Do you know how the names of the cities to which you have planned your next trip appeared? For example, where did such names as "Paris", "Beijing", "London", "Madrid" or "Berlin" come from?
Historians and etymologists offer different options for the origin of names, based on the surviving data and the relationship of various languages.
BERLIN. For example, let's take Berlin - one of the largest European cities (more than 3.4 million people live here). There are 3 versions of the origin of the name ( Berlin):
BEIJING, TOKYO.
Let's talk about the capital of China.
Beijing (Chinese 北京) has ancient history. The territory on which the city with a population of more than 21 million people is now located has changed its name several times. For example, for more than 70 years in the 14th century and for more than 20 years in the 20th century, it ceased to be the capital of China and was called "Beiping".
Few people know that the real Chinese name of the capital of the Celestial Empire does not sound like “Beijing” at all. Pronounce correctly Beijing(Beijing), which translates as "Northern Capital". But in many languages, including Russian, the old name remained, not consistent with the normative northern pronunciation.
Returning to the question of the origin of the name of the city, it remains only to note that in East Asia there is a tradition that all names of capital cities should reflect their status. And so it happened:
PARIS. Where Paris now stands, in the 3rd century BC there was a small settlement called Lutetia. WITH Latin this word is translated quite unromantic - " lutum”, i.e. mud or swamp.
The inhabitants of Lutetia were the Celtic tribe of the Parisians. To prevent the city from falling to the Romans, who besieged it in the 50s BC, the Parisians burned their settlement. But the Romans rebuilt the city again. At the beginning of the 3rd century, Lutetia began to be called the city of the Parisians ( Civitas Parisiorum), and a little later renamed Paris ( Paris).
PRAGUE. More than 1.3 million people now live in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
Until now, there are disputes about how and why the name of the city appeared, which has existed for about 12 centuries. The name of Prague (Czech. Prague) some historians and linguists associate with the word "threshold" (Czech prah). At the same time, some mean the threshold of the house, the second - the threshold of the river.
There is even a legend about the wise ruler Libush, who predicted the founding of the city. Having become the leader of the tribe, Libush sends his servants to the local forest. There they meet a man who hewed the threshold of the house. This is how the word "Prague" appears.
There is a third hypothesis, according to which the basis of the name of the Czech capital was the word "pražení", which translates as "roasting" and refers to the baking craft.
ROME.
The Eternal City - so for the first time Rome (ital. Roma) was named in the 1st century BC by a local poet. It has an ancient and rich history. No wonder Napoleon once said that "the history of Rome is the history of the whole world."
The name of the city, according to legend, received from its founder - Romulus, who was the first king ancient rome. According to the legend, the mother of Romulus was the priestess of the goddess Vesta, and the father was the god Mars. Romulus and his twin brother Remus were thrown out of the royal palace by an illegitimate heir. The she-wolf saved the children from imminent death, feeding them with her milk. Having matured, the brothers return to the palace and kill the offender, returning to the throne the rightful king - their grandfather.
However, there is another, less romantic version. The name of the city, to which all roads lead, could come from the word "Rumon", as the Tiber River was called in ancient times. Thus, Rome literally means "city on the river".
MADRID.
There are several versions of the origin of Spanish Madrid.
The Spanish capital, according to a number of experts, has Arabic roots. Therefore, according to one version, the basis of his name is the word " majra”, which means “water source” in Arabic.
Initially, the name of the city sounded like "majer-it", that is, "a full-flowing source." Then - as "Magerit", and, finally, got its final name - Madrid. But everything can be even simpler: perhaps the city itself was once a fortification, and its name comes from the Arabic word "madarat" - a city.
Some scientists believe that the name appeared even earlier, has not Arabic, but old Spanish roots and comes from the word " Maderita”, which translates as “forest thickets”.
There is also a rather romantic hypothesis, according to which the Greek soothsayer Manto gave birth to a son from Tiberin, the god of the Tiber River. Named Ocnia, he became the founder of the future Madrid, which was originally named after the Italian homeland of Ocnia Mantua.
LONDON.
And what about London?
Its name is directly related to the name of the ancient Roman city of Londinium, the origin of which can only be guessed at. Perhaps the name appeared in memory of the ancient legendary king, whose name was Lud.
It is likely that one of the largest cities in the world owes its name to the Celts, who so called the course of the river (“ Lundonjon"") and fortifications on the river (" Llyndid»).
The Roman historian Tacitus mentions in 117 an important trading center - the city of Londinium. It was renamed Augusta by the Romans in the 4th century, and an Anglo-Saxon settlement appeared next to it, which they called Lundenvik. After the departure of the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons move to Augusta, abandoned by them, restore the settlement and give it a new name - Lundenburg, which later became shorter - Lunden.
Astrakhan - in different times was called: Ajitarkhan, Ashtrarkhan, Tsitrakhan. According to one of the hypotheses explaining the origin of the name of the city, the descendants of the warlike Sarmatian tribes, the Ases, lived in these parts. For military merits, they received from Batu Khan a letter - tarkhan, exempting them from duties in favor of the state.
Barnaul - the first version of the origin of the name: "a good camp" or "village of Barna" (from Kazakh), if we assume that "Barn" is the name of one of the nomads of the Siberian Khanate. The second version: from the name of the river Barnaulka - "wolf river" or "wolf lake" or "muddy river".
Bryansk - from the old Russian word Dbryansk, derived from the word "dbr" - "mountain slope, gorge, moat, valley or lowland, overgrown with dense forest and shrubs"
Buzuluk - from the Tatar "bozau" - a calf, "bozaulyk" - a veal fence
Vladimir - named after Prince Vladimir Monomakh, the founder of the city
Vologda - from Ancient Veps - a river with white (clear, clean) water
Vorkuta - from the Nenets - a bearish area or an area abounding with bears.
Voronezh - there are several theories about the origin of the name. According to the 19th-century Slavic linguist I. I. Sreznevsky, the word "Voronezh" comes from the word "voron". The German linguist M. Vasmer suggested that the name "Voronezh" has a connection with the adjective "black" (black). The opinions of I. I. Sreznevsky and M. Fasmer were united by N. P. Milonov suggested that the name is associated with the color of the water in the river. According to the Voronezh local historian V.P. Zagorovsky, the name "Voronezh" could come from the possessive adjective "voronezh" of the possibly existing ancient Slavic name "Vorone?g".
