Former name of the city. What was Volgograd called before? Brief history of the city

A city that was “lucky” to change its names. The first name by which he was known was the name Khlynov. There are several versions of the origin of the name Khlynov. The first is based on the cry of the khly-khly birds that lived in the area where the city was formed: ... A kite flies by and shouts: “Kylno-kylno.” So the Lord himself indicated how to name the city: Kylnov...According to the second, the city was given the name of the Khlynovitsa river, which flows nearby into Vyatka, which, in turn, was so named after a breakthrough at a small dam: ...water poured through it , and the river was given the name Khlynovitsa... The third theory connects the name with the word khyn (ushkuynik, river robber), although most experts attribute a later appearance to this word.
The second name of the city was the name Vyatka. Some researchers are inclined to believe that it came from the name of the territorial group of Udmurts Vatka, who lived in these territories, which was traced back to the Udmurt word vad “otter, beaver.” However, such an etymology is completely unrealistic linguistic point vision. The name Vatka itself was formed from the hydronym Vyatka. According to another version, it is associated with the Vyada people, who had close relationships with the Udmurts. Some sources mistakenly associate the word Vyatka with the Vyatichi tribes who lived on the banks of the Oka. However, the word Vyatchans is recognized as the correct self-name; it has established itself as an ethno-funeral for the inhabitants of the Vyatka region. Moreover, historically such a correlation is completely unjustified: the Vyatichi did not go so far to the east. Nowadays, the most relevant version is L.N. Makarova - she considers the original toponym to be the name of the river (Old Russian in origin) with the meaning “larger” (cf. . other Russian “more”).
The city received the name Kirov after the murder in 1934 of a native of the city of Urzhum, Vyatka Territory, Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov (Kirov).
The chronology of the renaming of the city is extremely complex and ambiguous, since few historical documents have been preserved confirming the very fact of the renaming. Usually, when talking about the old names of Kirov, they use a simplified chain of transformations Khlynov - Vyatka - Kirov, and indeed, when founded in 1181, the city was named Khlynov. Starting from 1374 (the first mention of Vyatka), the word Khlynov does not appear in any official document or chronicles, on the contrary, Vyatka was found on maps of that time, and was even included in the “List of all Russian cities far and near”, where it was in the section of the so-called “Zalessky” cities after Nizhny Novgorod and Kurmysh. In 1455 in Vyatka for defensive purposes are building wooden Kremlin with an earthen rampart, which was given the name of the Khlynovitsa river flowing nearby. Subsequently, the name Khlynov spread to the township part of the city, and from 1457 the whole city began to be called Khlynov. In 1780, by the highest decree of the Empress of All-Russia Catherine II, the name Vyatka was returned to the city, and the Vyatka province was transformed into the Vyatka governorate and transferred from the Siberian province part of Kazan. On December 5, 1934, by decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, Vyatka was named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov.
The city is located in a region with large representation national minorities, therefore, names in other languages ​​have historically been assigned to it. In Mari it is called “Ilna” or “Ilna-Ola” (“ola” means “city” in Mari). In the Udmurt language it is called “Vatka” and “Kylno”. In Tatar, the name of Kirov sounds like “Kolyn”. All these names are outdated and modern speech are not used.

On December 14, 1937, Japanese authorities renamed the capital of China. For several centuries in a row, the Chinese themselves called the city Peiping, but the invaders decided to erase former name from all maps and gave a simpler name "Beijing", by which we still know it today. It seems that the Chinese were satisfied with this...

However, history also knows examples of a different kind, when the people inhabiting the capital want to get rid of the name imposed by someone. On December 14, but already in 2005, the people's assembly of the Chechen parliament decided to give Grozny new name - Akhmad-Kala, in honor of those who died on Victory Day during terrorist attack President of Chechnya Akhmad Kadyrov. Current Russian name city ​​- Grozny - did not suit the deputies, since it comes from the name of the fortress "Grozny", which was founded in 1818 by General A.P. Ermolov. And then the construction of roads from fortress to fortress began, which, according to the deputies, contributed to the successful conquest of the highlanders by Russia.

But the son of the deceased President, the current head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, acted wisely, explaining to the deputies that the most better memory for his father it would be the restoration of both the capital and peaceful life in Chechnya.

However, let's return to Beijing. During the Chinese Civil War of 1928-1949, the Nationalist Kuomintang Party decided that the city in the hands of the communist enemy should be called "Peiping", that is, "Peace in the North", and not "Beijing", which is in literal translation Means " Northern capital" The Japanese have resolved all disputes...

By the way, representatives of the Country Rising Sun They had a lot of experience in renaming capitals. So, Japanese port Edo (literally "Harbor Gate") was named Tokyo(“Eastern Capital”) in 1868, when the capital officially moved here. The renaming was more symbolic and reflected the end of the reign of the shoguns and the formal restoration of the emperor's power.

Trying to turn over the old one and start new page history underlies many renamings. The most striking example of this is the current Istanbul. It was founded by the Greeks, and it was then called Byzantium. Then, under the Romans, it became the New Rome, Constantinople, and then was conquered by the Ottomans - and received its current name, Istanbul. And in 1928, it was decided to forget centuries-old wars as soon as possible and “stake out” a peaceful solution to many issues of life. For this purpose they began to build new capital- Angora, which in English translates as “anchor.” A little later it was renamed Ankara, which is more familiar to Turkish ears.

From foreign names local residents certain states suffered very often. Let's say in Soviet times communist leaders decided to give the capital of Kyrgyzstan a name legendary revolutionary and commander Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze. And no one even bothered to find out that in the Kyrgyz language there is no “ef” sound at all. Bishkek was renamed Frunze in 1926, and the Kyrgyz themselves had to call it “Prunze” right up until 1991, when the city was returned to its previous name.

Almost "neighborly" Ulaanbaatar also went through a number of renamings. The city, founded in 1639, was named by the Mongols themselves Orgoo (literally “Palace”), Russians and Europeans called it in their own way - Urga. In 1924, the rebel people renamed it Ulaanbaatar (literally “Red Hero”) in honor of Sukhbaatar, who liberated Mongolia from the troops of Baron Ungern and Chinese troops. It is difficult to say whether this name will remain in the future. Now there are certain “inclinations” to rename the capital so that it bears a name that is more appropriate ancient civilization. After all, purely calendar-wise, “The Red Hero” has been walking along the Mongolian steppes for some 83 years. In the history of the country, this is a hundredth of a second. That is why the hottest heads propose to rename Ulaanbaatar nothing less than Genghis Khan. But for now everything remains the same...

One of the most recent renamings is the capital of South Africa, Pretoria, in Tshwane. This happened in May 2005, and was greeted with great enthusiasm by black residents of the capital. The fact is that the word “Pretoria” was formed on behalf of the Boer settler, the commander-in-chief of the troops of the Boer settlers, Andres Pretorius. And Tswane is the name of a local leader of pre-colonial times (literally - “we are all equal”).

Let's not go far from the south African continent. Thus, the capital of Zimbabwe, neighboring South Africa, founded in 1890, for a long time bore the name Salisbury, which means nothing to the Zimbabwean ear. Now the city is proudly called Harare, in honor of the great leader of the Shona people - Harare (literally - “the one who never sleeps”).

After Kazakhstan gained independence, it was decided to move the capital from Almaty to Astana(former names Akmolinsk - from 1830 to 1961, Tselinograd - from 1961 to 1992, Akmola - from 1992 to 1998). This was done for several reasons. Firstly, Almaty is located in a geographical dead end, which complicates connections with other regions of the republic. Secondly, the city is located extremely close to the Chinese border and, finally, in danger zone seismic activity.

To some extent, the transfer turned out to be justified. Moreover, the former Tselinograd is the second largest city in the republic, and with the transfer of the capital here, almost all contradictions were removed. On the other hand, new investments in the new capital of Kazakhstan should pay off handsomely. And even though the plan to transform the city into the Kazakh Venice turned out to be a failure (and it turned out that there is not much water in the Ishim River, and digging canals is a troublesome task), but the transfer gave a powerful impetus not only to the development of the capital, but also to the whole of Kazakhstan...

Let's move now to Scandinavia. Specifically to Sweden, it’s not without reason Stockholm unofficially considered the capital of all Scandinavia. The city got its name from the island of Stadsholmen, where in 1187 a fortified point began to be built on the site of a fishing settlement. The mouth of the strait connecting Lake Mälaren with Baltic Sea, was important strategic importance. The first mention of Stockholm as a city dates back to 1252. However, there is a more “Russian” version, they say, the city was named simple addition two words: “stock” - log and “hill” - small island.

The capital of Sweden has never changed its name. Unlike the capital of Finland - Helsinki, which was built by the same Swedes (King Gustav Vasa in 1550) and inhabited by several hundred residents of the town of Parvoo, which is located 50 km from the current capital. By the way, this city bore the Swedish name Helsingfors for a long time. What’s even more surprising is that the Swedes themselves have long considered the city of Turku to be the capital of Finland.

But the capital is different Scandinavian country- Norway - Oslo has changed its name over its almost 953-year history. From 1624 to 1925 it was called Christiania or Christiania in honor of King Christian IV, who, after a fire in early XVII century as King of Denmark and Norway (then it was common state) moved the city to the site of present Oslo. However, at that time Christiania was considered a small provincial town, and “rose” only after the union of Norway with Sweden. By the way, despite the not very large platform for the “battle,” showdowns between Sweden and Denmark existed throughout almost the entire history of these two countries. Nowadays the dispute is: “Who is the boss in Scandinavia?” seems to have faded away.

Concluding the tour of Scandinavia, one cannot help but mention the capital of Denmark, founded in 1043. Copenhagen at that time was called Havn, which means “pier”, here the majority of the population worked fishing. The following two centuries of fishing and trade transformed the small fishing village into a thriving city. In 1343 A.D. King Waldemar the Great made Copenhagen the capital of Denmark. The name has not changed since then...

Now we are transported to other islands - to Great Britain. Capital of Great Britain - London- was not always called that way. When in 43 AD. During the invasion of Britain by the Romans, led by Emperor Claudius, a city was founded; it was named in the Latin manner - Londinium. In the 5th century, when the Romans left Londinium and the Britons began to settle in it, they gave the place a different name - Lundenburg. The new name - London - was apparently given to the city by William the Conqueror. By the way, last time the occupier's foot set foot on the streets of London almost a thousand years ago - in 1216, when the city was captured french king Louis VIII.

But the capital of Ireland is Dublin- never changed its name.))))

Let's now look at southwest Europe. Lisbon- the capital of Portugal - received its real name from the ancient Phoenicians, who 1200 years before the birth of Christ made their commercial stop at the intersection sea ​​routes dubbed "Alis Ubbo" (blessed bay). By the way, the Phoenicians did nothing but name the city, but no one in its more than 30-century history found a reason to “rewrite” the name of the capital for any hero or some historical event. Although Portugal itself in those distant times, together with Southern Spain was called "Lusitania" from the Lusitanian tribe who lived here. But the name remained Phoenician...

But spanish capital - Madrid- in the first years of its foundation it was called Mantua Carpetana, then, years later, Majirit, and only then it turned into “Madrid”, which is more familiar to our ears. By the way, this city did not become the main city of Spain right away, but more than six centuries after its founding...

But Amsterdam became the capital of Holland against all odds. Antwerp was considered the main city, but when the Spaniards captured it, most of the rich merchants rushed to Amsterdam, which began to grow by leaps and bounds and was recognized as the capital. And as if by a smile from history, Antwerp today is the second largest city in... Belgium.

And in conclusion about Paris. There are also a lot of interesting things connected with it. Firstly, the city was founded in the 3rd century BC, and only a third of its history is called Paris, and before that the city was known as Lutetia. Secondly, Paris gives no rest to anyone, it insidious seducer. You can list the small “Paris”. There are cities and towns with this name in Chelyabinsk region and Bashkiria, as well as in Belarus. The Slovaks were more modest, calling the river Paris. And the most “Parisian” Paris is, naturally, in the United States. Guess with three letters which state? It's not hard to do - in Texas, of course. Cowboys know what they are guiding star hiding at the top of the Eiffel Tower...

