You can truly know yourself only through the knowledge of the surrounding world. This is where travel helps. Everyone is free to choose their own path: someone, tired of the noise of the metropolis, goes to nature - to test himself and return to the origins of human life. Someone, on the contrary, rushes to places with a developed information space, where every little thing is important, where the brain works to the fullest. Many begin to study the surrounding reality from their small homeland, delve into the history of the region or region, study the surroundings. As a rule, the next stage of knowing the world is a real journey through your native country.
What were the names of cities in Russia
The centuries-old history of Russia is filled with many significant events for further development. These include the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Yermak's campaign against Siberia and its annexation to the territory of the Russian state, the window cut into Europe by Peter the Great, and so on. These facts are reflected in the Russian language. For example, the words "caravan", "watermelon", "noodles", "fog", to which today's personused to, were borrowed from the Tatar language. "Camp" and "resort" were once brought from modern Germany. "Marmalade" and "actor" came from France in the nineteenth century. All of the above refers to the category of ordinary, often used in colloquial speech words. We do not think about their origin, just as we do not think about the origin of city names.
Similar historical situations have influenced geographical names. So, "Derbent" is the Persian "narrow gate". "Chita" is understood as well as "read", from Sanskrit this toponym is translated as "to comprehend" or "to know". "Murom" came from the Cheremis "murom", which means "a place of fun and songs." "Perm" in Vepsian means "distant land". "Ufa" literally from the Bashkir - "dark water". There are many similar examples, and, digging a little deeper, you begin to understand how the names of cities and the history, culture and traditions of the peoples who lived in this place are connected.
Interesting toponyms
Other countries can also boast of a rich history - toponyms in them have a special sense of humor. In America, for example, there is a town whose name translates as "why." In Canada, you can stumble upon "an abyss of dead bison." The name of the German commune seems to call tourists to action - it translates as "kiss". It should be noted that the city namesnamed after the founder exist abroad. In America, you can stumble upon the small town of Quincy, named after John Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State of the United States of America.
"Wide and boundless is Mother Russia" - that's what our ancestors used to say. The newly minted tourist is convinced of this. The number of settlements, small and large, is in the thousands. This is where the real discoveries regarding uncommon toponyms begin. What are the villages of Taz and Bolshie Pupsy, the Tukhlyanka River, the village of Takoe … Often geographical names reflect the history of the place. So, the name of the city of Izyum (Kharkiv region) comes from the Tatar "guzun" - a crossing. Knowing this, one can understand that much earlier in this place there was an important crossing over the local river. However, only linguists can draw such conclusions. More interesting for ordinary people are the names of cities by the name of the founder, because they indicate a specific historical figure.
People's love
Geographical names always carry some specific meaning. Like the names of important city streets, cities named after a particular person embody recognition of the merits of that person. Sometimes you have to sacrifice historical place names. This fact demonstrates the deep respect of the inhabitants of the settlement for the bearer of the name given to the small homeland. In this regard, a reasonable question arises: which cities are named afterpeople?
Long live the revolution
Most of the renaming of cities and towns dates back to the twentieth century. The leaders of the revolutionary movement enjoyed the greatest respect at that time, and, according to popular opinion, it was their surnames that should have adorned the names of settlements. A wave of change in toponyms swept the RSFSR, in this regard, it is appropriate to answer the previously asked question (which cities are named after people) with a list:
- Leningrad (formerly St. Petersburg);
- Ulyanovsk (formerly Simbirsk);
- village of Karl Marx (located in the Tver region);
- Sverdlovsk (previously and now Yekaterinburg);
- Kuibyshev (formerly and currently Samara);
- Kaliningrad (formerly Koenigsberg);
- Dzerzhinsk (formerly Rastyapino, Chernoye);
- Frunze (currently Bishkek);
- Makhachkala (formerly Anzhi-Kala).
Thus, the origin of the names of Russian cities is not always exclusively etymological. Known and renaming associated with the life and activities of significant persons. For example, the names of V. G. Belinsky and A. S. Pushkin were assigned to cities to which these historical figures are directly related. Khabarovsk is named after Yerofey Khabarov, a seventeenth-century explorer who discovered this city. The name of the Ukrainian city of Pereyaslav was later added to the surname of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who contributed to the reunification of Ukraine and the Russian Empire.
