Residents of one of the Russian regional centers, located in the south of the Central Russian Upland, are proud that their city was the first in the history of modern Russia to receive the high title of "City of Military Glory." The history of Belgorod began many centuries ago, during which time its inhabitants had to accomplish many feats, defending the city from enemies from the west and east.
From the origins
Archaeologists claim that already in the 8th century, people lived on the territory of modern Belgorod, they were northerners who formed the Severskoe settlement. Two hundred years later, their settlement was destroyed by the Pecheneg nomads.
The city was founded in 1596, and there is a version that the city was founded on Belgorodye, that is, on the site of the White City, which was later destroyed. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich was "involved" in the founding of the new settlement, who ordered the laying of a frontier fortress, the purpose of which was to protect the borders of the Russian state.
Medieval period
If we try to list the main events that took place in the Middle Ages, then the history of Belgorod will be briefly presented as follows:
- plundering and burning of the fortress by the Polish-Lithuanian troops (1612);
- the siege of the Belgorod fortress by the Cossacks of Y. Ostryanin (1633);
- transfer of the fortress to the other side (1646);
- the formation of the Belgorod regiment (1658).
In 1708 Belgorod was honored to become the center of the province, and from 1727 to 1779 - the center of the province.
History of Belgorod during the 19th - 20th centuries
After the province was abolished, Belgorod again became an ordinary district town, which was part of the Kursk province. The 19th century made its own adjustments, the settlement began to develop at a very fast pace. The development was facilitated by a convenient location at a crossroads, the second important factor was technical progress.
The twentieth century was even more turbulent, the events of the First World War, two Russian revolutions in one way or another affected the city as a whole, and everyone living in it. On November 8, Soviet power was already established in Belgorod, however, German troops soon arrived in the city. The settlement was included in Ukraine, and even became its temporary capital. Then the Volunteer Army appeared here, the city was part of the so-called White South.
The second time German troops entered the city during the Great Patriotic War. There were bloody battles in Belgorod and the surrounding area, there were many material, cultural and human losses. In August 1943, the city was liberated, and the first fireworks in honor of this event thundered in Moscow.
