Yalta

On the outskirts of the city and on the Polikurovsky Hill, as well as on Mount Cat, near Simeiz, Cape Ai-Todor, Ayu-Dag and in other places archaeologists found the remains of the settlements of the Taurians - the indigenous people of Crimea. Findings relate to about VI-V centuries BC. e. The Taurians were engaged in piracy, fishing, weed farming, hunting and distant pastoralism, leading a semi-sedentary way of life.

According to legend, Yalta proper was founded by Greek sailors, who saw after long wanderings the coast (Yalos) and called the settlement Yalita (coastal). It is possible that this settlement is mentioned in the ancient grammarian III century Elias Herodianus under the name Ιαλυσος (Jalisos) on the same list as Chersonesos. Later on this coast settled Venetian merchants, then the Genoese. In the documents and maps of the XIV century Yalta is referred to as Yalita, Callita, Hialita and Etalita. In the summer of 1475 the territory of Crimea, including Yalta, was seized by the Ottoman Turks. The southern coast (as well as a number of other Crimean lands) became directly part of the Ottoman Empire, The foothills and the steppe part were assigned to the vassal of the Sublime Porte - the Crimean Khanate. In the second half of the XV century Yalta was destroyed by an earthquake. Only 70 years later the area was re-populated by the Greeks and Armenians. Most likely, since that time for the settlement and fixed the modern name.

According to another version, the etymology of the word takes its name from the ancient Turkic "yal"-rest, and "tau" (dag)-mountain. This can be literally translated as "resting mountain", "sleeping mountain".

A third version of the etymology of the word "yalta" comes from the Turkic "yal"-rest. "Itt" - to do. It was called in the beginning Yalita.

By the time Crimea was annexed to the Russian Empire in April 1783, As a result of the resettlement of the Christian population of the Crimea in Azov Sea region in 1778 and the mass emigration of the Crimean Tatars in Turkey, Yalta is practically depopulated and was a small fishing village.

In 1823, Count M.S. Vorontsov, as governor-general of Novorossiysk Territory, which then included the Crimea, gave away in Yalta 200 dessiatinas of land with the condition of building on this land and the cultivation of gardens, vineyards. On the southern coast of the new owners of the land with the hands of the serfs built luxurious palaces, villas, mansions, laid industrial gardens and vineyards, beautiful parks, which even today adorn the South Coast: "Massandra", "Alupka," "Gurzufsky" Livadia "and others. The region was in need of a center, and the choice fell on Yalta, despite the fact that it was a very tiny village at the time. This choice was dictated by the nature of the area, a sufficient amount of fresh water for those days and a convenient bay. In 1838 Yalta County was formed, the decree of April 15, 1838 Yalta received the status of the city, but amounted to only 30 households and 130 residents.. In 1837, built by order of Count Vorontsov gravel road connected Yalta with Alushta and Simferopol, and in 1848 was built by road through the Baydar Gate to Sevastopol. Yalta at that time did not yet have a seaport. Mol, built in the late 1830s, destroyed the storm. Steamships stopped in the roads and communicated with the shore by the longboats approaching the wooden pier - it was anchored. A few years later in Yalta was built a full-fledged seaport and a berth, gradually improving maritime traffic.

After the Crimean War, the city turns into a popular resort and grows rapidly. Professor S.P. Botkin and especially Dr. V.N. Dmitriev, who lived in Yalta for many years, gave clear medical recommendations and substantiations in connection with the healing properties of the local climate. For these reasons were built Livadia and Massandra palaces by order of Emperor Alexander III. The Emperor was sick a lot, so in the 1890s he spent months in the Small Livadia Palace, where he died in October 1894.

Unfolded and private construction. In Koreiz appeared a palace of Prince Yusupov, one of the richest in Russia, in Simeiz - Earl DA Milutin, Gurzuf became the owner of privy councilor PI Gubonin, in Miskhor was built cottage Naryshkin "Sofievka" in Gaspra - "Romantic Alexandria" Prince Golitsyn, Lower Oreanda attracted Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. In 1886, at the direction of Emperor Alexander III developed a new project for the construction of a powerful stone mole and coastal embankment. The first phase of construction was completed in 1890, the second - in 1903. The second important project of the 1880s was the Yalta embankment. In 1888-1898 a new water main was built. The construction of the sewage system began in 1886.

In September 1890, Prince Vladimir Trubetskoy filed an application to the City Council to build at his home garden pavilion in the Greek style with access to the Pushkin Boulevard. The famous architect Nikolai Krasnov was the author of the project. In 2008 in Yalta, was made a complete restoration of the pavilion, under the guidance of the Yalta architect AA Tkachenko.

By the end of the XIX century Yalta has become a fairly well-known resort. "Prestige" in the eyes of the landed and official public contributed to the fact that, since the 1860s, the nearest suburb of Yalta - Livadia becomes the southern residence of the royal family.

City government

In 1870 in the Russian Empire was carried out an urban reform, which resulted in the formation of city institutions of local government - town councils and boards. In autumn 1871 in Yalta the first elections to the City Duma were held. The first mayor of Yalta was elected Chamberlain, Councilor of State Sergey Pavlovich Galakhov. For health reasons, he was often away from the city for medical treatment and in April 1872 he filed an application for the resignation of Mayor of Yalta. However, most of the 15 members of the City Council voted for the continuation of his service, but soon his duties are still temporarily performed by Christopher Lebeschi. In October 1872 twenty-nine year old titular councillor Vladimir Antonovich Rybitsky was elected mayor. In 1879 as Yalta mayor he was replaced by Baron Andrei Ludwigovich von Wrangel (1824-1897) - brother of General V.L. Wrangel. VA Rybitsky, for 43 years consisted of the Mayor of Yalta City Council and at the end of XIX century, together with his second wife Helen Ivanovna (née Aivazovskaya) for services to society enrolled in the nobility, two more terms served as mayor of Yalta - in the XX century: from December 20, 1907 to 1914. After him, the mayor was Ivan Antonovich Dumbadze.

Since 1900, the first newspaper "Yalta leaflet" begins to cover urban life, 25 years after the publication of the first issue of the newspaper "Krymsky leaflet In 1904, four small factory factories employed 55 workers, in 59 handicrafts - 620. In the same year a power station was built (the capacity of its engines in 1910 was 700 horsepower). As far back as 1870 an enochemical laboratory began to work in Magarachsky wine cellar. Under the guidance of renowned winemakers A. P. Serbulenko, A. E. Salomon, S. F. Okhremenko and M. A. Hovrenko created standards of high quality Russian dessert wines. On the eve of the First World War came into operation a tobacco factory, two lime factories, three plants of artificial mineral water and ice. Transport services were provided by the agency of the Russian Society of Steamship Line and Trade. Local fleet consisted of two small steam boats. There was a postal and telegraph office. Each year the large farms in Yalta and its surroundings attracted many laborers and "seasonal workers". Thus, in 1900 there were 3610 guest workers registered in the city..

By 1915 the city had paid spa facilities: 5 charitable sanatoria with 169 beds, a clinical children's colony, an asylum with 24 beds for tuberculosis patients, 3 private sanatoria, 14 hotels with 800 rooms, over 5 pensions. In 1916, the Yalta Clinical Tuberculosis Institute was opened. Doctors F.T. Shtangeev, the author of the major work "Treatment of pulmonary consumption in Yalta", for which he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medicine, worked in Yalta.

By the beginning of XX century in Yalta and Yalta region had villas and palaces, many representatives of the Russian nobility, including members of the imperial family and the monarchs themselves. In May 1893 Yalta was withdrawn from the Jewish settlement line. By 1913 the city territory stretched from Livadia to Massandra, and its population exceeded 30 thousand people. The city was divided into three parts: the middle part - between the rivers Derekoika and Uchan-Su - was the so-called "new" city, on the right was the "old" city, on the left - Zarechye Zarechye with its adjoining outskirts. The "new" city was the most lively, well-appointed, and attractive.

In 1910 in Yalta there were 1842 residential buildings (including 1430 stone ones). The length of the streets was 32 versts, of which 0.4 versts were paved. The center of the city was lit with streetlamps. Trees were planted in three streets.

In 1911 the city authorities in order to obtain additional funds for the development of Yalta signed a contract with the Azov Bank and distribute among the population loan bonds worth 2.5 million rubles. It was planned to use this money to build an additional water supply system, municipal swimming pool, bathing and bathing institutions, mountain climatic station. But the plans could not come true. The sharply changing political situation - war, revolution, war again and the change of the political system - interfered in the life of the city..

In 1914 the city had two gymnasiums (founded in 1876), a commercial school (with accounting courses) and nine lower educational institutions, including the Outa Craft School (opened in 1880).. There were two-year higher courses of horticulture and viticulture. In Yalta there were two reading rooms and four paid libraries, two clubs and people's house, four cinematographs. Theater with a 450-seat auditorium opened in July 1896.

In 1920 - during the Civil War - after the retreat of the Russian army of General Wrangel and the occupation of the Crimea by the Reds in Yalta, the Bolsheviks carried out mass executions of surrendered white officers and soldiers, as well as all the opponents of the revolution who did not have time to evacuate. According to some sources in Yalta and its surroundings during the 1920s, were killed tens of thousands of people. In 1921 the city was even renamed Krasnoarmeysk, but in 1922 returned to its former name.

The situation in Yalta changed fundamentally after the February and October revolutions and the end of the Civil War. In November 1920 the remnants of the White Guard troops were liquidated in the Crimea, and a month later V. Lenin signed in Moscow a decree "On the use of the Crimea for the treatment of workers. Beautiful palaces and mansions were to go into the hands of the people, the Tsar's estate in Livadia became formally a peasant sanatorium, which received a particularly large response. Soon the construction of new health resorts began. Firstborn of Yalta resort sanatorium "Dolossy", erected in 1928, was built in a picturesque pine forest near the gorge Uch-Kosh (Three Hills Gorge). There was a master plan for reconstruction of the South Coast. However, the devastation after the civil war, poverty and poor state of the Soviet Union budget did not allow many plans to materialize. The palaces stayed in neglect for years (especially Massandra and Yusupovsky, which were erased from the list of tourist attractions). Foreign tourism disappeared for a long time, no one was engaged in improvement of cities. On February 20, 1921, the first official Soviet spa season for the arriving sick was announced. In 1925, in the former royal manor Livadia opened the first peasant sanatorium, and at the foot of the Bear Mountain was founded Pioneer Camp Artek..

By the early 1940s in Yalta and the area operated 108 health centers and rest homes for almost 14 thousand beds, where every year treated and rested about 120 thousand people. From 1921 to 1941 years on the South Coast to improve their health and rested 3.5 million people.

On November 7, 1941 in Yalta port with evacuated Yalta inhabitants, wounded and party people the last voyage of the ship "Armenia" left. According to different estimates, from 5 to 7 thousand people died as a result of its sinking by the German air force.. A plaque was unveiled on the Chapel of the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors on the Yalta seafront in memory of the victims of "Armenia.

During the occupation of the Crimea by German troops (the Germans entered Yalta on November 7, 1941) during the Great Patriotic War in the city operated anti-Nazi underground. In Yalta the occupants created a Jewish ghetto in which they herded all the Jewish population of the city - 4,500 people. By December 18, 1941 they were all shot near Massandra.

In the port of Yalta since May 1942 there was based the connection of the Italian torpedo boats of the 4th IAC flotilla under the command of Lieutenant-Captain Francesco Membelli. The cutter D-3 under the command of the future Hero of the Soviet Union Kochiev K.G. sank the Italian submarine "SV-5" during the raid of the port of Yalta on June 13th 1942..

