Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, but controlled by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It is considered the capital of the

Republic of Crimea Crimea, or the Crimean Peninsula, historically also known as the ''Tauric Chersonese'' (Tauric Peninsula, Tauric, Taurica, or Tauris), is a major peninsula in the north of the Black Sea. Crimea may also refer to: Places Crimean Peninsula Republic ...

. Simferopol is an important political, economic and transport hub of the peninsula, and serves as the administrative centre of both

Simferopol Municipality Simferopol City Municipality (; ; ) is one of the 25 regions of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine currently occupied by Russia. Population: Administrative divisions The Simferopol City Municipality's territory is subdivided into 3 urban distri ...

and the surrounding Simferopol District. Its population was After the 1784

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, the Russian empress decreed the foundation of a city named Simferopol on the location of the Crimean Tatar town of Aqmescit ("White Mosque").

Etymologies

The name Simferopol ( ; ) comes from ''Sympheropoli'' (). The spelling Symferopil () is also used. In Crimean Tatar, the name of the city is ''Aqmescit'' (or in Cyrillic, , from ''Aq'' "white", and ''mescit'' "mosque"). But ''aq'' does not refer to the colour of the mosque, but rather to its location in cosmology. The Turkic peoples give a colour designation to the

cardinal points The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main compass directions: north (N), south (S), east (E), and west (W). The corresponding azimuths ( clockwise horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. The four ...

, and white is the west. Thus, the exact translation of the name of the town is "the Western Mosque." In English, the name was often given as Akmechet or Ak-Mechet (e.g. in the 1911 ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

''). This was a transliteration from the Russian spelling of Crimean Tatar word , where ''mechet () is the Russian word for "mosque".

History

Early history

Archaeological evidence in the shows the presence of ancient people living in the territory of modern Simferopol. The

Scythian Neapolis Scythian Neapolis (), also known as Kermenchik, was an Iranic settlement that existed in the Crimean Peninsula from the end of the 3rd century BC until the second half of the 3rd century AD. It was previously considered a town of the Tauric Che ...

, known by its Greek name, is also located in the city, which is the remnants of an ancient capital of the Crimean

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

s who lived in the territory from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD. Later, the

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

founded the town of Aqmescit. For some time, Aqmescit was the residence of the Qalğa-Sultan, the second most important position in the

after the

Khan Khan may refer to: * Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name * Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by various ethnicities Art and entertainment * Khan (band), an English progressiv ...

himself. The area of the city once known as Aqmescit is today called

Old Simferopol Old Simferopol, known locally as the Old Town (Crimean Tatar language, Crimean Tatar: Eski şeer, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Старе місто), is an area of the city of Simferopol which until the end of the 18th century served as the cen ...

Russian Empire

In 1784 modern Ukrainian Simferopol was founded after the annexation of the

to the

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. The name Simferopol is in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, Συμφερόπολις (''Simferopolis'') and literally means "the city of usefulness." The tradition of Greek place names in newly acquired southern territories began with the

Greek Plan The Greek Plan or Greek Project (), an early proposed solution to the Eastern question, was advanced by the Russian empress Catherine the Great in the early 1780s. It envisaged the partition of the Ottoman Empire between the Russian and Habsb ...

of Russian Empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. In 1802, Simferopol became the administrative centre of the

Taurida Governorate Taurida Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River with the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea o ...

. During the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

of 1854–1856, the

Russian Imperial Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

reserves and a hospital were stationed in the city. After the war, more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were buried in the city's vicinity.

20th-century wars

In the 20th century, Simferopol was once again affected by wars and conflicts in the region. At the end of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, the headquarters of General

Pyotr Wrangel Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (, ; ; 25 April 1928), also known by his nickname the Black Baron, was a Russian military officer of Baltic German origin in the Imperial Russian Army. During the final phase of the Russian Civil War, he was c ...

, leader of the anti-

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

, were located there. On 13 November 1920, the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

captured the city and on 18 October 1921, Simferopol became the capital of the

Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Several different governments controlled the Crimean Peninsula during the period of the Soviet Union, from the 1920s to 1991. The government of Crimea from 1921 to 1936 was the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, which was an Autonomo ...

