Astrakhan

Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of 23 metres below sea level. Population: 502,800 (2004 estimate); 504,501 (2002 Census); 509,210 (1989 Census).

Astrakhan is situated in the Volga Delta, rich in sturgeon and exotic plants. The fertile area formerly contained the capitals of Khazaria and the Golden Horde. Astrakhan' itself was first mentioned by travellers in the early 13th century as Xacitarxan. Tamerlane burnt it to the ground in 1395. From 1459 to 1556, Xacitarxan was the capital of Astrakhan Khanate. The ruins of this medieval settlement were found by archaeologists 12 km upstream from the modern-day city.

In 1556, the khanate was conquered by Ivan the Terrible, who had a new fortress, or kremlin, built on a steep hill overlooking the Volga. In 1569, Astrakhan' was besieged by the Cossack Ottoman army, which had to retreat in disarray. A year later, the Sultan renounced his claims to Astrakhan, thus opening the entire Volga River to Russian traffic. In the 17th century, the city was developed as a Russian gate to the Orient. Many merchants from Armenia, Persia, India and Khiva settled in the downtown, giving it a multinational and variegated character.

For seventeen months in 1670–1671 Astrakhan was held by Stenka Razin and his Cossacks. Early in the following century, Peter the Great constructed a shipyard here and made Astrakhan the base for his hostilities against Persia, and later in the same century Catherine II accorded the city important industrial privileges.

The city rebelled against the tsar once again in 1705, when it was held by the Cossacks under Kondraty Bulavin.

In 1711, it became a capital of a guberniya, whose first governors included Artemy Petrovich Volynsky and Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. Six years later, Astrakhan served as a base for the first Russian venture into Central Asia. In 1702, 1718, and 1767, it suffered severely from fires; in 1719 it was plundered by the Persians; and in 1830 the cholera swept away a large number of its people.

Now Astrakhan is a big regional centre. It has become a big industrial, cultural, educational and commercial centre. The main historic peculiarity of Astrakhan is its multinational character: the Russians, the Kazakhs, the Tatars, the Ukrainians, the Kalmyks, the Jews, the Armenians, the Turkmen. More than 150 nationalities and ethnic groups are peacefully neighbouring under Astrakhan sky.

Southern Venice! Astrakhan is sometimes called so for its numerous canals and channels connected with the Volga. Astrakhan may be also called the city of bridges: there are about 50 of them! Modern industrial bridges and small foot bridges, standard ferro-concrete bridges and bridges with elaborate old-fashioned cast-iron lace – they all remain the main feature of “the city on the water”.

Among other advantages of Astrakhan, which make this city attractive, is a rich supply of natural resources: gas, oil, salt, sand, clay, gravel, gypsum, fish, and tillable soil. Astrakhan industry presents diversified structure with high concentration of region potential (56%) including food, light, chemical, woodworking and flour industries, machine building and metal fabricating, building supplies production, water transport, electric power industry. One of the biggest industries is the chemical industry as the region has large deposits of gas and oil. According to the latest researches Astrakhan region possesses the fifth world largest oil deposit. The most important national economy branch in the region is shipbuilding and ship maintenance, which meet the needs of fish, gas and oil industries. Astrakhan plants produce cargo-ships, oil platforms and different kinds of ship equipment. One of the oldest industries is fish industry. Astrakhan is a large world exporter of caviar and various kinds of fish. Agriculture is also worth speaking of. Astrakhan is famous for its tomatoes and water-melons exported all over the country.

Astrakhan is a cultural center, too. There are 5 universities (Astrakhan State Technical University, Astrakhan State University, Astrakhan Medical Academy, Astrakhan Engineering Institute and Astrakhan Conservatory) and more than 30 branches of different institutes and universities. In Astrakhan you can find five theatres, several museums presenting local lore and native traditions and a picture gallery.

But one of the first things that people associate with Astrakhan is lotus, the most beautiful wonder-flower growing in the Volga delta and its lowlands. Lotus fields occupy 5 thousand hectares in delta.

There are a lot of historical places in Astrakhan, especially in the centre of the town. Its quiet streets and old houses are inexplicably attractive. And the sad spirit of old times is flying over them. Thousands of land, water and air routes cross in Astrakhan. The role of Astrakhan as an important Russian port and trade centre on the Caspian Sea is growing.