Names of cities byfounder's name
As mentioned above, while traveling around the Russian Federation, you can discover incredible, at first glance, geographical names. In addition to funny and vaguely familiar toponyms, formed from borrowed words or from the names of famous historical figures, there are also proper names. It is logical to assume that such cities were named after their founder. Obviously, the origin of the names of Russian cities can have a very different background.
Yuryev-Polsky
This provincial town in the north of the Vladimir region is a treasure trove of Russia's cultural and historical heritage. It was founded in the middle of the twelfth century by the great Moscow prince - Yuri Dolgoruky. There was a name of the city by the name of the founder. An example of a description of the area surrounding the town is "Russian field-polyushko", because this primordially Russian settlement has a rare compound name. One of the main attractions of Yuryev-Polsky is St. George's Cathedral - a unique architectural monument of Ancient Russia, the date of construction of which dates back to the second quarter of the thirteenth century. No less important is the Archangel Michael Monastery, on the territory of which ancient churches are located.
The churches of Nikita the Martyr and the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos also deserve close attention. The construction of the complex of two buildings dates back to the end of the eighteenth century; this is what distinguishes the churches from other architectural monuments. And if the Church of the Intercession was built according toimage of traditional Russian cathedrals, the Church of Nikita the Martyr is an Empire-style building with a red brick bell tower that towers over the entire city.
Vladimir
This city, like the previous one, is part of the Golden Ring of Russia. It is named after Vladimir Monomakh, whose reign dates back to the eleventh century. Vladimir is located in the region of two hundred kilometers east of Moscow. Many trials fell to his lot, which predetermined the course of the history of the whole country. The fact is that Vladimir was one of the most influential cities in Russia during the period of feudal fragmentation. In those days, large administrative centers fought with each other for power in the state. In the end, Moscow won. However, this majestic city also fully claimed the title of the capital.
The centuries-old history of Vladimir is reflected in the rich culture of the city. Now thousands of tourists come here to see with their own eyes the Assumption Cathedral, built in the twelfth century, the Golden Gate, which is rightfully considered a masterpiece of architecture of Ancient Russia, the Patriarchal Gardens, the Water Tower … The list of Vladimir's sights is not limited to this, the city has something to show the whole world !
St. Petersburg
The list of city names by the name of the founder can also include the cultural capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. The first stone on the site of the future city was laid by Peter the Great himself, now the majesticPeter-Pavel's Fortress. It is worth noting that the first emperor of the Russian Empire named the city not by his own name, but by the name of his patron, the Apostle Peter. Nevertheless, everyone who meets St. Petersburg understands the connection of the city with the great reformer of the Russian state. And listing even a small part of the sights of St. Petersburg will take more than one page - it's better to see everything with your own eyes.
Temryuk
This small town is located at the mouth of the Kuban, not far from Krasnodar, on the shores of the Sea of Azov. This settlement was founded by Prince Temryuk, son-in-law of Ivan the Terrible. At the moment, Temryuk is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and mud volcanoes. Many travelers go to this town to find peace of mind: fields, sea, forests - what else does a person need to feel truly free?
Yaroslavl
There are many names of cities in Russia after the name of the founder. Yaroslavl is not the last in this list. It was founded in the eleventh century by Yaroslav the Wise, who was nicknamed so for his significant contribution to the culture of the country. In terms of reputation, the city is in no way inferior to its founder - countless sights clearly demonstrate how old and majestic Yaroslavl is. Travelers from all over the world come here to see the Church of Peter and Paul, the "House with Lions", Peter and Paul Park, which carefully preserves the legacy of the great emperorPetr Alekseevich.
But in Yaroslavl, modernity is in no way inferior to historical heritage. So, here you can see the unique Yaroslavl zoo - the only landscape-type zoo in Russia. The Yaroslavl station building is an architectural complex - a monument of modern monumental art. The Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve is rightly called the heart of the city. Located in the very center, it carefully protects the oldest Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and several churches. Antiquity side by side with modernity - this is what the real Yaroslavl is.
Opening everywhere you look
The variety of geographical names in Russia is amazing. A person who travels around his native country for the first time always discovers something new for himself. Here are funny toponyms, whose meaning can be understood only by looking into an etymological dictionary or a history guide, and a settlement whose name has changed depending on the course of modern history, and the name of a city named after the founder … The list is long. It's better to take the time to see it all with your own eyes.
