Known since the times of Ancient Russia, the city has preserved an incredibly rich cultural and architectural heritage. The population of Smolensk more than once in its long history fought heroically against foreign invaders coming to the capital. Once a "shield city" and "key city", now it's just an industrial and cultural center of modern Russia.
General information
Smolensk is located on both banks of the upper Dnieper, the sources of which are located in the region. The city is located on the Smolensk Upland, at the western tip of the Smolensk-Moscow Upland. High hills and capes give a strong elevation difference, which the locals consider mountains, therefore they call Smolensk a city on seven hills.
In "The Tale of Bygone Years" the first mention of Smolensk as the center of the Krivichi tribal union dates back to 862. In 882 the city was captured by the ancient Russian prince Oleg. In subsequent years, the city was part of the Moscow and GreatLithuanian principalities, then came under the control of the Commonwe alth. Until, finally, in 1654, it was captured by the army of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and finally became a Russian city.
First years
In 1708 the city became the administrative center of the Smolensk province. Repeatedly besieged and destroyed by storms, the city was rebuilt anew. Before the Patriotic War of 1812, the population of Smolensk was 12,400 people.
In August 1812, the Battle of Smolensk took place with the French, during which over 20,000 people died on both sides. Russian troops retreated, the city was captured, already in flames. The post-war recovery was very slow, in 1840 there were 11,000 Smolensk residents. The city could not recover from the crisis for a long time, only the beginning of the construction of the Riga - Orel railway (1868) gave an impetus to the development of the economy. In 1863 the population of the city of Smolensk grew to 23,100 people. Industry began to develop, the rural population freed from serfdom began to arrive for construction and work in factories. In 1870, a railway was built in the direction Moscow - Brest-Litovsk (1870), and in 1899 - the Ryazan-Ural railway, which made the city a major transport hub. In 1897, the population of Smolensk grew to 47,000 people, including Russians - 79.9% of the total number of citizens, Jews - 8.9%, Poles - 6.4%.
In the first half of the 20th century
By 1900 in the citythere were 56,000 inhabitants, there were 10 squares, 139 streets, 33 educational institutions, many Orthodox churches, 3 monasteries, several hospitals and clinics. According to the last pre-revolutionary census, the population of the city of Smolensk was 74,000 people.
After the revolution, the issue of incorporating the city into the Byelorussian SSR was discussed for a long time. However, according to the results of the provincial census of 1920, it turned out that there are more Russians than Belarusians, and the city was left in Russia. World War I and the Civil War severely devastated the economy. As a result, the number of Smolensk people decreased to 63,700 in 1923. During the years of Soviet industrialization, the city developed rapidly, new enterprises were built, including the Smolensk Aviation Plant. According to the last pre-war census in 1939, the population of Smolensk was 156,884 people. During the Great Patriotic War (from September 1941 to August 1943) it was occupied by German troops, during which time 546 thousand civilians died in the region. Taking into account both those who died at the fronts and in the partisan detachments, the city's population was severely damaged.
Post-war reconstruction
In 1956, there were only 131,000 Smolensk people. The city was hard to recover from the devastation of the war years. The evacuated enterprises were returned, since 1953 a hosiery factory and a cheese factory have been operating. But still, only by the 60s was the pre-war population of Smolensk reached.
In 1961, the Kristall association was founded - the largest inRussian manufacturer of diamonds and the world's largest factory for cutting natural diamonds. The aviation plant started production of units and kits for the production of passenger aircraft IL-62 and Yak-40. In the same year, a factory of radio components was launched. Labor resources from different regions of the country were attracted to work at industrial enterprises. In 1962, 164,000 people lived in Smolensk. In the following decades, the population grew steadily (with the exception of a slight decline in 1959). Many new industries were launched, including Iskra and Izmeritel, new microdistricts, he althcare, cultural and sports facilities were built. In 1985, Smolensk was awarded the honorary title of "Hero City". In the last year of Soviet power in 1991, there were 350,000 people in Smolensk.
Modernity
In the first post-Soviet years, the number of inhabitants basically continued to grow. Despite the fact that the city, like the whole country, was in a severe crisis. Wages were not paid for many months, industrial enterprises began to close. Population fluctuations are associated with natural causes - the excess of births over deaths, or vice versa, as well as with an insignificant migration flow. In 1996, the maximum population of Smolensk reached 356,000 people. From 1999 to 2009 The number of residents has been steadily decreasing. In subsequent years, the number of citizens changed in different directions. In 2017, the city had 330,025residents.
