How did Gatchina appear? The Leningrad region is proud of this city, located about eight kilometers south of St. Petersburg. Gatchina is connected with the northern capital by the Kyiv highway, which smoothly passes into Pulkovskoe. Let's talk about this unique and beautiful city, which is often called a distant suburb of St. Petersburg.
Interesting pages of history
How did Gatchina appear? The history of the city is unique, it is connected with the reign of Catherine II. It was at that time that a huge estate was located here - the Gatchina manor. The Empress erected the Great Gatchina Palace. In 1783, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, the future Russian emperor, became the owner of this luxurious mansion. It was under him that original park buildings appeared here, and large-scale work was underway to rebuild the palace. By decree of Pavel Petrovich in 1796, Gatchina received the status of a city.
The appearance of the name
How did such an unusual name - Gatchina? Description of the history of the city indicates that the village of Khotchino used to be located here. The first mention of its existence dates back to 1500, found in the Novgorod scribe book. Furtherthe settlement is listed in the Swedish books of 1618-1623 as the village of Hotzino by, located in the Dyagilinsky churchyard. There is a version according to which such a toponym arose from the abbreviated form "hot" of one of the personal Old Russian names (Khotina, Khotimir). The second version considers the word “hot” as a variation of the ancient Finnish word “hatsha” (a plot on which a forest was burned along the arable land).
There is another version, according to which there was once a temple of the pagan goddess Khochena on the site of Gatchina, hence the name of the village of Khotchino.
By the middle of the 17th century, instead of the deaf consonant "x", the letter "g" appeared in the name, as a result, the village became known as Gotchino, and then Gotchinskaya manor.
By the end of the same century, the name "Gotchino" finally turns into a modern form. Emperor Alexander III often called these places "dear Gatchina".
In 1923 Gatchina was renamed. The Leningrad region in those days underwent serious transformations, for example, Gatchina turned into Trotsk. Lev Davydovich Trotsky repulsed the Krasnov-Kerensky campaign in 1917, and also became an active participant in the defense of Petrograd in 1919. It was for these merits that the decision was made to encourage Trotsky, and as a pleasant gift, Gatchina is renamed Trotsk.
After Trotsky was deported from the USSR (1929), the city became known as Krasnogvardeisky. During the Great Patriotic War (1942), the fascist invaders named it Lindemannstadt in honor of the commander of the 18th Army, Lindemann. This name was not accepted by the government of the USSR. In 1944year the city was returned to its historical name - Gatchina. The population knows the history of their small homeland, they are proud that every corner of this amazing place is filled with important historical moments for the country.
Pride of the citizens
What else is Gatchina proud of? The population of this city knows that in 2015 their small homeland was awarded the honorary title of "city of military glory". During the Great Patriotic War, German invaders were in this territory.
It was at this time that the palace and park ensemble of Gatchina was seriously destroyed. After the war, restoration work was carried out in the city, new residential areas appeared, an institute of nuclear physics was created, and large industrial enterprises began to function.
The convenient geographical position of Gatchina makes this city a major industrial center of the Leningrad Region. In 1985, after serious restoration work, the Gatchina Palace opened some rooms for free visiting.
In 1999, Gatchina became the winner of the All-Russian competition aimed at identifying the most comfortable Russian city with a population of up to one hundred thousand. The population speaks with pride of such a high achievement.
Until 2010, the city had the status of a historical settlement. However, according to the order of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Gatchina is currently deprived of this status. The population of the city still considers their city a place with a unique history. Here they try to take care of all cultural and architecturalobjects.
Environment and climate
What is the climate of Gatchina? It is characterized by an Atlantic climate, which has some features of a continental climate. Summer in the city can be quite hot, and winter is much colder than in St. Petersburg. In January, the average daily temperature is -8 °C, in July its figure is estimated at +17 °C.
Given that large industrial enterprises are located on the territory of the city, the level of air pollution exceeds the standard indicators.
Gatchina time zone - UTC + 3.
