Cherkessk

{{Short description|City in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2011}}

{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality

| en_name = Cherkessk

| ru_name = Черкесск

| loc_name1 =

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| image_skyline = {{multiple image

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| perrow = 1/2/2/2/2

| total_width = 250

| image1 = The city of Cherkessk.jpg

| image2 = Никольский собор, Черкесск, КЧР.jpg

| image3 = Памятник "Дружба народов" , Черкесск 02.jpg

| image4 = Мечеть в Черкесске.jpg

| image5 = Cherkessk - Cinema building.jpg

| footer = From the top to bottom-right, Aerial view of the City, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Friendship Monument, Central Mosque, Soviet-Era Cinema Building}}

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| coordinates = {{coord|44|13|N|42|03|E|display=inline,title}}

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| image_coa = Coat of Arms of Cherkessk (Karachay-Cherkessia).png

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| federal_subject = Karachay-Cherkess Republic

| federal_subject_ref =

| adm_district_jur =

| adm_district_jur_ref =

| adm_inhabloc_jur = city of republic significance of Cherkessk

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| capital_of = Karachay-Cherkess Republic

| capital_of_ref =

| adm_ctr_of1 = city of republic significance of Cherkessk

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| inhabloc_cat = City

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| urban_okrug_jur = Cherkessk Urban Okrug

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| mun_admctr_of1 = Cherkessk Urban Okrug

| mun_admctr_of1_ref =

| mun_admctr_of2 =

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| leader_title = Mayor

| leader_title_ref =

| leader_name = Alexey Baskaev

| leader_name_ref ={{cite web|url=https://news.rambler.ru/other/44377186-glavoy-cherkesska-izbran-byvshiy-zammera-goroda-aleksey-baskaev/|title=Главой Черкесска избран бывший заммэра города Алексей Баскаев|date=June 19, 2020 }}

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| elevation_m =

| area_km2 = 69.8

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| pop_2010census = 129069

| pop_2010census_rank = 127th

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| pop_density = 1849.12

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| established_date = 1825

| established_title =

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| current_cat_date = 1931

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| postal_codes = 3690XX

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| dialing_codes = 8782

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| website = http://cherkessk09.ru/

|date=|pushpin_map=Russia Karachay-Cherkessia#European Russia#Russia#Europe}}

Cherkessk ({{langx|ru|Черке́сск}}; Adyghe: Шэрджэс къалэ; Kabardian: Черкес-къалэ) is the capital city of Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, as well as its political, economic, and cultural center. Population: {{ru-census2010|129,069|.}} 112,782 (2024).{{Cite web |title=Rosstat2024 |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/%D0%A1hisl_MO_01-01-2024.xlsx}}

It was previously known as Batalpashinskaya (until 1931), Batalpashinsk (until 1934), Sulimov (until 1937), Yezhovo-Cherkessk (until 1939).

Names

In Russian, the city is called {{lang|ru|Черке́сск}} (Čerkessk){{cite web|url=http://www.eki.ee/knab/p_mm_en.htm |title=KNAB, the Place Names Database of EKI |publisher=Eki.ee |access-date=2015-02-20}} and has similar names in the languages of the city's other major ethnic groups. In Karachay, it is {{lang|krc|Черкесск}} (Çerkessk) or {{lang|krc|Черкесск шахар}} (Çerkessk şahar); in Kabardian, it is {{lang|kbd|Шэрджэс къалэ}} (Şărdjăs qală) or {{lang|kbd|Черке́сск}} (Čerkessk); in Abaza, it is {{lang|abq|Черкес къала}} (Čerkes q̇ala) or {{lang|abq|Черкесск}} (Čerkessk); in Nogai, it is {{lang|nog|Шеркеш шахар}} (Şerkeş şahar) and in Chechen, it is {{lang|ce|Черкесск}} (Čerkessk).

For its first century of existence, Cherkessk was a stanitsa, a village inside a Cossack host, which from 1825 to 1931 was named Batalpashinskaya stanitsa (Russian: {{lang|ru|Баталпашинская станица}} Batalpašinskaja stanica) and nicknamed Pashinka ({{lang|ru|Пашинка}} Pašinka) In 1931, it was renamed Batalpashinsk ({{lang|ru|Баталпашинск}} Batałpašinsk),[http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/city_of_russia/1196/Черкесск Города России: Черкесск. Энциклопедия] — М.: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. И. Кондратьева, 1994. {{in lang|ru}} and then in quick succession Sulimov ({{lang|ru|Сулимов}} Sulimov) in 1934 for Daniil Sulimov, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian SFSR, and following Sulimov's execution in the Great Purge, Yezhovo-Cherkessk ({{lang|ru|Ежово-Черкесск}} Ježovo-Čerkessk) in 1937 for Nikolai Yezhov, head of the NKVD. With Yezhov's arrest, the initial "Yezhovo-" was dropped, and the city received its present name in 1939.

