In 1718, the Cossacks of Vasily Cheredov founded a fortress on the Irtysh “at the Seven Chambers” - seven destroyed pagodas of the Dzungarian city of Dorzhinkit, conquered by the Kazakhs in the 1660s. It was the farthest of the fortresses of the Irtysh line (which began in Omsk), and by 1782 it had expanded to the city of Semipalatinsk and became the capital of Eastern Kazakhstan, the Russian gateway to Western China and Tibet. The Semipalatinsk region existed almost without interruption in 1852-1997, and together with the Akmola region (with its center in Omsk) formed the Steppe General Government - the successor of the Middle Zhuz in the Russian Empire. In 1997, the Semipalatinsk region was included in the East Kazakhstan region, in 2007 the city was officially renamed Semey, and now it is the largest in Kazakhstan (307 thousand inhabitants), but still a regional center. The centers of pre-revolutionary regions in Kazakhstan were only 4 cities - also Uralsk, Alma-Ata (Verny) and, with a very big stretch, Kustanai, so in terms of the number of attractions among the cities of “Russian Kazakhstan” Semipalatinsk is certainly in the top three.
Old Semipalatinsk is designed simply: a vast and rather poorly preserved “center of the center”, which is surrounded by three small but very intact old suburbs: the Cossack Semipalatinsk village below the Irtysh, the Tatar region above and the Kazakh village on the other bank. My story about the city will consist of three parts, and in the first we will examine this very “center of the center” - an area less colorful than the suburbs, but connecting them together.
As often happens in Kazakhstan, both the train station and the bus station in Semipalatinsk are quite far from the center, and the railway station is much further away. Arriving there on a dark, frosty morning, I immediately took a taxi to the Irtysh Hotel, which, as it turned out later, is located right on the main square. However, we will start our walk around the center not from there, but from the main city intersection:
Shakarim Avenue (Kazakh poet of the late 19th century) goes into the distance - the main city axis, in the block behind me it turns into the Old Bridge over the Irtysh. About 3 kilometers from here there is a bus station, separated from the Central Market Avenue. In the foreground is Abai Avenue, stretching parallel to the Irtysh from the Tatar region (to the right) to the Semipalatinsk village (to the left). Actually, Shakarim Avenue just separates the village from the center, and the building in the foreground is nothing more than the fortress barracks (1895):
Stripes of black smoke are clearly visible in the sky above the avenue. The real attraction of Semipalatinsk is the most terrible coal boiler houses with low thick pipes. There are five or seven of them scattered around the center:
The last notable building at the intersection of Shakarim and Abai is the Burnt Veterinary Institute. This is almost its official name, because the largest pre-revolutionary building in the city (originally a women's gymnasium) burned down back in 1983, and has stood that way for almost thirty years:
For now, let's go along Abai Street towards the main square, to the right relative to frame No. 2. As already mentioned, in Semipalatinsk the old settlements are well preserved, while the main part of the center looks quite Kazakh - several dozen county houses scattered in Soviet buildings. Here, for example, is the men's gymnasium (1872) on Abai:
True, in Semipalatinsk the Stalinist buildings immediately catch the eye - as has been said more than once in this series, this architecture, absolutely familiar in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, is quite rare in Kazakhstan, and even such banal low-rise buildings in our country greatly distinguish Semsk from, for example, Petropavlovsk, Uralsk or Pavlodar. But their origin is quite clear, because it is no coincidence that one of the first associations with the name of the city is the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, created in 1949.
And although Semipalatinsk itself has a very indirect relation to the test site (its center is the town of Degelen, or Kurchatov in the current Pavlodar region), the proximity of such an object has left its mark on the local urban planning. It is especially significant that the local Stalinism is completely devoid of ethnic motifs, as in most cities of Kazakhstan.
Walking along Abai Street, don’t miss this house almost opposite the medical institute - although it doesn’t stand out too much among the others, it’s nothing more than the Governor’s House, built in 1852. The regions and provinces of the Russian Empire differed not only in name - there were always regular troops in the regions, and the governor was also a military commander. Therefore, the governor’s house in such cities is a much more important place than in the capitals of Central Russian provinces:
Nowadays it is occupied by a local history museum, the entrance is through the backyard a little further along the perpendicular Lenin Street:
And the rather nondescript building of the former Chinese Consulate (1903), which had been in operation since the mid-19th century - as already mentioned, Semipalatinsk was the gateway to Western China. The consulate was closed in 1949 during the creation of a nuclear test site, and now the office of the Nur-Otan party lives here (if anyone doesn’t know, this is the party in power, occupying 95% of the parliament):
And all around are high-rise buildings, which in Semipalatinsk stand out for their abundance of high-quality Soviet panels:
And we go out to the Central Square, which is huge, pompous and very picturesque:
On the left side of the square - if I'm not confusing anything, is the headquarters of the Eastern Military District, formerly a construction technical school, and initially - the Regional Administration and the Office of the Military Governor (1863), that is, the colonial administration:
On the right is a long concrete Akimat:
The square is closed by the Russian Drama Theater named after Dostoevsky, also known as the Kazakh Drama Theater named after Abai (1977) - one of the most original Soviet theater buildings that I have seen:
And at the opposite end is the Irtysh Hotel, where I had the good fortune to live the whole day. It should be noted that the hotels in Semsk are very bad - either inappropriately expensive or inappropriately poor. “Irtysh” is one of the latter: a single room here cost only about 3,000 tenge (about 600 rubles), but I would characterize the conditions as “a spherical scoop in a vacuum.” One good thing is that there will always be places in the huge building:
But the restaurant at the foot turned out to be surprisingly good and not too expensive. Here I finally tried Kazakh cuisine: kuyrdak (finely chopped lamb offal, boiled with potatoes and herbs) and zhaima (soup made from thinly sliced lamb, potatoes and “dumplings” dough) - tasty and satisfying.
