Crimean Oblast
What was the capital of Simferopol in Aug 1982?
Simferopol Simferopol ( ) is the second-largest city on the Crimean Peninsula , and the capital of the ( Autonomous ) Republic of Crimea . Simferopol is an important political , economic and transport hub of the peninsula , and serves as the administrative centre of both Simferopol Municipality and the surrounding Simferopol District . Founded on the site of a Crimean Tatar town Aqmescit , the city adopted its current name after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire . The population was Etymologies . The name Simferopol ( ; ) comes from the Greek Sympheropoli ( , Symferópoli ) , meaning city of common good . The spelling Symferopil ( ) is also used . In Crimean Tatar , the name of the city is Aqmescit , which means The white mosque ( Aq white , and mescit mosque ) . In fact , aq does not refer to the color of the mosque , but to its location . This is due to the color designation of the cardinal points among the Turkic peoples , where white is the west . Thus , the exact translation of the name of the town is the Western Mosque . In English , the name was often given as Akmechet or Ak-Mechet ( e.g . in Encyclopædia Britannica ) , a transliteration from Russian spelling of Crimean Tatar word Акмечет , Ак-Мечеть , where Mechet ( Мечеть ) is the Russian word for mosque . History . Early history . Archaeological evidence in the Chokurcha cave shows the presence of ancient people living in the territory of modern Simferopol . The Scythian Neapolis , known by its Greek name , is also located in the city , which is the remnants of an ancient capital of the Crimean Scythians who lived on the territory from the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD . Later , the Crimean Tatars founded the town of Aqmescit . For some time , Aqmescit served as the residence of the Qalğa-Sultan , the second most important position in the Crimean Khanate after the Khan himself . Russian Empire . The city was renamed Simferopol in 1784 after the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to the Russian Empire by Catherine II of Russia . The name Simferopol is in Greek , Συμφερόπολις ( Simferopolis ) , and literally means the city of usefulness . The tradition to give Greek names to places in newly acquired southern territories was carried out by Empress Catherine the Great as part of her Greek Plan . In 1802 , Simferopol became the administrative centre of the Taurida Governorate . During the Crimean War of 1854–1856 , the Russian Imperial Army reserves and a hospital were stationed in the city . After the war , more than 30,000 Russian soldiers were buried in the citys vicinity . 20th-century wars . In the 20th century , Simferopol was once again affected by wars and conflicts in the region . At the end of the Russian Civil War , the headquarters of General Pyotr Wrangel , leader of the anti-Bolshevik White Army , were located there . On 13 November 1920 , the Red Army captured the city and on 18 October 1921 , Simferopol became the capital of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic . During World War II , Simferopol was occupied by Nazi Germany from 1 November 1941 to 13 April 1944 . Retreating NKVD police shot a number of prisoners on 31 October 1941 in the NKVD building and the citys prison . Germans perpetrated one of the largest war-time massacres in Simferopol , killing in total over 22,000 locals—mostly Jews , Russians , Krymchaks , and Romani . On one occasion , starting 9 December 1941 , the Einsatzgruppen D under Otto Ohlendorfs command killed an estimated 14,300 Simferopol residents ; most of them were Jews . In April 1944 the Red Army liberated Simferopol . On 18 May 1944 the Crimean Tatar population of the city , along with the whole Crimean Tatar nation of Crimea , was forcibly deported to Central Asia in a form of collective punishment . Within Ukraine . On 26 April 1954 Simferopol , together with the rest of the Crimean Oblast , was transferred from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev . An asteroid , discovered in 1970 by Soviet astronomer Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova , is named after the city ( 2141 Simferopol ) . Following a referendum on 20 January 1991 , the Crimean Oblast was upgraded an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 12 February 1991 by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR . Simferopol became the capital