Kharkov - History: historical events of Kharkov

After the abolition of serfdom, Russia began developing capitalism. Kharkov was transforming into a major industrial centre of mechanical engineering and steel processing. In 1899, two hundred and fifty nine plants and factories were operating in the town, among them fifty nine engineering and steel processing works with 11,608 employees.

The construction of the railway played an important role in the industrial development of Kharkov. In 1869, a railway connection was established with Moscow, Petersburg and Rostov, and with the opening of Kharkov-Sevastopol, Kharkov-Nikolayev, and South-west (Balashovskaya) railways Kharkov became one of the major railway junctions of Russia. At the turn of XX century, Kharkov continues to grow as a large industrial and railway centre of the South of Russia. In 1917, the number of mechanical engineering and steel processing works exceeded 150, and the number of their employees increased to 35,000. Offices of the biggest syndicates in Russia such as "Prodamet" and "Produgol" were opened in the town. Also there were held conferences of businessmen involved in mining industry.

After the establishment of Soviet power in Ukraine, there followed a period of several years spent on fighting against the Austrian-German occupation and the Civil War, but after that there began a period of rapid economic development in Kharkov, declared as the capital of Ukraine in the year of 1919. At the end of 1925, all industrial establishments in the town were restored, their share in the aggregate product of Ukrainian Republic was 20%. Since 1926, there began the updating process of Kharkov plants and factories, that led to an increase of their labour productivity by 1.5 - 2 times against the prewar period, and the Miner's Light plant was producing 35 times as much as the amount in 1913. At the same time, Kharkovites selflessly worked away building new plants. On 1st October 1931, one of the giants of the Soviet heavy industry - the Kharkov tractor plant released from its assembly line its first tractor. In three years, a turbo generator (currently turbo engine) plant named after S. M. Kirov was started up. Machine tool plant, surveyor tool plant, crane equipment plant, sanitary engineering equipment plant, tractor spare parts plant, "The Piston" plant, "The Hydromechanics" plant, and various other plants were built as well. In 1940, 1200 businesses were operating with 300,000 workers employed, their aggregate output 12 times as high as the level in year of 1913. At that time, Kharkov plants produced 40% of mechanical engineering products in Ukraine and 6% in relation to the whole of Soviet Union. Intensive development of Kharkov as a railway junction continued accompanied by the introduction of up to date equipment.

The peaceful and creative flow of life of Kharkovites was broken by the Second World War. The work in the town was quickly reorganised to serve the needs of the war. Mass production of tanks, aeroplanes, guns, mortars, ammunition, military equipment began at that time, and this was despite the fact that 100,000 men left the town to fight as volunteers at the front and 85,000 joined militia regiments. Difficult fate befell Kharkov: after sustained battles, the Soviet armies were forced to surrender Kharkov on 24th October 1941 and the black period of Nazi occupation began. Many things can be added to it, but this subject deserves a separate talk (see Kharkov during war-time). It is worth to point out now that the first international military tribunal was held not in Nuremberg, it was held in Kharkov in 1943, after the liberation of the town, and the evidence was collected here at the scene of the crime.

The invaders almost completely destroyed 500 industrial establishments, first of all mechanical engineering giants (the tractor plant, the electric machine plant, the turbo engine plant, the machine tool plant, "Sickle And Hammer" plant), they reduced to rubble the railway junction, telegraph and telephone connection, power stations, housing services, medical institutions, 1,600,000 sq. metres of housing space. But immediately after the liberation of Kharkov, intensive efforts were made towards its restoration, and the rest of the country helped the town: equipment, building materials, provisions, manpower were sent in. In 1945, as much as 600 industrial establishments were operating in the town, in 1948, the industrial output reached the pre-war level, in 1956, the industrial output was four times as high as in 1940. Kharkov restored its fame of the major mechanical engineering centre in Ukraine, locomotives, aeroplanes, tractors, turbines, metal cutting machines, mining and chemical equipment, automation instruments, light and food manufacturing industry equipment.