Opposite the restaurant is the Dastan cinema (1974):
The Soviet bas-reliefs dedicated to the Civil War are truly impressive:
And another monument directly connected to this square is located in the outskirts of the Akimat, opposite this building:
This is Dostoevsky’s house-museum - after all, Fyodor Mikhailovich spent only half of his 10 years in Siberia in hard labor, while the other five years (1854-59) served exile in Semipalatinsk with trips to Kuznetsk via Barnaul.
In this hut (which itself is one of the oldest buildings in the city) “The Village of Stepanchikovo and its Inhabitants” and “Uncle’s Dream” were written, and work began on “Notes from the House of the Dead.” Grigory Potanin (then not yet a traveler, but a simple officer) and Pyotr Semenov-Tian-Shansky himself visited the disgraced writer on the way to the Tien Shan:
And besides, Chokan Valikhanov, a geographer and traveler not very well known in Russia, but very respected in Kazakhstan, became friends with Dostoevsky here. The grandson of Abylai himself (who in the 18th century united three Kazakh zhuzes, beat the Dzungars, negotiated with the Chinese and accepted the protectorate of Russia), a real Genghisid, in 1858 he made a unique expedition to Kashgaria - this country, a protectorate of China between the Tien Shan and Tibet, is a lot for centuries it was closed to Europeans who were subject to the death penalty there - previously only Marco Polo and the Portuguese Benedict Goes had been able to visit there in the 16th century, but the German Adolf Schlagentweit had his head cut off there a year before Ciocan’s expedition. But the young (22 years old) Chingizid Kazakh almost freely entered there under the guise of a merchant, spent 11 months in Kashgaria and collected information that was invaluable at that time.
I wonder what Fyodor Mikhailovich and Chokan Chingisovich were talking about in this hut?
Even further along Abai Street, almost on the border of the Tatar region, there is a completely unexpected house of the merchant Stepanov (1827), which would not be lost in any Central Russian provincial town. Since 1985, perhaps the richest Art Museum in the country named after the Nevzorov family, created in 1985, has been located here. The Nevzorovs are an entire dynasty of artists and art historians, known since the mid-19th century, thrown into Siberian exile even under the Tsar, miraculously not interrupted under the Soviets, and by the 1980s, had assembled the best collection of paintings in Kazakhstan, which was donated to the museum in 1988
Perspective of Ibraeva Street, passing through the backyard of the theater - the minaret of one of the three mosques of the Tatar region is clearly visible:
Characteristic houses - this is probably what most of “Semipalatinsk, which we lost” looked like:
Perspective of Ibraeva Street in the opposite direction, to the next boiler house:
A couple more mosaics:
And it so happened that on my first walk along Ibraev Street I went to the Tatar region, and then I went further along Internatsionaya only almost a day later: at 9-45 I had a minibus to Rubtsovsk (that is, already to Russia) from the bus station, and the city minibuses from Central Square to the Central Market go along International, and not Shakarim Avenue - so in the morning I walked forward a couple of stops from the hotel. There is only one problem - the morning turned out to be gloomy:
34.
One of the most impressive buildings in Semipalatinsk is a fire tower, definitely pre-revolutionary, but I could not find the exact dates of its construction:
Diagonally from it (this can be seen in the introductory frame) is the Abai Museum, which occupies an entire block. The Akhmet Riza madrasah with a wooden house mosque (1860s) overlooks the International Street, where the poet studied in 1854-58:
On the other side you can see the house of Aniyar Moldabayuly, a wealthy Kazakh who trained as a lawyer in Russia - Abai stayed at his house more than once when coming to Semipalatinsk. Between the two buildings is the museum itself:
Unfortunately, the quality of the pictures is terrible, and I was also in a hurry, so I didn’t really walk around the museum quarter. Past the county houses:
One of which, on the right side in the direction of my movement, was decorated with this artifact:
I went to the TSUM building:
Almost opposite to which there are shopping arcades - the last historical building seen on this trip to the territory of Kazakhstan:
But in general, it is clear that despite its rather modest size (26 thousand inhabitants at the beginning of the twentieth century), Semipalatinsk was a very serious city, and its center occupied a huge area - merchant houses among high-rise buildings can be found 2-3 kilometers from Abai Street, almost near the bus station. It’s surprising why the 20th century knocked out the “center of the center” here - as we will see in the next part, the old suburbs, on the contrary, are almost untouched by later developments. And in the next part we will go to the already mentioned Tatar region several times.