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Simferopol was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

from 1 November 1941 to 13 April 1944. Retreating

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

police shot a number of prisoners on 31 October 1941 in the NKVD building and the city's prison. Germans perpetrated one of the largest war-time massacres in Simferopol, killing in total over 22,000 locals—mostly

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

Krymchaks Krymchaks ( Krymchak: , , , ) are Jewish ethno-religious communities of Crimea derived from Turkic-speaking adherents of Rabbinic Judaism.Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

. On one occasion, starting 9 December 1941, the Einsatzkommando 11b, which was under the command of

Werner Braune Karl Rudolf Werner Braune (11 April 1909 − 7 June 1951) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era and a Holocaust perpetrator. During the German invasion of the Soviet Union of 1941, Braune was the commander of ''Einsatzkommando'' 11b, ...

, whose main unit and superior were

Einsatzgruppe D (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the impl ...

and

Otto Ohlendorf Otto Ohlendorf (; 4 February 1907 – 7 June 1951) was a German Schutzstaffel, SS functionary and Holocaust perpetrator during the Nazi era. An economist by education, he was head of the Sicherheitsdienst#Inland-SD, (SD) Inland, responsible ...

, respectively, command killed an estimated 14,300 Simferopol residents, mostly Jewish. In April 1944 the Red Army liberated Simferopol. On 18 May 1944 the Crimean Tatar population of the city, along with the whole Crimean Tatar nation of Crimea, was forcibly deported to Central Asia as

collective punishment Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group or whole community for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member or some members of that group or area, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends a ...

for the perceived collaboration of Tatars with Nazi Germany.

Ukraine

On 26 April 1954, Simferopol, together with the rest of the

Crimean Oblast * oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often tr ...

, was transferred from the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

to the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

by Soviet Premier

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

. An

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

, discovered in 1970 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova, is named after the city ( 2141 Simferopol). Following a referendum on 20 January 1991, the

was upgraded to an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 12 February 1991 by the

Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR The Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (; ) was the Supreme Soviet, supreme soviet (main Legislature, legislative institution) and the highest organ of state power of Ukraine when it was known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukra ...

. Simferopol became the capital of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After the

collapse of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in 1991, Simferopol became the capital of the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,independent Ukraine. Today, the city has a population of 340,600 (2006) most of whom are ethnic Russians, with the rest being Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar minorities. After the Crimean Tatars were allowed to return from exile in the 1990s, several new Crimean Tatar suburbs were constructed, as many more Tatars returned to the city compared to number exiled in 1944. Land ownership between the current residents and returning Crimean Tatars is a major area of conflict today with the Tatars requesting the return of lands seized after their deportation.

Russian annexation

After Russia occupied and formally

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

Crimea on 18 March 2014, Simferopol was named the capital of a new

federal subject The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation () or simply as the subjects of the federation (), are the administrative division, constituent entities of Russia, its top-level political division ...

of the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

encompassing the majority of the peninsula by decree of Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, with the exception of

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

, which became a federal сity. Prior to the seizure of the city by Russia, a mass protest was organised by the city's

in support of Crimea remaining as part of Ukraine.

Geography

Location

Simferopol is located in the south-central

. The city lies on the

Salhir River The Salhyr or Salgir is the longest river of the Crimean Peninsula. Its length is 204 km, and its drainage basin is 3,750 km2. The average discharge of the water is 2 m3/s.humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa''), near the boundary of the

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

: ''Dfa''). The average temperature in January is and in July. The average rainfall is per year, and there is a total of 2,529 hours of sunshine per year.

Politics and administrative divisions

Simferopol 04-14 img28 train station square

As the capital of Crimea, Simferopol houses its political structure including the

Supreme Council of Crimea Verkhovna Rada of Crimea or the Supreme Council of Crimea, officially the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, was the Ukrainian legislative body for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea before the annexation of Crimea by Russi ...

and the Council of Ministers. Simferopol is also the administrative centre of the

Simferopol Raion Simferopol Raion (, , ) is one of the 25 regions of the Crimean peninsula, administered by Russia, but considered by many countries as part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the city of Simferopol which is incorporated as a tow ...

