Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

, and is considered the capital of the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, commonly known as Crimea, is a de jure autonomous republic of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,

. However, it is under the ''de facto'' control of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and regards Simferopol as the capital of the

Republic of Crimea The Republic of Crimea, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; uk, Республіка Крим, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; crh, , is an unrecognized federal subject ( republic) of Russia, located in the Crimean Peninsula. Its territory co ...

. Simferopol is an important political, economic and transport hub of the peninsula, and serves as the administrative centre of both Simferopol Municipality and the surrounding Simferopol District. After the 1784 annexation of the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the long ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, the Russian empress decreed the foundation of the city with the name Simferopol on the location of the Crimean Tatar town of Aqmescit ("White Mosque"). The population was

Etymologies

The name Simferopol ( uk, Сімферо́поль; russian: link=no, Симферо́поль ) comes from the Greek ''Sympheropoli'' ( el, Συμφερόπολη, ''Symferópoli''), meaning ''city of common good''. The spelling Symferopil ( uk, Сімферопіль) is also used. In Crimean Tatar, the name of the city is ''Aqmescit'', which literally means "The white mosque'" (''Aq'' "white", and ''mescit'' "mosque"). But ''aq'' does not refer to the color of the mosque, but to its location. This is due to the colour designation of the cardinal points among the

Turkic peoples The Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose memb ...

, where white is the west. Thus, the exact translation of the name of the town is "the Western Mosque." In English, the name was often given as Akmechet or Ak-Mechet (e.g. in ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various ...

'' ), a transliteration from Russian spelling of Crimean Tatar word Акмечет, Ак-Мечеть, where Mechet (Мечеть) is the Russian word for "mosque".

History

Early history

Archaeological evidence in the Chokurcha cave shows the presence of ancient people living in the territory of modern Simferopol. The

Scythian Neapolis Scythian Neapolis ( el, Σκυθική Νεάπολις), also known as Kermenchik, was a settlement that existed from the end of the 3rd century BC until the second half of the 3rd century AD and was previously considered a town of the Tauric Ch ...

, known by its Greek name, is also located in the city, which is the remnants of an ancient capital of the Crimean

Scythian The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...

s who lived on the territory from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD. Later, the

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

founded the town of Aqmescit. For some time, Aqmescit served as the residence of the Qalğa-Sultan, the second most important position in the

after the

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

himself.

Russian Empire

In 1784 modern Russian Simferopol was founded after the annexation of the

to the

Catherine II of Russia , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

. The name Simferopol is in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, Συμφερόπολις (''Simferopolis''), and literally means "the city of usefulness." The tradition to give Greek names to places in newly acquired southern territories was carried out by Empress Catherine the Great as part of her

Greek Plan The Greek Plan or Greek Project () was an early solution to the Eastern Question which was advanced by Catherine the Great in the early 1780s. It envisaged the partition of the Ottoman Empire between the Russian and Habsburg Empires followed ...

. In 1802, Simferopol became the administrative centre of the

Taurida Governorate The Taurida Governorate (russian: Тавріическая губернія, modern spelling , ; crh, script=Latn, Tavrida guberniyası, ) or the Government of Taurida, was a historical governorate of the Russian Empire. It included the Crime ...

. During the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

of 1854–1856, the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian A ...

reserves and a hospital were stationed in the city. After the war, more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were buried in the city's vicinity.

20th-century wars

In the 20th century, Simferopol was once again affected by wars and conflicts in the region. At the end of the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

, the headquarters of General

Pyotr Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...

, leader of the anti-

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...

, were located there. On 13 November 1920, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

captured the city and on 18 October 1921, Simferopol became the capital of the

Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic During the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, different governments existed within the Crimean Peninsula. From 1921 to 1936, the government in the Crimean Peninsula was known as the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic; ...