Gelendzhik - (from Arabic) helendzh - poplar or from Turkish: gelin - bride + ?s?k - light
Grayvoron - from the Old Slavonic: “gray raven”, - that is, “play raven”, or “crow crow”, or “flock of crows”.
Derbent - from the Persian "narrow gate"
Yekaterinburg - named after Empress Catherine I
Yelets - from the name of the Elchik River (on old maps, the river was designated as Yelets - this is how a spruce forest or fish can be called)
Izhevsk - the name comes from the river Izh (udm. O?)
Irkutsk - the name of the city comes from the Irkut River, the hydronym has a multi-valued interpretation and is associated with the Mongol-Buryat words denoting strength, energy, spin, spin, turn.
Yoshkar-Ola - (from Mari) - "red city"
Kazan - from the name of the Kazanka River
Kamyzyak - from the Turks. ?amys?, Qamyzaq - reedy area
Kandalaksha - according to one version - "a dry place among the swamps near the bay", which comes from the Sami words "kant" and "luht". There is also a legend about two brothers - Kant and Lahti, after whom the settlement was named: Kantalahti.
There are interpretations of Sami origin: "kandas" in Sami - "pack" and "luht" - bay, lip, i.e. "pack lip" (a place where deer were loaded in the old days)
There is a variant of the origin of the name from the Karelian word "laksha" - bay and "kanda" - the name of the river flowing into this bay.
But in last years researcher A. A. Minkin unequivocally came to decipher the name as "Lip of the mother-nurse"
Kemerovo - probably from the Turkic "kemer" - mountain slope, coast, cliff, hill, mountain.
Kolomna - Scientific versions:
- from the surrounding of these places by the rivers Oka, Kolomenka and Moscow;
- from the Ryazan words kolomen, kolomenye - meaning the border, that is, Kolomna - a border town
- from the Finno-Ugric word kalma, meaning grave, cemetery
- from the ancient Finno-Ugric words "kol" - fish and "kolva" - a river, that is, a fish river.
- from Lithuanian kalmas "calamus", kalmyne "thickets of calamus" or "river with thickets of calamus"
Folk etymological versions:
- from the word quarry - a stone was mined (broken) near the city
- from the Kolomenka River, on the banks of which there was a market, in the old way - Menok, that is, "a river near the Mena" - Kolomenka
- from the peculiarity of the flow of the Oka River, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city, the Oka breaks (the Oka is broken), hence Kolomna, just like the Oka is wide in the city area
Kashira, Oka Lugovaya near the city of Kaluga
- from the Latin "columna" - a column, which corresponds to the historical and modern coat of arms of the city
Kumertau - the name of the city comes from bashk. K?mertau - "coal mountain".
Magadan - the name came presumably from the Oroch "mongodan", meaning sea sediments.
Maykop - from the Adygs. Myekkuape (my - apple, kuape - valley, literal translation - valley of apples)
Makhachkala - bears this name since 1921 in honor of the revolutionary Makhach Dakhadaev. Previously, this area was called Anzhi-Kala - "pearl city" in the Kumyk language or "adobe fortress" in Dargin.
Mozdok - the name of the settlement comes from the Circassian "mez degu" - "deaf (dark) forest"
Moscow - the name of our capital comes from the name of the Moscow River, but the etymology of the origin of the hydronym has not yet been definitely established. One of the variants of the origin of this name is from the Old Slavic root "mosk" (wet, swampy place).
Murmansk - means "city on Murman". Russian people called "Murmans" or "Urmans" Norwegians, Normans. Later, "Murman" began to be called the coast of the Barents Sea, and then the entire Kola Peninsula.
Murom - the name of the city comes from the Finno-Ugric tribe Muroma ?, and the word "muroma", according to one version, comes from the Cheremis verb "muram" - "sing" ("muromo" - song), so "muroma" is a place singing, fun.
Mytishchi - the name comes from the so-called mytnaya duty (or "myta"), levied on merchants Nadym - translated from Nenets, there are several meanings of the name of the city:
- "Nyadey I" - this is a region rich in reindeer moss;
- "ngede ya" - a dry, elevated place on which meadow grass grows.
Nalchik - translated from Kabardian and Balkar means "horseshoe", since geographically the city is located in a semicircle of mountains resembling a horseshoe
Naryan-Mar - (from Nenets) - "red city"
Omsk - the name comes from the Om River
Penza - the name of the city is associated with the name of the Penza River, according to one version, its name is translated as "Fire River"
Perm - the name comes from the Vepsian word pera maa - "distant land"
Ryazan - the name of the city by origin is a possessive masculine adjective R?zan (with the suffix -jь-) from male name R?zan. The very name "R?zan" is short form passive participle from “cut” and the verb “cut”, thus, “R?zan” - “Rezanov city”.
Salekhard - from not. Sale Harad - "City on the Cape"
Samara - there is no consensus on the origin of the name of the river and the city of Samara. There are several theories:
- from the word Samur (Iran.) "beaver, otter";
- from Tatar, Chuvash. "Samar", Kalmyk. Samr, Chagatai. "Samar" - bag, Kyrgyz. "Sardar" - basin, jug.
- from the Mongolian words "Samar" - "nut, nutty" or "samura, samaura" - mix, stir up
- from a combination of the Iranian root "sam" or "sham" or the Hungarian "semar" (desert, steppe) and the Hungarian root "ar" - that is, the steppe river
- on behalf of the son of Noah Sim (Herself)
- from the name of the city of Samarkand, which, according to legend, was founded by the ruler Shamar (Samar)
- from Biblical Samaria
- from the Arabic "surra min raa" - "he who sees will be delighted"
- from a combination of the Russian word "sama" and the ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian name of the Volga river "Ra" - "full-flowing, like Ra itself"
- from the old Russian "samara", "samarka"
St. Petersburg - Tsar Peter I named the city in honor of his heavenly patron - the Apostle Peter
Saransk - from the muzzle. "sara" - a large sedge swamp, swampy floodplain
Saratov - there is no generally accepted theory about the origin of the name of the city, there are several versions:
- by the name of Sokolovaya Mountain, in Tatar "sary tau" - "yellow mountain";
- from the words "sar atav" - "low-lying island" or "saryk atov" - "hawk island";
- from the Scythian-Iranian hydronym "sarat"
Serpukhov - there is no unequivocal explanation of the origin of the city's name, there are only versions:
- from the hypothetical name "Serpokh" (derived from "Sickle");
- from the name of the river Serpeika;
- from the sickle plant;
- from the fact that the Serpeika river curved around the Cathedral (Red) mountain in a sickle shape;
- from the fact that sickles were forged in the vicinity of the city;
- from the canonical name Serapion.