(

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

), but is directly subordinate to the Crimean authorities rather than to the district authorities housed in the city itself. The city of Simferopol is administratively divided into three urban districts ( Zaliznychnyi, Kyivskyi and Tsentralnyi), four

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

s (

Ahrarne Ahrarne (; ; ) is an urban-type settlement located in Simferopol Municipality, Crimea. Population: See also *Simferopol Municipality Simferopol City Municipality (; ; ) is one of the 25 regions of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine currently o ...

, Aeroflotskyi, Hresivskyi, Komsomolske) and the village of Bitumne. Viktor Ageev became city mayor on 11 November 2010 and was then elected chairman of the Simferopol City Council on 29 September 2014. Igor Lukashyov was installed as the head of Simferopol City administration (i.e. local executive) after Russia annexed the region in 2014. He served in this position until his dismissal on 9 November 2018.

Transportation

Simferopol has a major railway station, which serves millions of tourists each year. In December 2014 Ukraine cut the railway line to Crimea at the border with mainland Ukraine (

Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast (, ; ), also known as Khersonshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the northern or right bank ...

). Currently, the station serves only a commuter (regional) passenger train and the Moscow – Simferopol train every day. The city is also connected via the Simferopol International Airport, which was constructed in 1936. Zavodskoye Airport is situated southwest of Simferopol. The city has several main bus stations, with routes towards many cities, including

Kerch Kerch, also known as Keriç or Kerich, is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of Crimea. It has a population of Founded 2,600 years ago as the Colonies in antiquity#Greek colonies, ancient Greek colony Pantik ...

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

, and Yevpatoriya. The

Crimean Trolleybus The Crimean Trolleybus Line in Crimea is the world's longest trolleybus line.Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia''. p. 41. Yateley, Hampshire, UK: Trolleybooks. . It is long,Makewell, Roy. "Trolleybuses Over the Yaila Mountain ...

connects Simferopol to the city of

on Crimean

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea 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 bound ...

coast. The line is the longest

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

line in the world with a total length of (since 2014 again ). The streets of Simferopol have a rare

house numbering House numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building. The house number is often part of a Address (geography), postal address. The ter ...

– the odd numbers are on the right side of the road, looking in the direction in which the numbers increase.

Demographics

At the last census in 2014, the population of Simferopol was 332,317, the highest of any city in the Republic of Crimea and second only to Sevastopol within the Crimean peninsula.

Economy

When it existed,

Crimea Air Crimea Air was an airline on the grounds of Simferopol International Airport in Simferopol, Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the ...

had its head office on the grounds of

Simferopol Airport Simferopol International Airport is an airport located in Simferopol, Crimea. Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the airport is only used for flights to and from Russian airports due to Political status of Crimea#St ...

. A new 19-gate terminal for the airport finished construction in 2018. The terminal was designed in the shape of a wave by

Samoo Architects & Engineers Samoo Architects & Engineers (, SAMOO) is a multinational company headquartered in Seoul which provides architecture and engineering design related services such as architectural design, engineering, interior design, urban design, sustainable ...

, after their successful bid as part of an international competition.

Industry

Simferopol is home to a number of industrial plants, including the following: * Fiolent (two locations), producer of power tools and other electrical systems * Simferopol chemical industry plants * PO Foton * SEM SElktroMash SELMZ * Plastotekhnika and else plastics related * Santekhprom SSTP * PEK PromElektroKontakt and PromSchitKontakt, ChPO Sfera IzmertelnPribor, SELTZ ElectroTechnical Plant * Pnevmatika, other pneumatics tires etc. related industry * Monolit SMZKon, TsSI Tavrida SKMKZ, Slava Truda SCMNG, SiMZ Motor Plants *

Chornomornaftogaz Chornomornaftogaz (, lit. "Black Sea oil and gas") is a Ukrainian oil and gas company with natural gas fields in the Black Sea. The company was established in Ukrainian Simferopol, Crimea with the order of the Ministry of Gas Industry of the US ...

* Digital Valley (Tsifrovaya Dolina): silicon industry, computers, wafers and microelectronics, it, other related. It will located (most likely) near the airport for convenience.

