Rostov-on-Don

The official date of the founding of the city is considered to be 15 (26) December 1749, when Empress Elizaveta Petrovna by her decree established Temernitskaya customs office. By decree of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna of 18 (29) August 1749 a customs office was to be founded in Cherkassk, but the Cossacks found it impossible for their commercial activities, as they had certain tax exemptions. And in the territory of the customs office these privileges did not apply.

The Empress, having considered the petition of Danila Efremov, received November 23 (December 4) in 1749, granted the request of the Cossacks and designated in the Charter of December 15, a place for the customs office at the mouth of the Temernik, where Rostov-on-Don began:

In the spring of 1750 in the customs house were built pier, warehouse, quarantine, garrison barracks. Here in 1756 was founded the international "Russian and Constantinople Trading Company". Temernitskiy port became the only Russian port in the south of Russia, through it the trade with the countries of the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea was conducted.

In 1760-1761 years to protect the lower reaches of the Don from the Turkish invaders and Crimean Tatar hordes at the Bogatoy well on the project of engineer-captain I. Vedenev began construction of the fortress. The military engineer A. I. Rigelman was entrusted with the management of the work.. The fortress in the shape of a nine-rayed star had a circumference of 3.5 km and was located between the current lanes Chekhov and Krepostny, Gorky and Stanislavsky streets. The fortress had two outposts: Dolomanovsky and Soldier's, which were located along the banks of the Don from the current Dolomanovsky Lane to Voroshilovsky Avenue. Inside there were seven longitudinal and seven transverse streets, and the territory was built up with various buildings to house the garrison and store weapons supplies. The garrison of the fortress numbered more than four thousand people, another thousand lived in the surrounding slobodas.

6 (17) of April 1761 by decree of Elizabeth Petrovna the fortress was named after Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl Demetrius (1652-1709), shortly before that was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The name of the fortress and settlement later changed: Fortress of St. Demetrius, Fortress of Demetrius of Rostov, Rostov Fortress, simply Rostov, finally, to distinguish from the ancient Rostov the Great, which is near Yaroslavl, Rostov-on-Don.

Over time, houses for merchants and clergymen, shops, taverns, drinking houses, a prison and other buildings were built here. In addition to permanent residents, up to three thousand natives of Ukraine, who settled on farms and villages near the fortress, regularly came to work in the port. Rostov port quickly became known in Russia and abroad, attracting an increasing number of Russian and foreign merchants. Wine, juice, oranges, lemons, dates, raisins, dried fruit, coffee, pearls, saffron, telescopes, expensive fabrics, luxury goods were brought here from Greece and Turkey. Cheap agricultural products, bread, fish, metal and other goods were exported in exchange. Foreign goods went from here to the interior of Russia: to Moscow, Smolensk, Kazan, Orenburg, Vyatka and to numerous fairs.

With the history of the fortress associated with the names of prominent Russian military leaders. In 1768 the Admiral A. N. Sinyavin came here to direct the building of the shipyard, in 1783-1784 the commander of the fortress was commander A. V. Suvorov, here, after several years of service on the Baltic, was transferred Admiral F. F. Ushakov. The fortress had a large garrison, was armed with 238 guns and during half a century was used as a rear base of the Russian troops. Fortress of St. Demetrius of Rostov has played a significant role during the Russian-Turkish wars of the second half of the XVIII century. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 it served as a base for the attack on Azov.