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Simferopol was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

from 1 November 1941 to 13 April 1944. Retreating

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

police shot a number of prisoners on 31 October 1941 in the NKVD building and the city's prison. Germans perpetrated one of the largest war-time massacres in Simferopol, killing in total over 22,000 locals—mostly

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

Krymchaks The Krymchaks ( Krymchak: , , , ) are Jewish ethno-religious communities of Crimea derived from Turkic-speaking adherents of Rabbinic Judaism.Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

. On one occasion, starting 9 December 1941, the Einsatzkommando 11b, which was under the command of Werner Braune, whose main unit and superior were

Einsatzgruppe D (, ; also ' task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the im ...

and

Otto Ohlendorf Otto Ohlendorf (; 4 February 1907 – 7 June 1951) was a German SS functionary and Holocaust perpetrator during the Nazi era. An economist by education, he was head of the (SD) Inland, responsible for intelligence and security within Ger ...

, respectively, command killed an estimated 14,300 Simferopol residents; most of them were Jews. In April 1944 the Red Army liberated Simferopol. On 18 May 1944 the Crimean Tatar population of the city, along with the whole Crimean Tatar nation of Crimea, was forcibly deported to Central Asia as

collective punishment Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member of that group, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends and neighbors of the perpetrator. Because ind ...

for their perceived collaboration with Nazi Germany.

Within Ukraine

On 26 April 1954, Simferopol, together with the rest of the

Crimean Oblast During the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, different governments existed within the Crimean Peninsula. From 1921 to 1936, the government in the Crimean Peninsula was known as the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republi ...

, was transferred from the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

to the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

by Soviet Premier

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev ...

. An

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the Solar System#Inner solar system, inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic o ...

, discovered in 1970 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova, is named after the city (

2141 Simferopol 141 may refer to: * 141 (number), an integer * AD 141, a year of the Julian calendar * 141 BC __NOTOC__ Year 141 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caepio and Pompeius (or, ...

). Following a referendum on 20 January 1991, the

was upgraded an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 12 February 1991 by the

Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR The Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR ( Ukrainian: Верховна Рада Української РСР, tr. ''Verkhovna Rada Ukrayins'koyi RSR''; Russian: Верховный Совет Украинской ССР, tr. ''Verkhovnyy Sovet ...

. Simferopol became the capital of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After the

collapse of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

in 1991, Simferopol became the capital of the

within newly

independent Ukraine Independent Ukraine (Ukrainian: Самостійна Україна) is a political pamphlet published in 1900 by Mykola Mikhnovsky in support of the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party The Revolutionary Ukrainian Party ( uk, Революційна П ...

. Today, the city has a population of 340,600 (2006) most of whom are ethnic Russians, with the rest being Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar minorities. After the Crimean Tatars were allowed to return from exile in the 1990s, several new Crimean Tatar suburbs were constructed, as many more Tatars returned to the city compared to number exiled in 1944. Land ownership between the current residents and returning Crimean Tatars is a major area of conflict today with the Tatars requesting the return of lands seized after their deportation.

Russian annexation

In March of 2014, after the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

, Russian forces entered Crimea and occupied it, disarming or subsuming Ukrainian units in the territory. On 16 March 2014, a referendum on independence and accession to the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia North Asia or Northern Asia, also referred to as Siberia, is the northern region of Asia, which is defined in geographic ...

as a federal subject was unilaterally held by Russian and pro-Russian forces in Crimea. The vote, the legitimacy of which was rejected by a majority of the nations in the UN as well as by supranational and non-national organisations, showed an "overwhelming" support for joining Russia, with over 90% of participants supporting that choice. The referendum was decried as a sham by Western countries including the US, which declared that they would refuse to recognise "the results of a poll administered under threats of violence and intimidation from a Russian military intervention that violates international law." On 21 March, by decree of

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime m ...

, Simferopol was named the capital of a new

federal subject The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...

of the

encompassing the majority of the peninsula, with the exception of

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, which became a federal сity. The first elections in the region after its annexation by the Russian Federation were conducted on September 14, when municipal elections were held.

Repression and war crimes under Russian occupation

Prior to the seizure of the city by Russia, a mass protest was organized by the city's

in support of Crimea remaining as part of Ukraine. Subsequently, after the seizure of the peninsula and the city by Russian occupation forces, Russian authorities banned Tatar organizations, filed criminal charges against Tatar leaders and journalists, and targeted the Tatar population. This practice of collective punishment has been described as a war crime prohibited under international humanitarian law and

Geneva convention upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conv ...

Geography and climate

Location

Simferopol is located in the south-central portion of the

. The city lies on the Salhir River and near the artificial Simferopol Reservoir, which provides the city with clean drinking water. The Simferopol Reservoir's earth dam is the biggest in Europe.

Climate

The city experiences a

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places *Oceanic, British Columbia Oceanic is an unincorporated set ...

climate (depending on which version of the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

is used), near the boundary of the

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

. The average temperature in January is and in July. The average rainfall is per year, and there is a total of 2,471 hours of sunshine per year.

Politics and administrative divisions

Simferopol 04-14 img28 train station square

As the capital of the Republic, Simferopol houses its political structure including the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

and the Council of Ministers. Simferopol is also the administrative centre of the Simferopolskyi District (

raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is co ...

), however, it is directly subordinate to the Crimean authorities rather than to the district authorities housed in the city itself. The city of Simferopol is administratively divided into three districts (Zaliznychnyi, Tsentralnyi, and Kyivskyi), four

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

s ( Ahrarne,

Aeroflotskyi Aeroflotskyi (russian: Аэрофлотский; uk, Аерофло́тський; crh, Aeroflotskiy) is an urban-type settlement located in Simferopol Municipality, Crimea. Population: Demographics According to the 2001 census, 1,961 people l ...

, Hriesivskyi, Komsomolske) and one village (Bitumne). Viktor Ageev became city mayor on 11 November 2010 and was then elected chairman of the Simferopol City Council on 29 September 2014. Igor Lukashyov was installed as the head of Simferopol City administration (i.e. local executive) after Russia annexed the region in 2014. He served in this position until his dismissal on 9 November 2018.

Transportation

Simferopol has a major railway station, which serves millions of tourists each year. In December 2014 Ukraine cut the railway line to Crimea at the border. Currently, the station serves only a commuter (regional) passenger train and the Moscow – Simferopol train every day. The city is also connected via the

Simferopol International Airport Simferopol International Airport ( uk, Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь", ''Mizhnarodnyy aeroport "Simferopol’"''; russian: link=, Международный аэропорт "Симферополь", ''Mezhdunar ...

, which was constructed in 1936. Zavodskoye Airport is situated southwest of Simferopol. The city has several main bus stations, with routes towards many cities, including

Kerch Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of ...

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Cri ...

, and

Yevpatoriya Yevpatoria ( uk, Євпаторія, Yevpatoriia; russian: Евпатория, Yevpatoriya; crh, , , gr, Ευπατορία) is a city of regional significance in Western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrativ ...

. The Crimean Trolleybus connects Simferopol to the city of

on Crimean

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

coast. The line is the longest

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

line in the world with a total length of (since 2014 again ). The streets of Simferopol have a rare

house numbering House numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building. The house number is often part of a postal address. The term describes the num ...

– the odd numbers are on the right side of the road, looking in the direction in which the numbers increase.

Demographics

At the last census in 2014, the population of Simferopol was 332,317, the highest of any city in the Republic of Crimea and second only to Sevastopol within the Crimean peninsula.

Economy

When it existed,

Crimea Air Crimea Air was an airline on the grounds of Simferopol International Airport in Simferopol, Crimea. It was established and started operations on 4 October 1996 and operated regional feeder services. Its main base was Simferopol International Airp ...

had its head office on the grounds of Simferopol Airport. Simferopol hosts some industries, such as 'Zavod 'Phiolent' JSC producing Marine automation control systems; Precise electrical micro machines of low input power; Power tools, for both professional and household usage. * Simferopol Airport , new terminal is to be open with at least 8 gates, the structure of the hall has a wave-like layout.

Industry

* Fiolent (two locations) * Simferopol chemical industry plants * PO Foton * Simferopol Airport * SEM SElktroMash SELMZ * Plastotekhnika and else plastics related * Santekhprom SSTP * PEK PromElektroKontakt and PromSchitKontakt, ChPO Sfera IzmertelnPribor, SELTZ ElectroTechnical Plant * Pnevmatika, other pneumatics tires etc. related industry * Monolit SMZKon, TsSI Tavrida SKMKZ, Slava Truda SCMNG, SiMZ Motor Plants *

Chornomornaftogaz Chornomornaftogaz (also: Chernomorneftegaz, uk, Чорноморнафтогаз, russian: Черноморнефтегаз, lit. "Black Sea oil and gas") is an Oil and gas industry, oil and gas company located along Krymgazseti in Simferopol, Cri ...

* Digital Valley (Tsifrovaya Dolina): silicon industry, computers, wafers and microelectronics, it, other related. It will located (most likely) near the airport for convenience.

Education

The largest collection of higher education institutions in Crimea is located in Simferopol. Among them is the largest university in Simferopol and Crimea, the

Taurida V.Vernadsky National University V.I. Vernadsky Taurida National University (TNU) ( uk, Таврійський національний університет імені В.І. Вернадського (ТНУ)) is a public, coeducational university currently located in ...

, which was founded in 1917.

Crimea State Medical University named after S. I. Georgievsky The Medical Academy named after S. I. Georgievsky of Vernadsky CFU ( uk, Кримський державний медичний університет ім. С. І. Георгієвського; russian: Кры́мский Госуда́рств� ...

, also located in Simferopol, is one of the most prominent medical schools of Ukraine. The Crimean Medical University is situated on the plot, where in 1855 a nursery garden was planted by the founder of the Nikita Botanical Gardens Ch.Ch.Steven (1781–1863). In 1863–66 a school for girls was built here and in 1931 a medical institute was opened. On the same plot P.Krzhizhanovsky built a three-storey hostel for medical students after the design in 1934. The building with clear geometric masses was completed in 1938. A new federal university campus was opened 4 August 2014.

Sports

Simferopol is home to the football club FC TSK Simferopol which plays in the

Crimean Premier League The KFS Premier-Liga (russian: Премьер-лига КФС) or simply Crimean Premier League is a professional association football league in Crimea organized by the Crimean Football Union (Krymsky Futbolny Soyuz) and devised by Russia after U ...

. It was formed as a Russian club in 2014, following the

2014 Crimean Conflict In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Ky ...

, to replace the Ukrainian club Tavriya Simferopol which had been the first winners of the Ukraine Premier League, and also won the

Ukrainian Cup The Ukrainian Cup ( uk, Кубок України) is an association football national knockout cup competition run by the Ukrainian Association of Football. The competition is conducted almost exclusively among professional clubs. Since the 2003� ...

in 2010.

Notable people

Sakharov Prize 2018 laureate Oleg Sentsov receives his award (49127359156) cropped

* Max Alpert (1899–1980) a Soviet photographer, frontiline work during WWII * Andrei Abrikosov (1906–1973) a Soviet stage and film actor. *

Reşat Amet Reşat Amet ( crh, Reşat Medatoğlu Ametov, russian: Решат Медатович Аметов, uk, Решат Мідатович Аметов; 24 January 1975 – 15 March 2014) was a Crimean Tatar activist posthumously awarded the title Hero ...

(1975–2014) a Crimean Tatar activist * Denis Bouriakov (born 1981), principal

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

* Rachel Devirys (1890-1983) French film actress, starred in some 50 films from 1916 to 1956. *

Dorofeeva Nadiia Volodymyrivna Dorofieieva ( uk, Надія Володимирівна Дорофєєва; born 21 April 1990), professionally known as DOROFEEVA, is a Ukrainian pop singer, fashion designer, blogger, actress and a former member of the po ...

(born 1990), female vocalist of the pop duo Vremya i Steklo * Roman Filippov (1936–1992) a Soviet theatre and film actor *

Viktor Grebennikov Viktor Stepanovich Grebennikov ( rus, Виктор Степанович Гребенников; 23 April 1927 in Simferopol – 2001 in Novosibirsk) was a self-proclaimed Russian scientist, biologist, entomologist and paranormal researcher best kn ...

(1927–2001) scientist, naturalist, entomologist and paranormal researcher * Adolph Joffe (1883–1927) Communist

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

politician and Soviet diplomat *

Sergey Karjakin Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin, . (born 12 January 1990) is a Russian chess grandmaster (formerly representing Ukraine). A chess prodigy, he previously held the record for the world's youngest ever grandmaster, (until it was eventually taken ...

