The city, which played a large significant role in the history of Russia, today is a metropolis with a population of more than a million people. This article will help to make an excursion into the history of the city and answer the question, as Volgograd was formerly called. Throughout the history of his existence, he twice changed the name.
How did Volgograd
What was it called before and how did the city develop? It was founded at the end of the 16th century, but many researchers believe that the settlement existed for a long time, back in the days of the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Along with Samara and Saratov, the city of Tsaritsyn was founded as a fortress by the garrison of military Cossacks and the local governor Grigory Zasekin at the behest of Ivan the Terrible after the conquest of the Astrakhan kingdom by the Moscow state. Active trade was conducted in the region with the Caspian territories, so there was an urgent need to ensure the safety of merchants who brought money and goods along the Volga trade route from raids by nomads. The fortress was guarded around the clock by archers on duty, who from the watch towers raised the garrison on an alarm.
City development
Volgograd as it was called before, until 1925? Until that time, he was called Tsaritsyn. The city began to develop rapidly, moving to the right bank of the great Russian Volga River after the final victory over the wild hordes. Its inhabitants were distinguished by liveliness and enterprise, therefore, from a paramilitary settlement on the outskirts of the state, Tsaritsyn quickly assumed the guise of a merchant city. But in the following centuries of its history, the Tsaritsyn people often called the “Ponisovskaya Volnitsa”, since runaway slaves and peasants from all over Russia gathered in the Lower Volga. The names of famous heroes who fought for the free life of the people — Stepan Razin, Kondraty Bulavin, Emelyan Pugachev — are preserved in history.
How Volgograd got its name
As the city was called before and what is the history of each of its names, not everyone knows. Those who are not strong in history are convinced that Tsaritsyn was named in honor of Empress Catherine the Great. This is a false assumption, although it was to her that he owed the transformation from a narrow-war settlement into a rapidly developing city. And the name arose thanks to the small river Tsaritsa, from which only a few springs remained. But five centuries ago, the channel of the river was full, and it quite rapidly carried its clay waters to the Volga. For its color, the Mongol-Tatars began to call the river Sary-Su, which means "yellow water". Later this name began to be perceived as Queen, hence the first name of the city.
The earliest mention of the Tsaritsyn fortress dates back to 1589, therefore, since then this date has been considered official, and it is from it that Volgograd has its history. As this city was called before and where the first name came from, you now know.
The beginning of the 20th century
During the October Revolution and the Civil War, the city was at the junction of battles between the Red and White armies. The White Guards, who captured the city, very cruelly dealt with the red fighters who were captured - they chopped them up with checkers. Great damage was done to the city: residential and cultural buildings were wiped off the face of the earth, the water supply and sewage system, as well as the power station were put out of action, and industrial enterprises were almost destroyed. Then followed the restoration of the city. First, industry giants launched: metallurgical, sawmill, woodworking factories, then established lines of hosiery and knitwear and sewing factories, built and launched food industry enterprises.
Second name
What was Volgograd (1925-1961) called before? In 1925, the city of Tsaritsyn changed its name to Stalingrad. Of course, this renaming is connected with I.V. Stalin, who since 1922 was the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. By this moment, the city had 112 thousand people, it occupied the nineteenth place in terms of the number of inhabitants among the cities of Russia. Two years later, the population was already 140 thousand, which served as an impetus for a grandiose housing construction.
In the future, the city, like the whole country as a whole, developed towards industrialization. The country's first tractor plant was built, and Red October, a metallurgical plant, began to produce high-quality steel.
War
But the outbreak of war knocked the soil out from under her feet and subjugated everything. From its first days, Stalingrad turned into the largest arsenal in the southeast of Russia. Factories continuously produced and repaired tanks, ships, and machine guns. A militia division and eight battalions were formed on the territory of the city. Defensive construction reached enormous scope. Railway lines were built, which played a huge role in the supply of troops. Since 1942, regular enemy air raids by local air defense forces were reflected in Stalingrad.
The city worked and fought in spite of the Nazi invaders, frustrating Hitler's plans. The enemy command sent their selected forces to Stalingrad. If they could defeat the main shock concentration of troops, then this would significantly change the course of battles. But Stalingrad stubbornly resisted the onslaught, its heroic resistance allowed the Soviet troops to move in a decisive offensive. Having defeated the enemy, the Soviet army created the conditions for a radical change in the course of the entire war. At the Stalingrad line, the enemy was not only stopped, but also crushed physically and mentally.
Memorial Complex
The legendary battle of Stalingrad was left behind, turning the city into ruins. In memory of this battle, the famous memorial complex on the Mamaev Kurgan was erected with the world-famous monument “Motherland Calls!”, Which became the symbol of the city. It was built for nine years, its height - 55 meters, weight - 8000 tons, the complex is part of the seven wonders of Russia. The monument is visible from all over the city.
What was Volgograd called before? Until 1961, it bore the proud name of Stalingrad, but, despite the historical significance of the name, the country's authorities decided to rename the city, giving it a third name - Volgograd, due to its geographical location. According to historians, this idea was put forward in order to combat the Stalin personality cult.
So you got acquainted with a brief history of the city and now you can answer any question about how the city of Volgograd was called before.