Smolensk - there are several versions of the origin of the city's name:
- from the name of the river Smolnya (Old Slavic "smol" - black earth);
- from the ethnonym Smolensk;
- from the verb "tar"
Sortavala - the origin of the name has not been thoroughly clarified. Versions say that, perhaps, “sortavala” is translated as “the power of the devil” - supposedly, the evil spirit expelled from Valaam moored to this shore.
According to another version, the name comes from the Finnish "sorttawa" (dissecting), which could refer to the bay dividing the city into two halves.
Sochi - translated from the Ubykh language - a country belonging to Sidi Ahmet Pasha
Suzdal - according to one version, the name comes from the Old Slavonic verb "sjdati" - "to mold from clay"
Surgut - translated from the Khanty language - "fish place"
Syktyvkar - from Komi Syktyv - Sysola; kar - city, which means - "city on Sysol"
Taganrog - the name of the city, most likely, is a combination of the words "tagan" and "horn" (meaning "cape"). Another option is from the Turks. to?an - falcon
Tambov - from the Moksha "tomba" - a whirlpool
Temryuk - the city is named after its founder - Prince Temryuk, one of whose daughters was the wife of Ivan the Terrible
Tolyatti - from the Greek. ??????????? - letters. "City of the Cross"
Tomsk - located on the banks of the Tom River and got its name from it
Tuapse from the Adyghe "tuapse" - "two rivers", "the area lying below the confluence of two rivers" - the Tuapse River, formed by the confluence of two mountain rivers - Chilipsi (Chylepsy) and Pshenakho (Psynef)
Tula - Dal gives such an explanation of the name: “Tula is a secretive, inaccessible place, a corner, a corner for protection, shelter, or for imprisonment. The name of the city may be related to this.
Some researchers see the similarity of the hydronym "Tula" with the Turkic names: Tuv. tulaa "swamp", "bog", hak. tul "fish", hack. Tula "swamp tussock", Shorsk. tula "to dam the water", there is the Tula River (a tributary of the Ob), which has swamps as its source
Tyumen is a word of Turkic-Mongolian origin and means ten thousand, ten thousandth army (compare: Russian word" dark")
Ufa - from the Bashkir - "dark water"
Khabarovsk - named after the 17th century explorer Yerofei Khabarov
Chelyabinsk - perhaps the name of the fortress "Chelya? Ba" goes back to the Bashkir word "Sil? Be", that is, "depression; large, shallow hole. There are other versions:
- The Chelyabinsk fortress was named after the village of Selyaba, which stood on the river. Selyabka;
- on the site of Chelyabinsk was the Bashkir village of Selyaba;
- the village was founded by the legendary Turkic hero Selyambey;
- the village of the Bashkir tarkhan Taimas Shaimov, who had the honorary title of "chelyabi";
- on the site of modern Chelyabinsk there were patrimonial lands of the Turkic hero Selyabi-Chelebi;
- the name comes from the Turkic root "chelabi" ("selyabi"), that is, "noble"
Chita is an exact translation from Sanskrit - "to comprehend, understand, observe, know" (compare: the Russian word "read")
Yaroslavl - the city is named after the founder, Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
Many names, simple and understandable to contemporaries of cities, for us remain just a set of sounds. But unearthing the truth is not so difficult. During the resettlement, the Russians met with many peoples, gradually assimilating them. Therefore, one should not be surprised that in the names of many ancient cities there are borrowings from the languages of those peoples who lived on the territory of future settlements before joining their lands to Russia.
Moscow
Moscow was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky in 1147. The city was named after the Moscow River, near which it was founded. The origin of the name of the river according to the modern version is derived from the ancient Slavic root "mosk", which means a wet, swampy place. The ancient version of the name is Moskov.
Saint Petersburg
St. Petersburg - the name of the city was given by the founder, Tsar Peter the Great in honor of his heavenly patron, the Apostle Peter. Peter I was baptized on June 29, 1672, on Peter's day, because the desire to name new town in honor of his saint is quite understandable for a great king. However, initially this name was given to a fortress based on Hare Island, from which the construction of the city began in 1703. After the construction of the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, the fortress became known as Peter and Paul, and the name Petersburg became the name of the city built around it.
Vladimir
It is named after Prince Vladimir Monomakh, the founder of the city.
Yaroslavl
The city is named after the founder, Prince Yaroslav the Wise. What the name also says is the old possessive form from the word Yaroslav. Although, judging by the finds of archaeologists, settlements on the site of the city existed earlier
Suzdal
The ancient form of the name is Suzhdal, the spelling Souzhdal is found. The name comes from the word of the Old Slavonic word "zizhat", that is, to build.
Velikiy Novgorod
Novgorod, a new city founded by Slavic settlers in 859, but some researchers, relying on archaeological finds, attribute the foundation of the city to the middle of the 8th century AD. Novgorod has not changed its name since then. For a long time it was one of the centers of trade. There are names of the city in other languages, of which the most famous are Holmgard, as the Scandinavians called Novgorod, Ostrogard of Germanic sources and Nemogard, as the city was called in Byzantium.
Nizhny Novgorod
It was founded in 1221 by Prince Georgy Vsevolodovich at the confluence of the two great rivers Volga and Oka as a stronghold for the defense of the borders of the Vladimir Principality from the Moksha, Erzya, Mari and Volga Bulgars. The town was named Novgorod of the Nizovsky land (Nizovsky land of the Vladimir principality was called by the Novgorodians) - later this name was transformed into Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1932, the city received the name Gorky in honor of the writer Maxim Gorky (Alexey Maksimovich Peshkov)
In 1990, the city again became known as Nizhny Novgorod.
Voronezh
The city, the appearance of which is associated with the organization of the protection of the territories of Russia from the steppe nomads. The archive contains the order of the boyar Nikita Romanovich Yuryev dated March 1, 1586 on the reorganization of the guard service on the southern outskirts of the Moscow state, which says: The pine, before reaching Oskol, two bottoms, was ordered to put the city of Livny, and on the Don in Voronezh, before reaching Bogatovo, two bottoms, it was ordered to put Voronezh ... ". However, the entry in the Razryadny order of 1585 "on the unsubscribe of the Ryazan side boats and fish catchers to the new city of Voronezh" proves that Voronezh already existed in 1585. Nevertheless, 1586 is officially considered the year of foundation of Voronezh. According to one of the most likely versions, the name "Voronezh" comes from the possessive adjective "Voronezh" of the Old Slavic name "Voroneg". In the future, the name "Voronezh" ceased to be associated with the name, and the stress moved to the second syllable. Voronezh began to be called the place, and then the river. The city built on it became known as Voronezh.