In 1779, to the east of the fortress the Armenians (natives of the Crimean peninsula) founded the city of Nor-Nakhichevan (Nakhichevan-on-Don). 9 (20) March 1778 Empress Catherine II issued a decree in the name of His Serene Highness Prince G. A. Potemkin, appointed in 1775 governor of Novorossiysk, Azov and Astrakhan provinces. Execution of the resettlement was entrusted to: the commander of the Crimean army, A. A. Prozorovsky. But he was not destined to implement this decree. Citing poor health, he asked for a two-year leave. In his place was appointed young General AV Suvorov. According to the sheets Suvorov, for August-September 1778 left the Crimea 31386 people, Of which: Greeks - 18,407 souls, Armenians - 12598, Georgian - 219, Wallachians - 162. Under the circumstances, the settlers repeatedly appealed to A. V. Suvorov and sent deputies led by Joseph Argutinsky (Ovsep Argutyan), archbishop in charge of the Astrakhan diocese, to St. Petersburg. In the end, their petitions were successful and their request for land to settle at the mouth of the Don near the fortress of Demetrius of Rostov was granted. 9 (20) December 1779 settlers gathered on the allotted land east of the fortress of Dmitrov Rostovsky, near the village of Poludenny camp, and they were read the highest charter. The new town was named "Nakhichevan", where the urban population settled in Crimea, and the rural population - in the vicinity of the town, in the villages Chaltyr, Topti (Crimea), Mets Sala (Big Sala), Sultan Sala and Nesvita (Nesvetai).

The famous Russian architect I.E. Starov took part in developing the plan of the new city.. 9 (20) August 1797 the fortress and Nakhichevan became part of the Rostov County, Novorossiysk Province.

By the end of the XVIII century in connection with the accession of the Black Sea to Russia fortress has lost its strategic importance, the fortifications were torn down, and the territory of the fortress was passed to the city. In 1797 Rostov became a district town of Novorossiysk, and from 1802 - Ekaterinoslav Province. Fortress did not make a single shot. After digging the ramparts and filling the ditches the city was quickly cut through by a network of streets and alleys, stone buildings were erected instead of adobe and wooden ones, trade became the main occupation of the city. Multilingual speech, colorful folk costumes Rostov, lively life of the port city struck a visit to Rostov in 1820 and 1828 Alexander Pushkin. In 1835 the garrison and military property of the Rostov fortress were transferred to Anapa.

Advantageous geographical location at the crossroads of land and waterways contributed to the economic development of Rostov. At its walls formed a commercial port, which received ships of Russian, Greek, Italian, Turkish, Armenian, Persian merchants. In 1887 the city was incorporated into the region of the Don army, which gave an impetus to the further development of industry and beautification works. By its 100th anniversary the city had about 15 thousand inhabitants, and by the XX century it had over 110 thousand people. The basis of the economy of Rostov was trade, it was called a merchant's town, but by the early 20th century in Rostov there were over a hundred companies, including such large as the Main Workshop of the Vladikavkaz railroad, plow building plant "Aksai", shipbuilding, nail-wire, iron foundry, two tobacco factories. And every third enterprise belonged to foreign capital.

According to the census of 1897, the city had 119,476 inhabitants. Russian - 94 673, Jewish - 11 183, Little Russian - 5 612, Armenian - 1 182, Polish - 1 444, German - 1 182, Tatar - 1 172. According to the same census, in Rostov and neighboring Nakhichevan (current Proletarian district of Rostov-on-Don), the total religious composition was as follows:

• Orthodoxy - 111,760 (72.8 %)
• Armenian Apostolic Church - 25,605 (16.7 %)
• Judaism - 11,817 (10.6 %)
• Catholicism - 1,656 (1.1 %)
• Protestantism - 1,327 (0.9 %)
• Islam - 1,397 (0.9 %).

Followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church were concentrated in Nakhichevan (today's Proletarian District) and its affiliate Myasnikovani (today's Northern District of Rostov-on-Don), where they comprised 61.2 % of the population.

The All-Russian October Political Strike of 1905 began in Rostov with a strike at the Vladikavkaz railroad workshops. 13 (26) October. In the morning 18 (31) October in Rostov the contents of the manifesto issued by Nicholas II became known, the Social Democrats organized a demonstration of workers and students. The demonstration ended on the square between the prison and the streetcar depot. There was a grand meeting with about 10 thousand people, demanding freedom for political prisoners. Cadets, Social-Democrats, including some of those arrested on suspicion of opposition activity and released during the rally spoke at the rally. A large crowd of Black Hundreds gathered with national flags and portraits of the Tsar and began stoning and beating the protesters. Revolver shots were fired from the ranks of the protesters for protection. After the Cossacks dispersed the rally, the crowd of Black Hundreds rushed to smash up the Jewish shops. On October 19-20, the Jewish pogrom continued. Although it was second to the Odessa pogrom in the number of dead (176 people) and wounded (about 500), it was the largest Jewish pogrom of the early 20th century in Russia in terms of the percentage of Jewish casualties, which was more than 1 % (in Odessa not more than 0.5 %)..

Simultaneously with the December Armed Uprising in Moscow, the 7-December 21, 1905 (January 3 1906) of the year, a general political strike took place in Rostov, which turned into an armed uprising.

During the Civil War 1918-1920 Rostov played a prominent role as one of the centers of the White movement. The first formation of the Volunteer Army included the Rostov Volunteer Regiment - from the students of Rostov-on-Don.

On the night of February 9 to 10 (22 to 23), 1918 from here the Dobrarmy left for its legendary Ice campaign. The founder of the army, General M. V. Alekseev, wrote to his brother:

"We are leaving for the steppes. We can return, if only God's mercy will be there. But it is necessary to light a light, so that at least one point of light would be among the darkness engulfing Russia...".

Rostov had shells, ammunition, uniforms, medical stores and medical personnel - everything that the small army guarding the outskirts of the city so badly needed. The city was at rest Up to 16,000 officers who did not wish to participate in its defense. Generals Kornilov and Alexeyev did not resort to requisitions or mobilization at this stage. The Bolsheviks of Sivers, occupying the city after their departure, "took everything they needed and intimidated the population by shooting several officers.".

On April 21 (May 4), 1918 Rostov was briefly occupied by another volunteer detachment - Colonel M. G. Drozdovsky, who came from the Romanian front.

On January 10, 1920, the 1st Cavalry Army under the command of S. M. Budyonny entered the city. M. Budyonny. The Soviet period in the history of Rostov-on-Don began February 11, 1920 when the White Army finally left the city.

In the late 1920s, active construction began in Rostov-on-Don. In 1926 the giant of Soviet agricultural engineering, the Rostselmash plant, was founded.. November 29, 1935 opened the country's largest drama theater named after M. Gorky with an auditorium for 2,200 seats, which employed a famous director Yuri Zavadsky, actors V. P. Maretskaya and R. Ya. The architects of the theater were Shchuko and Gelfreich. The construction was carried out by the team of workers of Teatrostroy, whose director was A. M. Stambler..

December 28, 1928 the commission of the All-Union Central Executive Committee issued a decree "On the merger of the cities of Rostov and Nakhichevan-on-Don into one city of Rostov-on-Don," after which the city of Nakhichevan-on-Don became the Proletarian district of Rostov-on-Don.. This unification led to the construction of a number of administrative buildings in the city. In 1930, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was demolished in the New Bazaar, and in 1929-1934 the building of the Regional House of Soviets (which was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and partially preserved its historical appearance after the reconstruction) was built on the square.

September 13, 1937 by the decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Azov-Black Sea Region was divided into the Krasnodar region with the center in Krasnodar and Rostov region with the center in Rostov-on-Don.. In 1939, Rostov-on-Don already occupied 4th place in the RSFSR by the number of inhabitants - 510 thousand people. By 1940, the size of the city had more than doubled.

German troops occupied Rostov-on-Don twice: in the fall of 1941 and summer 1942.

For the first time German troops approached the city on November 17, 1941. The offensive was led by the 3rd Tank Corps of the 1st Tank Army under the command of E. von Mackensen, consisting of the 13th and 14th Panzer Divisions, the 60th Motorized Division and the motorized division of the SS "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler".. The city was defended by the 56th Army of the Red Army, under the command of General F.N. Remezov, which included, along with other units, the 339th Rostov Rifle Division and the Rostov Rifle Regiment of the national militia, formed from local residents.

On November 20, Wehrmacht troops entered the city. The 1st Battalion of the SS Division broke through to the railway bridge and captured it unharmed. A week later, on November 28, the Soviet troops under the command of Marshal S. K. Timoshenko during the Rostov offensive recaptured the city. Liberation of Rostov was the first significant victory of the Red Army in the initial period of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942)..

