The forty-two-meter “Alyosha”, staring sternly at a bay off the coast of the Barents Sea, snow in June and aurora are all Murmansk.
It is rightly called the largest city in the Arctic Circle. Among his titles is the title of a hero city. The port is not deprived of a kind of attractiveness. In addition, many tourists note a special flavor, the friendliness of local residents.
Visionary plans and the first stone
The history of Murmansk begins with plans to build a city beyond the Arctic Circle in the 70s of the 19th century. But the exploration of these places began only in 1912, after almost forty years. The impetus for the speedy development of the bay was the First World War. In an effort to gain access to the Arctic Ocean through the only ice-free strait at that time, Russia determined in 1915 on the right bank of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea a plot for building a seaport. Its task was to ensure the unhindered delivery of Entente military cargo during the blockade of the Baltic and Black Sea exits.
Nevertheless, the date of foundation of the port city was documented on October 4, 1916, so there is no dispute about how old Murmansk is. It was on this day that a ceremony was held on the hill, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the church of Nicholas Marlinsky. So Murmansk was founded. At this place is now the palace of culture and technology of the Kirov estate. True, the name was somewhat different. The last city founded by the king was named Romanov-on-Murman. Only six months passed, when the Communists took power and, according to the history of Murmansk, named it in their own way.
Revolution
The year 1917 could not have passed painlessly for the initially military strategic port city. After the victory of the uprising, Petrograd and Murmansk, the Bolsheviks made the centers of temporary revolutionary committees. But in March 1918, the intervention of the White Guard troops began with the Entente ships, anchored in the Kola Bay. In 1919, power in the city was established in the hands of the White Guards, under the recognized supreme authority of Admiral Kolchak. After the forced evacuation of Entente troops, the city soon again fell into the hands of revolutionaries. On February 21, 1920, the Bolsheviks organized an uprising that established a new power in the city.
Twenties
The history of Murmansk in the first half of the 20s of the last century cannot be described in bright colors. Only about two thousand people lived here. The city was in decline. Fisheries did not develop, and the whole industry was represented by small artisan artels. In those years, the city had the nickname "red village", because the chaotically scattered houses adapted for housing were red. Not more than three streets from one-story houses: workers' huts, a chaotic pile of primitive houses, like a Brazilian favela, only covered in snow. Some got along with the housing from the temporary dwellings abandoned by the interventionists, they looked like boxes made of corrugated iron covered with a semicircular roof, which they called “suitcases,” which in essence were wagons adapted for housing arovoza.
The city received a rapid impetus in development in the second half of the 20s. The proletarian government had a need to improve a large port through which transit would take place, bypassing the need to negotiate with neighboring countries.
Thirties
Already in 1933, Murmansk became the base for the supply and repair of ships of the Northern Fleet. Through it went the construction of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine. The purpose of the port was not limited only to military strategic objectives. Istria of Murmansk is inextricably linked to fishing. The increase in production and the tips were worried. A port was created on the site of the former defense enterprise for fish processing and ship repair. Subsequently, it quickly developed and after a couple of years it supplied sea regions of the USSR regions with two hundred thousand tons annually.
During the development of the city in the early days, wooden sidewalks were laid, and the streets were surrounded by single and two-story log cabins. The first brick high-rise appeared in 1927, which still stands today. The first regular city bus began to run in 1934, a flight from the northern to the southern. And in the same year, the Polar Arrow express was launched to Leningrad. Leningradskaya was also called the first asphalt street, on which asphalt appeared in 1939. Before the war, Murmansk could boast of several dozen multi-story brick houses and a population of one hundred forty thousand Murmansk. From the twenties until the war itself, the city changed several statuses, in view of changes in the state administrative-territorial division: the center of the province, the okrug as part of the Leningrad region and from 1938 became the center of the region of the same name.
Murmansk in World War II
During the war years, Murmansk was used for its original purpose - through the port cargo was transported under Lend-Lease for military supplies to the Soviets and the army. Hitler sent a hundred and fifty thousandth army to the Arctic region and issued a directive on the capture of Murmansk. He hoped that the city would be taken within three days. The first general offensive was carried out by German troops in July. The city managed to repel it. The second, and also futile, general offensive was carried out in September. Then the command of the Bundesarmia attacked the city from the air, making up to eighteen raids per day. It is second only to Stalingrad in the level of damage inflicted. The hardest was June 18, 1942. The city was ironed with high-explosive bombs and wooden buildings burned out in whole blocks from the center to the northern outskirts. Murmansk was liberated in 1944.
After the victory
After liberation, the landscape of the city was ruined. Miraculously, port buildings and only three city buildings survived.
In late autumn 1945, Murmansk was included in the list of fifteen priority cities for restoration, like Leningrad and Moscow. One hundred million rubles were allocated from the state treasury to the port city for development.
In the early 50s, the city has already been restored:
- berths;
- enterprises;
- infrastructure;
- even a television complex.
Soon, the volume of buildings rose to the pre-war level. The house-building plant, which began to work, proceeded to the production of panel boxes, new for that time, from which typical houses appeared in the city. In the 70s there was a peak of expansion of the city, which lasted until the beginning of the 80s of the last century.
Modern city
With the collapse of the USSR, in 1991 a massive outflow of young people began. Today Murmansk is going through hard times. In 2002, the population declined by one hundred and fifty thousand people. The population is only three hundred and seven thousand inhabitants, according to the 2010 census.
Monuments of the history of Murmansk
Like any hero city, and Murmansk was awarded this title in 1985, there are historical monuments. The most famous is in Murmansk - a monument to Alyosha. According to the passport, the monument is called the Memorial "Defenders ...". From the beginning, they planned to put it in the center of Murmansk, near Five Corners Square, but they refused this idea in favor of installing Alyosha on the Cape Verde. The hill further raises the memorial over the city. A stone was laid in its installation in 1969. The official opening was timed to the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi invaders of the Arctic - October 19, 1974. Its height is forty-two meters. Why the memorial was called the monument to Alyosha in Murmansk, the townspeople explain with a special, warm attitude. And most likely, this was done in honor of the song popular in the Soviet years, which glorifies the Bulgarian monument. He must attend the wedding processions of local newlyweds.
There are more than thirty historical monuments in Murmansk. But if a visitor wants to get acquainted with history without wandering around the city, it is enough to go to the old lighthouse, which no longer has a signal function, but is given over to the museum of local lore.
Symbols of the city
Like most cities of the Russian Federation, Murmansk has its own symbolism. Approved on November 25, 2004, the main symbol of Murmansk is a rectangular shield with rounded lower corners. The field is divided into two halves, in a ratio of eight to nine. In the upper azure field is a pennant with multiple vertical stripes that mean the northern lights. Under it is a golden ship. In the lower yellow sector there is an image of a fish - a symbol of the wealth of the sea feeding the city. The symbol of Murmansk was first approved in 1968. It differed from the modern one by the presence of the inscription in Russian “Murmansk”. What about the flag?
Murmansk does not have its flag at the official level. At festivals and city festivals, an unofficial blue and white banner is often hung with the city emblem in the center. But there is still no decision by the authorities to recognize it as an official symbol. The flag of Murmansk is sometimes called the symbol of the region. Perhaps soon the issue with the banner will be resolved.