Plan
Introduction
1 Geography
1.1 Geographical location
1.2 Climate
1.3 Ecological state
2 Population
2.1 Number and composition
2.2 Religion
3 History
3.1 Title
3.2 Founding and development of the city
3.3 Soviet period
3.4 Period of independence of Kazakhstan
4 Administrative divisions
5 Economics
5.1 Industry
5.2 Agriculture
5.3 Transport
6 Social sphere
6.1 Education and science
6.2 Healthcare
7 Culture
7.1 Museums and galleries
7.2 Libraries
7.3 Theaters
7.4 Cinemas
8 Attractions
8.1 Architecture
8.2 Monuments and memorials
9 Semipalatinsk in philately
10 Sports
11 Media
12 Famous people associated with the city
Bibliography
Introduction
Semipalatinsk, Semey (Kazakh Semey) is a city in the East Kazakhstan region, located on both banks of the Irtysh River. The city of Semipalatinsk itself, without its subordinate rural districts, occupies an area of 210 km².
The Semipalatinsk fortress was founded in 1718, and city status was granted in 1782. Until May 1997, when a reform of the administrative-territorial division was carried out in Kazakhstan, as a result of which some regions were enlarged (united), it was the center of the now abolished Semipalatinsk region, the territory of which is now part of the East Kazakhstan region. It is a large railway junction located on the Turkestan-Siberian Railway and connecting Russia with the southern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan. There is an airport and a river port.
In June 2007, by Decree of the President of Kazakhstan, the city of Semipalatinsk was renamed Semey
1. Geography
1.1. Geographical position
The city of Semipalatinsk is located in the western part of the East Kazakhstan region and is the first largest city in the region. Located on both banks of the Irtysh River flowing through the city. The left bank of the city is called Zhana-Semey. The territory of the city together with rural districts is 27,500 km², of which the city area itself is 210 km². The distance to the regional center of Ust-Kamenogorsk is 240 km.
40 km west of the city in the Degelen mountains at the intersection of 50⁰ N. w. and 80⁰ c. d. the geographical center of the continent of Eurasia was determined and a monument was erected.
The city of Semipalatinsk, like the entire East Kazakhstan region, is located in the UTC+6 time zone. The 2004 reform in Kazakhstan abolished the transition to summer time.
1.2. Climate
The climate of the region is sharply continental, which is associated with the greatest distance on the continent from the oceans and causes large amplitudes in the annual and daily variations in temperature. The territory of the Semipalatinsk region is open to the Arctic basin, but is isolated by the mountain systems of Asia from the influence of the Indian Ocean.
The average annual temperature is 3.5 °C. There are large daily temperature fluctuations: in winter it can reach −45 °C, and in summer 45 °C. The average annual wind speed is 2.4 m/s, the average annual air humidity is 66%.
1.3. Ecological state
Vast territories were contaminated in 1949-1963 by radioactive fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons at the Semipalatinsk test site (both in Kazakhstan and the Altai Territory, the Altai Republic, the Novosibirsk Region). According to the classification of territories exposed to radioactive fallout during nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Semipalatinsk belongs to a zone of increased radiation risk (the exposure dose to the population is from 7 to 35 rem for the entire test period). However, Russia does not recognize this data and denies social protection to former citizens of Kazakhstan who suffered as a result of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
2. Population
2.1. Number and composition
The Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, published in 1909, provides the following information about Semipalatinsk and the Semipalatinsk district of the early 20th century:
… 31,965 inhabitants (Mohammedan 41%, Orthodox 58%); steam mills; 3 hospitals, 2 libraries, regional museum; 18 educational institutions with 1954 students; telephone. City expenses 98 thousand rubles; ... County; in the eastern part of the region; the steppe is partly chernozem, partly clayey-solonetzic; 64479 sq. V.; 157 thousand inhabitants; Kyrgyz (78%), settled population of Kyrgyz and Russian 30%; agriculture, cattle breeding, beekeeping, fishing.
The population of Semipalatinsk grew dynamically from its foundation until the collapse of the USSR; according to the 1989 census, more than 317 thousand people lived in the city. However, in the first decade of Kazakhstan's independence, the population began to fall, partly due to the outflow of the Russian-speaking population, and then due to the loss of the status of a regional center, and in 1999, 269.6 thousand people lived in the city. According to data at the beginning of 2010, the city's population has increased slightly and is about 290,000 people.
2.2. Religion
Until 1917, 12 mosques functioned in Semipalatinsk, of which only four have survived. four more mosques were built after Kazakhstan gained independence.
