Belgorod

Belgorod (Белгород) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River just 40 km north of the border with Ukraine. Population:

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

Records first mention the settlement in 1237, when the Mongol-led army of Batu Khan ravaged it. It is unclear whether this Belgorod was located at the same place where the current city stands. In 1596 Tsar Feodor Ioannovich ordered its re-establishment 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 ru. In 1666 the Moscow Patriarchate established an  archiepiscopal see in the town.

After the Russian border moved south following the annexation of eastern Ukraine to Russia in the second half of the 17th century, the fortress fell in disrepair and the town became part of the Kursk Governorate.

Peter the Great visited Belgorod on the eve of the Battle of Poltava. 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


Soviet power was established in the city on October 26 (November 8), 1917. On April 10, 1918, German troops occupied Belgorod. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty of 9 February 1918 the demarcation line passed to the north of the city. Belgorod was incorporated into the Ukrainian State (April to December 1918) headed by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi.

On December 20, 1918, after the overthrow of Skoropadskyi, the Red Army occupied the city, which became part of the RSFSR. From December 24, 1918 to January 7, 1919, the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine, then led by General Georgy Pyatakov, was based in Belgorod. The city served as the temporary capital of Ukraine. From June 23 to December 7, 1919 the Volunteer Army occupied the town as part of White-controlled South Russia.

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 of the Soviet Union decided to allocate the city of Belgorod, Kursk region, into an independent administrative unit directly subordinate to the Kursk Regional Executive Committee.

The German Wehrmacht occupied Belgorod from October 25, 1941 to February 9, 1943. The Germans re-captured it 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 Red Army definitively liberated the city 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. One 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, the ru, the ru, and the Financial Academy.

Belgorod Drama Theater is named after the famous 19th-century actor, 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 on a sidewalk, killing all six people that were hit: three people at the store and three passers-by, 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 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.

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. 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.

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
Belgorod is twinned with: