In modern history, cities know the exact date of their foundation. Many perpetuate this event with iconic objects. In 1983, a monument was erected in honor of the founding of Sevastopol - a project by architects G. G. Kuzminsky and A. S. Gladkov. But the legendary history of the city makes every building, every stone important.
History of the Crimean Peninsula
The development of the peninsula began long before the founding of Sevastopol. Archaeological excavations of the found sites of Neanderthals, the remains of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultures suggest that the settlement of these lands began more than 100 thousand years ago.
In the 12th century BC, the nomadic Cimmerian tribes were driven out from the peninsula by the Scythians, who settled in the northwest. Tauri, according to some accounts, came from the Caucasus, inhabited the south and the coastal part of the peninsula.
The favorable climate and exceptionally favorable geographical location attracted the Hellenes. The great sailors of their time actively developed the city-colonies, starting from the end of the XII century BC. e. Khersones, Kimmerik, Theodosius and Nymphaeum - these port cities of the Crimean peninsula became the basis of the Bosporus kingdom. The internal strife and raids of the nomads forced the Bosporus to pass under the rule of the Pontic kingdom and eventually become a protectorate of Rome, and then Byzantium.
In the tenth century AD, Prince Vladimir of Kiev, having seized the fortress of Chersonesus, was baptized here. In 1397, the Lithuanian prince Vytautas conquered Taurida. The steppe regions are controlled by the Golden Horde.
Strategic goal
After the collapse of the Golden Horde in 1441, the Crimean Khanate was created, 36 years later conquered by the Ottomans. Over the course of 3 centuries, Moscow kings repeatedly sent troops to the outskirts of the Ottoman Empire, since the development of the state required free access to the sea. Muscovy military campaigns ended in defeat.
The strategic goal was achieved in 1771. Under pressure from the Russian army, the Ottomans left the peninsula, the Crimean Khanate became an independent state. The military power of the Russian Empire and the diplomatic talent of Catherine II led to the fact that the nobility of the Crimean Khanate swore allegiance to the Empress of the Russian state in 1783. 1784 - the year of foundation of the city of Sevastopol. This is a very important event. Indeed, in essence, this is the birth of the first Russian city on the Crimean peninsula.
Military fortress
The countdown of Sevastopol as a military fortress can begin a couple of years before the imperial decree on the establishment of the city. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1771, Russian sailors explored the coastline of the peninsula. Navigator Ivan Baturin compiled the first Russian detailed map of bays and nearby territories.
The bay, on the banks of which the Tatar village of Akhtiar was located, turned out to be very convenient for wintering the crews of the Russian frigates "Brave" and "Brave" in November 1782. In May 1783, ships of the Azov and Dnieper flotilla entered the bay named Akhtiar. The sailors who went ashore began the construction of barracks and fortifications - the first objects of the city of Sevastopol in the Crimea.
The first four stone buildings (the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the house of the squadron commander, marina and forge), the only street - Balaklava road and settlements of bleached mud huts in the hills - this is how the City of Glory looked at the beginning of its history.
City planning
The layout of the historical part of the city has been preserved from the time of Ushakov and Lazarev to the present day unchanged, despite the fact that the city has been destroyed to the ground twice in its history.
Sevastopol, located on the shores of 33 bays, from the very beginning was divided into three parts. The former Akhtiar and South departing from it perpendicularly caused this division. The ship's side, North and South, retain their territoriality even now thanks to the landscape.
The hill located in the city center did not allow Sevastopol to have a central street and square, as was customary in the urban development of the 18th century. Around the hill are three streets and four squares - the Central City Ring.
The appearance of the city, unlike the layout, has changed repeatedly.
Military builders
At the end of the 18th century, the population of the city consisted of 10 thousand military and civilian (193 people) persons. This determined the initial look of the city. It was planned only the construction of military fortifications, everything else was built up spontaneously. From the Balaklava road to the southern bay, the outbuildings of the Admiralty extended. On the other hand, on a hill, officers' houses were being built. A depot, barracks and a hostel for command personnel appeared on the Ship side. Artillery Bay is built up spontaneously. The north side was mastered more slowly. By the 30s of the 19th century, there was a timber depot, barracks, fortifications and an inn.
50 years after the founding of Sevastopol, the city had three tanneries, a brewery, a candle factory, two forges, four churches and more than 200 trade establishments. A library, a city pharmacy and a county school were opened.
The first general development plan was approved in 1840. Three central streets took shape - Bolshaya Morskaya, Yekaterininsky and Balaklavskaya. At the junction they designed Theater Square (now Ushakov Square). The first boulevards appear - Small and Big (now Sailor and Historical). All longitudinal and part of the transverse streets are named. Particular attention was paid to the appearance of the city from the sea, building sites and architectural projects were carefully selected. In 1852, the city was inhabited by 50 thousand people.
Survivors under the bombs
The first buildings of the city were not spared the war and time - Sevastopol was completely destroyed during the Crimean War. Only 14 buildings have survived; up to now, 5 have survived in their original appearance:
- Church of All Saints. Created in 1822 at the personal expense of F. Bychensky, Vice Admiral of the Black Sea Fleet, the temple is located in the old cemetery, on Pozharov Street. The cross-domed building in the classicism style is built of Inkerman stone. During the years of Soviet rule, it was the only active church in the city.
- Lazarevsky barracks. The buildings were designed by an English engineer in the Russian service, Colonel John Upton. The facade of the ensemble of nine buildings is made in the Empire style. The walls of the barracks, recently plastered, are made of limestone blocks. Part of the barracks today have a military purpose.
- Tower of the winds. The ventilation shaft was built simultaneously with the Marine Library J. Upton and engineer Dikorev. The library building burned down during the shelling of Sevastopol in 1855, the Tower of the Winds was preserved.
- House of Savin. On Shcherbakova street you can see the building of 1848, built. The shells stuck in the walls, witnesses of the first defense of the city, were preserved at the request of the owner of the mansion, Colonel Savin.
- House of Volkhov. The first owner of the house on 19 Suvorov Street was a retired officer, a wealthy contractor Volokhov. From this house, Admiral Vladimir Kornilov went to Malakhov Kurgan, where he was mortally wounded in October 1857. The building was rebuilt several times, but the facades remained the same, from the time of the "last apartment" of the admiral.
Second birth
After the Crimean War, the city of Sevastopol, which was completely destroyed, began to rebuild again.
In the 70s of the 19th century, mansions of the highest command staff, buildings of the maritime department, municipal institutions were built on the Central City Hill. The first city hospital opens, water supply is included. Urban development is being compacted, hillsides are populated by families of ship repair and shipbuilding plants. Many residential areas are built on terraces.
New squares appear: Vladimirskaya, Artillery, Morskaya and Admiralteyskaya. The architecture of the buildings is eclectic - there are Renaissance, neo-Greek, neo-Roman, pseudo-Moorish elements. At the beginning of the 20th century, Sevastopol is surrounded by summer cottages. A railway connection with the capital has been launched.
In the Soviet period, the construction of neighborhoods completely crowded out home development. The implementation of the master plan of the city, developed in 1936, was prevented by the war. The second defense of the city cost 99% of the completely destroyed buildings. Of the 110 thousand inhabitants after the liberation of the city, no more than 10 thousand remained.
Second recovery
160 years after its founding, Sevastopol is in ruins for the second time. Western experts who saw the city in 1944 determined a recovery time of 50 years. The Soviet state completed the main work in 13 years. The full consequences of the war were eliminated by the mid-60s.
Listed in the list of 10 cities of the Soviet Union subject to priority restoration, Sevastopol received more than 35 thousand workers, engineers and architects in the postwar years. Together with local residents, working in two shifts around the clock, they sorted out the rubble and ruins, preparing the city for a new life.
The first work was carried out under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel A. S. Kabanov. The number one task was to restore the urban planning grid, since many streets could not be determined. It was also necessary to assess the condition of the surviving objects - whether to be restored.
The modern look of the city
In the Soviet architecture of the post-war period, the classical direction dominated, later called the "Stalin Empire". In Sevastopol, this style determined the entire architectural appearance of the city, giving it a unique originality and charm.
The master plan for the restoration was developed under the guidance of G. B. Barkhin. Architects led by V. A. Artyukhov turned the project into reality. It was decided to use the surviving foundations of the pre-war buildings. The height of the red line buildings was limited to half the width of the street - a maximum of 4 floors was obtained. This helped the city to preserve in its image the picturesqueness of the sea coast cut by bays.
The central ensemble of the city adorns the building of the Central Design Bureau "Chernomorets". The project of L. A. Pavlov - with a rotunda tower and a regular ionic order - stands on Admiral Lazarev Square. Beautiful quarter No. 25, designed by V.P. Melik-Parsadanov, is located on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. Asymmetric facades of the Marine Club and the City Library have a purely Sevastopol flavor.
Adhering to a single style, all the buildings were built of white Inkerman stone using classic order architecture.
By 1957, more than 700 thousand square meters were erected. m. of housing, 350 industrial and commercial enterprises were commissioned, 8 hospitals and 32 schools operate.
Monuments
The history of the creation of Sevastopol and its legendary glory can be traced by getting acquainted with the sights of the city: Grafskaya Marina, Malakhov Kurgan, Primorsky Boulevard, Sapun-Gora.
Today, the city stretches for almost 25 km. In places where during the days of the war there were defensive lines, near the bays of Krugloy, Streletskaya and Kamyshova, today there are quarters of new microdistricts. And the protective bastions surrounding Sevastopol during his youth were in the central part of the modern city.