· Two-minaret cathedral mosque was built in 1858-1861 with the money of merchants Suleimenov, Rafikov and Abdeshev. The authors of the mosque project were the architect Bolotov and the engineer - second lieutenant Makashev. Two minarets are located at the corners of the main hall in the portal part. Doors lead to the minarets from the hall, through which you can climb to the upper platforms of the minarets along spiral staircases. Both minarets also end with gilded crescents. There is a portal room with three doors on a high porch, which is completed by an onion dome without a drum. The doors and corners of the portal are flanked by semi-columns with capitals. The window openings above the doors follow the design of the small dome. In total, the mosque building contains 14 windows in the shape of a rectangle combined with a circle.
· Single minaret stone mosque, located at the intersection of Demyan Bedny and Academician Pavlov streets, was built in the first half of the 19th century by Istanbul architect Gabdulla Effendi. The architecture of the mosque is characterized by a two-tiered round minaret, completed with a high cone-shaped covering with a gilded crescent. The mosque consists of a basement equal in area to the building, which is divided into four equal compartments, each of which has two doors. Under the basement there is a vestibule, the entrance to which is made from the nearby basement compartment. The main hall is a three-dimensional room with a mirhab niche - a triangular ledge in the altar, which is oriented towards Mecca. On the high porch there is a portal room with a carved door. The mosque building contains 16 rectangular windows, topped with a circle and processed on the outside along the circumference with false stones. The mosque is surrounded by a forged fence.
Orthodox Christianity is widespread in Semipalatinsk; the city has the Resurrection Cathedral, a convent with the Church of Peter and Paul, the Chapel of St. Nicholas, etc.
· Resurrection Cathedral was built as the Resurrection Cossack Church in 1857-1860, mainly using public funds on the initiative of the retired Cossack constable Mitrofanov-Kazakov. Currently, it is the only Orthodox church out of a large number that existed before the 1920-1930s. In the early 1930s, after the destruction of the largest church in Semipalatinsk, the Znamensky Cathedral, icons and an iconostasis were transferred to the Resurrection Cathedral. In 1998, bells were again installed under the dome of the cathedral.
· Convent located in the left bank part of the city in a two-story brick building built in 1899 with a high ground floor. The building is a monument of civil architecture of the 19th century. Until 1917, it housed the Church of Peter and Paul and a spiritual mission for newly baptized Kyrgyz (Kazakhs), where Kazakh orphans were baptized, who later lived and worked there. During the Soviet period, the building was transferred to the topographical technical school. Currently, it again houses the Church of Peter and Paul and a convent.
3. History
3.1. Name
The name of the Semipalatnaya fortress, and then the city of Semipalatinsk, comes from the seven Buddhist temples of the nearby Dzungar settlement Dorzhinkit (Tsordzhiinkid). Russian researchers knew about the seven Buddhist temples of Dorzhinkit back in 1616. In 1660-1670, these buildings were destroyed during frequent Kazakh-Dzungar wars, so in 1734 G. F. Miller, who collected legends about them, discovered these chambers in a dilapidated state:
At the end of the 18th century, P. Pallas, who visited Semipalatinsk, managed to make sketches of the ruins of these chambers. However, in the detailed description of the Semipalatinsk fortress dating back to 1816, they were no longer mentioned.
3.2. Foundation and development of the city
The seven-chamber fortress was founded by the royal governor Vasily Cheredov and his detachment in 1718, 18 km down the Irtysh from the modern position of the city in connection with the Decree of Peter I on the protection of the eastern lands and the construction of the Irtysh fortifications. The fortress was strengthened and fully armed in the fall of 1718 under the supervision of Colonel Stupin. Currently, the location of the Seven Chamber Fortress is called the “Old Fortress” and is a resting place for the townspeople.
The fortress, which was founded as a border and military base, as it grew, became an important trading point between Russia and Kazakhstan, and later between Russia, Central Asia and Western China. Dzungarian Kalmyks, Kokands, Bukharans, and Tashkentians came to trade there. Therefore, since 1728, a customs service was established to control trade operations, which was subordinate to the Siberian Order, located in Moscow under the control of the State Commerce Board.
Semey was founded in 1718. and is associated with the famous Decree of Peter 1 on the protection of eastern lands and the beginning of the construction of the Irtysh fortifications, the construction of which continued from 1714 to 1720. in autumn 1718 The Semipalatnaya fortress, under the supervision of Lieutenant Colonel P. Stupin, was “fortified and brought into full armament.”
Having emerged as a border and military base, the Semipalatinsk fortress, as it developed, turned into an important point of trade not only between Russia and Kazakhstan, but also between Russia, Central Asia and Western China. From the very foundation of Semipalatinsk, Dzungarian Kalmyks, Bukhara, Tashkent, and Kokand residents came here to trade. To control trade transactions with Asian merchants, a customs office was established in 1728. In the first years of its existence, the Semipalatinsk Customs was subordinated to the Siberian Order, located in Moscow under the main control of the State Commerce Board.
Economic activity of the city
Semipalatinsk industrial giants are being revived: a cement plant, a meat-packing plant, a leather-mechanical plant, a building materials plant, a machine-building and tank-repair plant. Significant growth is observed in the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water, and thermal energy.
