein
Aleksei Shein
Aleksei Semyonovich Shein , Russian commander and statesman, the first Russian Generalissimus, boyar, great-grandson of Mikhail Shein....
was in charge for construction of the haven. The pentagonal fortress was erected on the Cape. Inside the fortress were built stone living-quarters for soldiers and civil population.
By the middle of 1711, according to the information of Mandating Chamber of Taganrog, there were over 8000 inhabitants in Taganrog. As the development of the social life in the region progressed, Taganrog retained its military and administrative significance and gradually became the handicraft and commerce center.
In 1700-1711, the Azov Sea Navy was the guardian of Russia's Southern frontiers. But in 1710 Turkey unleashed a new war against Russia. Russian troops commanded by Boris Sheremetev were surrounded by superior Turkish forces near Prut River.
The Russian tsar had to sign a treaty returning Azov to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and destroying Taganrog. On September 19, 1711 by the order of Peter the Great, Taganrog was demolished and in February 1712 Russian troops left the town.
For fifty years the seaport, fortress and town laid in ruins.
Taganrog begins again
On April 2, 1769 Russian troops entered Taganrog. The city was refounded by Catherine the Great, who issued a decree addressed to the Vice-Admiral Aleksey Senyavin.
Taganrog was populated by Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
colonists who, like the Greeks of classical times, took refuge from poverty or tyranny in townships around the northern Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Some Greeks had been Mediterranean pirates and were now tycoons; many lived by cheating Russian farmers and bribing Russian customs officials. They spread wealth, not only by conspicuous consumption, but by generous civic arts, founding orchestras, clubs, schools and churches, bringing in French chefs and importing Italian sculptors.
Ioannis Varvakis
Ioannis Varvakis
Ioannis Varvakis , also known as Ivan Andreevich Varvatsi , was a distinguished member of the Russian and Greek communities, national hero, member of the Filiki Eteria and benefactor of the places where he lived.-Origins, early life:...
and Achilles Alferaki
Achilles Alferaki
Alferaki, Achilles Nikolayevich ; , was a Russian composer and statesman of Greek descent, brother to Sergei Alphéraky. He was born in Kharkov . He spent all of his childhood in the city of Taganrog in the magnificent palace on Catholic Street...
are the most famous Greeks of Taganrog.
The bell of Chersonesos
The bell of Chersonesos or "the fog bell of Chersonesos" is considered by many as "one of TaganrogTaganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
's sights located abroad", which even became a symbol of another city - Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
or to be more exact, the symbol of Chersonesos Taurica.
The fog bell was cast in 1778 from the trophy Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
cannons seized by the Russian Imperial Army during Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774). The bell features depictions of patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
s of sailors: Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and Saint Phocas
Saint Phocas
Saint Phocas, sometimes called Phocas the Gardener or Phocas of Sinope, is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches...
and the following phrase can still be read today in , which literary means "This bell was cast in the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Church
St.Nicholas Church in Taganrog
The Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Church is a Russian Orthodox church in the city of Taganrog.-History:The Saint Nicholas Church is the oldest Russian Orthodox church in Taganrog...
in Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
from the trophy Turkish artillery...weight...pounds. Year 1778, month of August, on the date of ....".
The bell was cast before the foundation of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
for the Saint Nicholas church in Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
, which was the Russian Navy's military base at that time. Until 1803 the St.Nicholas Church
St.Nicholas Church in Taganrog
The Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Church is a Russian Orthodox church in the city of Taganrog.-History:The Saint Nicholas Church is the oldest Russian Orthodox church in Taganrog...
was subordinated to the Navy ministry. After Sevastopol became main Russian navy base in the South of Russia, the Emperor Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
ordered the bell to be transported to Sevastopol to be fitted in the Church of St. Nicholas which was being constructed there, with other bells and church plates also given over to the city of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
.
19th century
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
signed a decree establishing the city of Taganrog as a governorate
Governor of Taganrog
The Governor of Taganrog was the head of the Taganrog borough or governorate , between October 8, 1802 and May 19, 1887....