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 you take an excursion into the history of the city and answer the question of what Volgograd used to be called. During the entire history of its existence, it changed its name twice.

How Volgograd came to be

What was the name of the city before and how did it develop? It was founded at the end of the 16th century, but many researchers believe that the settlement existed a long time ago, back in the days Tatar-Mongol yoke. Along with Samara and Saratov, the city of Tsaritsyn was founded as a fortress by a garrison of military Cossacks and the local governor Grigory Zasekin at the behest of Ivan the Terrible after the conquest of the Astrakhan kingdom. In the region there was active trade with the Caspian territories, so there was an urgent need to ensure the safety of merchants carrying money and goods across from the raids of nomads. The fortress was guarded by archers on duty around the clock, who raised the garrison from the watchtowers upon an alarm signal.

City development

What was Volgograd called before, before 1925? Until that time he was called Tsaritsyn. The city began to develop rapidly, moving to the right bank of the great Russian river Volga after final victory over the wild hordes. Its inhabitants were distinguished by their liveliness and enterprise, therefore, from a paramilitary settlement on the outskirts of the state, Tsaritsyn quickly took on the guise of a merchant city. But in subsequent centuries of its history, Tsaritsyn was often called “Ponizovaya freemen” by the people, since fugitive slaves and peasants from all over Rus' gathered in the Lower Volga. History has preserved the names of famous heroic fighters for the free life of the people - Stepan Razin, Kondraty Bulavin, Emelyan Pugachev.

How did Volgograd get its name?

What was the name used to be a city and what is the history of each of its names - not everyone knows. Those who are not good at history are sure that Tsaritsyn was named in honor of Empress Catherine the Great. This is an incorrect assumption, although it is to her that he owes the transformation from a narrow military 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 river bed was full, and it rather rapidly carried its clayey waters to the Volga. Because of its color, the Mongol-Tatars began to call the river Sary-Su, which means “yellow water.” Later, this name began to be perceived by ear as the Queen, hence the first name of the city.

The earliest mentions of the Tsaritsyn fortress date back to therefore, since then this date has been considered official, and it is from here that Volgograd traces its history. Now you know what this city was called before and where the first name came from.

Early 20th century

During and Civil War The city found itself at the junction of the battles between the Red and White Guards, who captured the city and very brutally dealt with the captured Red soldiers - they were chopped up with sabers. Great damage was caused to the city: residential and cultural buildings were wiped off the face of the earth, water supply and sewage systems were disabled, as well as a power plant, almost destroyed industrial enterprises. This was followed by the restoration of the city. First, the industry giants launched: metallurgical, sawmill, and wood processing plants, then they set up lines for hosiery and clothing factories, built and launched food industry enterprises.

Second title

What was the former name of Volgograd (1925-1961)? In 1925, the city of Tsaritsyn changed its name to Stalingrad. Of course, this renaming is associated with I.V. Stalin, who since 1922 was Secretary General Central Committee Communist Party. By this time, the city had 112 thousand people, it ranked nineteenth in terms of population among Russian cities. Two years later the population was already 140 thousand, which served as an impetus for large-scale housing construction.

Subsequently, the city, like the whole country as a whole, developed towards industrialization. The first in the country was built tractor plant, and "Red October" - a metallurgical plant - began to produce high-quality steel.

War

But the outbreak of the war knocked the ground out from under our feet and subjugated everything. From its first days, Stalingrad turned into the largest arsenal in southeast Russia. The factories continuously produced and repaired tanks, ships, and machine guns. A division was formed on the territory of the city people's militia and eight battalions. Defensive construction reached a huge scale. Railway lines were built, which played a huge role in supplying troops. Since 1942, Stalingrad has repelled regular enemy air raids by local air defense forces.

The city toiled and fought in spite to the fascist invaders, thwarting Hitler's plans. The enemy command sent its selected forces to Stalingrad. If they managed to defeat the main shock concentration of troops, this would significantly change the course of the battles. But Stalingrad stubbornly resisted the onslaught, it heroic resistance allowed Soviet troops move to decisive offensive. Having defeated the enemy, soviet army created the conditions for the course of the entire war. At the Stalingrad line, the enemy was not only stopped, but also crushed physically and morally.

Memorial complex

Legendary Battle of Stalingrad was left behind, turning the city into ruins. In memory of this battle, the famous memorial complex on Mamayev Kurgan with the world famous monument “The Motherland Calls!”, which has become a symbol of the city. It took nine years to build, its height is 55 meters, its weight is 8000 tons, the complex is part of 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 Stalin’s personality cult.

So you have become acquainted with a brief history of the city and now you can answer any question about what the city of Volgograd used to be called.

Young and old, big and small cities influenced by certain historical events tend to change their name. Sometimes names change more than once, and not so rarely the first name of a city returns after a change again. We will look at 10 of these Russian cities and talk about the events that preceded the renaming.

The most famous cities in Russia that changed their name:

1. St. Petersburg

From 1703 to 1914 the city was called St. Petersburg. The city was called Petrograd for only 10 years and in 1924, after the death of Lenin, it was renamed Leningrad. The city bore the name in honor of Lenin until 1991, when its historical name returned.

2. Sochi

1838 - Fort Alexandria, a year later - Navaginsky fortification. In 1964, the city was named Post Dakhovsky, and 10 years later - Dakhovsky Posad. Modern name The city has been named since 1896 in honor of the Sochi River.

3. Volgograd

Tsaritsyn has been the name of the city since 1589. Since 1925 it was renamed in honor of Stalin to Stalingrad. At the request of the workers, the city was renamed again in 1961, the name being tied to the Volga River flowing nearby.

4. Tolyatti

This city was founded in 1737 and was called Stavropol or Stavropol-on-Volga. Renamed in 1964 and began to bear the name of the Italian Communist Party Secretary Palmiro Togliatti.

5. Kaliningrad

In 1946 german city Koenigsberg became Soviet city and was renamed Kaliningrad in honor of party leader Mikhail Kalinin. The city had its first name back in 1225.

6. Makhachkala

In 1844, the Petrovskoye fortification was founded; since 1857, the settlement began to be called Port-Petrovsk or port city Petrovsk in honor of Peter I. In 1918 the city was renamed Shamil-Kala, in honor folk hero Dagestan Shamil, and the city was named Makhachkala in 1921, in honor of another Dagestan - Makhach Dakhadaev.

7. Kirov

1181 – formed locality Khlynov. In 1347 it was renamed Vyatka, 110 years later - again to Khlynov, and from 1780 to 1934 the city was called Vyatka. In December 1934, the city was renamed in honor of the revolutionary and Leninist Sergei Mironovich Kirov (Kostrikov).

8. Novosibirsk

The settlement was first named in honor of the emperor. Alexandra III and the village of Alexandrovsky began to be called, and a year later - the village of Novo-Nikolaevsky, in honor of the new Tsar Nicholas II. Since 1903, the village became the city of Novonikolaevsk, and since 1925 - Novosibirsk.

9. Yoshkar-Ola

Like most cities in Russia, at first there was a first name (Tsarevokokshaysk, 1584), then with the advent of Soviet power the city changed its name (Krasnokokshaysk, 1918). And the city usually receives its third name in the middle or at the end of the 20th century. Yoshkar-Ola received this name in 1927.

10. Syktyvkar

The original name is associated with the place where the mouth of the Sysola River is located. The city had the name Ust-Sysolsk from 1780 to 1930. The new name has not changed its meaning, since Syktyvkar is translated from the local language as “city on Sysol” (“Syktyv” - “Sysola”, “kar” - “about”).

Many cities changed their names only during the Soviet period: Ekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk), Nizhny Novgorod(Gorky), Vladikavkaz (Ordzhonikidze, Dzadzhikau), Orenburg (Chkalov), Perm (Molotov), ​​Samara (Kuibyshev), Tver (Kalinin), Elista (Stepnoy) and others. Basically the renaming was in honor of writers and politicians. Sometimes names were changed only because the cities were named after Russian monarchs, whom they hated Soviet power. Many historical names were returned in the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR.

Often in history, states merged with other states, split into several other states, or simply changed their name. Therefore, there were many countries and states that do not exist now or exist under other names. The list below does not include all such states, but lists the most famous of them.