Tula
Tula is the oldest city in Russia, the first mention in the annals dates back to 1146. Great importance in the defense of the southern borders of the state from the raids of the Krymchaks, a restless frontier with Lithuania. The city is a fortress of the south, in the 14th century it was in the possession of the wife of Khan Taidula, in 1503 it was annexed to the Moscow kingdom, a stone Kremlin was built as the basis for the further growth of the city. In the Turkic language, Tul and Tula bear the designation of a swamp, a river. This is just one of the versions, according to Dahl, the city comes from the word secret, in other words, a secret shelter is hidden. It seems that the word - to hide, meaning - to hide somewhere, bend down, find shelter - has the same etymology as Tula.
Eagle
Almost everyone associates the name of the city Orel with a beautiful strong bird. It is no coincidence that the eagle sitting on the tower of the fortress is depicted on the coat of arms of this city. However, at present, some philologists are trying to dispute the etymology of the name, saying that the word "eagle" originally only described the features of the terrain.
Some associate the origin of the name of the city Orel with one legend. The fact is that by order of Ivan the Terrible, the construction of a fortress city began, this event is attributed to 1566. The main task was to protect the borders from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. At the confluence of two rivers called Oka and Orlik, a mighty oak grew in those days, and when they began to cut it, an eagle flew off the tree. It is believed that at this moment one of the lumberjacks uttered the legendary phrase: "Here is the owner." By chance, it was in honor of this bird that Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich ordered the future city to be named.
There is another version of the origin of the city's name. Previously, the river that merges with the Oka was called nothing but the Eagle. It is believed that it was renamed only in 1784, after which it became known as Orlik. In 1565, having examined the surroundings of the future city, the tsar chose a place to start construction - the confluence of two rivers, and it was in honor of the Orel River that existed at that time that the city got its name. Some philologists who studied the etymology of the name of the Orel River came to the conclusion that it came from the Turkic word "airy", which means "corner" in translation. It's about O visual perception confluence of two rivers. Indeed, if you look at the place where the city was built, from a high point, you can see sharp corner. It is no coincidence that this area was chosen for the construction of a fortress, because on both sides it is reliably protected by nature itself.
Saratov
The city was founded on July 2, 1590 by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich Grigory Zasekin and boyar Fyodor Turov, as a fortress to protect against nomadic raids. However, settlements on the site of the city have been known since much more ancient times. There is currently no generally accepted hypothesis for the origin of the name. In the recent past, it was believed that Saratov got its name from Sokolova Mountain, which was called in Tatar "sary tau" - "yellow mountain". However, now this hypothesis has been refuted, since Sokolovaya has never been yellow, and a forest has always grown on it. There is an assumption that the name of the city comes from the words "sar atav" - "low-lying island" or "saryk atov" - "hawk island". There is an assumption that Saratov got its name from the Scythian-Iranian hydronym "sarat".
Samara
The city is named after the Samara River, on the banks of which in 1586, by order of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, under the leadership of Prince Grigory Zasekin, the Samara Town fortress began to be built. The name of the river that gave the city its name has been known since earlier times as "Samur" and in 922 is mentioned in the travel notes of the secretary of the Arab embassy to the Volga Bulgars Ahmed Ibn Fadlan and comes from the ancient Iranian samur, meaning "beaver". Russian and Turkic names of the rivers in the Samara basin for this animal are not single at the present time (such as Konduzla, Bobrovka). According to another version, the name comes from the Greek word "samar", that is, a merchant. V. F. Barashkov associated the name of the river with the Mongolian word Samar with the meaning of "nut, walnut". The name of the river is also derived: from a combination of the Iranian root "sam" or "sham" or the Hungarian "semar" (desert, steppe) and the Hungarian root "ar" - that is, the steppe river; from the Mongolian "samura, samaura" - mix, stir up; from the Arabic "surra min raa" - "he who sees will be delighted"; on behalf of the son of Noah Sim (Sam), who allegedly owned lands from the Volga and Samara shores to the southeast, including the countries of Asia; from biblical Samaria; from the old Russian "samara", "samarka" - long-sleeved clothes.
In 1935 Samara was renamed Kuibyshev.
Volgograd
The name is based on the Volga River, on which the city stands.
The first name of the city, Tsaritsyn, was first mentioned English traveler Christopher Barro in 1579, but referred not to the city, but to the island on the Volga. The origin of the name is usually traced to the Turkic "sary-su" (yellow water), "sary-sin" (yellow island) or to the name of the old Khazar city of Saratsin, destroyed by the flood of the river. The date of foundation of the city is considered to be July 2, 1589, when the name of the Tsaritsyno Fortress was first mentioned in the royal charter, but excavations have shown that primitive settlements existed on this site long before the formation of the Russian state. The fortress was located slightly above the confluence of the Tsaritsa River into the Volga on the high right bank. The settlement was located at the site of a crossing over the Itil River (now the Volga) and the intersection of many trade routes, including the main Great Silk Road from China to Europe.
Izhevsk
The city is named after the Izh River, on the banks of which it is located. He grew up from the Izhevsk ironworks, founded in 1760 and the adjacent village.
Rostov-on-Don
Founded as the customs post December 15, 1749. Later, in 1760-1701, to protect against attacks by nomads in the settlement that arose near the customs, a fortress was built, named after St. Dmitry of Rostov. From the name of this fortress came the name of the city of Rostov. To distinguish it from Rostov the Great, the city is called Rostov-on-Don.
Arkhangelsk
The first Russian settlements on Cape Pur-Navolok, on the bend of the marshy right bank of the Northern Dvina, were founded by Novgorodians as early as the 12th century. By the same time, according to legend, the emergence of the Archangel Michael Monastery in this place, named after the Archangel Michael, dates back to the same time. However, the monastery was first mentioned in chronicles only in 1419. Near the monastery there were Pomeranian villages of the Nizovskaya volost - Lisostrov, Knyazhostrov, Uima, Lyavlya and others. In 1583, due to the danger of an attack from Sweden, Ivan IV the Terrible decided to strengthen the defense of Pomorie. In the following year, in 1584, according to the plan received from the tsar, the governors Peter Afanasyevich Nashchokin and Aleksey Nikiforovich Zaleshanin-Volokhov built a fortified city around the monastery and adjacent settlements, named the Arkhangelsk city in honor of the monastery. Officially, this name was approved on August 1, 1613, after the city received independence in governance.
