Donets'k (Донецьк) Donetsk (Доне́цк)
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Ukraine with Donetsk highlighted.
Map of Donetsk's city center
Coordinates: 48°00′10″N 37°48′19″E / 48.00278°N 37.80528°E / 48.00278; 37.80528Coordinates: 48°00′10″N 37°48′19″E / 48.00278°N 37.80528°E / 48.00278; 37.80528
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Donetsk Oblast
Raion	Donetsk Municipality
Founded	18691
City rights	1917
Raions	List of 9 Budionivskyi Raion Voroshylovskyi Raion Kalininskyi Raion Kyivskyi Raion Kirovskyi Raion Kuibyshevskyi Raion Leninskyi Raion Petrovskyi Raion Proletarskyi Raion
Government
• Mayor	Oleksandr Lukianchenko
Area
• City	358 km2 (138 sq mi)
Elevation	169 m (554 ft)
Population (July 1, 2011)
• City	975,959
• Density	2,700/km2 (7,100/sq mi)
• Metro	2,009,700
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	83000 — 83497
Area code(s)	+380 622, 623
Licence plate	АН
Sister cities	Bochum, Charleroi, Kutaisi, Pittsburgh, Sheffield, Taranto, Moscow, Vilnius
1 Donetsk was founded in 1869 as Yuzovka. ²The population of the metropolitan area is as of 2004.

Donetsk (Ukrainian: Донецьк Ukrainian pronunciation: [doˈnɛt͡sʲk], translit. Donets’k; Russian: Доне́цк, translit. Donetsk; former names: Yuzovka, Staline, Stalino, see also: Cities' alternative names), is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the larger economic and cultural Donets Basin (Donbass) region. Donetsk is a major economic, industrial and scientific center of Ukraine with a high concentration of companies and a skilled workforce.

The city was founded in 1869 by a Welsh businessman, John Hughes, who constructed a steel plant and several coal mines in the region; the town was thus named Yuzovka (Юзовка) in recognition of his role in its founding ("Yuz" being a Russian or Ukrainian approximation of Hughes). During Soviet times, the city's steel industry was expanded. In 1924–1931, the town was renamed in Stalino (Сталино). In 1932 the city became the center of Donetsk region. Today, the city remains the center for Ukraine's coal mining and notable steel industry center.

Donetsk currently has a population of over 982,000 inhabitants (2010)^[1] and has a metropolitan area of over 1,566,000 inhabitants (2004). According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census, Donetsk is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.^[2]

Donetsk is nicknamed "The City of a Million Roses".^[3]

Geography and climate[link]

The spoil tips near the Kalmius. On a foreground - Chervonohvardiyskyi raion of Makiivka

Donetsk lies in the steppe landscape of Ukraine, surrounded by scattered woodland, hills (spoil tips), rivers, and lakes. The northern outskirts of the city are mainly used for agriculture. The Azov Sea, 95 km south of Donetsk, is a popular recreational area for those living in Donetsk. A wide belt of farmlands surrounds the city.

The city stretches 28 km from north to south and 55 km from east to west. There are 2 nearby reservoirs: Nyzhnekalmius (60 ha), and the "Donetsk Sea" (206 ha). 5 rivers flow through the city, including the Kalmius, Asmolivka (13 km), Cherepashkyna (23 km), Skomoroshka, and Bakhmutka. The city also contains a total of 125 spoil tips.^[4]

Donetsk's climate is moderate continental.^[5] The average temperatures are −5 °C (23 °F) in January and 18 °C (64 °F) in June. The average number of rainfall per year totals 162 days and up to 556 millimetres per year.^[5]

History[link]

Donetsk was founded in 1869 when the Welsh businessman John Hughes built a steel plant and several coal mines in the southern part of Russian Empire at Aleksandrovka (Ukrainian: Олександрівка). The town initially was given the name Hughesovka (Yuzovka; Russian: Юзовка; Ukrainian: Юзівка).^[8] By the beginning of the 20th century, Yuzovka had approximately 50,000 inhabitants,^[9] and had attained the status of a city in 1917.^[10] The main district of "Hughezovka" named English Colony. The British origin of the city reflected in its layout and architecture.

In 1924, under the Soviet rule, the city's name was changed to Stalin. In that year, the city's population totaled 63,708, and in the next year — 80,085. In 1929-31 the city's name was changed to Stalino.^[11] The city did not have a drinking water system until 1931, when a 55.3 km system was laid underground. In July 1933, the city became the administrative center of the Donetsk Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR.^[10] In 1933, the first 12 km sewer system was installed, and next year the first exploitation of gas was conducted within the city. In addition, some sources^[which?] state that the city was briefly called Trotsk—after Leon Trotsky—for a few months in 1923.

In the beginning of World War II, the population of Stalino consisted of 507,000, and after the war - only 175,000. The Nazi invasion during World War II almost completely destroyed the city, which was mostly rebuilt on a large scale at the war's end. It was occupied by Nazi Germany between 16 October 1941 and 5 September 1943.

