Belgorod

For the city in Ukraine, see Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. For the defunct city in Kievan Rus, see Belgorod Kievsky.
Not to be confused with Belgrade.
Belgorod (English)
Белгород (Russian)
-  City[1]  -

View of the central part of the city

Location of Belgorod Oblast in Russia
Belgorod
Location of Belgorod in Belgorod Oblast
Coordinates: 50°36′N 36°36′E / 50.600°N 36.600°E / 50.600; 36.600Coordinates: 50°36′N 36°36′E / 50.600°N 36.600°E / 50.600; 36.600
Coat of arms
Flag
Anthem none[2]
City Day August 5[3]
Administrative status (as of July 2013)
Country Russia
Federal subject Belgorod Oblast[1]
Administratively subordinated to city of oblast significance of Belgorod[1]
Administrative center of Belgorod Oblast,[1] city of oblast significance of Belgorod[1]
Municipal status (as of May 2013)
Urban okrug Belgorod Urban Okrug[4]
Administrative center of Belgorod Urban Okrug[4]
Mayor[5] Konstantin Polezhayev[6]
Representative body Council of Deputies[7]
Statistics
Population (2010 Census) 356,402 inhabitants[8]
- Rank in 2010 49th
Population (January 2015 est.) 384,425 inhabitants[9]
Time zone MSK (UTC+03:00)[10]
Founded 1596[11]
Postal code(s)[12] 308000–308002, 308004–308007, 308009–308020, 308023–308027, 308029, 308031–308034, 308036, 308099, 308700, 308880, 308890, 308899, 308940, 308960, 308961, 308967, 308971–308974, 308991–308994
Dialing code(s) +7 4722
Official website
Belgorod on Wikimedia Commons

Belgorod (Russian: Белгород; IPA: [ˈbʲɛlɡərət]) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River just 40 kilometers (25 mi) north of the border with Ukraine. Population: 356,402(2010 Census);[8] 337,030(2002 Census);[13] 300,408(1989 Census).[14]

History

The name Belgorod in Russian literally means "white city", compounding the sememes "белый" (bely, "white, light") and "город" (gorod, "town, city"). The city thus acquired its name because the region was rich in limestone. Etymologically, the name corresponds to other Slavic city-names of identical meaning: Belgrade, Belogradchik, Białogard, Biograd, Bilhorod, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi etc.

Records first mention the settlement in 1237, when the Mongol-led army of Batu Khan ravaged it. It is unclear whether this Belgorod stood on the same site as the current city. In 1596 Tsar Feodor Ioannovich of Russia ordered its re-establishment as one of numerous forts set up to defend Muscovy's Southern borders from the Crimean Tatars.[11] In the 17th century Belgorod suffered repeatedly from Tatar incursions, against which Russia built (from 1633 to 1740) an earthen wall, with twelve forts, extending upwards of 200 miles from the Vorskla in the west to the Don in the east, and called the Belgorod line. In 1666 the Moscow Patriarchate established an archiepiscopal see in the town.[15]

Men's Monastery in 1911

After the Russian border moved south following the annexation of eastern Ukraine to Russia in the second half of the 17th century, the fortress fell into disrepair; the town became part of the Kursk Governorate.

Tsar Peter the Great visited Belgorod on the eve of the Battle of Poltava (1709). A dragoon regiment had its base in the town until 1917.

Ioasaph of Belgorod, an 18th-century bishop of Belgorod and Oboyanska, became widely venerated as a miracle worker and was glorified as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1911.

20th century

View of Belgorod in 1912

Soviet power was established in the city on October 26 (November 8), 1917. On April 10, 1918, troops of the Imperial German Army occupied Belgorod. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty of 9 February 1918 the demarcation line passed to the north of the city. Belgorod became part of the Ukrainian State (April to December 1918) headed by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi.