Khabarovsk
Founded in May 1858 as a military post, called Khabarovka - in honor of the 17th century explorer Yerofey Khabarov. The founding date is May 31, 1858. In 1880 Khabarovka received the status of a city. On November 2 (October 21 according to the old style), 1893, the city was renamed Khabarovsk.
Kirov
The city that was "lucky" to change names. The first name by which he is known was the name Khlynov. There are several versions of the origin of the name Khlynov. The first is based on the cry of the hly-khly birds that lived in the area where the city was formed: ... A kite flies by and shouts: “Kylno-kylno”. So the Lord himself indicated how to name the city: Kylnov ...
According to the second, the city was given the name of the Khlynovitsa river, which flows into the Vyatka nearby, which, in turn, was named after a breakthrough on a small dam: ... water gushed through it, and the river was given the name Khlynovitsa ...
The third theory connects the name with the word khlyn (ushkuynik, river robber), although most experts attribute a later appearance to this word.
The second name of the city was the name Vyatka. Some researchers tend to believe that it came from the name of the territorial group of Udmurts Vatka, who lived in these territories, which was erected to the Udmurt word vad "otter, beaver". However, such an etymology is completely unrealistic from a linguistic point of view. The name Vatka itself was formed from the hydronym Vyatka. According to another version, it is associated with the Vyada people, who had close relations with the Udmurts. Some sources erroneously correlate the word Vyatka with the Vyatichi tribes who lived on the banks of the Oka. However, the word Vyatchane is recognized as the correct self-name, it has established itself as an ethnonym for the inhabitants of the Vyatka region. In addition, historically, such a correlation is completely unjustified: the Vyatichi did not go so far to the east. Nowadays, the most relevant version is the version of L. N. Makarova - she considers the name of the river (Old Russian in origin) with the meaning "larger" (cf. other Russian is more like “more”).
The name Kirov was given to the city after the murder in 1934 of a native of the city of Urzhum in the Vyatka region, Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov (Kirov).
The chronology of the renaming of the city is extremely complex and ambiguous, since few historical documents have been preserved confirming the very fact of renaming. Usually, when they talk about the old names of Kirov, they use the simplified chain of transformations Khlynov - Vyatka - Kirov, and indeed, when founded in 1181, the city was named Khlynov. Starting from 1374 (the first mention of Vyatka), the word Khlynov is not found in any official document or chronicle, on the contrary, Vyatka was found on the maps of that time, and was even included in the "List of all Russian cities far and near", where it was in the section called "Zalessky" cities after Nizhny Novgorod and Kurmysh. In 1455, a wooden Kremlin with an earthen rampart was built in Vyatka for defensive purposes, which was given the name of the Khlynovitsa River flowing nearby. Subsequently, the name Khlynov spread to the township part of the city, and from 1457 the whole city began to be called Khlynov. In 1780, by the highest decree of the Empress of All Russia Catherine II, the name of Vyatka was returned to the city, and the Vyatka province was transformed into the Vyatka governorship and passed from the Siberian province to the Kazan province. On December 5, 1934, by decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, Vyatka was named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov.
The city is located in a region with a large representation of national minorities, so names in other languages have historically been assigned to it. In Mari, it is called "Ilna" or "Ilna-Ola" ("ola" in translation from Mari means "city"). In the Udmurt language, it is called "Vatka" and "Kylno". In Tatar, the name of Kirov sounds like "Kolyn". All these names are obsolete and are not used in modern speech.
Yekaterinburg
The construction of the city began in the spring of 1723, when, by decree of Emperor Peter I, the construction of Russia's largest ironworks began on the banks of the Iset River. The date of birth of the city was November 7 (18), 1723, the factory-fortress was named Yekaterinburg - in honor of Empress Catherine I, wife of Peter I. and manufactories, named in the name of Yekaterinburg, for the memory of eternal childbirth and for the eternal glory of her majesty, the most merciful sovereign empress; ... "On October 14, 1924, the Yekaterinburg City Council decided to rename the city to Sverdlovsk in honor of Yakov Sverdlov, a figure Communist Party and the Soviet state. On September 4, 1991, the name Yekaterinburg was returned to the city. The name "Yekaterinburg" was returned to the railway station on March 30, 2010.
Chelyabinsk
The city was founded in 1736, on September 13, Colonel A.I. Tevkelev "founded the city in the Chelyaby tract from the Miyasskaya fortress thirty miles away." The origin of this toponym is ambiguous. The oldest explanation, which was common among the descendants of the first settlers and old-timers, says that the name of the fortress "Chelyaba" goes back to the Bashkir word "Silabe", that is, "depression; large, shallow hole. It was given by the name of the tract. This version is supported by the notes of the German traveler I.G. Gmelin, who visited the Chelyabinsk fortress in 1742. To date, this version can be considered the most common. Subsequently, various alternative versions appeared: According to the researcher A.V. Orlov, the Chelyabinsk fortress was named after the village of Selyaba, which stood on the river. Selyabka.
Permian
The official date of the beginning of the construction of the Egoshikha (Yagoshikha) copper smelter - May 4 (15), 1723 is considered the day of the foundation of the city. Until now, the origin of the name Perm has three interpretations: either it is the Finno-Ugric expression "pera maa" - "far land", or it is the Komi-Permyak "parma", which means "taiga". Often they find a connection in the name of Perm and ancient land Biarmia from the legends of the Vikings. According to another hypothesis, the origin of the word is associated with the name of the hero of the Komi-Permyak epic Pera, the hero. In some Finno-Ugric languages, "peri" means spirit (Udmurt "peri" - an evil spirit, Mordovian "peri" - the spirit of the winds). Perhaps the Kama Komi were called Permians because they were patronized from ancient times by the all-powerful spirit - the god Pera.
