historical
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, located in the
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...
on
submontane
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograph ...
tableland on the right bank of the
Podkumok River
The Podkumok () is a river in Stavropol Krai, Russia, right tributary of the Kuma (Russia), Kuma. The length of the river is . The area of its drainage basin, basin is 2,220 km2 (857 mi2).
Originating in the Greater Caucasus, the Pod ...
(a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
Stavropol
Stavropol (, ), known as Voroshilovsk from 1935 until 1943, is a city and the administrative centre of Stavropol Krai, in southern Russia. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 547,820, making it one of Russia's fastest growing cities.
E ...
. Population:
History
It was founded in September 1777 as St. George fortress on the Azov-Mozdok defense line. In 1783, Georgievsk saw the signing of the
Treaty of Georgievsk
The Treaty of Georgievsk (; ka, გეორგიევსკის ტრაქტატი, tr) was a bilateral treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and the east Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti on July 24, 1783. The treaty establi ...
between the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and the
Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti
The Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti ( ka, ქართლ-კახეთის სამეფო, tr) was created in 1762 by the unification of the two eastern Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti. From the early 16th century, according to t ...
, which made the east Georgian kingdom a Russian protectorate. After 1785, Georgiyevsk grew considerably. In 1786, it was granted town status. After 1802, it was the seat of
Caucasian Governorate
Caucasus Governorate () was an administrative division ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1802 until 1822. Its seat was located in Georgiyevsk. The governorate was located in the south of the European part of the Russian E ...
. The early 19th century marked a peak in Georgiyevsk's influence as a trading center. After 1822, the town's influence began to wane.
In 1875, a railway station was built away in Nezlobnaya. This became a new beginning in town's development. In 1894, the first blacksmith works was founded. This was the beginning of "ArZiL", the biggest enterprise in the town. In 1900, a slaughter house and an oil mill were founded. In the 1920s, Georgiyevsk became a big industrial and trade center of the Ciscaucasia.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Georgiyevsk was under
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
occupation from 15 August 1942 to 10 January 1943. After the war, Georgiyevsk became the largest center of machine construction in Stavropol Krai.
administrative center
An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of
Georgiyevsky District
Georgiyevsky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Stavropol Krai, twenty-six in Stavropol Krai, Russia.Resolution #63-p It is located in the south of the krai. The area of the district is . Its ...
, eve though it is not a part of it.Resolution #63-p As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the town of krai significance of Georgiyevsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of a
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
. As a municipal division, the town of krai significance of Georgiyevsk is incorporated as Georgiyevsk Urban Okrug.Law #88-kz
Economy
Today, Georgiyevsk is one of the largest industrial towns in the area with an accessory plant, repair and engineering works, nail works, semiconductor plant, acoustical and insulation material works, brickworks, two asphalt refineries, garment, shoe and fur plants, and a number of food processing facilities, including H.J. Heinz instant baby food plant.
Transportation
Georgiyevsk is a railway junction with connections to
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
Minsk
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
,
Krasnodar
Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...
,
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...
,
Grozny
Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...
,
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...
,
Mineralnye Vody
Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) ( rus, Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), p=mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ; lit. ''mineral waters'') is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located along the Kuma River and the main rail ...
,
Prokhladny Prokhladny (; masculine), Prokhladnaya (; feminine), or Prokhladnoye (; neuter) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Prokhladny, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, a town in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic;
;Rural local ...
marshrutka
''Marshrutnoye taksi''MSA is the second-largest of the MSA's of the Caucasus Mineral Waters region, which is a
conurbation
A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...
with 1.1 million inhabitants in the center of the North Caucasus.
Georgiyevsk has right-angled planning in the town center—a legacy of the fortress. The old town center was in the high bank on the Podkumok River near the Nikolskaya church—the oldest Orthodox church in Stavropol Krai—and a monument of wooden architecture of the 18th century.
The modern town center was built at the beginning of the 20th century around the fair square. The best examples of architecture of that period are the Old City Hall, the former Hotel "Louvre", the former Hotel "London", and Public Secondary schools #1 and #3. First enterprises were built at that time to the north of the town center. In the 1920s and 1930s, the area near the railway station was built out. After the World War II, Georgiyevsk grew quickly in the western residential areas and northern industrial areas. From the 1970s to the 1990s, several multistoried blocks were built in the southwest of the town. Today, the main part of Georgiyevsk is an area of owner-occupied dwellings. Multistoried buildings are situated in the central part of the town and in the "Beryozka" microdistrict. The town has three industrial areas, the largest of which is to the north of the town.