On December 20, 1918, after the overthrow of Skoropadskyi, the Soviet Red Army occupied the city, which became part of the RSFSR. From December 24, 1918 to January 7, 1919, the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine, then led by General Georgy Pyatakov, was based in Belgorod. The city served as the temporary capital of Ukraine. From June 23 to December 7, 1919 the Volunteer Army occupied the town as part of White-controlled South Russia.

From September 1925 the territorial 163rd Infantry Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division of Kursk was stationed in Belgorod. In September 1939 it was deployed to the 185th Infantry Division.

On March 2, 1935, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union decided to allocate the city of Belgorod, Kursk region, into an independent administrative unit directly subordinate to the Kursk Regional Executive Committee.

The German Wehrmacht occupied Belgorod from October 25, 1941 to February 9, 1943. The Germans re-captured it on March 18, 1943 in the final move of the Third Battle of Kharkov. On July 12, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in world history took place near Prokhorovka, and Red Army definitively liberated the city on August 5, 1943. The Belgorod Diorama is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event.

In 1954 the city became the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast. From this time the rapid development of the city as a regional center began. One can say that the city was rebuilt.

Belgorod is an administrative, industrial and cultural center of Belgorod Oblast, established in 1954. The major educational centers of the city are Belgorod State University, the Belgorod Technological University, the Belgorod Agrarian University, and the Financial Academy.

Belgorod Drama Theater is named after the famous 19th-century actor, Mikhail Shchepkin, who was born in this region.

On April 22, 2013, a mass shooting occurred at approximately 2:20 PM Moscow time on a street in Belgorod. The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Sergey (Sergei) Pomazun (Russian: Сергей Помазун), opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle on several people at a gun store and on a sidewalk, killing all six people whom he hit: three people at the store and three passers-by, including two teenage girls. Pomazun was later apprehended after an extensive day-long manhunt; during his arrest, he wounded a policeman with a knife. He was sentenced to life in prison on August 23, 2013.

Administrative and municipal status

Belgorod is the administrative center of the oblast.[1] Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Belgorod—an administrative unit with status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Belgorod is incorporated as Belgorod Urban Okrug.[4]

City divisions

For administrative purposes, Belgorod is divided into two city okrugs:

Climаte

Belgorod's climаte is humid continentаl (Köppen climate classification Dfb) feаturing moderаte precipitаtion. Winters аre rаther cold and changeable with often warmings which are followed by rains. Also quite often temperature falls lower −15 °C (5 °F) which can proceed about one week and more. Summer is warm, in separate years — could be rainy or hot and droughty. Autumn is soft and rainy. The Belgorod reservoirs become covered with ice at the end of November — the beginning of December, the ice drift lasts from March to April.

Climate data for Belgorod
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 6.6
(43.9)
12.3
(54.1)
19.4
(66.9)
25.6
(78.1)
34.4
(93.9)
35.7
(96.3)
38.9
(102)
36.3
(97.3)
33.5
(92.3)
27.6
(81.7)
17.4
(63.3)
8.9
(48)
38.9
(102)
Average high °C (°F) −3.0
(26.6)
−2.9
(26.8)
2.8
(37)
13.2
(55.8)
20.5
(68.9)
23.9
(75)
26.0
(78.8)
25.2
(77.4)
18.6
(65.5)
11.1
(52)
1.9
(35.4)
−2.6
(27.3)
11.3
(52.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.1
(21)
−6.1
(21)
−0.4
(31.3)
8.9
(48)
15.5
(59.9)
19.4
(66.9)
21.8
(71.2)
21.2
(70.2)
15.1
(59.2)
8.0
(46.4)
−0.4
(31.3)
−5.6
(21.9)
7.7
(45.9)
Average low °C (°F) −10.0
(14)
−9.9
(14.2)
−4.0
(24.8)
−0.4
(31.3)
9.7
(49.5)
14.1
(57.4)
16.8
(62.2)
16.3
(61.3)
10.9
(51.6)
4.7
(40.5)
−2.8
(27)
−9
(16)
3.5
(38.3)
Record low °C (°F) −34.5
(−30.1)
−29.7
(−21.5)
−31.1
(−24)
−9.7
(14.5)
−3.1
(26.4)
2.9
(37.2)
8.7
(47.7)
7.1
(44.8)
−2.5
(27.5)
−6.2
(20.8)
−21
(−6)
−32.1
(−25.8)
−34.5
(−30.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 52
(2.05)
40
(1.57)
36
(1.42)
46
(1.81)
48
(1.89)
67
(2.64)
72
(2.83)
53
(2.09)
49
(1.93)
40
(1.57)
52
(2.05)
50
(1.97)
605
(23.82)
Average precipitation days 10 9 8 7 7 8 9 7 7 7 10 11 100
Source #1: belgorod-meteo.ru [16]
Source #2: world-climates.com [17]