History

File:Важная выписка из постановления ВЦИК - panoramio.jpg

What is now Cherkessk was established in 1804 as a Russian military fort on the Kuban River, what was then the border with Circassia, on the spot where in 1790 Russian troops under the command of General Johann Hermann von Fersen (Ivan Ivanovich Herman fon Fersen) defeated the Ottoman Batal Pasha. In honor of the victory over Batal Pasha, the fort was named Batalpashinskaya; it was a redoubt surrounded by an earthen rampart and ditch. (That the fort was named for an enemy leader may have led villagers to prefer the nickname Pashinka.)

File:Памятник "Дружба народов" , Черкесск.jpg

The settlement itself was founded as the Cossack stanitsa of Batalpashinskaya near the Russian Army outpost. The officially recognized year of founding of Batalpashinskaya and modern Cherkessk is 1825. However, the Cossack settlers from the Khopyour and Kuban regiments began arriving in the newly organized stanitsa not earlier than spring of 1826.В. А. Колесников. Былое Невинного Мыса. К 185-летию переселения Хопёрского казачьего полка на Кубань и основания станицы Невиномысской. Ставрополь. «ЮРКИТ» 2011. {{in lang|ru}} In 1860, the village was designated as the administrative center of the Batalpashinsky Otdel of the Kuban Oblast. A decree of 30 December 1869 by Tsar Alexander II transformed the village into a city of Batalpashinsk but the decree was never implemented,Филиппов Е. В. Город Баталпашинск: проекты и реалии. {{in lang|ru}} and Batalpashinskaya remained a stanitsa until the Soviet times. In 1888, the village became a seat of one of Kuban's seven departments.

File:Памятник советским воинам, погибшим в годы Великой Отечественной войны площадь Кирова,, Черкесск.jpg

In 1922, the village became the seat of the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast of the RSFSR, and in 1926, the Cherkess National Okrug. In 1931, it was granted town status and renamed Batalpashinsk. It received its current name of Cherkessk in 1939. The city was occupied by the Nazi German Wehrmacht during World War II (the Eastern Front) from 11 August 1942 to 17 January 1943 as part of the Case Blue offensive. In 1957, it became the capital of the reformed Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast which became the Karachay–Cherkess Republic in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Administrative and municipal status

Cherkessk is the capital of the republic.Law #84-RZ Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the city of republic significance of Cherkessk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the city of republic significance of Cherkessk is incorporated as Cherkessk Urban Okrug.Law #41-RZ

Population

File:ЗиУ 682г-016.05 №56.jpg

File:Cerkiew Czerkiesk.jpg

The population of Cherkessk was 129,069 in the 2010 Census, 116,244 in the 2002 Census{{ru-pop-ref|2002Census}} and 113,060 in the 1989 Soviet Census.{{ru-pop-ref|1989Census}}

=Ethnic groups=

The city is inhabited by Russians, native Cherkess (Circassians), Karachays, Abaza, Nogays and minorities of Ukrainians, Greeks and Armenians.

==1926==

According to the First All-Union Census of the Soviet Union of 1926, inhabitants of Batalpashinsk (present-day Cherkessk) included:[http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rnkchr.html Этнокавказ. Национальный состав КЧР по переписям 1926—2002] {{in lang|ru}}

==1939==

The 1937 census results were suppressed and destroyed but the Soviet census of 1939 recorded:

==1959==

The Soviet census of 1959 recorded:

  • Russians (87.7%)
  • Ukrainians (2.8%)
  • Circassian (2.1%)
  • Abazins (1.8%)
  • Karachays (1.6%)
  • Nogais (0.4%)
  • Greeks (0.4%)
  • Ossetians (0.4%)

==1970==

The Soviet census of 1970 recorded:

  • Russians (74.5%)
  • Circassian (6.4%)
  • Karachays (6.2%)
  • Abazins (5.0%)
  • Ukrainians (2.1%)
  • Nogais (1.0%)
  • Greeks (0.5%)
  • Ossetians (0.5%)

==1989==

According to the 1989 data from the final Soviet census, the population of the city included:

  • Russians (67.8%)
  • Circassian (9.0%)
  • Karachays (7.8%)
  • Abazins (6.5%)
  • Ukrainians (2.2%)
  • Nogais (1.2%)
  • Ossetians (0.5%)
  • Greeks (0.5%)

==2002==

In 2002, the Russian census reported the population including:{{cite web |title=Население по национальной принадлежности, владению русским языком и его использованию по городским и муниципальным округам КЧР |url=https://26.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/%D0%A2%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0%203.%20%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5%20%D0%BF%D0%BE%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86%20%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD,%20%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8E%20%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC%20%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%20%D0%B8%20%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE%20%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8E%20%D0%BF%D0%BE%20%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%20%D0%B8%20%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BD%20%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BC%20%D0%9A%D0%A7%D0%A0.xlsx |access-date=4 July 2023 |publisher=Rosstat}}

==2010==

In 2010, the population included:{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

==2021==

In 2021, the population included:

Climate

{{Weather box |width = auto |collapsed =

| metric first = yes

| single line = Yes

| location = Cherkessk (1991-2020 normals)

|temperature colour =

| Jan mean C =-2.1

| Feb mean C =-1.3

| Mar mean C =3.6

| Apr mean C =9.7

| May mean C =15.1

| Jun mean C =19.1

| Jul mean C =21.8

| Aug mean C =21.4

| Sep mean C =16.6

| Oct mean C =10.6

| Nov mean C =3.8

| Dec mean C =-0.3

| year mean C =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm =22

| Feb precipitation mm =22

| Mar precipitation mm =37

| Apr precipitation mm =52

| May precipitation mm =79

| Jun precipitation mm =98

| Jul precipitation mm =64

| Aug precipitation mm =65

| Sep precipitation mm =52

| Oct precipitation mm =47

| Nov precipitation mm =32

| Dec precipitation mm =27

| year precipitation mm =

| unit precipitation days = 1 mm

| Jan precipitation days =6

| Feb precipitation days =5

| Mar precipitation days =7

| Apr precipitation days =8

| May precipitation days =10

| Jun precipitation days =11

| Jul precipitation days =8

| Aug precipitation days =7

| Sep precipitation days =7

| Oct precipitation days =7

| Nov precipitation days =6

| Dec precipitation days =6

| year precipitation days =

| Jan sun =94

| Feb sun =118

| Mar sun =139

| Apr sun =190

| May sun =232

| Jun sun =258

| Jul sun =296

| Aug sun =279

| Sep sun =215

| Oct sun =156

| Nov sun =115

| Dec sun =94

| year sun =

|source = Климатические нормы{{cite web |title=Climatic Norms |url=https://meteoinfo.ru/climatcities |language =Russian |website=meteoinfo |publisher=Hydrometeo Center of Russia|access-date=7 February 2025}}

