Georgiyevsk
Encyclopedia
Georgiyevsk is a historical
town in Stavropol Krai
, Russia
, situated in the Forecaucasus on submontane tableland on the right bank of the Podkumok River
(the tributary of the Kuma River) 210 kilometres (130.5 mi) southeast of Stavropol
. It is the administrative center of Georgiyevsky District
, although it is not administratively a part of it.
It was founded in 1777 as a fortress and was granted town status in 1786.
Georgiyevsk is a railway junction with connections to Mineralnye Vody
, Prokhladny
, Budyonnovsk
, and Nezlobnaya. The Georgiyevsk MSA is the second-largest of the MSA's of the Caucasus Mineral Waters region, which is a conurbation
with 1.1 million inhabitants in the center of the North Caucasus.
fortress on the Azov-Mozdok defense line. In 1783, a treaty
between the Russian Empire
and Georgia
was signed making Georgian king Erekle II
a subject of Russia. After 1785, Georgiyevsk grew considerably. After 1802, it was the center of a Caucasian guberniya
. The early 19th century marked a peak in Georgiyevsk's influence as a trading center. Starting in 1822 the town's influence began to wane.
Well-known Russians who visited Georgiyevsk include: Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov
, Leo Tolstoy
, Maxim Gorky
, and Emperor Alexander II
. Generals Nikolay Raevsky
and Alexey Yermolov
lived in the town.
After 1868, Georgiyevsk was a small town in the Tersk guberniya. In 1875, a railway station was built six kilometers 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 oil mill were founded. In the 1920s, Georgiyevsk became a big industrial and trade center of the Predkavkazye (the central part of the North Caucasus),
During World War II
, Georgiyevsk was under German
occupation from August 9, 1942 until January 10, 1943. After the war, Georgiyevsk became the largest center of machine construction in Stavropol Krai.
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.
s (shuttle buses), operating from 5:30 to midnight.
The railway station offers rail access to Moscow
, St. Petersburg
, Minsk
, Krasnodar
, Rostov-on-Don
, Grozny
, and Vladikavkaz
.
) operate in the town. The post office is located near the bus station.
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 achitectural 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
. Until the 1930s, the Voznesensky Cathedral, which was similar to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior 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 to Mount Elbrus
, 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
in the 1780s. This is the only church not demolished by 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
s stanitsa
s—Nezlobnaya, Lysogorskaya, and Goryachevodsk (with one of the biggest markets in Russia). In the center of Lysogorskaya is situated a very beautiful wooden church of Rozhdestva Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy (The Birth of the Blessed Virgin), built in 1886.
Historical city of Russia
Historical cities and settlements of Russia are settlements of historical and archaeological importance in Russia.The official definition of this status was decreed in the Soviet Union in May of 1970, when the first official list of 115 historical settlements was declared...
town in Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: -Geography:Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, situated in the Forecaucasus on submontane tableland on the right bank of the Podkumok River
Podkumok River
Podkumok River is a river in Stavropol Krai, Russia, right tributary of the Kuma River. The length of the river is . The area of its basin is 2,220 km² . The Podkumok River originates in the Greater Caucasus....
(the tributary of the Kuma River) 210 kilometres (130.5 mi) southeast of Stavropol
Stavropol
-International relations:-Twin towns/sister cities:Stavropol is twinned with: Des Moines, United States Béziers, France Pazardzhik, Bulgaria-External links:* **...
. It is the administrative center of Georgiyevsky District
Georgiyevsky District
Georgiyevsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 26 in Stavropol Krai, Russia. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the town of Georgiyevsk . District's population: 91,371 ; 64,965 ....
, although it is not administratively a part of it.
It was founded in 1777 as a fortress and was granted town status in 1786.
Georgiyevsk is a railway junction with connections to Mineralnye Vody
Mineralnye Vody
Mineralnye Vody is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies along the Kuma River and the main rail line between Rostov-on-Don and Baku . Population:...
, Prokhladny
Prokhladny
Prokhladny is a town and the administrative center of Prokhladnensky District of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia, located on the Malka River, north of Nalchik. Population:...