One of the local attraction is the Georgiyevsk Skyscraper, a twelve-story building, with views of Georgiyevsk, the Stavropol steppe, and Caucasus Mountains.
Education and culture
Georgiyevsk is an important educational center, with nine secondary schools, five vocational school, and fifteen universities and universities' satellite campuses with more than 20,000 students. It also has a Palace of Culture with a public theater, a casino, a museum, parks, Iodine-bromine mineral waters, and several churches.
Tourism
In the corner of Pobedy Square and Pyatigorskaya Street is the Old City Hall, which has a bell tower from the 20th century. In the other corner of the square, opposite the Central Drugstore, stands the Monument for International Friendship. This is the beginning of Golovinsky boulevard. Tykhe road is very short and ends at the Eternal Flame on Oktyabrskya street.
On the Old Boulevard, visitors can see the Youth Palace, located in the building of the Georgiyevsk City Bank, the best example of the modern architecture in the town. There are some cafés and restaurant on the boulevard with building of different ages and architectural styles. The Old Boulevard leads to the Central Town Park. It is rather small but not long ago it was reconstructed and now has several side-shows.
The New Boulevard leads to the historical center of the town at Lermontov street. On the left side, there is a town museum in a building known as Dara. It was built at the beginning of 20th century. The owner was the producer of the first amateur theater in the town. On the right side is the mansion of Tumasov with lions of the top of the gates and the huge Palace of Culture. The Palace is now a drama theater but was once a town assembly hall.
At the end of the New Boulevard is Stela, a twenty-meter monument to mark the 200th anniversary of signing of the
Treaty of Georgievsk
The Treaty of Georgievsk (; ka, გეორგიევსკის ტრაქტატი, tr) was a bilateral treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and the east Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti on July 24, 1783. The treaty establi ...
. Until the 1930s, the Voznesensky Cathedral, which was similar to the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior
The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (, ) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few hundred metres southwest of the Kremlin. With an overall height of , it is the third tallest Orthodox C ...
in Moscow, stood here.
Behind the Stela is Oktyabrskaya street through Old Georgiyevsk. The street runs high over the Podkumok river, from where there are views of the Caucasus Mountains from
Mount Kazbek
Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi, , romanized: ''q'azbegi''; ; ; ; is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus Mountains, Caucasus, located in Georgia (country), Georgia, just south of the border with Russia.
Lying ...
to
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the south ...
, the Podkumok forest and the lower part of the town. A short distance away is the most important monument in Georgiyevsk, the Nikolskaya church, which was carried to the St. George fortress from the
Khopyor River
The Khopyor (, also transliterated as Khoper) is a river in European Russia, the biggest left tributary of the river Don.� ...
in the 1780s. This is the only church not demolished by the
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
authorities. This is the old town center, the location of the St. George fortress.
Other areas Georgiyevsk have little of interest for tourists. Local souvenirs include "Georgiyevskaya krepost", a local wine. Georgiyevsk is one of the biggest in Russia centers for items made from fur, and many items are available in the central market.
On the way to Pyatigorsk there are old
Cossack
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
s
stanitsa
A stanitsa or stanitza ( ; ), also spelled stanycia ( ) or stanica ( ), was a historical administrative unit of a Cossack host, a type of Cossack polity that existed in the Russian Empire.
Etymology
The Russian word is the diminutive of the word ...
s—Nezlobnaya, Lysogorskaya, and Goryachevodsk. A very beautiful wooden church of ''Rozhdestva Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy'' (The Birth of the Blessed Virgin), built in 1886, is situated in the center of Lysogorskaya.
Notable people
Well-known Russians who visited Georgiyevsk include:
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...
,
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...
,
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...
,
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...
Nikolay Raevsky
Nikolay Nikolayevich Raevsky or Rayevsky (; — ) was a Russian general and statesman who achieved fame for his feats of arms during the Napoleonic Wars. His family left a lasting legacy in Russian society and culture.
Early life
Nikolay Rae ...