Education

The largest collection of higher education institutions in Crimea is located in Simferopol. Among them is the largest university in Simferopol and Crimea, the Taurida V.Vernadsky National University, which was founded in 1917. Crimea State Medical University named after S. I. Georgievsky, also located in Simferopol, is one of the most prominent medical schools of Ukraine. The Crimean Medical University is situated on the plot, where in 1855 a nursery garden was planted by the founder of the Nikita Botanical Gardens Ch.Ch.Steven (1781–1863). In 1863–66 a school for girls was built here and in 1931 a medical institute was opened. On the same plot P.Krzhizhanovsky built a three-storey hostel for medical students after the design in 1934. The building with clear geometric masses was completed in 1938. A new federal university campus was opened 4 August 2014.

Sports

Simferopol is home to the football club FC TSK Simferopol which plays in the

Crimean Premier League The KFS Premier-Liga () or simply Crimean Premier League is a professional association football league in Crimea organized by the Crimean Football Union (Krymsky Futbolny Soyuz) and devised by Russia after UEFA refused to allow Crimean clubs to ...

. It was formed as a Russian club in 2014, following the 2014 Crimean Conflict, to replace the Ukrainian club

Tavriya Simferopol Sports Club Tavriya () was a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League from its founding and won the first Ukrainian Premier League 1992, Ukrainian Premier League making them one of three team ...

which had been the first winners of the

Ukraine Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League ( ) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system. Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha ( , ) it was formed in 1991 during the 1992Hun ...

, and also won the

Ukrainian Cup The Ukrainian Cup ( ) is an association football national knockout cup competition run by the Ukrainian Association of Football. The competition is conducted almost exclusively among professional clubs. Since the 2003–04 season, the Cup winner qu ...

in 2010.

Houses of worship

* Kebir-Jami Mosque, Simferopol *

Notable people

* Max Alpert (1899–1980) a Soviet photographer, front-line work during WWII * Andrei Abrikosov (1906–1973) a Soviet stage and film actor. *

Reşat Amet Reşat Amet (, , ; 24 January 1975 – 15 March 2014) was a Crimean Tatar activist posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine (2017). Abduction and death On 3 March 2014, Reşat initiated a solitary and peaceful protest against the occupatio ...

(1975–2014) a Crimean Tatar activist * Yelyzaveta Bohutska (born 1964), Ukrainian politician (

Servant of the People Servant of the People (; ''SN'') is a Liberalism, liberal, Centrism, centrist, Pro-Europeanism, pro-European List of political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine. Since both the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the 2019 Ukra ...

) and current member of parliament *

Denis Bouriakov Denis Viktorovich Bouriakov (; born 25 October 1981, in Simferopol, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR) is a flautist. He is currently principal flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Biography Bouriakov was born in Simferopol, Ukrainia ...

(born 1981), principal

flautist The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

Rachel Devirys Rachel Devirys (28 February 1890 - 16 May 1983) was a French film actress born in the Crimea, Russian Empire (now Ukraine). She starred in some 50 films between 1916 and 1956. Born Rachel Itzkovitz, in 1916 she played "Madelon", the name role i ...

(1890–1983) French film actress, starred in some 50 films from 1916 to 1956. *Nadia Volodymyrivna Dorofeeva, professionally known as

Dorofeeva Nadiia Volodymyrivna Dorofieieva (; born 21 April 1990), professionally known as DOROFEEVA, is a Ukrainian pop singer, fashion designer, blogger, actress and a former member of the pop duo Vremya i Steklo, which was created and produced by ...

(born 1990), female vocalist of the pop duo

Vremya i Steklo Vremya i Steklo (, a pun on phrase ''время истекло'' meaning 'time's up') was a Ukrainian crunk duo formed in 2010 by Oleksiy Potapenko, consisting of and Nadiya Dorofeeva. They are best known for their energetic blend of electr ...

Roman Filippov Roman Sergeyevich Filippov (; 24 January 1936 — 18 February 1992) was a Soviet theater and film actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1987). Selected filmography * ''World Champion'' (1954) as fighter * '' Green Van'' (1959) as Fedka Byk * ...

(1936–1992) a Soviet theatre and film actor * Viktor Grebennikov (1927–2001) scientist, naturalist, entomologist and paranormal researcher *

Adolph Joffe Adolph Abramovich Joffe (; alternatively transliterated as Adolf Ioffe or Yoffe; 10 October 1883 – 16 November 1927) was a Russian revolutionary, Bolshevik politician and Soviet diplomat of Karaite descent. Biography Revolutionary career ...

