Alagir (russian: Алаги́р; os, Алагир) is an industrial
town and the
administrative center of
Alagirsky District in the
Republic of North Ossetia-Alania,
Russia, located on the west bank of the
Ardon River, west of the republic's
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
Vladikavkaz. As of the
2010 Census, its population was 20,949.
History
The town was established in 1850
by Prince
Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (russian: Князь Михаи́л Семёнович Воронцо́в, tr. ; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars and most famous for his participati ...
, the
Viceroy of the
Caucasus, near an ancient
silver/
lead mine in the nearby
Alagir Gorge. It was built up as a fortification around a smelting plant and became a major mining center. By the end of the 19th century, it had been increasingly populated by
Georgians
The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...
and
Russians who came to work there. During the
Russian Civil War, in January 1919, Alagir was a scene of intense fighting, which resulted in heavy casualties in Georgian population and difficult flight of the survivors through the mountainous passes into
Georgia. The Soviet leader
Vladimir Lenin commented on the incident, blaming "counter-revolutionaries" for atrocities in Alagir, which Georgians tend to attribute to the Ossetian radicals.
Alagir was granted town status in 1938. During
World War II, on November 5, 1942, the German
III Panzer Corps and Romanian 2nd Mountain Division
(under
von Kleist) captured the town and held it until it was recovered by the Soviet forces in early January 1943.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Alagir serves as the
administrative center of
Alagirsky District.
[Law #34-RZ] As an administrative division, it is, together with two
rural localities
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are des ...
, incorporated within Alagirsky District as Alagir
Town Under District Jurisdiction.
As a
municipal division, the town of Alagir (without the rural localities) is incorporated within Alagirsky Municipal District as Alagirskoye Urban Settlement.
[Law #11-RZ]
Economy
The town's economy is still dominated by mining and mineral extraction, but it also has significant woodworking, canning, and manufacturing industries.
Demographics
Major ethnic groups comprising the town's population, as of 2002, are:
*
Ossetians: 91.1%
*
Russians: 6.2%
Notable people
*
Stanislav Cherchesov, association football manager and former player
*
Aslan Dudiyev, professional association football player
*
Khetag Gazyumov, freestyle wrestler
*
Sergey Menyaylo
Sergey Ivanovich Menyaylo (Russian: Сергей Иванович Меняйло, os, Меняйло Сергей Иваны фырт; born 22 August 1960) is a Russian politician. He has been acting Head of the Republic of North Ossetia since ...
, politician; Head of
North Ossetia-Alania, former
Governor of Sevastopol
*
Wakanohō Toshinori
Wakanohō Toshinori (born July 8, 1988 as Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev (russian: Сосла́н Алекса́ндрович Гагло́ев)) is a retired Russian sumo wrestler. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. He became the first activ ...
, sumo wrestler
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
External links
Official website of AlagirDirectory of organizations in Alagir
{{Use mdy dates, date=March 2011
Cities and towns in North Ossetia–Alania