A market on the main street of Novyi Svet section of Yuzovka. (1887)

The territory of Donetsk at the time of the Nazi German occupation consisted mainly of a Jewish ghetto, in which 3,000 Jews died, and a concentration camp in which 92,000 people were killed.^[4] During the war, a collective responsibility system was enforced. For every killed German soldier, 100 inhabitants were killed, and one for every killed policeman.^{[citation needed]}

In 1945 many forced laborers, young men and women aged 17 to 35, were interned into reparation servitude from the Danube Schwabian communities Schwowe of Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Romania (the Batschka, and Banat) and worked under extreme hardship to rebuild Stalino and to labor in its mines. Many died from disease and malnutrition.^[12]

Although Stalino means steel in Russian, during Nikita Khrushchev's second wave of destalinization in November 1961 the city was renamed Donetsh, after the Seversky Donets river, a tributary of the Don^[10] in order to distance it from the former leader Joseph Stalin.

In 1965, the Donetsk Academy of Sciences was established as part of the Academy of Science of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1970, Donetsk was recognized by UNESCO as the cleanest industrial town of the world. Donesk was granted the Order of Lenin in 1979.

After experiencing a tough time in the 1990s, when it was the center of gang wars for control over industrial enterprises, Donetsk has modernized quickly in recent years, largely under the influence of big companies.

Local graffiti reflects that pro-Russian tendencies are partially political speculations over the pride of Donetsk residents for their city and the region. The script say: "Donbass is us" (Ukrainian).

Residents of the city tend to be pro-Russian in their political beliefs^{[citation needed]}. This has been massively exploited during 2004 presidential election, in which the city mostly voted for candidate Viktor Yanukovych, which had been announced as the winner of the election by the Central Election Commission. The vote was later proven to have been falsified, with many of the falsified votes coming from the surrounding region. This led to an election re-run, thus making Yanukovych lose the election. During the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary elections, the Yanukovych-led Party of Regions also won most of the votes from the region.

Government and administrative divisions[link]

Raions of Donetsk on the territory of the Donetsk City Municipality:

Bydionivskyi Raion   Voroshylovskyi Raion   Kalininskyi Raion   Kyivskyi Raion   Kirovskyi Raion

Kuibyshevskyi Raion   Leninskyi Raion   Petrovskyi Raion   Proletarskyi Raion

While Donetsk is the administrative center of the Donetsk Oblast (province), the city is the capital of the Donetsk City Municipality. However, Donetsk is a city of oblast subordinance, thus being subject directly to the oblast authorities rather to the Donetsk City Municipality housed in the city itself.

The territory of Donetsk is divided into 9 administrative raions (districts). In addition, every raion consists of raion councils, which are subordinate to the Donetsk City Council.

Demographics[link]

Donetsk currently has a population of over 982,000 inhabitants (2010)^[1] and has a metropolitan area of over 1,566,000 inhabitants (2004). It is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.^[2]

While the majority of people in central and western Ukraine speak Ukrainian, the completer majority of the residents of Donetsk are Russian-speaking Ukrainians and ethnic Russians. According to 2001 population census,^[22] Ukrainians are 56,9% of Donetsk oblast and Russians are 38,2%. The Russian language is dominant in Donbass: even the ethnic Ukrainians consider Russian as their first language. In 1989 there were no Ukrainian language schools in Donetsk.^[23]

The actual nationality structure of the Donetsk City Municipality is as follows:^[24]

Total: 1,024,678 people, 100.00%

In 1991 one-third of the population described themselves as Russian, one-third as Ukrainian while the majority of the rest described themselves as Slav.^[23]

Economy[link]

Congress Hall.

Donetsk and the surrounding territories are heavily urbanized and agglomerated into conurbation. The workforce is heavily involved with heavy industry, especially coal mining. The city is an important center of heavy industry and coal mines in the Donets Basin (Donbass) and Ukraine. Directly under the city lie coal mines, which have recently seen an increase in mining accidents, the most recent accident being at the Zasyadko mine, which killed over 100 workers.^[25]

Donetsk's economy consists of about 200 industrial organizations that have a total production output of more than 50 billion hryvnias per year and more than 20,000 medium-small sized organizations.^[26] The city's coal mining industry comprises 17 coal mines and two concentrating mills; the metallurgy industry comprises 5 large metallurgical plants located throughout the city; the engineering market comprises 67 organizations, and the food industry — 32 organizations.^[26]

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Donetsk and other neighboring cities of the Donbass suffered heavily, as many factories were closed down and many inhabitants lost their jobs.^[27] However, in spite of the difficult economic situation in Ukraine, Donetsk is a developing city.^[26] About 412 thousand m² of living space, 7.9 km of gas networks, and 15.1 km of water supply networks were constructed in the city during 1998–2001.^[26]

The city also houses the "Donetsk" special economic zone.^[26][28] Donetsk currently has nine sister cities.^[29] The German city of Magdeburg had economic partnerships with Donetsk during 1962–1996.