In the fuel industry, the leading place is occupied by the development of the Karazhyra coal deposit.
The Suzdal gold deposit, located fifty kilometers from the city of Semipalatinsk, was discovered in the 80s of the twentieth century.
The joint-stock companies Semipalatinsk Machine-Building Plant, SemAZ LLP, and Metalist LLP are engaged in mechanical engineering and metalworking in the region.
The company Gamma LLP has been operating since 1992, producing audio-video cassettes, producing blinds, and manufacturing furniture. Sells products in Kazakhstan. Japanese equipment allows us to produce up to one million audio-video cassettes monthly.
Construction industry enterprises rely entirely on local raw materials. Joint-stock companies "Cement", "Silicate", "Tasoba", a number of prefabricated reinforced concrete plants produce cement, slate, brick, reinforced concrete products for various purposes. The production of facing slabs from gabbro stone, marble, granite, etc. has begun.
The Semipalatinsk leather and fur plant is the largest manufacturer of fur coats and semi-finished leather products in the region.
Semspetssnab LLP was created on the basis of the well-known association “Bolshevichka”, which is well known not only to Semipalatinsk residents, but also to all Kazakhstanis. Semspetssnab LLP fulfills the state order for sewing uniforms for military personnel of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan, internal and border troops, and other law enforcement agencies. Sewing of national clothes, dressing gowns for girls and women, medical gowns, etc. is also carried out.
JSC "East Kazakhstan Flour Mill and Feed Mill" is one of the largest enterprises in the republic, which includes: a flour mill - 505 tons per day of grain processing, a feed mill with a capacity of 1100 tons per day of feed.
The food industry is represented by the Semipalatinsk meat processing plant, a number of dairy plants, bakeries, enterprises producing wine and vodka products, beer and non-alcoholic products.
Geographical location, climate, area, population
Families is the second largest large city in East Kazakhstan region in the western region. It is located on both banks of the Irtysh. Territory – 27.5 thousand sq. km, including rural districts. The distance to the regional center of Ust-Kamenogorsk is 240 km. At the intersection of lines 50єs.sh. and 80е.д. east of Greenwich 40 km. to the west of the city of Semipalatinsk in the Degelen Mountains the Geographical center of the supercontinent Eurasia is defined.
The climate of the region is determined by its special geographical location, the greatest distance on the mainland from the oceans. The territory is open to the Arctic basin, but is isolated from the influence of the Indian Ocean by the highest mountain systems in Asia.
Geographical location is associated with such climate features as differences in the degree of continentality and humidity, changes in temperature conditions by season, and a wide variety of climate types. Due to the diversity of the complex terrain of the territory, the climatic conditions of the natural-territorial complex of the western region are more subject to the law of latitudinal intensity. The sharp continentality of the climate is explained by large amplitudes of annual and daily temperatures. In winter it reaches – 45 0, in summer – up to +45 0. The population of the city is over 300 thousand people.
The resources of building materials in the Western subregion are quite large. In the area of the village of Suykbulak south of Semey there is a rich deposit of high-quality limestone and marble, and to the north of the village of Aul there is a deposit of gypsum. There are quite a variety of building and decorative stones, gravel, glass sands, and clays. There is a deposit of cement raw materials, graphite and asbestos, porcelain and porcelain raw materials.
The fuel and energy resources of the Western subregion are much inferior to the Eastern one and are represented mainly by the energy resources of the Irtysh, Shulba and smaller rivers flowing from Tarbagatai. Small deposits of brown and hard coals, as well as oil shale, are known, which mainly lie in the Zaisan depression, but they are not yet of great industrial importance, primarily because their balance reserves are small, they are of low quality, but are suitable for combustion in furnaces power plants.
On the territory of the Western subregion there are small deposits of chemical raw materials (table salt, mirabilite, etc.).
Lake resources include the water itself of reservoirs of varying degrees of salinity, various salts, fish, reed thickets around reservoirs, peat deposits, therapeutic mud, building materials in the form of lake sands, pebbles, gravel and silts. Resources indirectly associated with lakes are lakeside water meadows - good pastures and hayfields.
There are known mineral and thermal springs in the Western subregion, which have long been used for healing purposes (Barlyk springs). The subregion also has resources of medicinal mud - organo-mineral and organic (Lake Alakol).
The forests of the subregion are mainly of water conservation, soil protection and recreational importance. These are ribbon pine forests along the Irtysh and ancient drainage hollows, these are islands of pine forests in Chingiztau, birch and aspen groves in the mountain ranges of the small hills, these are thickets of wild apple trees in Tarbagatai.
The fauna resources of the Western subregion can be objects of sport and commercial hunting and fishing.
Soil resources for the development of agriculture of the Irtysh plain (Belagach steppe), slightly hilly areas and low foothills can be used for agriculture. Most of the territory of the subregion consists of pastures of different seasons. But due to the arid climate, almost everywhere it is necessary not only to irrigate fields, but also to water pastures and hayfields.
Thus, the Western Subregion has a diverse range of natural resources and minerals.