(incorporated municipality with privileges given by royal charter).
In 1805, Baron Balthasar von Campenhausen
Balthasar von Campenhausen
Balthasar Balthasarovich Campenhausen was a Russian statesman who held the ranks of Privy Councilor and Chamberlain....
was appointed by Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
Governor of Taganrog
Governor of Taganrog
The Governor of Taganrog was the head of the Taganrog borough or governorate , between October 8, 1802 and May 19, 1887....
and for his achievements he is still considered the best Head of Taganrog of all times.
Campenhausen
Balthasar von Campenhausen
Balthasar Balthasarovich Campenhausen was a Russian statesman who held the ranks of Privy Councilor and Chamberlain....
achievements include:
- The Taganrog Customs district;
- The new slope to the haven;
- New stone storehouses for goods;
- The start of construction of coasting vessels for transportation of goods to other Russian ports on Black and Azov Seas;
- Inauguration of the navigation school, the commercial gymnasium and the commercial court;
- The Construction and Building Committee that planned the future city architectural development;
- Introducing oil lighting in the streets;
- Starting the paving and greening of the streets;
- In April 1806, founding the Gorky Park (Taganrog)Gorky Park (Taganrog)-History:June 30, 1806 the first trees were planted for the Taganrog’s "Chemist’s garden" and "botanical garden" by the order of Taganrog’s governor baron Balthasar von Campenhausen. In 1825, Russian Emperor Alexander I and the Empress Consort Elizabeth Alexeievna often went for a walk in the...
.
Two streets in Taganrog were later named after Campenhausen: Bolshoy Kampenkhauzensky (now: Komsomolsky) and Malo-Kampenkhauzensky (now: Spartakovsky).
Tsar Alexander I also left his mark on the city. He came to Taganrog for spiritual solace at the end of his reign, and settled in a modest single-storeyed palace. Soon after moving to Taganrog he died - at least, it was announced that he did. Rumors arose that he ran off to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and became a holy man, and that the body of a soldier who resembled him was used in the funeral. Taganrog was briefly a shadow capital of the empire.
in April 1833, there happened in Taganrog an important event in Italian history - though the city's inhabitnats were not aware of it at the time: Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
, who came to Taganrog as a young merchant marine captain in charge of the schooner Clorinda carrying a shipment of oranges, met fellow-Italian Giovanni Battista Cuneo in a seaport inn and was convinced to join the revolutionary movement which was to take up the rest of his life (see Garibaldi Monument in Taganrog
Garibaldi Monument in Taganrog
In the first half of 19th century Taganrog was one of the largest ports in Russia. Hundreds of ships from European ports came into the haven. Merchants and seafarers from Liverpool, Bristol, Lisbon, Marseille, Genoa, Livorno and other seaports worldwide knew the name of the city of Taganrog.-Visits...
.)
Russian playwright and poet Nestor Kukolnik
Nestor Kukolnik
Nestor Vasilievich Kukolnik was a Russian playwright and prose writer of Carpatho-Rusyn origin. Immensely popular during the early part of his career, his works were subsequently dismissed as sententious and sentimental. Today, he is best remembered for having contributed to the libretto of the...
who settled in Taganrog in 1857 influenced a lot the way the city and the neighboring area developed. Kukolnik was the first to prove the need of university education in the Don River region and on Azov Sea.
His offer to open a university in Taganrog was not successful, but later it proved to be an important foundation for opening the Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...
University in 1865. Kukolnik also proved necessity of a newspaper in Taganrog. It was one of the reasons to open newspaper-publishing houses not only in Taganrog, but also in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
.
Since 1865 Nestor Kukolnik led the workgroup that proved necessity of a railroad line from Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
to Taganrog. This work was success and Russian tsar Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
approved the project in 1868.
He also was the first to raise the issue of environmental protection of the Gulf of Taganrog. But the related project encountered strong resistance from regional leadership and was not realized. Nestor Kukolnik assisted in opening the county court in Taganrog, open after his death in 1869.
In 1887, the Taganrog's status as a borough (Taganrog Governorate
Governor of Taganrog
The Governor of Taganrog was the head of the Taganrog borough or governorate , between October 8, 1802 and May 19, 1887....
) was annulled, and Taganrog was annexed to the Don Voisko Province
Don Voisko Province
Don Voisko Province of Imperial Russia was the official name of the territory of Don Cossacks, roughly coinciding with today's Rostov Oblast of Russia. Its center was Cherkassk, later Novocherkassk....
. According to the "City Statute" of 1870, the City Council (Duma) was established in Taganrog for managing local development, trade, healthcare and public education.
The siege of Taganrog in Crimean War
In spring 1855, the allied English-French commandment decided to send an expedition corps into the Azov Sea to undermine Russian communications and supplies to besieged SevastopolSevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
.
On May 12, 1855 English-French war ships entered the Kerch Strait and destroyed the coast battery of the Kamishevaya Bay. On May 21, 1855 the gunboats and armed steamers attacked the seaport of Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
, the most important hub in terms of its proximity to Rostov on Don and due to vast resources of food, especially bread, wheat, barley and rye that were amassed in the city after the breakout of Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
that put an end to its exportation.
The governor-general
Governor of Taganrog
The Governor of Taganrog was the head of the Taganrog borough or governorate , between October 8, 1802 and May 19, 1887....
of Taganrog, Yegor Tolstoy
Yegor Tolstoy
Count Yegor Petrovich Tolstoy , was a Russian lieutenant-general, senator, governor of Taganrog, Kaluga and Penza.-Military career:...
and lieutenant-general Ivan Krasnov
Ivan Krasnov
Ivan Ivanovich Krasnov was a Russian general and author.-Military career:He was born in 1802, son to the general Ivan Kuzmich Krasnov , fellow-fighter of Alexander Suvorov and Matvey Platov. Ivan Ivanovich Krasnov was educated at the boarding-school by Kharkov University. He began military...
refused the ultimatum, responding that Russians never surrender their cities. The English-French squadron began bombardment of Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
during 6.5 hours and landed 300 troops near the Old Stone Steps in the downtown Taganrog, who were thrown back by Don Cossacks
Don Cossacks
Don Cossacks were Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don.- Etymology and origins :The Don Cossack Host was a frontier military organization from the end of the 16th until the early 20th century....
and volunteer corps.
In July 1855, the allied squadron tried to go past Taganrog to Rostov on Don, entering the Don River
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
through the Mius River
Mius River
Mius is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It starts in the Donets Range of Donetsk Oblast and flows through Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine and Rostov Oblast, Russia into the Mius Firth of the Sea of Azov, west of Taganrog...
. On July 12, 1855 the H.M.S. Jasper grounded near Taganrog thanks to a fisherman, who repositioned the buoys into shallow waters. The cossacks captured the gunboat with all of its guns and blew it up. The third siege attempt was made August 19–31, 1855, but the city was already fortified and the squadron could not approach too close for landing operations. The allied fleet left the Gulf of Taganrog on September 2, 1855, with minor military operations along Azov Sea coast continuing until late fall 1855.
Trade and economy development in the 19th century
The market played a key role in the city life and influenced also its appearance. From the beginning of the 19th century the city had rich private residences, social buildings. The commercial Taganrog became one of the largest industrial cities of Russian South. By the end of the 19th century grew the number of educational institutions. During the second half of the 19th century the foreign trade turnover of Taganrog increased distinctly. Already at the beginning of the 20th century Taganrog held the second place in Russia in the importation and the sixth in the quantity of exported products. Due to dramatic developments in domestic commerce, the fairs lost their dominant role, and the stores, these 'eternal trade points' started to appear in the city. Petrovskaya Street and Gogolevski Street turned into main commercial highways of Taganrog. The foreign investments into Russian economy influenced the development of a large-scale industry in Taganrog. In 1896 with BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
investments, started the construction of the iron-and-steel factory. Next year the factory began to function. The plant produced iron beams, railings, pipes, railway bands, iron sheets, rolled steel.
In 1896 the Belgian company Albert Neuve, Wilde & Co started the building of the boiler plant. Besides the boilers, the works produced metallurgical constructions, iron and coppery castings, although it was inferior to the steel plant in the production volume and workers quantity. The tannery, founded in 1853, passed into the hands of the Belgian experts and was distinctly enlarged then. Since the 1870 the roadwork was expanded. By the end of the century the main part of the downtown streets was already paved. At the same time the greenery was planted in the city center.
Taganrog Theatre
The Taganrog Drama Theater named after Anton Chekhov and decorated with Order of Honor was established in 1827 by governor Alexander Dunaev. The theater was subsidized by the Taganrog's City Council since 1828, and its first director was Alexander Gor...
gained a nationwide glory. The plays of Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
, Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
, A.N. Ostrovsky, William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
were performed here. The special pride of the citizens was the Italian opera
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
, financed by the local merchants, patrons of art. Taganrog theater had its own Italian opera from 1866 to 1875. In 1876, the first City Library
Chekhov Library
Chekhov Library in Taganrog is the oldest library in the South of Russia.-Foundation history:...
was opened by the governor Johan Hampus Furuhjelm
Johan Hampus Furuhjelm
Johan Hampus Furuhjelm, was a Finnish-Russian vice-admiral and explorer, commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Governor of the Russian Far East, Taganrog and Russian America.-Early years:...
, in 1898 the regional museum was founded, in 1907 the first Mirage cinema was built, few years later the wooden building of the circus was erected. In 1871 the first private newspaper Azovski Vestnik (Azov Bulletin) was established, later renamed Taganrogski Verstnik (Taganrog Bulletin). Among the city intellectuals were artists, musicians and columnists.
Civil war and establishment of Soviets
The soviet power was established in Taganrog on January 22, 1918. Anton Glushko headed the first local soviet. From March to May 1918, the Ukrainian Soviet government stayed in Taganrog during UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
’s occupation by German troops. Taganrog itself was under German occupation May - August 1918. In August 1918, Don Cossacks
Don Cossacks
Don Cossacks were Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don.- Etymology and origins :The Don Cossack Host was a frontier military organization from the end of the 16th until the early 20th century....
took the control of the city. In 1919 General Anton Denikin kept his headquarters at the Avgerino mansion.
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
troops under command of Nikolay Kuybishev entered the city on December 24, 1919. The remaining Denikin's troops and the British Consulate were evacuated by the HMS Montrose
HMS Montrose (D01)
The first HMS Montrose was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders, sometimes known as the Scott class. They were named after figures from Scottish history and were ordered under the Wartime Emergency Construction Programme...
. On February 26, 1920 the Military Revolutionary Commission issued the order number 46, closing five foreign consulates that were open in Taganrog at that time (Spanish, Greek, Belgian, Danish and Swedish Consulates). The full power was given to the executive committee of The City Soviet Workers' council
Workers' council
A workers' council, or revolutionary councils, is the phenomenon where a single place of work or enterprise, such as a factory, school, or farm, is controlled collectively by the workers of that workplace, through the core principle of temporary and instantly revocable delegates.In a system with...
on December 17, 1920 and the city joined Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. However, it was transferred to Russian SFSR in 1924.
Taganrog during WWII
In World War IIWorld 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...
, 1941–1943, Taganrog was occupied by German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
troops and suffered extensive damage. Two SS divisions entered the city in October 1941 with other military and back divisions to follow. The local government system was replaced by Bürgermeisteramt or "New Russian local government".
The SS Einsatzgruppe Sonderkommando 10a performed systematic genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of Taganrog citizens from the first days of occupation. According to the information of the State Archive, some 7,000 Taganrogers (1,500 of them children of various age) were shot to death in the Gully of Petrushino .
In Taganrog acted at least 2 Soviet partisans
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
groups organized by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
before the Soviet troops left the city and in November 1941, Semion Morozov
Semion Morozov
Semyon Grigoryevich Morozov , , Taganrog – 23 February 1943, Taganrog) was commissar of the Taganrog antifascist underground organization . He was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title....
organized an underground resistance group
Taganrog resistance movement
Taganrog underground resistance movement was an Antifascist underground group of young Komsomol members acting in occupied Taganrog in 1941-1943.-History:...