City population
The area of Gatchina is 28.7 km2. In terms of population, this city occupies a leading position in the Leningrad region. At the end of 2014, about one hundred thousand people lived here, and the population continues to grow. This population growth can, in particular, be explained by the fact that many residents of St. Petersburg prefer to buy housing here. In Gatchina, the cost of apartments is much lower, so in the morning people leave for work in St. Petersburg, and in the evening they return to their convenient and comfortable apartments.
Symbolics
The coat of arms of Gatchina was approved in 1980 by the Decree of Paul I. In 1917 it was canceled, but since 1995 it has been again considered the coat of arms of the municipal formation "the city of Gatchina".
The coat of arms of the city of Gatchina was approved by Paul on December 13, 1800. November 10 (23), 1917 wasabolished, since 1995 it has been used as the coat of arms of the municipal formation "city of Gatchina". In the upper part of the shield, in a golden field, there is a symbol of Russian statehood - a double-headed eagle. It is black in color, has golden paws and a beak. Red scarlet tongues are crowned with three crowns of the emperor. The middle crown is large. The eagle holds a scepter and orb in its paws. On his chest is a silver M altese cross under the crown of the Grand Sovereign Military Order of M alta. Above the cross is a scarlet shield, which is burdened with the golden monogram name of Emperor Paul I. Under the cross on a blue background, a golden letter G is visible. The main colors of the coat of arms are:
- azure background represents grandeur and softness;
- yellow tone is associated with generosity, justice, we alth;
- the scarlet color is symbolized with fearlessness, courage, courage;
- white background is associated with purity and innocence.
National composition
The majority of the population of this city are Russian people. That is why interethnic conflicts and problems are not typical for Gatchina. There are no guest workers in this city, it is difficult to see people without a fixed place of residence (homeless people) here. A significant number of pensioners live in Gatchina, there are also many young mothers with strollers, strolling slowly through the ancient streets of this beautiful city in the Leningrad Region.
Characteristics of districts
SFrom an administrative point of view, Gatchina is a single whole, but residents unofficially subdivide several large microdistricts on its territory: entrance, airfield, Khokhlovo, center, Marienburg.
This area is located at the entrance to the city from St. Petersburg, where the Kyiv highway smoothly turns into October 25 Street, the main highway of Gatchina. On the south side, the area is limited by the street of the 7th Army, which is a conditional border from the central part of Gatchina. There are new residential complexes in the district, the 121-gatchina series with nine-story panel houses predominates. The buildings are distinguished by high thermal insulation characteristics, the presence of loggias, and a triple version of their glazing. The area has excellent infrastructure, so many young families live here.
Center
This area is a solid part of the housing stock. There are brick houses built in the second half of the last century. Despite its advanced age, the apartments here are quite expensive. The charm of these places is given by the developed infrastructure, green picturesque courtyards.
Airfield
This area of Gatchina is separated from the central part of the city by a railroad track. It is located near the B altic railway station in Gatchina. He inherited the name of this area from those distant times when the operating Aeroflot was located here. Among the main advantages of this area are the proximity of the station, public transport, including St. Petersburg routes.
Conclusion
Live in thisthe city is pleasant and comfortable, as it has a complete infrastructure, an excellent transport network. In addition to numerous fixed-route taxis, there are also social buses, which older people prefer to get to the Northern capital. In addition, you can also get to St. Petersburg by electric trains that come to the B altiyskaya metro station.
There are no problems in the everyday life of the citizens either. There are many food supermarkets open in Gatchina.
Many people of Gatchina go to work in St. Petersburg. But this does not mean at all that there are no vacancies within the city. There are many shopping centers, grocery supermarkets here, so merchandisers, sellers, cashiers, forwarders are required.
Large enterprises are located in the city:
- Gatchinsky house-building plant, which is considered the largest construction company in St. Petersburg.
- Gatchinsky SSK (Lenstroytrest).
It is difficult to find such a person in Gatchina who would not know about the unique historical past of his small homeland. There are always many tourists here who dream of seeing with their own eyes the unique monuments of the local architecture, taking pictures against the backdrop of the most beautiful picturesque places of this city in the Leningrad Region.