, Budyonnovsk
Budyonnovsk
Budyonnovsk , also spelled Budennovsk, is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia. Previously, it was named Svyatoy Krest and Prikumsk...
, and Nezlobnaya. The Georgiyevsk MSA is the second-largest of the MSA's of the Caucasus Mineral Waters region, which is a conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
with 1.1 million inhabitants in the center of the North Caucasus.
Historical population
The town's population is 70,200 persons according to a 2004 estimate. Prior population statistics are:- 1897 Census: 11,000;
- 1914 Census: 21,200;
- 1939 Census: 31,600;
- 1959 Census: 35,100;
- 1970 est.: 44,000;
- 1979 Census: 53,600;
History
The town was founded in September 1777 as St. GeorgeSaint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
fortress on the Azov-Mozdok defense line. In 1783, a treaty
Treaty of Georgievsk
The Treaty of Georgievsk was a bilateral treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and the east Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti on July 24, 1783. The treaty established Georgia as a protectorate of Russia, which guaranteed Georgia's territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning...
between the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
was signed making Georgian king Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
a subject of Russia. After 1785, Georgiyevsk grew considerably. After 1802, it was the center of a Caucasian guberniya
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
. The early 19th century marked a peak in Georgiyevsk's influence as a trading center. Starting in 1822 the town's influence began to wane.
Well-known Russians who visited Georgiyevsk include: Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov , a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest...
, Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
, Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
, and Emperor Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
. Generals Nikolay Raevsky
Nikolay Raevsky
Nikolay Nikolayevich Raevsky 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 Raevsky was born in Saint Petersburg...
and Alexey Yermolov
Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov
Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov , or Ermolov , was a Russian Imperial general of the 19th century who commanded Russian troops in the Caucasus War.-Early life:...
lived in the town.
After 1868, Georgiyevsk was a small town in the Tersk guberniya. In 1875, a railway station was built six kilometers 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 oil mill were founded. In the 1920s, Georgiyevsk became a big industrial and trade center of the Predkavkazye (the central part of the North Caucasus),
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Georgiyevsk was under German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation from August 9, 1942 until January 10, 1943. After the war, Georgiyevsk became the largest center of machine construction in Stavropol Krai.
Industry
Today, Georgiyevsk is one 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.Town planning
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.
Social development
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.Public transport
Public transport consists mainly of marshrutkaMarshrutka
Marshrutka , from marshrutnoye taksi is a share taxi in the CIS countries, the Baltic states, and Bulgaria. Marshrutnoye taksi literally means routed taxicab...
s (shuttle buses), operating from 5:30 to midnight.
The railway station offers rail access to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
, Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
, Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
, and Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
.
Communications
All three Russian national cellular networks (MTS, Beeline, and MegafonMegaFon
MegaFon ,previously known as North-West GSM, is the second largest mobile phone operator in Russia. It works in the GSM and UMTS standard. Its main competitors are Bee Line GSM and Mobile TeleSystems ....
) operate in the town. The post office is located near the bus station.
Tourism
In the corner of Victory 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 achitectural 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
Treaty of Georgievsk
The Treaty of Georgievsk was a bilateral treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and the east Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti on July 24, 1783. The treaty established Georgia as a protectorate of Russia, which guaranteed Georgia's territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning...
. Until the 1930s, the Voznesensky Cathedral, which was similar to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior 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 to Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
, 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
Khopyor River
Khopyor is a river in European Russia, the biggest left tributary of the Don River. Length 979 km, watershed: 61,100 km², mouth width: 300m.Navigable up to 323 km...
in the 1780s. This is the only church not demolished by the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
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
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s stanitsa
Stanitsa
Stanitsa is a village inside a Cossack host . Stanitsas were the primary unit of Cossack hosts.Historically, the stanitsa was a unit of economic and political organisation of the Cossack peoples primarily in the southern regions of the Russian Empire.Much of the land was held in common by the...
s—Nezlobnaya, Lysogorskaya, and Goryachevodsk (with one of the biggest markets in Russia). In the center of Lysogorskaya is situated a very beautiful wooden church of Rozhdestva Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy (The Birth of the Blessed Virgin), built in 1886.