Kazan
There are several versions and legends about the origin of the name of Kazan. The version of a boiled cauldron is generally accepted: the sorcerer advised the Bulgars to build a city where a cauldron with water dug into the ground would boil without any fire. As a result, a similar place was found on the shore of Lake Kaban. From here came the name of the city of Kazan - "cauldron" in ancient Bulgarian, as well as in modern Tatar, means "cauldron". Other versions associate the name of the city with the landscape, the Tatar words "kaen" (birch) or "kaz" (goose), Prince Hassan and other options. According to the current official version, the city was founded at least 1000 years ago. The basis for such dating is a Czech coin found during excavations on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, dated to the reign of St. Wenceslas (presumably minted in 929-930)
Astrakhan
The history of Astrakhan dates back to the 13th century. We find the first mention of it by the Italian traveler Francesco Pegalotti, who visited Gitarkhan (as Astrakhan was called in the first quarter of the 14th century) and compiled a description of his journey from Tana (Azov) to China. The city was located on the right bank of the Volga, 12 km from modern Astrakhan, and at different times was called: Ajitarkhan, Ashtrarkhan, Tsitrakhan. For many years now and then disputes flare up about the origin of the name Astrakhan. One of the theories explains the name of the city by the fact that the descendants of the warlike Sarmatian tribes, the Ases, lived in these parts. For military merits, they received from Batu Khan a letter - tarkhan, freeing them from duties in favor of the state. It was a great honor. In commemoration of this event, the ases gave the name to the city “As-tarkhan”. But there is a written source - a description of the Arab traveler Ibn - Batuta in 1334: “This city got its name from the Turkic haji (pilgrim to Mecca), one of the pious who settled in this place. The Sultan gave him this place duty-free (i.e. made it a tarkhan), and it became a village, then it increased and became a city. This is one of best cities With big bazaars built on the river Itil. In "Journey Beyond Three Seas" Athanasius Nikitin in 1466 confirms that "Aztorkhan, Khoztoran, Astrakhan is a Russified form from Hadji-Tarkhan".
Ufa
According to one version, originally ancient city, located on the territory of modern Ufa, was named Bashkort. This is indicated whole line sources: Western European cartographers (Catalan Atlas, Mercator, Pitsigani brothers, etc.), Eastern historians (Ibn Khaldun, "Kunkh al-Akhbar"), Bashkir sources themselves ("Bashkir History" by Kidryas Mullakaev, "Usargan Tarihi") . The modern name of the city - Ufa, was obviously a later name. So, in the Bashkir chronicle of the XVI century. "Daftar-i-Chingiz-name" palace at the mouth of the Ufa River appears under the name Ulu Oba. Here “ulu” is the elder, ancient, “both” is a high place, a barrow. Obviously, the term "Both" became the progenitor of the modern "Ufa". In the memorial book of the Orenburg province, published in 1865, the following version of the origin of the city's name is given: "On the right elevated banks of the Belaya - the city of Ufa, (the word is Bashkir, it means" dark water ") so named long ago by the Bashkirs"
Novosibirsk
The emergence of the first Russian settlement on the territory of modern Novosibirsk dates back to the last decade of the 17th century - the beginning of Peter's rule. Named Krivoshchekovskaya (after the nickname of the Tomsk serviceman Fyodor Krenitsyn, who was called Krivoshchek for the saber scar on his face), this village, at least until 1712, served as a trading center between the Russians and the Teleuts, who were the owners of the lands on the other side of the Ob. This circumstance determined the nature of the settlement of the territory of the future Novosibirsk: the right bank of the Ob was not popular with Russian colonists, since even after the departure of the Teleuts, the fortress of one of the tribes subordinate to them continued to stand there. Apparently, the representatives of this tribe (the Russians called them “chats”) were not friendly, so the pioneers of Russian colonization preferred to settle on the left bank, where a conglomerate of two dozen villages and villages clung to each other formed. In any case, to late XVIII century, the territory of the modern Novosibirsk Left Bank was completely populated. The history of the right bank of the future capital of Siberia developed on April 30, 1893, when the first batch of bridge builders arrived here. This moment is considered to be the official date of birth of Novosibirsk. The workers' settlement grew up near the remains of the Chat fortress, near the mouth of the Kamenka River. This place was notorious and was called "Devil's Settlement", but the workers still built their barracks, to the north of which the Ob railway station and the village attached to it were being built. The two settlements soon merged. On December 28, 1903, Emperor Nicholas II issued an imperial decree, according to which "the settlement of Novo-Nikolaevsk at the Ob station" was raised to the level of a city without a county with an area of 881 acres 2260 square sazhens.
Omsk
Named after the Omka River. The first Omsk fortress was founded in 1716 by a Cossack detachment under the command of I. D. Buholts, who went to expand and strengthen the borders Russian Empire by personal decree of Peter I. Omsk served as a border fortress to protect against nomadic raids, until 1797 it was a prison. According to folk legend, the name comes from an abbreviation of the phrase "a remote place of exile for convicts", however, this version remains just folklore.
Krasnoyarsk
The city was built as a prison (fortress). According to the plan, the Upper Yenisei prison, or Kachinsky prison, was to be named. At first, in the documents, the prison was called the New Kachinsky prison. Probably, earlier on the river Kacha there already existed a winter hut, or a collection point for yasak. N.V. Latkin wrote that in 1608 in the valley of the river Kacha there was already a prison, built by people from the Ket prison. G. F. Miller in the "History of Siberia" uses the names "New Kachinsky prison" and "New Kachinsky Red prison". From the middle of the 17th century, the name "Krasny Yar" began to be used. "Krasny Yar" - from the name of the place of its construction - "Khyzyl char", which in the language of the Kachin people meant "Yar (high bank or hill, cliff) of red color". In Russian, “red” in those days also meant “beautiful”: “The place is nice, high and red. It is possible to build a sovereign de prison on that place, ”Andrei Dubensky wrote in a letter to the tsar. The name "Krasnoyarsk" was given upon obtaining the status of a city.