Transportation

LiAZ-5293 CNG low-entry bus
AKSM-420 Vitovt trolleybus

Since 1869, there has been a railway connection between Belgorod and Moscow.[18] Belgorod is served by the Belgorod International Airport (EGO).

Trolleybus

Length of trolley lines is over 120 km (75 mi). Trolleybus city park consists of 150 pieces of equipment, mainly Russian-made trolley ZiU-682V, 2 units ZiU-683, operated since 1990, and 3 units ZiU-6205, 30 units "Optima", and also has one trolley Skoda-VSW -14Tr, which started operation in 1996. In 2002, the city administration purchased 15 new trolleybuses ZiU-682G, and in 2005 bought another 20 new trolleybuses ZiU-682G, and in 2011 - 30 trolleybuses Trolza-5275.05 "Optima", and in 2013 - 20 new trolleybuses ACSM-420.

Bus

The city has two bus stations: Bus Belgorod, Belgorod- 2 Bus Terminal (located on the forecourt ), as well as bus stop complex Energomash. The Energomash bus station is mainly for commuting buses. From the bus station Belgorod-2 buses go mainly to nearby regional centers, and departure of buses in accordance with the arrival of trains.

Culture and art

Theaters

Museums

Festivals

Notable people

Twin towns and sister cities

Belgorod is twinned with:

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Law #248
  2. According to Article 5 of the Charter of Belgorod, the symbols of Belgorod include a flag and a coat of arms but not an anthem.
  3. Charter of Belgorod Oblast, Article 6
  4. 1 2 3 Law #159
  5. Charter of Belgorod, Article 35
  6. Official website of Belgorod. Konstantin Alexeyevich Polezhayev, Head of the City Administration (Russian)
  7. Charter of Belgorod, Article 26
  8. 1 2 3 4 Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  9. Belgorod Oblast Territorial Branch of the Federal State Statistics Service. Численность населения Белгородской области по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2015 года (Russian)
  10. Правительство Российской Федерации. Федеральный закон №107-ФЗ от 3 июня 2011 г. «Об исчислении времени», в ред. Федерального закона №271-ФЗ от 03 июля 2016 г. «О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон "Об исчислении времени"». Вступил в силу по истечении шестидесяти дней после дня официального опубликования (6 августа 2011 г.). Опубликован: "Российская газета", №120, 6 июня 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Federal Law #107-FZ of June 31, 2011 On Calculating Time, as amended by the Federal Law #271-FZ of July 03, 2016 On Amending Federal Law "On Calculating Time". Effective as of after sixty days following the day of the official publication.).
  11. 1 2 Энциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 39. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
  12. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (Russian)
  13. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian). Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  14. Demoscope Weekly (1989). "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  15.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Byelgorod". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 895.
  16. "Belgorod oblast meteodata". Archived from the original on February 3, 2012.
  17. "Belgorod Climate".
  18. Train Station in Belgorod (Russian)
  19. "Wakefield's twin towns". Wakefield City Council. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  20. "Miasta Partnerskie Opola". Urzad Miasta Opola (in Polish). Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-01.

Sources

External links

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