Rostov-on-Don remained Soviet until July 1942, when, after the failure of the Red Army offensive at Kharkov, the German command launched an offensive into the Kuban and the Caucasus. On July 24, 1942, the 17th Army of the Wehrmacht entered Rostov.

The place of mass extermination of civilians became Zmievskaya Balka on the outskirts of the city, where Nazis killed 27 thousand Jews and 3 thousand people of other nationalities. All in all more than 40 thousand people were killed by Nazis, 53 thousand Rostov citizens were taken away to Germany for forced labor..

The war caused great damage to the city, Rostov-on-Don was among the ten most war-affected cities in Russia. On February 14, 1943, after the victory at Stalingrad, during the general retreat of the Wehrmacht in the southern section of the Eastern Front, Rostov-on-Don was finally liberated from German troops..

On August 9, 1945 the master plan for the reconstruction of the city, developed under the guidance of the academician of architecture V. N. Semenov, was approved. And in November the citizens of Rostov learned that their city was among the 15 largest and oldest Russian cities to be restored in the first place. The city began to be restored very quickly. New businesses were restored and built. Along with them the city itself was restored. The city embankment was landscaped, which became one of the favorite places of rest for city residents. On May 9, 1959 in Rostov-on-Don, at the common grave on Karl Marx Square Eternal Flame was lit.

In 1961 the stanitsa Aleksandrovskaya was included in Rostov-on-Don, which became part of the Proletarian district. In 1963 the Rostov Academic Drama Theater named after M. Gorky was restored. M. Gorky. In 1965 he was opened a new Voroshilovsky bridge. In 1969 he was built memorial complex "To the fallen soldiers. The monument was built at the site where in 1943 were buried 301 people - Soviet soldiers and civilians who fell during the German occupation and in fighting to protect and liberate the city.

In the 1970s, Rostselmash and other large enterprises of the city were reconstructed. During the Great Patriotic War 2,500 workers and employees of the "Rostselmash" plant went to fight against the Nazis in the army and militia. Over three hundred combine-builders were awarded with orders and medals for their heroic deeds, thirteen workers of the plant were given the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. In commemoration of these glorious feats of the Rostselmash plant workers, in the park named after N. Ostrov. N. Ostrovsky Park was established a Stele of Heroes. The initiators of its creation were the workers of the plant in 1973. As a result of massive housing construction were built large housing estates Western and Northern. In fact, the area of the city's housing stock more than doubled in three decades.

In 1987, Rostov-on-Don became one of the cities of the USSR with a population of over one million people, ranking 23rd in this indicator.

The city is a major center of business activity, as evidenced by the presence in the city of a large number of regional offices of major Russian banks and companies.

Rostov pays a lot of attention to the development of sports. In the Northern residential area on Komarov Boulevard will be formed sports zone, including a universal sports and entertainment hall for 8 thousand seats with a children's and youth sports school, soccer and track and field athletic core with a podium, a polymodule of sports grounds, a swimming pool, hotels for 350 seats. In general, the functional organization of Komarov Boulevard includes the objects of mass entertainment events and physical education and recreational activities, walking area, children's recreation area, as well as a zone of institutions and service businesses in the sports park.

In 2000, Rostov-on-Don became the center of the Southern Federal District, confirming its status as a major regional center.

The headquarters of the now-defunct North Caucasus Military District was located in Rostov. On July 6, 2010, the President of Russia signed a decree on creation in Russia, instead of six military districts - four united strategic commands (USC). At USC South. (Southern Military District) with headquarters in Rostov-on-Don included: the North Caucasus Military District, the southern part of the Volga-Ural Military District, the Black Sea Fleet, the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Command, and the Caspian Flotilla.

As a City of Military Glory Rostov-on-Don received not just a stele, as required by federal legislation, but a full-fledged landmark - the memorial complex "City of Military Glory" in Rostov-on-Don. Honorary title "City of Military Glory" was awarded to Rostov-on-Don by the Presidential Decree № 556 of May 5, 2008 for the courage, resilience and heroism showed by the defenders of the city in the fight for freedom and independence of the Fatherland.

The square in front of the airport building in the Pervomaisky district, where the new memorial is located, was named Military Glory Square by a resolution of the city administration.