Belgorod

For the city in Ukraine, see Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. For the defunct city in Kievan Rus, see Belgorod Kievsky.

Not to be confused with Belgrade.

Belgorod (English) Белгород (Russian)
-  City  -
View of the central part of the city
Location of Belgorod Oblast in Russia
Belgorod Location of Belgorod in Belgorod Oblast
Coordinates:
Coat of arms	Flag
Anthem	none
City Day	August 5
Administrative status (as of July 2013)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Belgorod Oblast
Administratively subordinated to	city of oblast significance of Belgorod
Administrative center of	Belgorod Oblast, city of oblast significance of Belgorod
Municipal status (as of May 2013)
Urban okrug	Belgorod Urban Okrug
Administrative center of	Belgorod Urban Okrug
Mayor	Sergey Bozhenov
Representative body	Council of Deputies
Statistics
Population (2010 Census)	356,402 inhabitants
- Rank in 2010	49th
Population (January 2015 est.)	384,425 inhabitants
Time zone	MSK (UTC+03:00)
Founded	1596
Postal code(s)	308000–308002, 308004–308007, 308009–308020, 308023–308027, 308029, 308031–308034, 308036, 308099, 308700, 308880, 308890, 308899, 308940, 308960, 308961, 308967, 308971–308974, 308991–308994
Dialing code(s)	+7 4722
Official website
[[:commons:Category:{{#property:Commons category}}|Belgorod]] on Wikimedia Commons

Belgorod (Russian: Белгород; IPA: [ˈbʲɛlɡərət]) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River just 40 kilometers (25 mi) north of the border with Ukraine. Population: 356,402 (2010 Census); 337,030 (2002 Census); 300,408 (1989 Census).

History

The name Belgorod in Russian literally means "a white city", being a compound of "белый" (bely, "white, light") and "город" (gorod, "town, city"). The city was thus named after the region being rich in limestone. Etymologically, it corresponds to other Slavic city names of identical meaning: Belgrade, Belogradchik, Białogard, Biograd, Bilhorod, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi etc.

The settlement was first mentioned in 1237, when it was ravaged by the hordes of Batu Khan. It is unclear whether this Belgorod was located at the same place where the current city is. In 1596, it was re-founded by the order of Feodor Ioannovich as one of numerous forts set up to defend Southern borders from the Crimean Tatars. In the 17th century it suffered repeatedly from Tatar incursions, against which there was built (from 1633 to 1740) an earthen wall, with twelve forts, extending upwards of 200 miles from the Vorskla to the Don, and called the Byelgorod line. In 1666, an archiepiscopal see was established in the town.

Men's Monastery in 1911

After the Russian border was moved further south following the annexation of eastern Ukraine to Russia, the fortress fell in disrepair and the town was assigned to Kursk Governorate.

Peter the Great visited it on the eve of the Battle of Poltava, and a dragoon regiment was stationed in the town until 1917.

Ioasaph of Belgorod, an 18th-century bishop, became widely venerated as a miracle worker and was glorified as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1911.

20th century

View of Belgorod in 1912

Soviet power was established in the city on October 26 (November 8), 1917. On April 10, 1918, Belgorod was occupied by German troops. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty the demarcation line passed to the north of the city and Belgorod was incorporated into the Ukrainian State headed by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi.

On December 20, 1918, after the overthrow of Skoropadskiy the city was occupied by the Red Army and became part of the RSFSR. From December 24, 1918 to January 7, 1919, the temporary Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine led by General Piatakov was housed in Belgorod. The city was the temporary capital of Ukraine. From June 23 to December 7, 1919, the town was part of the white South of Russia and took his volunteer army.

From September 1925 the territorial 163rd Infantry Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division of Kursk was stationed in Belgorod. In September 1939, it was deployed to the 185th Infantry Division.

On March 2, 1935, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee decided to allocate the city of Belgorod, Kursk region into an independent administrative unit directly subordinate to the Kursk Regional Executive Committee.

It was occupied by Nazi Germany on October 25, 1941 to February 9, 1943. It was recaptured by the Germans on March 18, 1943 in the final move of the Third Battle of Kharkov. On July 12, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in world history took place near Prokhorovka, and the city was consequently liberated for good on August 5, 1943. The Belgorod Diorama is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event.

In 1954, the city became the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast. From this time the rapid development of the city as a regional center began. We can say that the city was rebuilt.

Belgorod is an administrative, industrial and cultural center of Belgorod Oblast, established in 1954. The major educational centers of the city are Belgorod State University, Technological University, Agricultural Academy, Financial Academy.

Belgorod Drama Theater is named after one of the famous 19th-century actors Mikhail Shchepkin who was born in this region.

On April 22, 2013, a mass shooting occurred at approximately 2:20 PM Moscow time on a street in Belgorod. The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Sergey (Sergei) Pomazun (Сергей Помазун), opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle on several people at a gun store and a sidewalk, killing all six people that were hit: three people at the store and three passersby, including two teenage girls. Pomazun was later apprehended after an extensive day-long manhunt; during his arrest, he wounded a policeman with a knife. He was later sentenced to life in prison on August 23, 2013.

Administrative and municipal status

Belgorod is the administrative center of the oblast. Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Belgorod—an administrative unit with status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Belgorod is incorporated as Belgorod Urban Okrug.