}}

{{Weather box |width = auto |collapsed = yes

| metric first = yes

| single line = Yes

| location = Cherkessk

|temperature colour =

|humidity colour =

|rain colour = green

| Jan high C =2.1

| Feb high C =3.9

| Mar high C =8.2

| Apr high C =14.0

| May high C =18.7

| Jun high C =22.6

| Jul high C =25.6

| Aug high C =26.1

| Sep high C =20.9

| Oct high C =14.9

| Nov high C =8.8

| Dec high C =3.8

| year high C =

| Jan mean C =-3.0

| Feb mean C =-1.3

| Mar mean C =2.9

| Apr mean C =8.7

| May mean C =13.9

| Jun mean C =18.1

| Jul mean C =20.9

| Aug mean C =21.0

| Sep mean C =15.9

| Oct mean C =9.7

| Nov mean C =3.3

| Dec mean C =-1.2

| year mean C =

| Jan low C =-7.4

| Feb low C =-5.9

| Mar low C =-2.4

| Apr low C =2.7

| May low C =8.1

| Jun low C =12.3

| Jul low C =15.1

| Aug low C =15.4

| Sep low C =10.7

| Oct low C =5.1

| Nov low C =-0.8

| Dec low C =-5.2

| year low C =

| Jan rain mm =38.3

| Feb rain mm =29.5

| Mar rain mm =62.5

| Apr rain mm =57.8

| May rain mm =120.4

| Jun rain mm =95.7

| Jul rain mm =58.7

| Aug rain mm =46

| Sep rain mm =60

| Oct rain mm =50.9

| Nov rain mm =37.1

| Dec rain mm =35.9

| Jan snow cm = 15.6

| Feb snow cm = 6.2

| Mar snow cm = 11.2

| Apr snow cm = 3.4

| May snow cm = 0.0

| Jun snow cm = 0.0

| Jul snow cm = 0.0

| Aug snow cm = 0.0

| Sep snow cm = 0.0

| Oct snow cm = 1.9

| Nov snow cm = 7.7

| Dec snow cm = 14.3

| year snow cm =

| Jan rain days =9

| Feb rain days =7

| Mar rain days =9

| Apr rain days =7

| May rain days =13

| Jun rain days =12

| Jul rain days =7

| Aug rain days =6

| Sep rain days =6

| Oct rain days =5

| Nov rain days =5

| Dec rain days =7

| year rain days =

| Jan humidity =83

| Feb humidity =79

| Mar humidity =75

| Apr humidity =67

| May humidity =67

| Jun humidity =67

| Jul humidity =64

| Aug humidity =66

| Sep humidity =67

| Oct humidity =74

| Nov humidity =78

| Dec humidity =82

| year humidity =

| Jand sun =3.7

| Febd sun =4.2

| Mard sun =4.8

| Aprd sun =6.2

| Mayd sun =7.8

| Jund sun =9.1

| Juld sun =9.3

| Augd sun =9.2

| Sepd sun =7.7

| Octd sun =5.9

| Novd sun =3.8

| Decd sun =3.1

| yeard sun =

| Jan uv =1

| Feb uv =2

| Mar uv =2

| Apr uv =3

| May uv =4

| Jun uv =4

| Jul uv =6

| Aug uv =5

| Sep uv =4

| Oct uv =2

| Nov uv =2

| Dec uv =2

| year uv =

|source = Climate data(Temperatures 1991-2021{{cite web |title=Cherkessk Climate |url=https://en.climate-data.org/asia/russian-federation/karachay-cherkessia/cherkessk-19547/ |website=Climate data |access-date=2 February 2024}})[https://www.weather2visit.com/ Weather2visit],{{Cite web |url=https://www.weather2visit.com/europe/russia/cherkessk.htm |title=Cherkessk monthly weather averages |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=weather2visit}} [https://www.worldweatheronline.com/ World weather online] (rainfall-snowfall-UV 2009-2023){{cite web |title=Annual weather averages - Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkess, RU |url=https://www.worldweatheronline.com/cherkessk-weather-averages/karachay-cherkess/ru.aspx |website=World Weather Online |access-date=2 February 2024}}

}}

Education

File:Cherkessk academy.jpg

Cherkessk is home to the following education institutions:

Culture

File:RU TCH DN 4.jpg

  • Drama Theater: ethnic, modern and classical plays
  • State Philharmonic: classical and ethnic orchestra performances
  • Elbrus State Ensemble: ethnic North Caucasian dances, dance studio
  • Ensemble of Cossack Dance and Song: ethnic performances

Sport

  • The association football team FC Inter Cherkessk play at the Stadium Nart. FC Nart Cherkessk previously played there, until they were dissolved in 2004.
  • The demolished Dombay Stadium or Motodrom was a motorcycle speedway stadium located south of the Stadium Nart and Green Island off Ulitsa Michurina ({{coord|44|13|09|N|42|02|09|E}}). The stadium hosted important events including the Continental Speedway final round of the Speedway World Championship in 1972{{cite web |url=https://dlprezes.pl.tl/SPEEDWAY--_--Indywidualne-mistrzostwa-%26%23346%3Bwiata-----------k1-World-Speedway-Championship-k2-.htm |title=World Championship |website=Metal Speedway |access-date=2 February 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/ |title=World Championship | website=Speedway.org |access-date=2 February 2024}} and a semi final of the 1991 Speedway Under-21 World Championship.
  • The Cherkessk speedway team (under various nicknames) regularly participated in the Soviet Union Championship from 1972 through to 1992{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmzsrr.php |title=Soviet Union Team Championship |website=Speedway History |access-date=13 April 2024}} and then during 1993, in the Russian Championship, winning the bronze medal in 1993.{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmrosji.php |title=Russian Team Championship |website=Speedway History |access-date=13 April 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://speedwayfansite.com/ligi/rosyjskaliga.html |title=Soviet Union & Russian Team Championship |website=Speedway Fansite |access-date=12 April 2024}}

Notable people

  • David Safaryan, World champion in freestyle wrestling representing Armenia

References

=Notes=

{{Reflist}}

=Sources=

  • {{RussiaAdmMunRef|kc|adm|law}}
  • {{RussiaAdmMunRef|kc|mun|list|cherkessk}}