Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. It is
one of the largest ports on the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the
Hero City Hero City may refer to:
* Hero City (Soviet Union), awarded 1965–1985 to cities now in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine
* Hero City of Ukraine, awarded 2022
* Hero Cities of Yugoslavia, awarded 1970–1975
* Leningrad Hero City Obelisk, a monument
...
. Population:
History
In antiquity, the shores of the
Tsemes Bay were the site of Bata ( el, Μπάτα), an ancient Greek colony that specialized in the
grain trade. It is mentioned in the works of
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
and
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
, among others.
Following brief periods of Roman and Khazar control, from the 9th century onwards, the area was part of the Byzantine θέμα Χερσῶνος
''Thema Khersonos'' (Province of Cherson).
During the 11th century, the area was overrun and controlled by nomads from the Eurasian steppe, led by the
Cumans
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many so ...
. Later that century, the Byzantine emperor Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
(
r. 1081–1118) was approached by
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
refugees, who had left England following the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...
. Alexios offered land to these refugees in ''Thema Khersonos'' if they could recapture it from the nomads and there is contemporaneous evidence that a
Byzantine-English colony was subsequently founded. For example,
medieval nautical charts mention place names on the Kuban coast with possible English origins, including a port (located within or near the future site of Novorossiysk) known as Susaco (or ''Susacho'') – a name that may have been derived from
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
.
(The same maps also show, north-west of ''Susaco'', a river ''Londia'', which may derive its name from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
)
In the 15th century,
Genoese merchants from the
Ghisolfi family maintained a trade outpost in the area. A 2007 archaeological investigation of related sites discovered some interesting items.
From 1722, the bay was controlled by an
Ottoman fortress (''qale'') named Sujuk (also transliterated ''Sudzhuk'', ''Sudschuk'' and ''Soğucak''). This name may be derived from ''Susaco'' (see above) and, as late as 1769, the area was sometimes named in European maps as ''Suzako''.
The coastline was ceded to Russia in 1829 as a result of the
Russo-Turkish War. After this, admirals
Mikhail Lazarev
Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (russian: Михаил Петрович Лазарев, 3 November 1788 – 11 April 1851) was a Russian fleet commander and an explorer.
Education and early career
Lazarev was born in Vladimir, a scion of ...
and
Nikolay Raevsky founded an eastern base for the
Black Sea Fleet on the shore in 1838. Named after the province of
Novorossiya, the port formed a vital link in the chain of forts known as the
Black Sea Coastal Line, which stretched south to
Sochi.
During the rest of the 19th century, Novorossiysk developed rapidly. It was granted city status in 1866 and became the capital of the
Novorossiysk Okrug and
Black Sea Governorate, the smallest in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, in 1896. In December 1905, the city was the seat of the short-lived
Novorossiysk Republic. The city was from 26 August 1918 until 27 March 1920 used as the principal center of
Denikin
Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
's
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...
during the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
. Denikin's
South Russian Government was moved to
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
and many Whites escaped from Novorossiysk to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
during the
Evacuation of Novorossiysk (1920)
The Evacuation of Novorossiysk (''Новороссийская эвакуация'') or the Novorossiysk Catastrophe (''Новороссийская катастрофа'') was the evacuation of the White Armed Forces of South Russia and refugee ...
, with the help of
Allied warships.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, most of the city was occupied by the German and Romanian Armies on 10 September 1942. A small unit of Soviet sailors defended one part of the city, known as
Malaya Zemlya
Malaya Zemlya (russian: Малая Земля, lit. "Small Land") was a Soviet uphill outpost on Cape Myskhako (russian: Мысхако) that was recaptured after battles with the Germans during the Battle of the Caucasus, on the night of 4 Febru ...
, for 225 days beginning on 4 February 1943, and the town was liberated by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
on September 16, 1943. The heroic defense of the port by the sailors allowed the Soviets to retain possession of the city's bay, which prevented the Axis from using the port for supply shipments. Novorossiysk was awarded the title
Hero City Hero City may refer to:
* Hero City (Soviet Union), awarded 1965–1985 to cities now in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine
* Hero City of Ukraine, awarded 2022
* Hero Cities of Yugoslavia, awarded 1970–1975
* Leningrad Hero City Obelisk, a monument
...
in 1973.
In 1960, the town was commemorated in
Dmitri Shostakovich's work
''Novorossiysk Chimes, the Flame of Eternal Glory'' (Opus 111b).
In 2003,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
signed a
decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
setting up a naval base for the Black Sea Fleet in Novorossiysk. Russia has allocated 12.3 billion rubles (about $480 million) for the construction of the new base between 2007 and 2012. The construction of other facilities and infrastructure at the base, including units for coastal troops, aviation and logistics, will continue beyond 2012. Russia planned to move the Black Sea Fleet with 80 warships and its headquarters from
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
to Novorossiysk base within 2020.
The Russian lease on port facilities in
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
, which, though the main base of Russia's
Black Sea Fleet, was part of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
, was set to expire in 2017.
[
] Ukraine was reported to be planning to not renew the lease; however, in April 2010 the Russian and Ukrainian presidents signed
an agreement to extend the lease by twenty-five years, with an option of further extension of five years after the new term expires. However, in 2014, Crimea was occupied by the
Russian Armed Forces during the
2014 Crimean crisis and as such the question of renewing the lease does not immediately arise while Crimea remains
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
part of the territory of the Russian Federation.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with twenty-four
rural localities, incorporated as the
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of Novorossiysk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts.