(1883–1927) Communist

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

, Bolshevik politician and Soviet diplomat *

Sergey Karjakin Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin (born 12 January 1990) is a Russian chess grandmaster (chess), grandmaster and politician. A chess prodigy, he previously held the record for the world's youngest ever grandmaster, having qualified for the title a ...

(born 1990),

Chess prodigy Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves no hidden information and no elements of chance. It is played on a square board consisting of 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The players, referred to ...

and grandmaster at age 12 years, 7 months * Pavlo Kazarin (born 1983), Ukrainian journalist * Serhiy Kokurin (1978–2014), Ukrainian military officer and the first soldier killed in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

* Olexandr Kolchenko (born 1989) a Ukrainian left-wing anarchist, ecologist and archaeologist *

Oleg Kotov Oleg Valeriyevich Kotov () was born on 27 October 1965 in Simferopol, Crimean oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. After a career as a physician assigned to the Soviet space program, he joined the Russian cosmonaut corps. He has flown three long duratio ...

(born 1965), Air Force colonel, 15 Soyuz flight commander and flight engineer * Andrey Kozenko (born 1981), a Russian and former Ukrainian statesman and politician. * Nicolai Ivanovich Kravchenko (1867–1941) a Russian battle painter, journalist and writer. *

Anna Kuliscioff Anna Kuliscioff (; rus, Анна Кулишёва, , ˈanːə kʊlʲɪˈʂovə; born Anna Moiseyevna Rozenshtein, ; 9 January 1857 – 27 December 1925) was a Russian-born Italian revolutionary, a prominent feminist, an anarchist influenced by ...

(1857–1925) Russian born Italian feminist, anarchist and Marxist socialist militant. * Zara Levina (1906–1976) a Soviet pianist and composer. * Saint Luke of Simferopol (1877–1961), born ''Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky'', Russian surgeon and Archbishop of Simferopol *

Musa Mamut Musa Mamut (Russian language, Russian and Crimean Tatar language, Crimean Tatar Cyrillic: Муса Мамут; 20 February 1931 – 28 June 1978) was a deported Crimean Tatar who immolated himself in Crimea as a sign of protest against the enforce ...

(1931–1978) a deported Crimean Tatar who immolated himself in Crimea *

Yuri Manin Yuri Ivanovich Manin (; 16 February 1937 – 7 January 2023) was a Russian mathematician, known for work in algebraic geometry and diophantine geometry, and many expository works ranging from mathematical logic to theoretical physics. Life an ...

(1937–2023) a Russian specialist in algebraic &

diophantine geometry In mathematics, Diophantine geometry is the study of Diophantine equations by means of powerful methods in algebraic geometry. By the 20th century it became clear for some mathematicians that methods of algebraic geometry are ideal tools to study ...

* Alisa Melekhina (born 1991), chess master, attorney and classically trained ballerina * Sergey Mergelyan (1928–2008), a Soviet Armenian mathematician and scientist * Gennady Samokhin (born 1971) a Crimean

speleologist Speleology () is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition, structure, physical properties, history, ecology, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorpholog ...

, holds the depth world record of

cave diving Cave-diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the underwater search and recovery, search for and recovery of divers or, as in th ...

Ilya Selvinsky Ilya Lvovich Selvinsky (, 24 October 1899 – 22 March 1968) was a Soviet poet, dramatist, memoirist, and essayist born in Simferopol, Crimea. Biography Selvinsky grew up in Yevpatoria in a Jewish family. His father was a furrier merchant. In 19 ...

(1899–1968) was a Soviet Jewish poet, dramatist, memoirist and essayist *

Andriy Senchenko Andriy Vilenovich Senchenko (; born 1 November 1959) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament between 2006 and 2014. Early life and education Senchenko was born to ethnic Ukrainian parents in Simferopol, Cr ...

(born 1959), a Ukrainian politician (

Batkivshchyna The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko B ...

) and former Deputy Prime Minister of Crimea *

Oleg Sentsov Oleh Hennadiiovych SentsovNosorih (Rhino)
labiennale.org ...

(born 1976) a Ukrainian filmmaker, writer and activist from Crimea. *

Valery Sigalevitch Valery Sigalevitch (Russian: Валерий Львович Сигалевич, ''Valerij Lvovič Sigalevič''; born March, 4 1950) is a Russian classical concert pianist. Biography Sigalevitch was born in Simferopol, Crimea. His father Lev Sigale ...

