Kalach-na-Donu (russian: Кала́ч-на-Дону́), or Kalach-on-the-Don, is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

and the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Kalachyovsky District in

Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast (russian: Волгогра́дская о́бласть, ''Volgogradskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region of Southern Russia. Its administrative center is Volgograd. The popula ...

, Russia, located on the

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

, west of

Volgograd Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

, the administrative center of the

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom ...

. Population:

History

It was founded in 1708 as a

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

'' sloboda'' and was originally called Kalach ()."My Town" Encyclopedia
Entry on Kalach-na-Donu
In World War II, the town lent its name to an armored clash between the German 6th Army and the Soviet 64th and 1st Tank Armies from July 25 to August 11, 1942.Stalingrad.net website. The term "Battle of Kalach" is used in English- and German-language histories; this may not be the case in Russian-language sources
"The German Sixth Army on the Way to Catastrophe."
About three months later, during

Operation Uranus Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axi ...

, several Soviet tank corps encircled the besieging German 6th Army in

Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...

by capturing Kalach, thus cutting off German supply routes. It was granted town status on April 18, 1951.Official website of Kalachyovskoye Urban Settlement
History of Kalach-na-Donu
At the same time, its name was changed to Kalach-na-Donu, to distinguish it from an eponymous town in Voronezh Oblast. By Construction of

Volga–Don Canal Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal ( Russian:Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени, ''В. И. Ленина, Volga-Donskoy soudokhodniy kanal imeni V. I. Lenina'', abbreviated ВДСК, ''VDSK'') is a ship canal in R ...

in 1952, The city become the end point of the canal.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Kalach-na-Donu serves as the

of Kalachyovsky District. As an administrative division, it is, together with the settlement of Dom otdykha, incorporated within Kalachyovsky District as the

town of district significance Town of district significance is an administrative division of a district in a federal subject of Russia. It is equal in status to a selsoviet or an urban-type settlement of district significance, but is organized around a town (as opposed to a ...

of Kalach-na-Donu. As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Kalach-na-Donu is incorporated within Kalachyovsky Municipal District as Kalachevskoye Urban Settlement.Law #994-OD

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Official website of Kalach-na-Donu

Kalach-na-Donu Business Directory
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Volgograd Oblast Populated places established in 1708 1708 establishments in Russia Don Host Oblast