Fort-Shevchenko

This article is about the town of Fort-Shevchenko. For the nearby city of Aktau, formerly Shevchenko, see Aktau.

Fort-Shevchenko Форт-Шевченко Fort-Şevçenko
Fort-Shevchenko from the air
Coat of arms
Fort-Shevchenko Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates:
Country	Kazakhstan
Region	Mangystau Region
Population (2009)
• Total	4,888
Time zone	+5 (UTC+5)

Fort Shevchenko (Kazakh: Форт-Шевченко) is a military-base town and administrative center of Tupkaragan District in Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea. Primary industries include fishing and the extraction of stone. Population: 4,888 (2009 Census results); 3,624 (1999 Census results).

History

The city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial Russian Navy. Until 1857 it was known as Novopetrovskoye (Новопетровское) and from 1857-1939 as Fort Alexandrovsky (Форт-Александровский). It was named for Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile. Today the town is used by the Kazakhstan Navy as a base.

The coat of arms of Fort Alexandrovsky was approved October 22, 1908, along with other arms of the Transcaspian field: It is black and silver depicting the fortress and two fish.

Russian Civil War

Fort Alexandrovsky was the site of naval action on 21 May 1919, when a Squadron of the British Caspian Flotilla attacked the port.

Landmarks

There are several landmarks of significance; Shevchenko Memorial Museum, National History, and ethnographic museums. The Shevchenko Memorial Museum opened in 1932 near where he had been hiding. There are also some remnants of the fortress, a monument to Shevchenko and a state grave of Civil War heroes.

31 km from the city is the necropolis Beysenbay and up the coast the site Bautino (Баутино).

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons