Astrakhan (English) Астрахань (Russian)
-  City  -
The Volga embankment in downtown Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Coordinates: 46°19′25″N 48°02′12″E / 46.32361°N 48.03667°E / 46.32361; 48.03667Coordinates: 46°19′25″N 48°02′12″E / 46.32361°N 48.03667°E / 46.32361; 48.03667
Coat of arms	Flag
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Astrakhan Oblast
Administrative center of	Astrakhan Oblast
Municipal status
Urban okrug	Astrakhan Urban Okrug
City Head	Sergey Bozhenov
Representative body	City Duma
Statistics
Area	500 km2 (190 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	520,662 inhabitants
- Rank in 2010	33rd
Population (2002 Census)	504,501 inhabitants
- Rank in 2002	33rd
Density	1,041 /km2 (2,700 /sq mi)
Time zone	MSD (UTC+04:00)
Founded	1558
Postal code(s)	414000..414057
Dialing code(s)	+7 8512
Official website

Astrakhan (Russian: А́страхань; Kazakh: Хажы-Тархан; Tatar: Әстерхан, Ästerxan; Persian: حاجی‌ترخان , Haji-Tarkhan, whence Hashtarkhan, then Astrakhan) is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of 28 meters (92 ft) below the sea level. Population: 520,662 (2010 Census preliminary results); 504,501 (2002 Census); 509,210 (1989 Census).

Medieval history

Astrakhan is situated in the Volga Delta, rich in sturgeon and exotic plants. The fertile area formerly contained the capitals of Khazaria and the Golden Horde. Astrakhan' itself was first mentioned by travellers in the early 13th century as Xacitarxan. Tamerlane burnt it to the ground in 1395. From 1459 to 1556, Xacitarxan was the capital of Astrakhan Khanate. The ruins of this medieval settlement were found by archaeologists 12 km upstream from the modern-day city.

In 1556, the khanate was conquered by Ivan the Terrible, who had a new fortress, or kremlin, built on a steep hill overlooking the Volga. In 1569, Astrakhan was besieged by the Cossack Ottoman army, which had to retreat in disarray. A year later, the Sultan renounced his claims to Astrakhan, thus opening the entire Volga River to Russian traffic. In the 17th century, the city was developed as a Russian gate to the Orient. Many merchants from Armenia, Persia, India and Khiva settled in the town, giving it a multinational and variegated character.

Modern history

Astrakhan in the 17th century

For seventeen months in 1670–1671 Astrakhan was held by Stenka Razin and his Cossacks. Early in the following century, Peter the Great constructed a shipyard here and made Astrakhan the base for his hostilities against Persia, and later in the same century Catherine II accorded the city important industrial privileges.

The city rebelled against the Tsar once again in 1705, when it was held by the Cossacks under Kondraty Bulavin. A Kalmuck khan laid an abortive siege to the kremlin several years prior to that.

In 1711, it became the administrative center of a governorate, whose first governors included Artemy Petrovich Volynsky and Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. Six years later, Astrakhan served as a base for the first Russian venture into Central Asia. It was granted town status in 1717. In 1702, 1718, and 1767, it suffered severely from fires; in 1719 it was plundered by the Persians; and in 1830 the cholera swept away a large number of its people.

Astrakhan's kremlin was built from the 1580s to the 1620s from bricks pillaged at the site of Sarai Berke. Its two impressive cathedrals were consecrated in 1700 and 1710, respectively. Built by masters from Yaroslavl, they retain many traditional features of Russian church architecture, while their exterior decoration is definitely baroque.

During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Astrakhan was one of two cities (the other being Archangelsk) selected to mark the envisaged eastern limit of Nazi control. The military operation was to be halted at this A-A line, but never reached it in reality as the German forces failed to capture either of the two cities as well as Moscow. In the autumn of 1942, the region to the west of Astrakhan became one of the easternmost points in the Soviet Union reached by the invading German Wehrmacht, during Case Blue, the offensive which led to the Battle of Stalingrad. Light armoured forces of German Army Group A made brief scouting missions as close as 100 km to the city before withdrawing. In the same period, the Luftwaffe flew several air raids on the oil terminals and harbour installations of the city.

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  Ascension Cathedral in the Kremlin (1700–1710)

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  Monument to Peter the Great in Astrakhan (2007)

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  Our Lady of Assumption (Notre-Dame de L'Assomption) is a Roman Catholic church located in the city (1778)

Climate

Astrakhan features a steppe climate with cold winters and hot summers. Astrakhan is the driest place in Europe. Rainfall is scarce but relatively evenly distributed throughout the course of the year. It's this even distribution of rainfall and the relatively low annual temperature that causes the city to fall under this climate category as opposed to an arid climate. Winters tend to be cold in the city, though by Russian standards, Astrakhan features relatively balmy winters. Summers in the city can be hot with high temperatures in excess of 40°C. Spring and fall are basically transitional seasons between summer and winter.

Education

Astrakhan has five institutions of higher education. Most prominent among these are Astrakhan State Technical University and Astrakhan State University.

Main building of the Astrakhan State University

Events

• Eurobot, international robotic contest, June 28 - 2 July 2011

Notable people

• Boris Kustodiev, a Russian painter
• Joseph Deniker, French naturalist and anthropologist.
• Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov, father of Aleksandr Ulyanov and Vladimir Lenin.
• Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky, Russian poet.
• Rinat Dasaev, Soviet football goalkeeper.
• Marziyya Davudova, Azerbaijani actress.
• Velimir Khlebnikov, a Russian Futurist poet.
• Emiliya Turey, Afro Russian handball player
• Andrei Belyanin, Science Fiction writer
• Dmitri Dyuzhev, actor
• Vasily Trediakovsky, poet

Transportation

Airport Narimanovo

The city is served by Narimanovo Airport. It is managed by OAO Aeroport Astrakhan. After its reconstruction and the building of the international sector - opened in February 2011 - Narimanovo Airport is one of the most modern regional airports in Russia. There are direct flights from Astrakhan to and from Aktau, Baku, Yerevan and Moscow.

Train connections

Astrakhan is linked by rail to the north - Volgograd, Moscow, east - Kazakhstan, Atyrau; south - Makhachkala, Baku. There are direct trains to Moscow, Volgograd, Saint Petersburg, Baku, Kiev, Brest and other towns.

Local transport

Astrakhan has no tramway system anymore. Public local transport is mainly organized by trolleybusses and marshrutkas.

International relations

Sister cities

Astrakhan is twinned with:

• Rasht, Gilan, Iran
• Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Atyrau, Kazakhstan
• Brest, Belarus
• Grand-Popo, Benin
• Ljubljana, Slovenia

Cities and towns in Astrakhan Oblast Administrative center: Astrakhan Akhtubinsk · Kamyzyak · Kharabali · Narimanov · Znamensk