Fort-Shevchenko
Fort-Shevchenko (Kazakh: Форт-Шевченко) 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] HistoryThe city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial Russian Navy in 1846 after nearby New Alexander Fort, built in 1834 overlooking Dead Kultuk, was deemed too remote.[2] Until 1857, Fort Shevchenko was known as Novopetrovskoye (Новопетровское) and from 1857 to 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 WarFort Alexandrovsky was the site of naval action on 21 May 1919, when a Squadron of the British Caspian Flotilla attacked the port.[3] Climate
LandmarksThere 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
External linksMedia related to Fort-Shevchenko at Wikimedia Commons 44°31′N 50°16′E / 44.517°N 50.267°E
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