Ore minerals. Rudny Altai is especially rich in them. Geologist M.I. Kazantsev, who led geological exploration work in Altai for many years, reported that polymetallic ores of Altai are truly unique in the world in terms of the value of the components they contain.
Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan On the renaming of the city of Semipalatinsk, East Kazakhstan region
In accordance with Article 9 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated December 8, 1993 “On the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan” and taking into account the opinion of the executive and representative bodies of the East Kazakhstan region, I DECIDE:
1. Rename the city of Semipalatinsk, East Kazakhstan region to the city of Semey.
2. This Decree comes into force from the date of signing.
The striking attractions of the city of Semey are its historical and architectural monuments.
1. One-minaret mosque–Master Gabdulla Efendi II half of the 19th century. - a monument of urban planning and architecture. The mosque is operational.
3. Yamyshevsky Gate– Of the three gates of the fortress, the western Yamyshevsky gate has survived to this day. The fortress walls were erected under the leadership of the engineer - captain Andreev I.G. and according to his project.
Yamyshevsky Gate is an architectural monument of the 18th century (1776). One of the first structures of the Semipalatnaya fortress.
5. Former governor's house, local history museum - a monument of urban planning and architecture. 1856 Architect unknown. Before the revolution, a military governor lived here. After the establishment of Soviet power, it was known as the House of Freedom. Since October 1977, the local history museum has been located here.
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6. Literary and memorial house-museum of F.M. Dostoevsky (former house of postman Lipukhin, 1857-1859. - lived the writer F. M. Dostoevsky). 1838 – a monument of urban planning and architecture. F. M. Dostoevsky’s years of exile are connected with Semipalatinsk. In the house where the memorial apartment is now located, Dostoevsky F.M. met with Chokan Chingizovich Valikhanov, the first Kazakh scientific traveler and ethnographer. In this house, the writer conceived and wrote the stories: “Uncle’s Dream”, “The Village of Stepanchikovo and its Inhabitants”. Near the memorial house there is a paired composition in bronze “Ch. Valikhanov and F. M. Dostoevsky” Sculptor D. T. Elkabidze.
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7. The house where Abai lived, late 19th century, a monument of urban planning and architecture. House of Aniar Moldybaev- fellow countryman and relative of Abai Kunanbaev. There are two memorial plaques on the house in Russian and Kazakh. Text “The great poet and educator of the Kazakh people, Abai Kunanbayev, stayed and lived in this house every year from 1878 to 1904.”
8. Monument “Stronger than Death” On August 29, 1991, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev signed a Decree on the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. On August 29, 2001, a monument to the victims of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site “Stronger than Death” was opened in Semipalatinsk on the island “Polkovnichy”. The author of the monument project is Shota Valikhanov.
The monument was built in Semipalatinsk, on the island “Polkovnichy”.
10. The building of the Republican Literary and Memorial Museum of Abai.– (administrative building; former house of merchant Ershov R., 1860: extension). The State Literary and Memorial Museum of Abai was created in Semipalatinsk in 1940, on the 95th anniversary of Abai’s birth.
The seven-chamber fortress was founded by the royal governor Vasily Cheredov and his detachment in 1718 18 km down the Irtysh from the modern position of the city and marked the beginning of the 200-year presence of the Russian Empire in the Irtysh region, replacing the almost century-long yoke of the Dzungar Khanate (1635-1756) on these Turkic lands. The fortress was located on the banks of the Irtysh among a picturesque pine forest. Now this place is called “Old Fortress”, and in winter Semipalatinsk residents ski and sled there. The fortress received its name from the ruins of the nearby Dzungarian settlement Dorzhinkit. The monastery was built by Lama Tarkhan-Torji at the beginning of the 17th century. The seven temples of Dorzhinkit served as the basis for the Russian name Semipalatinsk. The Russians knew about these chambers since 1616. G. F. Miller, who collected legends about them, in 1734 found these chambers already in a dilapidated state. These buildings were destroyed in 1660-1670. during the frequent Kazakh-Dzungar wars. P. Pallas, who visited Semipalatinsk at the end of the 18th century, also managed to sketch the ruins of these chambers. In the detailed description of the Semipalatinsk fortress dating back to 1816, they are no longer mentioned.
At the end of the 19th century it was a place of political exile. In the 50s XIX century In Semipalatinsk, Ch. Ch. Valikhanov and the exiled writer F. M. Dostoevsky were in military service. The famous Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayev also studied and periodically lived here. The famous Kazakh writer Mukhtar Auezov also graduated from the teachers' seminary. The history of Semipalatinsk and its environs was studied by the famous historian and geographer N. A. Abramov.
After the October Revolution of 1917, Soviet power was established on February 16, 1918. In 1918-19. the city was under white rule.
In 1920-1928 the center of the province, in 1928-1932 - the district, from 1932 - the East Kazakhstan region, from 1939 - the Semipalatinsk region. In 1930, the Turkestan-Siberian Railway passed through Semipalatinsk.
