Ufa - the capital of Bashkiria - the largest scientific, cultural and industrial center of the South Urals. Thanks to the diligence of Ufa residents, the city is one of the most comfortable in Russia for living. Wide avenues, green streets, a harmonious combination of old quarters and modern neighborhoods form the positive image of the metropolis.
Early history
As part of Muscovy, Ufa - as a fortification - was founded in 1574. However, according to the excavations of the ancient city of Ufa-II, the Bashkir capital is at least 1500 years old. On the territory of the medieval city, evidence of an active social life was found: gold blanks for jewelry, iron ingots with traces of processing, and ceramics. So the city was big and powerful. According to researchers, the settlement of Ufa-II is nothing but the ancient capital of the Bashkirs, the legendary city of Imen-kala (Oak City), about which the Arab historian of the XII century Idrisi wrote.
Modern Ufa (Bashkortostan) traces its lineage to the Kremlin, built on behalf of IvanGrozny on the land of Bashkiria. After the capture of Kazan, the formidable tsar thought at the same time to annex the lands of the Bashkirs related to the Tatars, but the army was too exhausted. Then the Moscow ruler invited the local peoples to voluntarily join the strengthened, strong state, which became the core of the future Russia.
From the fortress to the city
The old fortress was located at the foot of the hill (in the southern part of Pervomaiskaya Square), where the Friendship monument was erected. The oldest streets of the city originated from it: Bolshaya Kazanskaya (the very first, she is 400 years old), Sibirskaya (Mingazheva), Posadskaya, Ilyinskaya, Frolovskaya, Usolskaya, Budanovskaya, Sergievskaya and Moskovskaya.
Ufa (Bashkiria) received the status of the city in 1582. Gradually, a small fortress turns into a central settlement of the Bashkir people. A town hall appeared here - a self-governing body, in 1772 transformed into a magistrate. 30 years later, in 1802, the settlement becomes a provincial town.
Ufa XVII-XVIII centuries
The capital of Bashkiria in this period was a typical small provincial border town-fortress. It consisted of:
- jail;
- posada;
- out-of-town settlement.
The main task of the city was to defend the southeastern borders of the expanding Russian state. The center of Ufa was the Kremlin, surrounded by a wall, behind which, in the event of an enemy threat, residents of the rest of the city could find refuge.
At first, there were about 300 citizens, the total number of households was less than200. The 17th century is notable for the active settlement of the settlement: together with the garrison, the total number of townspeople exceeded one and a half thousand. In addition to military service, the townspeople were engaged in agriculture: animal husbandry, beekeeping, gardening, growing grain. Among the crafts, leather and blacksmithing flourished (forges were located on the banks of the Sutoloka).
According to the papers, by the end of the 18th century, Ufa had grown to 1058 households, 2389 inhabitants lived here, although, according to some historians, at that time there were more than 3000 people in Ufa. Most of the townspeople belonged to raznochintsy, philistines. There were much fewer military, merchants and nobles.
The entire network of streets in the historical center of Ufa was created by the largest specialist in the field of Russian urban planning, architect William Geste, who was specially invited from St. Petersburg. He came to Ufa in 1819.
Attractions
From that time, few sights have been preserved. Frequent fires destroyed wooden buildings, and very few stone ones were erected. Ufa can boast of only single architectural monuments of antiquity. Bashkortostan is the homeland of nomads who developed not material, but spiritual culture.
One of the surviving examples of wooden architecture is the Church of the Intercession (dating back to the 19th century) on Mingazhev Street. In Soviet times, the Yondoz cinema was located here, now this building has again become a church building.
Among the stone buildings of the pre-revolutionary era, the Ufa station station stands out. Bashkiria in 1888 wasconnected with the metropolis by railroad. At first, a branch of the Samara-Ufa railway was built. Since 1890, the station building was subordinated to the management of the Samara-Zlatousovskaya railway, since 1949 - to the Ufa railway. Since 2003 it has a modern name and status. Currently, the station complex of Ufa station is undergoing major reconstruction.
Also preserved in Ufa:
- House of the Civil Governor (XIX century). Now the Ministry of He alth of the Republic of Belarus is located in this building.
- An architectural monument is also the building of the Noble Assembly (erected in 1852). It was handed over to the Ufa Academy of Arts.
- Building of Provincial Institutions (1839). Now this is a donor item.
- Other attractions.
The oldest building is considered to be the corner one-story house of the miner Demidov (on October Revolution Street-57). House built in the middle of the 18th century. After the death of its owner, Ivan Demidov, in 1823 the house was acquired by the Ufa merchant F. S. Safronov. The house is also famous for the fact that commander A. V. Suvorov stayed in it in November 1774.
Demography
The capital of Bashkiria is in the TOP of Russian million-plus cities, ranking 11th in terms of the number of inhabitants. At the beginning of 2015, the resident population, according to preliminary estimates, amounted to 1.1 million people. It has increased in comparison with the beginning of 2008 by almost 70,000 people. The general demographic situation since 2007 has been characterized by an increase in the birth rate, a decrease in mortality and, as a result, a natural increase in the population. For the first time since1993 Ufa is the only city with a population of one million in the Russian Federation, where natural growth took place in 2008.
Symbolics and administration
Administratively, Bashkortostan is a republic. Ufa is the capital of this Ural region. On September 6, 2007, at a meeting of the City Council, the deputies approved the flag of the city. This attribute, in contrast to the emblem of the Bashkir capital, appeared for the first time in the history of the city. The emblem appeared originally in the middle of the 17th century and has undergone significant changes. The new coat of arms was approved on October 12, 2006 and registered by the Heraldic Council. Both the coat of arms and the flag represent a stylization of a marten running across a green field.
The first mayor of Ufa was Mikhail Alekseevich Zaitsev. He was transferred to this position from the post of chairman of the Ufa City Council on March 19, 1992. In 1995, M. A. Zaitsev was elected the first Chairman of the State Assembly - Kurultai - of the Republic of Bashkortostan. He is an honorary citizen of the city of Ufa. Today (2015) the head of the Ufa Civil Defense is I. I. Yalalov.
Regions of Bashkiria are subdivided into districts. In turn, Ufa is divided into seven districts and 45 rural settlements subordinate to them. There are 1237 streets in the city. Their total length, taking into account driveways, embankments, is 1475.2 kilometers. The Ufa agglomeration is home to 1.4 million people (2008), or a third of the total population of the republic.
Industry
Republic of Bashkiria is famous for truly hardworking people. The capital is no exception. The largestindustrial enterprises are located in the north-eastern part of the city. Among them are the giants of the Bashkir oil refining and petrochemistry and the Ufa Engine Building Association (UMPO). The central street of this industrial area is Pervomaiskaya, it is crowned on both sides by two most beautiful palaces of culture (named after S. Ordzhonikidze and the Ufa Motor-Building Association).
About two dozen large enterprises of various forms of ownership are employed in construction. Among them are the Housing Construction Fund of the Republic of Belarus, the Investment and Construction Committee of Ufa, the Bashkir Investment and Construction Company, the Bashkir Industrial Construction Company, the Bashkirgrazhdanproekt Institute, Arkhproekt, Bashmeliovodkhoz, Prostor, JSC KPD and others.
The first power plant was built on February 1, 1898. It was built by engineer N. V. Konshin at his own expense and supplied electricity to the houses of the rich, city institutions, industrial and commercial facilities. The central streets were also illuminated, on which 50 arc lamps were installed. Today, the total length of electric lighting lines in the capital of Bashkortostan is 1,669.23 kilometers, including 549.3 kilometers of cable lines. Street lighting is provided by MUEP Ufagorsvet.
Education
The capital of Bashkiria is a recognized scientific and educational center. The first schools were called "tsifirnaya" and "garrison". Tsifirnaya was opened in Peter's time. Little is known about the school - only “moments” about a peculiar measure of punishment have survived to this day: students were forbidden to marry if they arbitrarilyleft school. In the garrison they taught the basics of mathematics, reading, artillery, fortification. In 1778, the garrison school was transferred to the city of Orenburg.
The opening of the first institute took place on 10/4/1909. It was the Ufa teacher's institute. Teachers of the Russian language, mathematics, physics, natural science, history and other wisdom were trained here. Then it was transformed into the Bashkir Pedagogical Institute named after K. A. Timiryazev. Since 1957 - Bashkir State University. Today there are more than a dozen universities and hundreds of schools, colleges, lyceums.
Culture and sports
The capital of Bashkiria is also the cultural capital of the region. The Bashkir State Philharmonic was opened in Ufa in 1939 in a former synagogue building at 58 Gogol Street. It was organized by the composer and performer Gaziz Almukhametov. The Philharmonic united the choir, operetta, brass, folk orchestras and other disciplines.
There are 1274 sports facilities in Ufa, including 4 stadiums with stands for 1500 seats or more, the Sports Palace with two artificial ice rinks, the Akbuzat hippodrome, a ski jump complex, a biathlon complex, Ufa Arena, a modern stadium "Dynamo". It is also planned to build water parks in Ufa. Of particular note is the Ufa circus.
