City of Nikolaev: excursion into the past (1)

The modern city Nikolaev is located at the crossroads Bug estuary and river Ingul.
The unique location of the city led to interest in its territory since ancient times. The earliest archaeological site, which is found in the city, dates from the Neolithic (V – IV BC). Here lived the Scythians, the ancient Greeks, Slavic tribes, the Zaporozhye Cossacks.

The active population of Nikolaev peninsula began in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, after the liberation of the Northern Black Sea coast from the Turkish invaders and the conquest of the Russian empire out to the Black Sea. Russia needed a new fleet, ships, shipyards, and so in 1788 founded a new shipyard, around which was formed and the city of Nikolaev. Name the city got after the heroic assault on the city Ochakov Russian troops under the command of Alexander Suvorov. This event occurred in December 1788, the day of St. Nicholas, patron saint of seafarers.
In honor of St. Nicholas and was named the city.

The name of St. Nicholas, one of the most venerated saints in the Ukraine and Russia are linked and the first church built in the city in 1790, and the first ship. 46-gun frigate “St. Nicholas”. Since the construction of “St. Nicholas” at the shipyards of the city was built more than 2 thousand ships and vessels, including frigates, battleships, destroyers, submarines, etc. Nikolaev – is one of the two cities in the world where to build a heavy aircraft carrying ships.

City Life has been inextricably linked with shipbuilding and fleet. For over a hundred years here was the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. During the Crimean War (1853 – 1856 years.) City was the main rear base for the Black Sea Fleet. Due to the fact that enterprises in the city Nikolaev worked on the military-industrial sector of the USSR, for a long time Nicholas was a closed city for visiting foreign tourists. The first educational institution of the city – Black navigational school was founded in 1798, has also been associated with the fleet. All this was reflected in history, economics and architecture. The original plan of building the city in the style of classicism was incarnated in the life and preserved till the present time.

In 1862 the city was founded by a commercial port and is the impetus for transformation to a big commercial port. By the end of XIX century. Nikolaev port ranked third after St. Petersburg and Odessa on the volume of trade with other nations, and the export of grain – first place in Russia. Nikolaev himself becomes a great industrial center in southern Ukraine.