Vladivostok
The name "Vladivostok" is formed from the words "own" and "East". For a long time, the Russian government has been looking for a stronghold in the Far East; this role was alternately performed by Okhotsk, Ayan, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. By the middle of the 19th century, the search for an outpost came to a standstill: none of the ports met the necessary requirement: to have a convenient and protected harbor, close to trade routes. The forces of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolai Muravyov-Amursky, concluded the Aigun Treaty, began active exploration of the Amur region, and later, as a result of the signing of the Tianjin and Beijing treatises, the territories of modern Vladivostok were annexed to Russia. The very name Vladivostok appeared in the middle of 1859, was used in newspaper articles and denoted the bay. On June 20 (July 2), 1860, the transport of the Siberian flotilla "Manjur" under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Alexei Karlovich Shefner delivered a military unit to the Golden Horn Bay to establish a military post, which has now officially received the name Vladivostok
You can truly know yourself only through the knowledge of the surrounding world. This is where travel helps. Everyone is free to choose their own path: someone, tired of the noise of the metropolis, goes to nature - to test himself and return to the origins of human life. Someone, on the contrary, rushes to places with a developed information space where every little thing is important, where the brain works to the fullest. Many begin to study the surrounding reality from their small homeland, delve into the history of the region or region, study the surroundings. As a rule, the next stage of knowing the world is a real journey through your native country.
What were the names of the cities in Russia
The centuries-old history of Russia is filled with many significant further development events. These include the period of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Yermak's campaign against Siberia and its annexation to the territory of the Russian state, the window cut into Europe by Peter the Great, and so on. These facts are reflected in the Russian language. For example, the words "caravan", "watermelon", "noodles", "fog", to which today's people are so accustomed, were borrowed from the Tatar language. "Camp" and "resort" were once brought from modern Germany. "Marmalade" and "actor" came from France in the nineteenth century. All of the above refers to the category of ordinary, often used in colloquial speech words. We do not think about their origin, just as we do not think about the origin of city names.
Similar historical situations had an impact on geographical names. So, "Derbent" - Persian "narrow gate". "Chita" is understood as well as "read", from Sanskrit it is translated as "to comprehend" or "to know". "Murom" comes from the Cheremis "murom", which means "a place of fun and songs." "Perm" in Vepsian means "distant land". "Ufa" literally from the Bashkir - "dark water". Similar examples many, and, digging a little deeper, you begin to understand how the names of cities and the history, culture and traditions of the peoples living in this place are connected.
Other countries can also boast of a rich history - toponyms in them have a special sense of humor. In America, for example, there is a town whose name translates as "why." In Canada, you can stumble upon "an abyss of dead bison." The name of the German commune, as it were, calls tourists to action - it translates as "kiss". It is worth noting that the names of cities named after the founder exist abroad. In America, you can stumble upon the small town of Quincy, named after John Quincy Adams, who holds the position of Secretary of State of the United States of America.
"Wide and boundless is mother Russia" - so our ancestors used to say. The newly minted tourist is convinced of this. Quantity settlements, small and large, numbered in the thousands. This is where the real discoveries regarding uncommon toponyms begin. What are the villages of Taz and Bolshie Pupsy, the Tukhlyanka River, the village of Takoe ... Often geographical names reflect the history of the place. So, the name (Kharkov region) comes from the Tatar "guzun" - the crossing. Knowing this, one can understand that much earlier in this place there was an important crossing over the local river. However, only linguists can draw such conclusions. More interesting for ordinary people are the names of cities by the name of the founder, because they indicate a specific historical figure.
Folk love
Geographical names always carry some specific semantic load. Like the names of important city streets, cities named after a particular person embody recognition of the merits of that person. Sometimes you have to sacrifice historical place names. This fact demonstrates the deep respect of the inhabitants of the settlement for the bearer of the name given to the small homeland. In this regard, a reasonable question arises: what cities are named after people?
Long live the revolution!
Most of the renaming of cities and towns dates back to the twentieth century. Leaders were the most respected at that time. revolutionary movement, and according to popular opinion, it was their surnames that were supposed to decorate the names of settlements. A wave of change in toponyms swept the RSFSR, in this regard, it is appropriate to answer earlier question asked(which cities are named after people) list:
- Leningrad (formerly St. Petersburg);
- Ulyanovsk (formerly Simbirsk);
- the village of Karl Marx (located in the Tver region);
- Sverdlovsk (previously and currently - Yekaterinburg);
- Kuibyshev (previously and currently - Samara);
- Kaliningrad (formerly Koenigsberg);
- Dzerzhinsk (formerly Rastyapino, Chernoye);
- Frunze (currently - Bishkek);
- Makhachkala (formerly Anzhi-Kala).
Thus, the origin of the names of cities in Russia does not always have an exclusively etymological character. Known and renaming associated with the life and activities of significant persons. For example, the names of V. G. Belinsky and A. S. Pushkin are assigned to cities to which the data are directly related. Khabarovsk is named after the explorer of the seventeenth century, who discovered this city. The name of the Ukrainian city of Pereyaslav was later added to the surname of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who contributed to the reunification of Ukraine and the Russian Empire.
Names of cities by the name of the founder
As mentioned above, during a trip to the Russian Federation, you can discover incredible, at first glance, geographical names. In addition to funny and vaguely familiar toponyms, formed from borrowed words or from the names of famous historical figures, there are also proper names. It is logical to assume that they were named after their founder. Obviously, the origin of the names of Russian cities can have a very different background.
Yuryev-Polsky
This provincial town in the north of the Vladimir region is a treasure trove of Russia's cultural and historical heritage. It was founded in the middle of the twelfth century by the great Moscow prince - Yuri Dolgoruky. There was a name of the city by the name of the founder. An example of a description of the area surrounding the town is "Russian field-field", because it is primordially Russian settlement has a rare compound name. One of the main attractions of Yuryev-Polsky is St. George's Cathedral - a unique architectural monument Ancient Russia, the date of construction of which refers to the second quarter of the thirteenth century. No less important is the Archangel Michael Monastery, on the territory of which ancient churches are located.
The churches of Nikita the Martyr and the Intercession also deserve close attention. Holy Mother of God. The construction of the complex of two buildings dates back to the end of the eighteenth century; this is what distinguishes the churches from other architectural monuments. And if the Church of the Intercession was built in the image of traditional Russian cathedrals, then the Church of Nikita the Martyr is a building designed in the Empire style, with a red brick bell tower that towers over the entire city.
Vladimir
Like the previous one, it is part of the Golden Ring of Russia. It is named after Vladimir Monomakh, whose reign dates back to the eleventh century. Vladimir is located in the region of two hundred kilometers east of Moscow. Many trials fell to his lot, which predetermined the course of the history of the whole country. The fact is that Vladimir was one of the most influential cities of Russia in the period feudal fragmentation. In those days, large administrative centers fought with each other for power in the state. In the end, Moscow won. However, this majestic city also fully claimed the title of the capital.
The centuries-old history of Vladimir is reflected in the rich culture of the city. Now thousands of tourists come here to see with their own eyes the Assumption Cathedral, built in the twelfth century, the Golden Gate, which is rightfully considered a masterpiece of architecture of Ancient Russia, the Patriarchal Gardens, the Water Tower ... The list of Vladimir's sights is not limited to this, the city has something to show the whole world !
Saint Petersburg
The list of city names named after the founder can also include the cultural capital of Russia - St. Petersburg. The first stone on the site of the future city was laid by Peter the Great himself, now the majestic Peter-Pavel's Fortress. It is worth noting that the first emperor of the Russian Empire named the city not by his own name, but by the name of his patron, the Apostle Peter. Nevertheless, everyone who meets with St. Petersburg understands the connection of the city with the great reformer. Russian state. And it will take more than one page to list even a small part of the sights of St. Petersburg - it is better to see everything with your own eyes.
Temryuk
This small town is located at the mouth of the Kuban, not far from Krasnodar, on the shore Sea of Azov. This settlement was founded by Prince Temryuk, son-in-law of Ivan the Terrible. At the moment, Temryuk is famous for its breathtaking landscapes and mud volcanoes. Many travelers come to this town to find peace of mind: fields, sea, forests - what else does a person need to feel truly free?
Yaroslavl
There are many names of cities named after the founder in Russia. Yaroslavl is not the last in this list. It was founded in the eleventh century by Yaroslav the Wise, who was nicknamed so for his significant contribution to the culture of the country. In terms of reputation, the city is in no way inferior to its founder - countless sights clearly demonstrate how old and majestic Yaroslavl is. Travelers from all over the world come here to see the Church of Peter and Paul, the "House with Lions", Peter and Paul Park, which carefully preserves the legacy of the great Emperor Peter Alekseevich.
But in Yaroslavl, modernity is in no way inferior to historical heritage. So, here you can see the unique Yaroslavl zoo - the only landscape-type zoo in Russia. The Yaroslavl station building is an architectural complex - a monument of modern monumental art. The Yaroslavl Museum-Reserve is rightly called the heart of the city. Located in the very center, it carefully protects the oldest Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and several churches. Antiquity side by side with modernity - this is what the real Yaroslavl is.
Everywhere you look - everywhere the opening
The diversity of geographical names in Russia is amazing. A person who travels around his native country for the first time always discovers something new for himself. Here are funny toponyms, whose meaning can be understood only by looking into an etymological dictionary or a history guide, and a settlement whose name changed depending on the course modern history, and the name of the city after the name of the founder ... The list is long. It’s better to take the time to see it all with your own eyes.
Russia has a great variety of different cities. Some are well-known to everyone, and not everyone knows about the existence of some. But here we will not discuss those cities that no one knows about. Here we will try to tell about the origin of the names of some Russian cities.
1. Moscow- The capital of our country. The name of the capital comes from the Moscow River, and not vice versa, as many people think. But why the river was called Moscow is still debated. The most common opinion is that the word comes from the ancient Slavic root "mosk" - a wet or swampy place.
2. St. Petersburg - The city was named by Peter I in honor of the Holy Apostle Peter, and not in honor of himself, as again, many people think.
3. Yaroslavl— The city was named after its founder Yaroslav the Wise.
4. Khabarovsk— The city is named after Erovei Khabarov, an explorer.
5. Ufa- translated from Bashkir means "Dark water".
6. Yekaterinburg — The city is named after Empress Catherine I.
7. Smolensk There are several versions of the origin of this city. The most common is from the name of the river Smolnya (Chernozem). The second version comes from the ethnic group - Smolyan.
8. Penza- like Moscow was named after the river, respectively, Penza. The word itself translates as "Fire Water".
9. Omsk- the same. The name comes from the river - Om.
10. Perm- comes from the Vespian word "Pera Maa", which translates as "Far Land".
11. Murmansk- a city on Murman. Initially, the Norwegians were called Murmans, and later they began to call the coast of the Barents Sea that way.
12. Kolomna There are several versions of the origin of the names of this city. The first version - the name comes from the Kolomenka River. This river was located near the market (then it was called Menok), that is, it turned out to be “a river near Menok”. The second version says that there was a quarry nearby, after which the city was named. From the Latin "columna", which means "Column", which is depicted on the coat of arms of the city.
13. Yoshkar-Ola - Red city (from Mari).
14. Gelendzhik - translated from Arabic (Helenj) means "Poplar".
15. Vorkuta- translated from German "Bear area".
16. Vologda- "a river with white (clean) water" translated into Old Vespian.
17. Vladimir- everything is clear here. The city is named after the ruler Vladimir Monomakh.
18. Barnaul There are two versions of origin here. According to the first version, the name comes from the camp, which was called "Aul Barna" (Barn is one of the nomads of the Khanate of Siberia). The second version says that the name comes from the river "Barnaulka", which means "Wolf River" or "Muddy River".
19. Arkhangelsk The name of the city was given in honor of the Archangel Michael.
20. Chelyabinsk - comes from the name of the fortress "Chelyaba", which translates as "Depression" or "Deep Pit".
21. Bryansk- the name of the city comes from the word Dbryansk, which in turn comes from the word Dbr, which means a cliff, a ditch, a slope.
22. Irkutsk- translated from Buryat means "Cranky".
23. Kaliningrad - as you already understood, in honor of Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin.
24. Kemerovo- from the Turkic "Kemer" - a slope, a cliff. (Essentially the same as Bryansk).
25. Kursk- the name comes from the folk term "Kurya", which means "river bay" or "backwater".
26. Lipetsk- like many old cities, this city was named after the river. In this case, it was the Lipovka River.
27. Ryazan- here again there is no common and unanimous opinion. One opinion says that the name of the city is derived from the word "Ryasa" - swamp, or from the word "Ryaska" - river algae. Another opinion says that the name is derived from the word "Erzya" - the name of the Mordovian ethnic group.
28. Ulyanovsk - the city is named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov).
29. Krasnoyarsk - the city is named from the phrase "Krasny Yar". Yar in the language of the Kachins meant a high bank or hill. That is, Krasnoyarsk can be translated as "Red Coast" or "Red Coast".
30. Stavropol - the name is formed by the merger of two words - "Stavros", which translates as "Cross", and "Polis", which translates as a city, that is, "Cross City".
For today, this is all that concerns the origin of the names of Russian cities. In the following posts we will look at the names of other cities.