From 1941 to 1944, Yalta was subjected to shelling by the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and aerial bombardment. On November 7, 1943 soldiers of Anton Mitsko's group raised the red flag over Yalta. In addition to the urban underground fighters Yalta (10th) detachment of the Southern Union of Crimean Partisans operated, which, together with Red Army units liberated in April 1944, Yalta itself.

April 16, 1944 liberated from German forces by Soviet troops of the Independent Coastal Army and detachments of the 7th Brigade of the Southern Crimea partisans during the Crimean operation. The 323rd Guards Rifle Regiment of the 128th Mountain Rifle Division, commanded by Guards Lieutenant Colonel Jalil Najabov, was the first to break into the city. The commander of the 7th Brigade L.A. Vikhman and the commander of the 323rd Rifle Regiment J.B. Najabov - honorary citizens of Yalta. The 323rd Rifle Regiment for the liberation of Yalta was named "Yalta Rifle Regiment".

From 4 to 11 February 1945 in Yalta, Livadia Palace held the Yalta Conference.

February 19, 1954 Yalta, together with the Crimean region was transferred by the union authorities of the USSR to the Ukrainian SSR.

In the postwar years the city rapidly grew and developed as a resort. Since the second half of the 1950s at the Yalta resort is actively developing elite recreation, folded system of state dachas. On the seashore in Lower Oreanda built public dachas № 1 and № 2, where they liked to vacation leaders of the country NS Khrushchev, then LI Brezhnev and others.

In the 1960s Yalta included the nearby villages of Ai-Vasil, Autka and Derekoy. In 1960 the same years was built a new Southern coast highway, greatly shortening the road from Yalta to Alushta, Simferopol and Sevastopol, since 1961 was opened trolleybus service to Simferopol. 1970's - early 1980's have contributed to the development of the resort had not applied before high-rise construction, built new multistory buildings resorts, some of them stood unfinished until the beginning of the XXI century. At the end of 1980-ies resort of All-Union importance had 180 sanatorium institutions, each year for recreation and treatment in Yalta came about two million people.

The reconstructed seaport began to receive large passenger ships, and the cargo port in summer 1986, moved together with its powerful harbor cranes outside the city - to the piers Massandra gully. Over 35 km of coastline of Big Yalta over the years carried out a lot of anti-slip and shore protection work, resulting in slowing the process of destruction of the coast and beaches, there were new beaches.

However, out of all the sanatoriums in Yalta only 31 for 13 thousand beds belonged to trade unions, the rest were owned by various union departments. These sanatoriums were located in the coastal zone behind high fences, their areas and beaches were inaccessible to other vacationers. In the late 1980s the last Soviet state dacha "Zarya", associated with the name of the first and last president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, was built on the South Coast in Foros. On April 13, 1988 the city was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. In March 1988, the cableway leading to the summit of Mount Ai-Petri was opened.

By the end of the 1990s in Yalta on the outskirts of the city, as well as in the undeveloped areas there were many houses and cottages built privately. In 1992, Massandra Palace was restored as a museum.

Since the early 2000s, the reconstruction of almost the entire coast of Yalta. Many beaches were created and reconstructed, receiving thousands of people today. The so-called "wild" beaches were landscaped and brought in line with many international standards. Massandra beach even received the prestigious award "Blue Flag". In 2003, the restoration of the Yalta embankment was completed, which turned it into a shopping street, as well as a place of mass festivities.

In 2009 at the seafront of Yalta was built chapel-memorial, consecrated in the name of the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in memory of all innocent victims of the hard times, the Civil and Patriotic Wars. It was built not far from the site where the wooden chapel of St. Alexander Nevsky, erected in 1932 to commemorate the terrorist assassination of Emperor Alexander II, had been demolished.

On March 18, 2014, Yalta, as part of the newly formed Republic of Crimea, was annexed to the Russian Federation.

Yalta quickly gained popularity among the residents of the former Soviet Union. For a long time vacation in Yalta was easier (because of visa-free) and, ultimately, cheaper for citizens of the CIS, and from the early to mid-2000s was also cheaper vacation in Russian resorts. Attracts residents of the former Soviet Union and the healing nature of Yalta.