City divisions

For administrative purposes, Belgorod is divided into two city okrugs:

• Vostochny ("Eastern"), population: 141,844 (2010 Census)
• Zapadny ("Western"), population: 214,558 (2010 Census)

Climate

Belgorod's climate is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb) featuring cold winters, warm summers and moderate precipitation.

Climate data for Belgorod
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	−4.8 (23.4)	−3.3 (26.1)	1.9 (35.4)	12.6 (54.7)	20.7 (69.3)	23.6 (74.5)	25.1 (77.2)	24.3 (75.7)	18.6 (65.5)	11.0 (51.8)	2.7 (36.9)	−1.8 (28.8)	10.88 (51.61)
Average low °C (°F)	−11.1 (12)	−9.6 (14.7)	−4.9 (23.2)	3.2 (37.8)	9.4 (48.9)	12.6 (54.7)	14.3 (57.7)	13.3 (55.9)	8.4 (47.1)	3.1 (37.6)	−2.5 (27.5)	−6.9 (19.6)	2.44 (36.39)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	52 (2.05)	40 (1.57)	36 (1.42)	46 (1.81)	48 (1.89)	67 (2.64)	72 (2.83)	53 (2.09)	49 (1.93)	40 (1.57)	52 (2.05)	50 (1.97)	605 (23.82)
Average precipitation days	10	9	8	7	7	8	9	7	7	7	10	11	100
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN)

Transportation

Since 1869, there has been a railway connection between Belgorod and Moscow. Belgorod is served by the Belgorod International Airport (EGO).

Trolleybus

Length of trolley lines is over 120 km (75 mi). Trolleybus city park consists of 150 pieces of equipment, mainly Russian-made trolley ZiU-682V, 2 units ZiU-683, operated since 1990, and 3 units ZiU-6205, 30 units "Optima", and also has one trolley Skoda-VSW -14Tr, which started operation in 1996. In 2002, the city administration purchased 15 new trolleybuses ZiU-682G, and in 2005 bought another 20 new trolleybuses ZiU-682G, and in 2011 - 30 trolleybuses Trolza-5275.05 "Optima", and in 2013 - 20 new trolleybuses ACSM-420.

Bus

The city has two bus stations: Bus Belgorod, Belgorod- 2 Bus Terminal (located on the forecourt ), as well as bus stop complex Energomash. The Energomash bus station is mainly for commuting buses. From the bus station Belgorod-2 buses go mainly to nearby regional centers, and departure of buses in accordance with the arrival of trains.

Culture and art

Theaters

• Belgorod Drama Theater
• Belgorod Puppet Theater
• Two monkeys, Belgorod clowning theater

Museums

• Belgorod historical museum
• Belgorod Art Museum
• Belgorod Museum of Folk Culture
• The Belgorod Diorama Of The Tank Battle of 1943

Festivals

• White mask, a festival of street arts

Notable people

• Joasaph of Belgorod, 18th century bishop
• Svetlana Khorkina, Olympic gymnast
• Natalia Zuyeva, Olympic rhythmic gymnast
• Alexey Shved, basketball player
• Vadim Moshkovich, Federation Council member

Twin towns and sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Belgorod is twinned with:

Wakefield, United Kingdom Herne, Germany Palembang, Indonesia

Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine

References

Sources

• Белгородский городской Совет депутатов. Решение №197 от 29 ноября 2005 г. «О принятии Устава городского округа "Город Белгород"», в ред. Решения №262 от 22 июля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Устав городского округа "Город Белгород"». Вступил в силу 1 января 2006 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Наш Белгород", №50, 16 декабря 2005 г. (Belgorod City Council of Deputies. Decision #197 of November 29, 2005 On the Adoption of the Charter of the Urban Okrug of the "City of Belgorod", as amended by the Decision #262 of July 22, 2015 On Amending the Charter of the Urban Okrug of the "City of Belgorod". Effective as of January 1, 2006 (with the exception of certain clauses).).
• Белгородская областная Дума. Закон №248 от 15 декабря 2008 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Белгородской области», в ред. Закона №213 от 4 июля 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в Закон Белгородской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Белгородской области"». Вступил в силу по истечении 10 дней со дня официального опубликования за исключением положений, для которых предусмотрены иные сроки вступления в силу. Опубликован: "Белгородские известия", №219-220, 19 декабря 2008 г. (Belgorod Oblast Duma. Law #248 of December 15, 2008 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Belgorod Oblast, as amended by the Law #213 of July 4, 2013 On Amending the Law of Belgorod Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Belgorod Oblast". Effective as of 10 days after the day of the official publication; except for the portions for which other effective dates are specified.).
• Белгородская областная Дума. Закон №159 от 20 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении их статусом городского, сельского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района», в ред. Закона №244 от 4 декабря 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 12 Закона Белгородской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении их статусом городского, сельского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района"». Вступил в силу по истечении 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Белгородские известия", №218–220, 24 декабря 2004 г. (Belgorod Oblast Duma. Law #159 of December 20, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations and on Granting Them a Status of Urban, Rural Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District, as amended by the Law #244 of December 4, 2013 On Amending Article 12 of the Law of Belgorod Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations and on Granting Them a Status of Urban, Rural Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District". Effective as of the day which is 10 days after the official publication.).