(born 1990), Chess prodigy and grandmaster at age 12 years, 7 months *

Olexandr Kolchenko Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Kolchenko ( uk, Олександр Олександрович Кольченко, nicknamed "Tundra", born November 26, 1989) is a Ukrainian left-wing and trade union activist, antifascist Anti-fascism is a politi ...

(born 1989) a Ukrainian left-wing anarchist, ecologist and archaeologist * Oleg Kotov (born 1965), Air Force colonel, 15 Soyuz flight commander and flight engineer *

Andrey Kozenko Andrey Dmitryevich Kozenko ( uk, Андрій Дмитрович Козенко; russian: Андрей Дмитриевич Козенко; born 3 August 1981), is a Russian and former Ukrainian statesman and politician. He was a deputy of the ...

(born 1981), a Russian and former Ukrainian statesman and politician. * Nicolai Ivanovich Kravchenko (1867–1941) a Russian battle painter, journalist and writer. * Anna Kuliscioff (1857–1925) a revolutionary, feminist, anarchist and Marxist socialist militant. * Zara Levina (1906–1976) a Soviet pianist and composer. * Saint Luke of Simferopol (1877–1961), born ''Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky'', Russian surgeon and Archbishop of Simferopol *

Musa Mamut Musa Mamut (Russian and Crimean Tatar Cyrillic: Муса Мамут; 20 February 1931 – 28 June 1978) was a deported Crimean Tatar who immolated himself in Crimea as a sign of protest against the enforced exile of indigenous Crimean Tatars. His ...

(1931–1978) a deported Crimean Tatar who immolated himself in Crimea *

Yuri Manin Yuri Ivanovich Manin (russian: Ю́рий Ива́нович Ма́нин; born 16 February 1937) is a Russian mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry and diophantine geometry, and many expository works ranging from mathematical lo ...

(1937) a Russian mathematician, worked on algebraic &

diophantine geometry In mathematics, Diophantine geometry is the study of Diophantine equations by means of powerful methods in algebraic geometry. By the 20th century it became clear for some mathematicians that methods of algebraic geometry are ideal tools to study ...

Alisa Melekhina Alisa Melekhina (born June 26, 1991) is one of the top female chess players in the United States, a classically trained ballerina, and an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Melekhina is a frequent contender in the U.S. Women ...

(born 1991), chess master, attorney and classically trained ballerina * Sergey Mergelyan (1928–2008), a Soviet Armenian mathematician and scientist *

Gennady Samokhin Gennady Viktorovich Samokhin (Геннадий Викторович Самохин; born July 14, 1971 in Simferopol) is a Crimean speleologist who holds the depth world record of cave diving in a sump at −2,196 meters, attained while exploring ...

(born 1971) a Crimean

speleologist Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form ( speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology ...

, holds the depth world record of

cave diving Cave-diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search for and recovery of divers or, as in the 2018 Thai cave rescue, othe ...

Ilya Selvinsky Ilya Lvovich Selvinsky (russian: Илья Сельвинский, 24 October 1899 – 22 March 1968) was a Soviet Jewish poet, dramatist, memoirist, and essayist born in Simferopol, Crimea. Biography Selvinsky grew up in Yevpatoriya in a Jewish ...

(1899–1968) was a Soviet Jewish poet, dramatist, memoirist and essayist *

Oleg Sentsov Oleg (russian: Олег), Oleh ( uk, Олег), or Aleh ( be, Алег) is an East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine and Belаrus. It derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' ( Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "bles ...

(born 1976) a Ukrainian filmmaker, writer and activist from Crimea. * Valery Sigalevitch (born 1950), a Russian classical concert pianist, lives in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wit ...

. *

Bob Sredersas Bob Sredersas (born Bronius Šredersas; 4 December 1910 – 26 May 1982) was a Lithuanian-Australian art collector. Sredersas came to prominence after donating his private art collection of over 100 works to the City of Wollongong. The collecti ...

(1910–1982) a Lithuanian-Australian art collector. *

Alexei Stepanov Alexei Stepanovich Stepanov (Russian: Алексей Степанович Степанов; 6 May 1858, in Simferopol – 5 October 1923, in Moscow) was a Russian genre painter, illustrator and art teacher. He was a member of the Peredvizhniki ...

(1858–1923), a Russian genre painter, illustrator and art teacher. *

Evhen Tsybulenko Evhen Tsybulenko ( uk, Євген Цибуленко, b. 21. October 1972 in Simferopol, Ukraine) is an Estonian legal scholar of Ukrainian descent. He is professor of law at the Tallinn University of Technology and Kyiv International Universit ...

(born 1972), Estonian professor of international law *

Georges Vitaly Georges Vitaly, real name Vitali Garcouchenko, (15 January 1917 – 2 January 2007), was a 20th-century French actor, theater director and theater manager. The son of immigrants from the Russian revolution, he trained as actor from 1934. In 194 ...

(1917–2007), French actor, theatre director and theatre manager. *

Evgenii Wulff Evgenii Vladimirovich Wulff ( Russian Евгений Владимирович Вульф) (1885–1941) was a Crimean Russian Soviet biologist, botanist and plant geographer. Wulff was born in Crimea and studied at Moscow University 1903-1906. He ...

(1885–1941) a Crimean Russian Soviet biologist, botanist and plant geographer. * Rostislaw Wygranienko (born 1978), Polish concert organist, pianist and musicologist * Diana Tishchenko (born 1990), Ukrainian classical violinist

Sport

* Gleb Bakshi (born 1995) boxer, bronze medallist at the 2020 Summer Olympics. * Lyudmila Blonska (born 1977), Ukrainian heptathlete, banned after 2 doping offences *

Serhiy Dotsenko Serhiy Dotsenko ( uk, Сергій Доценко; born July 27, 1979, in Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian people, Russian former professional boxer who competed during 2001. As an amateur boxing, amateur, Dotesenko represent ...

(born 1979) Russian boxer, silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

* Andriy Hryvko (born 1983), a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...

cyclist who rides for

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

Daniil Khlusevich Daniil Andreyevich Khlusevich (russian: Даниил Андреевич Хлусевич; ua, Данило Андрійович Хлусевич; born 26 February 2001) is a Ukrainian-born Russian football player. He plays as a right midfielder ...

(born 2001), Russian international footballer who plays for Spartak Moscow * Yana Klochkova (born 1982), a Ukrainian swimmer with five Olympic medals, four being gold *

Natalia Popova Natalia Ihorivna Popova ( uk, Наталія Ігорівна Попова; born September 15, 1993) is a Ukrainian former competitive figure skater. She is a five-time Ukrainian national champion (2010, 2012–2015) and won five senior interna ...

(born 1993) former figure skater, five-time Ukrainian national champion *

Hanna Rizatdinova Hanna Serhiivna RizatdinovaAlternatively spelled as ''Ganna Rizatdinova'' or ''Anna Rizatdinova''. ( ua, Ганна Сергіївна Різатдінова; born 16 July 1993) is a Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast. In the all-around event ...

(born 1993), individual rhythmic gymnast, bronze medallist at the 2016 Summer Olympics * Kateryna Serebrianska (born 1977), individual rhythmic gymnast, gold medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics *

Oleksandr Usyk Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk ( uk, Олекса́ндр Олекса́ндрович У́сик; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the unified ...

(born 1987), heavyweight boxer, gold medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Simferopol is currently

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

, Oregon, United States (1986) *

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, Germany (1991) *

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's thir ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

(2006) * Tepebaşı,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

(2007) *

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in t ...

* Irkutsk, Russia (2008) * Moscow, Russia (2008) *

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known ...

, Russia (2008) *

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

, Russia (2008) * Ruse, Bulgaria (2008) *

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

, Russia (2016)

References

External links

*
Simferopol Government
Official website
The murder of the Jews of Simferopol
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

website. * {{Authority control Simferopol Municipality Cities in Crimea Simferopolsky Uyezd Populated places established in 1784 Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Populated places established in the Russian Empire Holocaust locations in Ukraine