This Russian city has changed its name three times throughout its existence. Each of them reflects the history of Volgograd, Stalingrad, Tsaritsyn, the heroic pages of the life of ordinary townspeople who are always ready to repulse the enemy encroaching on the world. No wonder the modern metropolis bears the proud title of "Hero City".
Volga trade route
The Volga and the trade route connecting lands, countries and cities laid the foundation for the settlement, and the waterway also gave the last name. Historians have been putting forward versions of the existence of settlements on the territory of modern Volgograd since the 900s, together with the emergence of the Volga trade route.
Trade was a profitable business, but also extremely dangerous, since the territories became the subject of interest of the Polovtsy, Pechenegs, and the army of Batu. The trade route along the Volga got its second wind during the time of the Golden Horde. In addition, another direction of trade began to develop, the so-called Great Silk Road. At the time there was a Horde settlement on the site of Volgograd.
Russian advent
In the 16th century, the Golden Horde fell into decay, and the Moscow principality, on the contrary, was gaining strength, conquering new territories. This is how the need to build Tsaritsyn arises, its role is similar to the role of other settlements on the Volga - the defense of the Russian borders.
The first mention of Tsaritsyn (the island) dates back to 1579, the founder of the settlement is called Grigory Zasekin, it was his name that remained in history. And in 1600 Tsaritsyn was recorded in the documents as a city, after the 1630s the territory around it became Russian.
True, one can only dream of a peaceful life, since numerous peasant uprisings and uprisings affect Tsaritsyn to one degree or another:
- the uprising led by Stepan Razin in the 17th century;
- armed uprising of the army of Kondraty Bulavin at the beginning of the 18th century;
- the legendary uprising of Yemelyan Pugachev in the second half of the 18th century.
Historians assure that in the Middle Ages the history of Volgograd (then Tsaritsyn) briefly sounds exactly like this: war - respite - armed uprising - peacetime - again a war of hard times.
Industry development
Over time, the nomadic peoples went south, Tsaritsyn, a former border town, became a peaceful Russian settlement. In this regard, its tasks changed, the development of industry came to the fore, and active development of city blocks began. German settlers played an important role in the development of the city.
The heavy, light, food industry was developing, the number of large and small enterprises increased. The advent of the railroad led to increased trade. This continued after 1917, but now in a Soviet city. The heroic glorious pages of the city's history will be associated with the Great Patriotic War.