of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic . After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 , Simferopol became the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within newly independent Ukraine . Today , the city has a population of 340,600 ( 2006 ) most of whom are ethnic Russians , with the rest being Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar minorities . After the Crimean Tatars were allowed to return from exile in the 1990s , several new Crimean Tatar suburbs were constructed , as many more Tatars returned to the city compared to number exiled in 1944 . Land ownership between the current residents and returning Crimean Tatars is a major area of conflict today with the Tatars requesting the return of lands seized after their deportation . Russian annexation . On 16 March 2014 , a referendum was held whose results showed that a majority of Crimeans voted in favour of independence of Crimea from Ukraine and joining Russia as a federal subject . The legitimacy of the referendums results has been questioned by several nations and independent news organizations . On 21 March , Simferopol officially became the capital of a new federal subject of the Russian Federation . The referendum was not recognized internationally , and the event was viewed by many as an annexation of the Crimean land by the Russian Federation . On 14 September 2014 , municipal elections were held as part of the Russian Federation , the first elections since the Crimean status referendum of 16 March 2014 . Geography and climate . Location . Simferopol is located in the south-central portion of the Crimean Peninsula . The city lies on the Salhir River and near the artificial Simferopol Reservoir , which provides the city with clean drinking water . The Simferopol Reservoirs earth dam is the biggest in Europe . Climate . The city experiences a humid subtropical or oceanic climate ( depending on which version of the Köppen climate classification is used ) , near the boundary of the humid continental climate . The average temperature in January is and in July . The average rainfall is per year , and there is a total of 2,471 hours of sunshine per year . Politics and administrative divisions . As the capital of the Republic , Simferopol houses its political structure including the Parliament and the Council of Ministers . Simferopol is also the administrative centre of the Simferopolskyi District ( raion ) , however , it is directly subordinate to the Crimean authorities rather than to the district authorities housed in the city itself . The city of Simferopol is administratively divided into three districts ( Zaliznychnyi , Tsentralnyi , and Kyivskyi ) , four urban-type settlements ( Ahrarne , Aeroflotskyi , Hriesivskyi , Komsomolske ) and one village ( Bitumne ) . Viktor Ageev became city mayor on 11 November 2010 and was then elected chairman of the Simferopol City Council on 29 September 2014 . Igor Lukashyov was installed as the head of Simferopol City administration ( i.e . local executive ) after Russia annexed the region in 2014 . He served in this position until his dismissal on 9 November 2018 . Transportation . Simferopol has a major railway station , which serves millions of tourists each year . In December 2014 Ukraine cut the railway line to Crimea at the border . Currently , the station serves only a commuter ( regional ) passenger train and the Moscow – Simferopol train every day . The city is also connected via the Simferopol International Airport , which was constructed in 1936 . Zavodskoye Airport is situated southwest of Simferopol . The city has several main bus stations , with routes towards many cities , including Sevastopol , Kerch , Yalta , and Yevpatoriya . The Crimean Trolleybus connects Simferopol to the city of Yalta on Crimean Black Sea coast . The line is the longest trolleybus line in the world with a total length of ( since 2014 again ) . The streets of Simferopol have a rare house numbering – the odd numbers are on the right side of the road , looking in the direction in which the numbers increase . Demographics . At the last census in 2014 , the population of Simferopol was 332,317 , the highest of any city in the Republic of Crimea and second only to Sevastopol within the Crimean peninsula . Economy . When it existed , Crimea Air had its head office on the grounds of Simferopol Airport . Simferopol hosts some industries , such as producing Marine automation control systems ; Precise electrical micro machines of low input power ; Power tools , for both professional and household usage . - Simferopol Airport , new terminal is to be open with at least 8 gates , the structure of the hall has a wave-like layout . Industry . - Fiolent ( two locations ) - Simferopol chemical industry plants - PO Foton - Simferopol Airport - SEM SElktroMash SELMZ - Plastotekhnika and else plastics related - Santekhprom SSTP - PEK PromElektroKontakt and PromSchitKontakt , ChPO Sfera IzmertelnPribor , SELTZ ElectroTechnical Plant - Pnevmatika , other pneumatics tires etc . related industry - Monolit SMZKon , TsSI Tavrida SKMKZ , Slava Truda SCMNG , SiMZ Motor Plants - Chornomornaftogaz - Digital Valley ( Tsifrovaya Dolina ) : silicon industry , computers , wafers and microelectronics , it , other related . It will located ( most likely ) near the airport for convenience . Education . The largest collection of higher education institutions in Crimea is located in Simferopol . Among them is the largest university in Simferopol and Crimea , the Taurida V.Vernadsky National University , which was founded in 1917 . Crimea State Medical University named after S . I . Georgievsky , also located in Simferopol , is one of the most prominent medical schools of Ukraine . The Crimean Medical University is situated on the plot , where in 1855 a nursery garden was planted by the founder of the Nikita Botanical Gardens Ch.Ch.Steven ( 1781–1863 ) . In 1863–66 a school for girls was built here and in 1931 a medical institute was opened . On the same plot P.Krzhizhanovsky built a three-storey hostel for medical students after the design in 1934 . The building with clear geometric masses was completed in 1938 . A new federal university campus was opened 4 August 2014 . Sports . Simferopol is home to the football club FC TSK Simferopol which plays in the Crimean Premier League . It was formed as a Russian club in 2014 , following the 2014 Crimean Conflict , to replace the Ukrainian club Tavriya Simferopol which had been the first winners of the Ukraine Premier League , and also won the Ukrainian Cup in 2010 . Famous people . - Max Alpert , a prominent Soviet photographer , who was mostly known for his frontiline work during World War II - Lyudmila Blonska , Ukrainian heptathlete - Nadya Dorofeeva , female vocalist of the pop duo Vremya i Steklo - Viktor Grebennikov , Russian scientist , naturalist , entomologist , entomological artist and writer - Andriy Hryvko , a Ukrainian cyclist who rides for Astana - Adolph Joffe , a Russian Communist revolutionary , a Bolshevik politician and a Soviet diplomat - Sergey Karjakin , the youngest chess grandmaster in history at the age of 12 years and 7 months - Yana Klochkova , a Ukrainian swimmer , who has won five Olympic medals in her career , with four of them being gold - Oleg Kotov , Russian Air Force colonel , Expedition 15 Soyuz commander and flight engineer - Zara Levina , Russian composer - Saint Luke of Simferopol , born Valentin Felixovich Voino-Yasenetsky , Russian surgeon and Archbishop of Simferopol - Alisa Melekhina , chess master , attorney , author , and classically trained ballerina - Sergey Mergelyan , Armenian scientist and mathematician - Yuri I . Manin , Russian-born mathematician - Ganna Rizatdinova , an individual rhythmic gymnast , silver medallist at the individual all-around competition , ribbon final and gold medallist at the hoop final in the World Championships held in Kyiv 2013 - Ekaterina Serebrianskaya , Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast . Olympic champion in Atlanta 1996 . - Valery Sigalevitch , Russian pianist - Alexei Stepanov , Russian genre painter - Evhen Tsybulenko , Estonian professor of international law - Oleksandr Usyk , Ukrainian boxer , olympic gold medalist at heavyweight in 2012 , and undisputed cruiserweight champion . - Rostislaw Wygranienko , Polish organist International relations . Twin towns – Sister cities . Simferopol is currently twinned with : - Salem , Oregon , United States ( 1986 ) - Heidelberg , Germany ( 1991 ) - Kecskemét , Hungary ( 2006 ) - Tepebaşı , Turkey ( 2007 ) - Bursa , Turkey - Irkutsk , Russia ( 2008 ) - Moscow , Russia ( 2008 ) - Novocherkassk , Russia ( 2008 ) - Omsk , Russia ( 2008 ) - Ruse , Bulgaria ( 2008 ) - Nizhny Novgorod , Russia ( 2016 ) External links . - Simferopol Government Official website - The murder of the Jews of Simferopol during World War II , at Yad Vashem website .