(born 1950), a Russian classical concert pianist, lives in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

. * Bob Sredersas (1910–1982) a Lithuanian-Australian art collector. * Alexei Stepanov (1858–1923), a Russian genre painter, illustrator and art teacher. * Evhen Tsybulenko (born 1972), Estonian professor of international law *

Georges Vitaly Georges Vitaly, real name Vitali Garcouchenko, (15 January 1917 – 2 January 2007), was a 20th-century French actor, theater director and theater manager. The son of immigrants from the Russian Revolution, he trained as actor from 1934. In 1947 ...

(1917–2007), French actor, theatre director and theatre manager. *

Evgenii Wulff Evgenii Vladimirovich Wulff (; – 21 December 1941) was a Russian and Soviet biologist, botany, botanist and biogeography, plant geographer. Career Wulff was born in Crimea and studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow University fr ...

(1885–1941) a Crimean Russian Soviet biologist, botanist and plant geographer. * Diana Tishchenko (born 1990), Ukrainian classical violinist * Valeri F. Venda (born 1937), Russian psychologist, engineer, and designer

Sport

Gleb Bakshi Gleb Sergeyevich Bakshi (, ; born 12 November 1995) is a Russian and former Ukrainian boxer of Serbian descent. He is an Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Bakshi won the gold medal at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships The 2019 AIBA Wo ...

(born 1995) boxer, bronze medallist at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. * Lyudmila Blonska (born 1977), Ukrainian heptathlete, banned after 2 doping offences * Serhiy Dotsenko (born 1979), boxer, silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Andriy Hryvko Andriy Askoldovich Hrivko (, also transliterated Hryvko or Grivko, born 7 August 1983) is a Ukrainian former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018. Since retiring from racing, Hrivko currently serves as the president of ...

(born 1983), a Ukrainian cyclist who rides for

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

* Daniil Khlusevich (born 2001), Russian international footballer who plays for

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * ...

Yana Klochkova Yana Oleksandrivna Klochkova (; born 7 August 1982) is a Ukrainian swimmer, who has won five Olympic medals in her career, with four of them being gold. She is Merited Master of Sports (1998),Vlaskov, A. Yana Klochkova Encyclopedia of Modern U ...

(born 1982), a Ukrainian swimmer with five Olympic medals, four being gold * Natalia Popova (born 1993) former figure skater, five-time Ukrainian national champion *

Hanna Rizatdinova Ganna Serhiivna RizatdinovaAlternatively spelled as ''Ganna Rizatdinova'' or ''Anna Rizatdinova''. (; born 16 July 1993) is a Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in ...

(born 1993), Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast, bronze medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Kateryna Serebrianska Kateryna Serebrianska (born 25 October 1977 in Simferopol) is a Ukrainian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 1996 Olympics gold medalist, the 1995 World All-around champion, the 1996 European All-around champion, and three time Gran ...

(born 1977), Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast, gold medallist at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Oleksandr Usyk Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Usyk (, ; born 17 January 1987) is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He has held the unified champion (boxing), unified heavyweight championship since 2021, and the ''The Ring (magazine), Ring'' magazine title since 2022 ...

(born 1987), Ukrainian heavyweight boxer, gold medallist at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

* Anatoliy Zayayev (1931–2012), Ukrainian football player and coach

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Simferopol is currently twinned with: * Salem, Oregon, United States (1986) *

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, Germany (1991) *

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( ) is a city with county rights in central Hungary. It is the List of cities and towns of Hungary, eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun County, Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the ca ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

(2006) * Tepebaşı,

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(2007) *

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

, Russia (2008) * Moscow, Russia (2008) *

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don (river), Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as the ...

, Russia (2008) *

Omsk Omsk (; , ) is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over one million. Omsk is the third List of cities and tow ...

, Russia (2008) * Ruse, Bulgaria (2008) *

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

, Russia (2016)

Notes

References

External links

Simferopol Government
Official website
The murder of the Jews of Simferopol
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website. * {{Authority control Simferopol Municipality Cities in Crimea Simferopolsky Uyezd Populated places established in 1784 Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Populated places established in the Russian Empire Holocaust locations in Ukraine