, which consisted mainly of young Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
members. The members of the two groups acted separately and were not permitted to go into contact.
Taganrog was liberated by Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
's 130th Rifle Division under command of Konstantin Sychev (:ru:Сычёв, Константин Васильевич) and 416th Rifle Division under command of Dmitri Syzranov .
Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
was conferred the status of City of Military Glory
City of Military Glory
City of Military Glory is an honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of Russian cities, where soldiers had displayed courage and heroism during the Great Patriotic War...
by the President of the Russian Federation
President of the Russian Federation
The President of the Russian Federation is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Russian Federation...
Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
on November 3, 2011, for “courage, endurance and mass heroism, exhibited by defenders of the city in the struggle for the freedom and independence of the Motherland”.
Modern period
The post-revolution and postwar periods gave a new life to the city. The power machinery engineering, metallurgical production, instrument-making and other industry branches began to develop. The development of science was closely connected with the inauguration of the Taganrog State University of Radio Engineering. In the seventies and eighties, Taganrog was known as an important scientific and industrial center of Southern Russia. Taganrog companies produced: steam-boilers, self-propelled combine harvesters, drill-, casing-, oil-, gas-, and water-pipes, gears for searching fish and other installations. Taganrog products were exported to over 50 countries of the world.The disintegration of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the first economic reforms in the early nineties were very unfavorable for the citizens of Taganrog. But the local government of the city and the managers of industrial enterprises didn’t fold their hands and tried to find the right ways in the new market economy. They managed to preserve the experienced workforce and improve the technological processes. By the end of the twentieth century the production output growth rate reached nearly 400 %.
Beriev Be-200
The Beriev Be-200 Altair is a multipurpose amphibious aircraft designed by the Beriev Aircraft Company and manufactured by Irkut. Marketed as being designed for fire fighting, search and rescue, maritime patrol, cargo, and passenger transportation, it has a capacity of 12 tonnes of water, or up...
has been designed and put into production by Beriev Aircraft Company
Beriev Aircraft Company
The Beriev Aircraft Company, formerly Beriev Design Bureau, is a Russian aircraft manufacturer , specializing in amphibious aircraft...
. This amphibian aircraft has no analogues in the whole world. The TAGMET Iron & Steel Factory applies the most progressive steel casting technology and grafts on its growth rate. Doninvest Finance & Industry Group launched the production of passenger cars under licence of Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Hyundai
Hyundai
Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The citizens of Taganrog witnessed the inauguration of a new maternity center; a new ophthalmology department for veterans was opened in the Hospital 7. Several new trolley bus and shuttle bus routes have been introduced throughout the city. There are no obstacles with installation of digital phone lines in the city. Videophone communication and high-speed internet access are now widely available.
On January 29, 2010 Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited the city of Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
within the framework of the commemorative events for the 150th anniversary of the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
.
See also
- Azov campaignsAzov campaignsAzov campaigns of 1695–96 , two Russian military campaigns during the Russo-Turkish War of 1686–1700, led by Peter the Great and aimed at capturing the Turkish fortress of Azov , which had been blocking Russia's access to the Azov Sea and the Black Sea...
- List of governors of Taganrog in 1802-1888Governor of TaganrogThe Governor of Taganrog was the head of the Taganrog borough or governorate , between October 8, 1802 and May 19, 1887....
External links and references
Official website of Taganrog Official website of Taganrog- Сборник 'Таганрог' \\Пронштейн А. П. - Ростов-на-Дону: Ростовское книжное издательство, 1977 - с.208
- History of Taganrog by Pavel Filevsky, Moscow, 1898
- Encyclopedia of Taganrog, 2nd edition, Taganrog, 2003
- Eurasia Antiqua, Zeitschrift fuer Archaeologie Eurasiens, Deutsches Archaeologische Institut, Band 11/2005,