The history of the Kemerovo region originates in 1943. This is one of the youngest regions in the modern Russian Federation. Currently, it is part of the Siberian Federal District. Its population is more than two and a half million people, most of whom live in cities. It is the Kemerovo region that is considered the most densely populated Asian part of Russia and Siberia. In this article we will tell about the history of this region and the most significant settlements.
Ancient time
If you start telling the history of the Kemerovo region from ancient times, then it is known that during the Middle Paleolithic period Mokhovo-2 was located in these places. It was located in the Kuznetsk hollow. The Late Paleolithic includes several more sites, including Bedarevo, Shumikha, Ilyinka, Shorokhovo, Voronino, Sarbala.
In the era of iron and bronze, settlements of Andronovo, Tagar, Irmen, Tashtyk, Bolsherechensky and many other cultures were located here.
the Russian Empire
It is known that the territory of the modern Kemerovo region was inhabited several thousand years ago. In 1618, the Kuznetsk prison was founded in the south of the future region. It was intended to protect the Russian lands from the Dzungarian and Mongol invaders. In 1698, the second oldest settlement appeared in this area - Mariinsk.
Since 1721, the development of a mineral deposit begins here. The first burning coal seam was discovered by ore miner Mikhailo Volkov. He is considered the discoverer of the famous Kuznetsk coals.
At the end of the XVIII century begins the intensive development of the region. Demidov factories are being built, which later become state property.
Throughout the XIX century, the territory of the modern Kemerovo region was part of the Tomsk province. These were Mariinsky and Kuznetsk counties. It was then that many new industrial enterprises appeared: silver-smelting, iron-making, factories, mining mines. The industry of Kuzbass is rapidly developing after the completion of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Soviet Union
After the Bolsheviks came to power, Kuzbass first becomes part of the West Siberian Territory, and then the Novosibirsk Region.
The first years of the existence of Soviet power are distinguished by the transition to a planned economy. The metallurgical, coal and chemical industries are developing. There is a metallurgical plant, a coke plant, new mines. Near industrial enterprises, working villages are developing, which will soon receive the status of cities.
During the Great Patriotic War, Kuzbass became the main supplier of metal and coal in the country. 71 enterprises from the occupied regions are being evacuated here, most of which remain in the new place.
Create a region
The official history of the formation of the Kemerovo region begins on January 26, 1943. Then the Presidium of the Supreme Council decides on the allocation of Kuzbass from the Novosibirsk region to a separate region. Kemerovo becomes its administrative center. This is the story of the creation of the Kemerovo region.
The new region includes nine of 12 cities of regional subordination, the majority of workers' settlements, 23 of 75 districts. The population of the new Kemerovo region is 42% of the Novosibirsk population.
In the post-war history of the Kemerovo region, rapid industrial growth is observed. This leads to the emergence of new cities.
Current situation
The modern history of the Kemerovo region was not so rosy. What happened in the region in the 90s affected the development of not only Kuzbass, but the whole country.
The regional economy is in a deep systemic crisis. In conditions of shortage, industrial enterprises, including large ones, begin to close.
As a result of privatization of state property, the state has only a part of resources. These are railway transport, defense complex, gold mining, veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological institutions. Printing houses, pharmacies, poultry farms, and some motor transport enterprises are under regional subordination. Municipal authorities manage only hospitals and clinics, schools, public utilities, residential buildings. Everything else goes into private ownership.
Despite the fact that in the 90s the economy was in decline, by the end of the decade, the coal industry still began to develop. Since 2003, oil refineries have been operating in the Kemerovo region. This has become a new industry for the region. Since 2010, the coal and gas field, a project for the extraction and use of methane from coal seams, has been implemented.
For more than 20 years, the region was led by Governor Aman Tuleyev, an influential politician who even ran for president of Russia in the 90s. In 2018, he resigned after a tragedy in the Winter Cherry shopping center, when 60 people were killed in a fire. Now the region is headed by Sergey Tsivilev.
Kemerovo district
The history of the Kemerovo region of the Kemerovo region originates in August 1924. It was then that the district developed around the city of Kemerovo.
Initially, it was inhabited mainly by peasants. Today, the territory is gradually developing. In particular, housing stock and cultivated areas are increasing. The population is mainly growing due to migrants from Central Asia.
It is interesting that now the city of Kemerovo is considered the administrative center in the region, but at the same time it is not part of it.
The population of the district is now about 46.5 thousand people. Almost 94% of them are Russians. Given that Kemerovo is not part of the district, 100% of the population are rural residents, because there are no other cities in the Kemerovo region.
The main industries are the production of non-metallic mineral resources and mining. Pedigree livestock breeding and vegetable growing are also developing.
Berezovsky
One of the examples of how in the middle of the 20th century cities from working villages were formed in the Kuzbass, the history of the Berezovsky Kemerovo region.
This settlement received the status of a city in 1965 as a result of the union of several villages and village councils at once. Prior to that, he was part of the Kemerovo region. Such is the history of the city of Berezovsky, Kemerovo region.
Today, the village is located 27 kilometers from Kemerovo. About 46.5 thousand people live in it. Interestingly, most of the city and its environs are the taiga zone.
The leading industry is coal mining. It accounts for almost 90 percent of all industrial products that are produced in the city. The area is considered to be very promising, since various mineral deposits are explored in the district. This is not only coal, but also sapropelite, gold, high-quality clays, several types of iron ore, wood, marble.
Belovo
In the very center of the Kuznetsk coal basin is the city of Belovo, which is now the administrative center of the district of the same name. The history of Belovo, Kemerovo region began in 1726, when the first capture of the fugitive peasant Fedor Belov was formed.
In the middle of the XIX century, large-scale development of coal deposits began in these places. Not far from this settlement, the Bachatsky Mine was opened. That was the name of the first mine in Kuzbass.
At the same time, the village itself for a long time remained a small village. The situation radically changed in 1921, when the railway line was opened, connecting it with Kolchugino and Uyaty. The history of the city of Belovo, Kemerovo region, begins in 1938, when the corresponding status was given to the workers' settlement, which was developing more and more every year. Particularly active, the city began to be built with the development of coal enterprises.
Way to the monocity
In the 60-80s, the population of Belovo exceeded one hundred thousand people. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the economy worked for some time by inertia, but when the redistribution of property and the restructuring of the coal industry began, the giant plants began to close one after another. Food production stopped, the knitting factory, machine-building and zinc plants no longer worked.
Today, the population of Belovo, compared with Soviet times, has been reduced by almost half. According to the latest data, about 70 thousand people live here.
In 2014, by a federal government decree, Belovo was included in the list of single-industry towns with the risk of worsening socio-economic conditions. Currently, mining continues here. It accounts for up to 60 percent of shipped goods of own production. Open and underground coal mining is underway, construction materials are being produced. Almost a third of the region’s electricity is generated by Belovskaya TPP.
By the example of Belovo and Berezovsky, one can trace the classic path of development of settlements in the Kemerovo region. In the 20th century, they went from working villages to cities that were actively built up, and their population grew. Now the situation in many of them is close to critical.