Fort-Shevchenko

Fort Shevchenko (Kazakh: Форт-Шевченко, Fort-Shevchenko) is a military-base town and administrative centre of Tupkaragan District in Mangystau Region of Kazakhstan on the eastern shore of Caspian Sea. Primary industries include fishing and the extraction of stone. Population: 5,559 (2016 estimate).[1]

This article is about the town of Fort-Shevchenko. For the nearby city of Aktau, formerly Shevchenko, see Aktau.
Fort-Shevchenko

Форт-Шевченко
Fort-Shevchenko from the air
Coat of arms
Fort-Shevchenko
Location in Kazakhstan
Coordinates: 44°31′N 50°16′E
CountryKazakhstan
RegionMangystau Region
Population
 (2016)[1]
 • Total5,559
Time zoneUTC+5 (+5)

History

The city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial Russian Navy. Until 1857 it was known as Novopetrovskoe (Новопетровское) and from 1857-1939 as Fort Aleksandrovskii (Форт-Александровский). It was named for Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile. Today the town is used by the Kazakhstan Navy as a base.

The coat of arms of Fort Alexandrovsky was approved October 22, 1908, along with other arms of the Transcaspian field: It is black and silver depicting the fortress and two fish.

Russian Civil War

Fort Alexandrovsky was the site of naval action on 21 May 1919, when a Squadron of the British Caspian Flotilla attacked the port.[2]

Landmarks

There are several landmarks of significance; Shevchenko Memorial Museum, National History, and ethnographic museums. The Shevchenko Memorial Museum opened in 1932 near where he had been hiding. There are also some remnants of the fortress, a monument to Shevchenko and a state grave of Civil War heroes.

31 km from the city is the necropolis Beysenbay and up the coast the site Bautino (Баутино).

References
  1. http://stat.gov.kz/getImg?id=ESTAT111164
  2. Halpern, Paul (2013). The Mediterranean Fleet, 1919–1929. Ashgate Publishing.

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