[Reference Information #34.01-707/13-03] As a
municipal division, the City of Novorossiysk is incorporated as Novorossiysk Urban Okrug.
[Law #686-KZ]
Climate
Novorossiysk has a borderline
humid subtropical (''Cfa'') and
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(''Csa'') in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
. Since the driest month has and may or may not happen consistently in the summer, the city can not be classified as solely humid subtropical or Mediterranean.
Economy
The city sprawls along the shore of the
non-freezing Tsemess Bay, which has been recognized since antiquity as one of the superior bays of the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
.
The
Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port
JSC Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port (NCSP Group) (''Новороссийский морской торговый порт'') is the third largest port operator in Europe and Russia's largest commercial sea port operator. The company is headquarte ...
–with the market capitalization of $1,110,000,000 and shares listed at
Moscow Exchange and
London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...
–serves Russian sea trade with regions of Asia, Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean, and South America. It is the busiest oil port in the Black Sea and the terminus of the pipeline from the
Tengiz Field
Tengiz field ( kk, Теңіз мұнай кен орны, ''Teñız mūnai ken orny''; Tengiz is Turkic for "sea") is an oil field located in northwestern Kazakhstan's low-lying wetlands along the northeast shores of the Caspian Sea. It covers ...
, developed by the
Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
Novorossiysk is also an industrial city, dependent on
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...
,
food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex in ...
, and the production of metal goods and other manufactures. Extensive
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
quarries supply important
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...
factories in and around the city. The town is home to the Maritime State Academy and Novorossiysk Polytechnic Institute.
Transportation
Novorossiysk is the biggest Russian seaport. In 2019 cargo turnover amounted to 142,5m tons In 2021 cargo turnover amounted to 105,2m tons
Novorossiysk is connected by rail and highways to the main industrial and population centres of Russia, Transcaucasia, and Central Asia. The public transportation within the city boundaries consists of city buses, trolleybuses, and ''
marshrutkas'' (routed taxis).
However, with time, more and more people rely on automobiles as primary means of transportation.
The closest airports (
Gelendzhik Airport,
Anapa Airport and
Krasnodar Airport
Krasnodar International Airport (russian: Международный аэропорт Краснодар), also known as Pashkovsky Airport (russian: Аэропорт Пашковский), (IATA: KRR, ICAO: URKK) is the main airport serving the ...
, situated , and away from the city, respectively, offers flights to many cities in Russia.
Sports
The city association football team,
FC Chernomorets Novorossiysk, plays in the Russian second Division.
Environment
Novorossiysk is not a resort town, but
Anapa
Anapa (russian: Ана́па, ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population:
History
The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport ...
to the north and
Gelendzhik to the south are. There are several urban settlements under the jurisdiction of Novorossiysk. The most famous is
Abrau-Dyurso
Abrau-Dyurso or Abrau-Durso (russian: Абрау-Дюрсо) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') under the administrative jurisdiction of the City of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is located on the shore of Lake Abrau, west of Novo ...
, which consists of a townlet on the shore of
Lake Abrau
Abrau (Russian: Абрау; from the Abkhaz word for "sinkhole") is a karst lake in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in ...
and a village on the coast of the Black Sea, connected by a winding mountain road.
The area of Novorossiysk is one of Russia's main wine-growing regions. The
wineries
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
of
Abrau-Dyurso
Abrau-Dyurso or Abrau-Durso (russian: Абрау-Дюрсо) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') under the administrative jurisdiction of the City of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is located on the shore of Lake Abrau, west of Novo ...
, established by
Tsar Alexander III in 1870, produce table and sparkling wines for domestic consumption.
Buildings and structures
*
Novorossiysk TV Tower
*Shopping Mall "Krasnaya Ploshchad"
*"Lenin's" Amusement Park
*Malaya Zemlya Memorial
Notable residents
*
Seitumer Emin (1921 – 2004), Crimean Tatar writer and civil rights activist
*
Ida Nudel (1931 – 2021),
refusenik and Israeli activist
*
Eugene Kaspersky (born 1956), founder of
Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab (; Russian: Лаборатория Касперского, tr. ''Laboratoriya Kasperskogo'') is a Russian multinational cybersecurity and anti-virus provider headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and operated by a holding company i ...
s
*
Emir-Usein Kuku
Emir-Usein Kuku (, born 26 June 1976) is a Crimean Tatar human rights defender and member of the Crimean Human Rights Contact Group. In February 2016, he was arrested and charged by Russian authorities on the accusation that he was a member of t ...
(born 1976), Crimean Tatar human rights defender
Twin towns and sister cities
Novorossiysk is
twinned with:
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
External links
Official website of NovorossiyskInformational portal of cityOur NovorossiyskSite of Novorossiysk City. Map of Novorossiysk Photos of NovorossiyskNovorossiysk Police DepartmentSoviet topographic map 1:100,000
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Krasnodar Krai
Territories of the Republic of Genoa
Kuban Oblast
Black Sea Governorate
Populated coastal places in Russia
Port cities and towns in Russia
Populated places established in 1838
Port cities of the Black Sea
Russian and Soviet Navy bases
1838 establishments in the Russian Empire
Russo-Turkish War (1828–29)
Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast