History of Donetsk. The capital of Donbass and its history

Until recently, the name "Donetsk" for millions of people in all corners of Europe was associated with football. But 2014 was a period of severe trials for this city, whose inhabitants were at the forefront of the war, unleashed by a bunch of adventurers against civilians. As one of the great ones said: in order to understand the present and to foresee the future, one must look into the past. Therefore, those who wish to understand the events that occurred in recent months in eastern Ukraine, much can tell the story of Donetsk. So, by whom and when was this city founded, and why did its inhabitants refuse to obey the Kiev authorities conducting an anti-Russian policy?

Prehistory

On the territory of the capital of Donbass people have lived since time immemorial. This is evidenced by archaeological finds found during the excavations carried out in some areas of the city during the last century. Scientists believe that in different periods there were temporary or permanent settlements of Scythians, Cimmerians, Sarmatians, Goths, and, later, Slavs. However, in the period from the 13th to the 16th centuries people left these places because of nomadic raids, and new settlements began to appear there after these lands were under the control of the Don Cossacks.

The history of Donetsk from the middle of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th

The active settlement of the basin of the Kalmius River and adjacent land began in the 18th century on the orders of Catherine II. In 1760 on the territory of the Kiev district of modern Donetsk Alexandrovskaya Sloboda was founded , later became a village. Approximately at the same time in the neighborhood there were settlements Krutoyarovka and Grigorievka. Their inhabitants, along with agriculture, were engaged in coal mining, of which large deposits became known after the expedition sent on exploration of minerals by Peter the First visited the banks of the Kurdyuchya River. In 1820 the first small mines appeared directly next to the Aleksandrovskaya mine. It was then that the history of Donetsk began as one of the largest centers of coal mining in Europe.

The base of Yuzovka

In 1841, 3 mines of the Alexandrovsky mine were built, and by the middle of the 19th century the number of coal mining enterprises in the region reached 10. A few years later, the government of the Russian Empire signed an agreement with SV Kochubei. According to the terms of this transaction, a large plant for the manufacture of iron rails was to be built in Donbass. In 1869 Kochubey sold the concession for 24 thousand pounds sterling to the British industrialist John Hughes, who began construction of a metallurgical plant near the village of Alexandrovka. In addition, he founded the village of Yuzovka for workers of the new plant. Thus began the history of Donetsk, the year of foundation of which it is customary to consider the 1869th. Three years later, blast furnaces were put into operation, and the Yuza Combine became one of the most important industrial centers in Russia. In just 15 years the population of the workers' settlement of metallurgists has grown 50-fold, it has turned into an industrial city, where a telegraph, hospital, several hotels and a school operated. There even had its own, as they say today, elite microdistrict, in which there lived engineers and other specialists who came to Yuzovka to work under a contract. Local residents called it the English colony and envied its inhabitants, who were available such benefits of civilization as water and electricity.

Donetsk: the history of the city after the October Revolution

At all times, miners' collectives differed in solidarity and organization, so it is not surprising that from time to time in the city there were mass actions of workers demanding improvement of working conditions and increase of wages. In particular, in 1892, 15,000 miners staged a clash that was brutally suppressed by the government. Therefore, it is not surprising that in March 1917 elections of the Soviet of Workers' Deputies were held in Donetsk, and after the October events in Petrograd this self-government body announced the support of the government headed by V. Lenin. After that, the city repeatedly passed from hand to hand and only in December 1919 became part of the Ukrainian SSR. Even then, the map of the east of Ukraine, more precisely the borders of this country with the RSFSR, was considered controversial. The fact is that a significant part of the population and many political figures and representatives of the intelligentsia expressed great doubts about the legitimacy of Ukraine's Donetsk affiliation.

Stalino

The photographs of Donetsk in the first years of the Soviet power show that even then intensive construction began in the city. So, after its renaming in Stalin in 1924, a residential array "Standard" was built there for metallurgists and miners, and in 1932 the first master plan was adopted in the history of Donetsk. However, he did not take into account the rapid increase in the population in connection with the commissioning of new industrial enterprises. Therefore, in 1938 it was finalized and about a dozen surrounding villages were incorporated into the city's outskirts, forming the Kirov, Petrovsky and Proletarian districts of Donetsk (Ukraine).

Thus, by the beginning of the war, the population of Stalino was 50,000 people, 223 industrial enterprises operated there, including union subordination, which gave 7% of coal, 5% steel, and 11% coke from the total number of these products produced in the USSR.

Donetsk during the years of occupation

In July and August 1941, a partisan detachment was formed in the city and the 383rd mining division, which participated in its defense. However, at the end of October, the formation of the Wehrmacht and part of the Italian army entered Stalin. Thus, like all of Ukraine, Donetsk was in occupation. "The new authorities" first rushed to restore the work of mines and industrial enterprises, whose products were important for achieving victory in the war. At the same time, the Germans organized a ghetto for representatives of the Jewish community, which were later destroyed and dropped into the mine 4-4 bis and a concentration camp for Soviet prisoners of war. Also punitive detachments, designed to suppress acts of disobedience to the occupation authorities, acted. In particular, it is known that in the case of the murder of one German serviceman, 100 of the number of citizens were ordered to be shot, regardless of gender and age. However, such measures did not give the result expected by the fascists, and more than 20 partisan detachments and sabotage groups successfully operated in Stalino, causing enormous damage to the enemy.

The liberation of Stalin and the post-war years

On September 8, 1943, within the framework of the Donbas operation, Soviet troops entered the city. Thus, the occupation of Stalin was completed, lasting about 700 days. Almost immediately, work was begun to restore the industry, which was always proud of Donetsk. The history of the city in the following years is full of interesting events, mainly related to the commissioning of new mines, industrial enterprises and residential microdistricts.

In 1961, it was decided to change the name of the city. By decision of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR, it became known as Donetsk, after the name of the Seversky Donets River. After 17 years in the city already had more than a million inhabitants, it became the fifth largest in the country. Significant changes have also been made in the map of Donetsk, where several new microdistricts have appeared.

History of the city as part of independent Ukraine

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991 in the Donetsk region for the first time talking about the formation of autonomy. However, the Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Ukraine adopted in Kiev calmed the Russian-speaking population of the region, forcing for a time to forget about the nationalist calls that were occasionally heard from Kiev. Thus, until 2014, the map of Donetsk and Donetsk region, more precisely the borders of Eastern Ukraine with Russia, remained the same as in the days of the Ukrainian SSR.

As part of the DNR

People's unrest began after the well-known events of EuroMaidan in Kiev. On the photo of Donetsk, made in the period from mid-March to the end of April 2014, you can see tens of thousands of protesters who participated in protests against the actions of the Kiev authorities and the appointment of new governors to the regions. In particular, on April 6, residents seized the building of the Regional Council of People's Deputies, and the next day, the focus of world media was Ukraine. Donetsk became the capital of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. In addition, on the same day, the day of the referendum was held, at which residents were to answer the question of the self-determination of the NDP. As a result of the will of the majority of residents on May 12 in Donetsk, the sovereign Donetsk People's Republic was proclaimed. This was followed by military actions involving heavy equipment and artillery. In particular, the city began to be constantly bombarded, its airport turned into an arena of heavy fighting, and the map of the east of Ukraine began to appear on TV screens with marks indicating the places of clashes between Donbas militia fighters and Ukrainian siloviki.

Today in the Eastern regions of Ukraine there is a ceasefire regime, and there is a hope that the inhabitants of Donetsk and the entire Dnepropetrovsk region will finally be able to return to peaceful life.