In 1980, 60 industrial corporations were operating in Kharkov, and most important among them were the tractor construction corporation, "Electrotyazhmach", "Sickle And Hammer" motor corporation, the mechanical engineering corporation, the aviation corporation, the multihead machines corporation. The powerful Kharkov made tractors paved the way to the South Pole, jet airliners were used on international flights, numerically controlled metal cutting machines, engines, electrical equipment, automation and communication instruments, bicycles, TV-sets, cameras, were shipped to the farthest corners of the USSR and exported to 60 countries of the world.

Kharkov was first established as a military settlement, but soon became a busy trading centre. Since the beginning of the XVIIIth century, four fairs were held in Kharkov annually: Uspenskaya, Kreshenskaya, Pokrovskaya, and Troitskaya. They drew their names from the religious festivals which they were contemporized with. Thus, every season of the year had a fair of its own in Kharkov. Artisans and all-rounders that were attracted by the fairs thronged to this town from far and wide and settled in the busy place thus starting off the development of light industry in Kharkov.

In XVIIIth century here emerged professional guilds of the town artisans united in their respective shops. Weavers, cobblers (shoemakers) coppersmiths, blacksmiths, saddlers, glasscutters, woolen ware makers, coopers, potters, tailors, tar producers, fleece munufacturers, carpenters, oilers, distillers, maltsters, who produced malt for making beer, carpetmakers, who wove special carpets - all had their own shops. The names of the town streets (Rymarskaya, Kotsarskaya, Kuznechnaya, Degtyarnaya) and even the name of one town district (Goncharovka) now remind us of these noble trades. In XIXth century, shops were replaced by factories and manufactories. In 1896 Kharkov entered a period of "sweet life": the confectionery started functioning. The beginning of the XXth was signalized by the opening of the Derjavinskaya hosiery, a clothes making manufacture.

During the Soviet period Kharkov becomes one of the leading light industry towns in Ukraine, among the businesses functioning here are the "Krasnaya neet" cloth-factory, wool, stockinet and cotton fabric pre-processing factories, the named after 35 years of October revolution textile factory, the clothes factory named after E. D. Tinyakov, the "Bolshevic" tannery - one of the largest tanneries in Ukraine. The food industry is represented by a bacon factory, a dairy plant, eight bakeries, a confectionery concern.

After World War II here was created a powerful building industry, 10 armoured concrete producing plants were opened, 5 brickyards, a ceramic tiles (the biggest in the country) and a ceramics plant, a silicate producing plant, a breeze block plant, a roofing plant, a concrete plant, an alabaster producing plant, a plaster of Paris plant, a sealing material plant, etc.

A special position in Kharkov light industry is held by the medical oriented enterprises: the "Zdorovye" pharmaceutical concern, endocrine manufacture, biological preparation manufacture.

Today (2004), despite the turmoil in the Ukrainian economy following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kharkov region produces: 100% of steam turbines which are made in Ukraine; 60% tractors, 55% ball-bearings, 50% numerically controlled machine tools, 50% electric machines, 45% natural gas, 45% ceramic tiles and facing slabs.
Its population on 15/12/2001 was 1,470,902 people
Kharkov region was formally created on the 27 February 1932.

Kharkov region is situated in the north-eastern part of Ukraine. In the North and north-east it borders on Belgorod region of Russia, in the East - on Lugansk region, in the south-east - on Donetsk region, in the south-west - on Dnepropetrovsk region, in the West and north-west - on Poltava and Sumy regions of Ukraine. The territory is 31.4 thousand square kilometres. The extension along the south north line is 210 km, along the east west line - 220 km.

The relief of the region is a slightly rolling plain with a small incline in the south-west (towards the Dniper watercourse) and in the south-east (towards the Don watercourse) directions. On the north- east the Mid Russian Eminence forms part of the region, on the south - the spurs of Donetsk range.

The Don basin accounts for 75% of the region water resources. The main water way - the Seversky Donets - is the right hand tributary of the Don. The total length of 867 rivers is 6.4 thousand km, the length of 156 of those rivers being more than 10 km each. There are also lakes in the region, the biggest of which is Liman. About 50 artificial reservoirs were created, the biggest of them are Krasnooskolskoye, Pechenezhskoye, Krasnopavlovskoye. The course of Dniper-Donbass water channel runs through the territory of the region.