In 1997, by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Semipalatinsk and existing East Kazakhstan regions were united into the East Kazakhstan region. Ust-Kamenogorsk became the center.
Industry
The Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron provides the following information about Semipalatinsk and the Semipalatinsk district at the beginning of the 20th century:
… 31965 inhabitants (Mohammedan 41%, Orthodox 58%); steam mills; 3 hospitals, 2 libraries, regional museum; 18 educational institutions with 1954 students; telephone. City expenses 98 thousand rubles; ... County; in the eastern part of the region; the steppe is partly chernozem, partly clayey-solonetzic; 64479 sq. V.; 157 thousand inhabitants; Kyrgyz (78 %) , settled population of Kyrgyz and Russian 30%; agriculture, cattle breeding, beekeeping, fishing.
During the Soviet period of the city's history, a powerful diversified industry was created. The light and food industries have received the greatest development. A big one was built (third in the Union) Semipalatinsk meat processing plant, which produced high-quality products, in particular exceptionally tasty stew, most of which went to supply the army.
The light industry of the city was represented by the Bolshevichka clothing factory, the Glove Factory, the textile and wool factory, etc. Like food enterprises, this industry was focused on processing local livestock products. Wool from as far away as Australia was washed in the clean and soft water of the Irtysh.
The mining industry developed intensively. Numerous gold deposits located in the Semipalatinsk region were discovered and intensively mined. Among the fields discovered at that time, the Bakyrchik, Suzdal, and Bolshevik fields should be especially highlighted.
Another large enterprise, the Cement Plant, produced cement mainly for the needs of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.
The collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan's independence, and the beginning of market reforms led to the almost complete elimination of industry in Semipalatinsk. The main factories came together. Then they were privatized by someone unknown, but the market owners got little. The main sector of the economy was the collection of scrap non-ferrous metals. In the USSR, no one was interested in non-ferrous metal. Copper and aluminum spare parts, wire, wires were thrown away in huge quantities, forming entire landfills. In the 90s, the collection and export of collected non-ferrous metal scrap to China became the main industry of the city. When the non-ferrous metal lying around ran out, it was the turn of the standing enterprises. Working motors, refrigeration units, transformers, and power lines were turned into scrap. Under the pressure of cheap Chinese imports and as a result of the severance of economic ties, the Meat Processing Plant and the Bolshevik Factory actually cease to exist. The cement plant accumulates debts, and electricity suppliers cut off the current in the midst of the technological process. As a result, huge continuous annealing furnaces become completely unusable.
At this time, shuttle trade in consumer goods from China, Turkey, etc. became one of the main types of economic activity. Semipalatinsk became a major transit center. Caravans with non-ferrous metals and skins are formed in it to China, and Chinese consumer goods, food and drinks are also brought here. A sign of the times has become very cheap Chinese vodka in plastic bottles. However, local producers quickly conquered this market; the Semipalatinsk Winery and other new vodka production enterprises are rapidly developing.
The mining industry weathered the crisis somewhat easier. In the 90s, the development of the Karazhira coal deposit began, discovered in the 70s, but mothballed, since it is located on the territory of a nuclear test site. In connection with the advent of heap leaching technology, it is becoming profitable to mine oxidized gold ores that were not previously mined due to their low content. The Mukur, Dzherek, Miyaly and other deposits will receive new life.
It’s probably impossible to say that the city has recovered from the crash of the 90s. Most large enterprises have collapsed, and new ones are not appearing due to the 30% income tax in Kazakhstan.
Architectural monuments
Semey is an old city with a rich history. One of the most interesting architectural objects is the building of the local history museum (former house of the governor of Semipalatinsk district). Also in the city there is one of the seven museums of F. M. Dostoevsky, in front of which there is a pair of bronze monument “Chokan Valikhanov and F. M. Dostoevsky”.
- The house of merchant Stepanov is an architectural monument of the second half of the 19th century.
- The former residence of the Governor General, built in 1856.
- The "Stronger than Death" memorial is a monument to the victims of nuclear testing.
- Monument to Abai.
- Monument to Internationalist Soldiers.
Infrastructure
Semey is an important transport hub. It is located at the intersection of the Turkestan-Siberian railway, the Irtysh river and numerous highways. Three bridges cross the Irtysh: one railway, built at the beginning of the 20th century, two road bridges and a pontoon crossing. The Old Bridge is located in the eastern part of the city. In the mid-90s, it exhausted its resource and an urgent need arose to build a new bridge across the Irtysh. A pontoon crossing was created across Kirov Island and construction of a new bridge began.
The construction of the new bridge was financed in accordance with a loan agreement signed between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the OESF of the Government of Japan. The Japanese company IHI and the Turkish Alarko Alsim with the participation of local builders took part in the construction of this unique facility. The length of the main span of the bridge is 750 m, the total length is 1086 m, the width is 22 m (there are two three-lane roads across the bridge, each lane 3.75 m wide). Construction of the bridge began in April 1998. The design is a suspension bridge on two supports, similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Construction ended in 2001.
Renaming
June 19, 2007 deputies of the maslikhat (city council) voted unanimously to rename the city Semey. The reason for the renaming was “a strong association among investors of the name of the city with the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.”
On June 21, 2007, by decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Semipalatinsk was renamed to the city of Semey, similar to the name in the Kazakh language. In Russian geographical practice, the name has not been changed - Semipalatinsk.
Semipalatinsk nuclear test site
The city is also notorious for the fact that not far from it the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was created, where the first Soviet atomic bomb was tested in 1949. The total power of nuclear charges tested during the period 1949-63 at the Semipalatinsk test site was 2,500 times higher than the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The region suffered horrific environmental damage. In 1991, the landfill was closed under pressure from the Nevada-Semipalatinsk popular movement, led by the famous Kazakh poet and public figure Olzhas Suleimenov. After this, all other test sites on the planet were closed and a moratorium was established on any nuclear tests in the world.
The city of Semipalatinsk is located on a river called Irtysh in the eastern part of Kazakhstan. About 300,000 people live on its territory of 210 square kilometers. This city is the oldest in all of Kazakhstan and is located on the main waterway of the country. Until 1997, the city was the center of the region of the same name, which is now part of the East Kazakh region. Semipalatinsk is a very large railway center that connects the eastern and southern regions of Kazakhstan with Russia.
History of Semipalatinsk
The fortress in the city was founded back in 1718 by the Tsar’s governor Vasily Cheredov and a detachment under his command. True, it is located at a distance of 18 kilometers from the modern location of the city. A fortress was built in the middle of a picturesque pine forest.
Today, locals call this place the “Old Fortress”, and in the winter they go sledding and skiing. The fortress received its former name from the ruins of the ancient settlements of Dzhungarsk - Dorzhinkit. At the beginning of the 17th century, a monastery of seven temples was built by Lama Tarkhan-Torji. It was this monastery that served as the basis for the name of the modern city.
At the end of the 19th century, Semipalatinsk was a place of political exile. So, in the 50s, Valikhanov and F.M. Dostoevsky were exiled here. Also, famous Kazakh poets Abai Kunanbayev and Mukhtar Auezov periodically lived and studied here.
After the revolution in 1917, Soviet power was established in the city. But from 1918 to 1919 the city was dominated by whites. From 1920 to 1928, Semipalatinsk was the center of the province, from 1928 to 1932 the center of the district, from 1932 it was the center of the East Kazakhstan region, and from 1939 it became the center of the region of the same name.
In 1930, a railway appeared in the city. By presidential decree in 1997, the East Kazakhstan and Semipalatinsk regions were united into the East Kazakhstan region, the center of which was the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk.
Semipalatinsk: how to get there
The city has an international airport, from which planes make regular flights to Alma-Ata, Moscow, Astana, Ayaguz, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. It is a first class airport and accepts not only various aircraft, but also helicopters. The military aviation in the city is also based on it.
Semipalatinsk itself is the most important transport hub of the country. And due to its location at the intersection of the Turkestan-Siberian railways, the city can also be reached by train. Also, there is public transport here, which is represented by a large number of minibuses and buses that go in various directions.
Shops and restaurants in Semipalatinsk
Like any other city, Semipalatinsk has a large number of shopping and entertainment complexes. It cannot be said that prices here are noticeably lower or higher than in other cities of Kazakhstan.
There are also a large number of places where you can eat very tasty and satisfying food. For example, in chain restaurants or cafeterias. There are several hotels in the city that delight their guests not only with a high level of service, but also with cozy rooms.
The most interesting and beautiful places in Semipalatinsk
Semipalatinsk is a very old city with a rich history. That is why there are a large number of interesting and unique architectural objects located here. One of these is the former house of the county governor, and today a local history museum. In addition, the city has one of the 7 museums named after F.M. Dostoevsky, in front of which a bronze monument to Chokhan Valikhanov and F.M. Dostoevsky was erected.
In 1972, a monument to Abai Kunanbayev was unveiled on the territory of the city. Also, a stele was erected in the city in honor of his 250th anniversary in 1973. Today it has a height of 18 meters above the ground. Also, the city has a park with a large number of sculptures that were made back in Soviet times.
You should not miss the opportunity to visit the memorial, which was built in honor of all those who died during nuclear tests. Tourists also visit the Yamyshevsky Gate, the Resurrection Cossack Church, the Suspension Bridge over the Irtysh River, the Clockworks, built in honor of St. Nicholas. You can visit on.
The city has a large number of religious institutions: a wooden mosque, a two-minaret mosque-cathedral, a one-minaret stone mosque, and also a mosque named after Tynybay. Do not miss the opportunity to visit a large number of museums and art galleries.
Nuclear test site in Semipalatinsk
The city became infamous in 1949 due to the construction of a nuclear testing site next to them. It was here that the first Soviet atomic bomb was tested. Tests at the test site in the period from 1949 to 1963 near Semipalatinsk were 2.5 thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. The entire region suffered terrible damage from an environmental point of view. It was only in 1991 that it was closed.