The airline Donbassaero has its head office on the property of Donetsk International Airport.^[30]

Sports[link]

Donbass Arena inside

Donetsk is a large sports center, has a developed infrastructure. Donetsk has repeatedly held international competitions - Davis Cup, UEFA Champions League. Representatives of the city are the leaders in Ukraine in sports such as football, boxing, tennis, athletics and others.

But the most popular in Donetsk is football. Three major professional football clubs play in the city, which include two clubs in the Ukrainian Premier League and one in the Ukrainian Second League: Shakhtar Donetsk, which plays at the Donbass Arena, Metalurh Donetsk, which plays at the Metalurh Stadium, and FC Olimpik Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk is 7-times winner of Ukrainian Championship and 7-time winner of Ukrainian Cup. In 2009, they became the first team from Ukraine to win a European competition, the UEFA Cup, beating Werder Bremen in the final. This also made them the last UEFA Cup winners before the tournament was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League. Shakhtar is now one of the most well-known clubs in Europe.

Donbass Arena was opened on 29 August 2009 and became the first stadium in Eastern Europe designed and constructed according to UEFA standards for stadiums of "Elite" category.

Hockey Club Donbass is also the champion of Ukraine. In 2011 Donbass was given membership to the Russian Major League. The club is currently in the process of building a Kontinental Hockey League regulation arena and developing its infrastructure so that it may make a pitch to join the league as soon as possible. Donbass plans to join Kontinental Hockey League in 2013.

MFC Shakhtar Donetsk won the Ukrainian futsal championship five times. The team was dissolved in January 2011 mid-way through the season.

VC Shakhtar Donetsk were the last team to win the Soviet Volleyball Championship, in 1992.

The city also has a team in the Ukrainian Basketball Super League, BC Donetsk, winner of Ukrainian Superleague (2012), three-times silver medal winner (2011, 2009, 1996), bronze medal winner (1996)

In Donetsk, the USSR Tennis Championship took place within the city in 1978, 1979, and 1980 near the Donetsk Railroad tennis courts. Some tennis matches of the Davis Cup took place in Donetsk in 2005. In Donetsk, the Soviet Championship on Light Athletics in Youth took place in 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1984. A monument to famous pole vault athlete Serhiy Bubka is installed in the city.

Donetsk annual held "Pole Vault Stars".

In the city, sailboat championships take place on the city's Kalmius river.

When the joint bid for the UEFA Euro 2012 was won by Poland and Ukraine, Donetsk's Donbass Arena was chosen as the location for 3 Group Matches, Quarter-Final, and Semi-Final matches.^[31] The RSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium was chosen as a reserve stadium.^[32]

Culture[link]

Main Sights[link]

First Line Avenue (Artema Street)[link]

The main part of Donetsk, this large avenue is the place to start for any tourist trip around the city. You'll see an interesting mix of new and old architecture together with small parks, stylish hotels, shopping centers and fine restaurants. The historical sites are the most amazing here and include Lenin Square, the Opera & Ballet Theater, Monument to Coalminers, and Donetsk Drama Theater.

Statue of Artem (Fyodor Sergeyev)[link]

This imposing six meter statue on Artema Street is a tribute to one of the Soviet’s most celebrated politicians and adopted son of Joseph Stalin. He died in the Donets Basin in 1921.

Donetsk Opera & Ballet Theater[link]

Built in 1936, this is a gem of a theater with an elegant exterior and world-class performances inside.

Donetsk Opera Theater, 2002

Pushkin Boulevard[link]

A beautiful green walkway that takes you away from Donetsk city life for a 2 km (1.24 mi) stroll. Here you can enjoy peaceful fountains, al fresco cafes, and a number of interesting statues such as the monument to Taras Shevchenko.

Donetsk is home to the world’s perhaps most famous plant forged out of steel, the intricate Mertsalov Palm, located on Pushkin Boulevard. Originally created for an exhibition in 1896 by Aleksei Mertsalov, a local blacksmith, out of a single rail, it represented the skills and power of the heavy industry in Czarist Russia.

Monument to John Hughes[link]

This 2001 statue located in front of Donetsk National Technical University honors the hard work of Welsh city founder John James Hughes. He was responsible for the city’s Yuzovka Steel Plant that gave Donetsk its industrial history.

Forged Figures Park[link]

Rose - the symbol of Donetsk City, Forged Figures Park

Forged Figures Park was opened in 2001 and is one-in-a-kind object. International Smithcraft Festival takes place in the park every year. The most impressive masterworks remain in the city as a gift expanding the number of park’s “residents”

Aquapark[link]

Donetsk Aquapark "Royal Marine" will be opened in Scherbakova Park in summer 2012 and? according to experts, will become one of the best aquaparks in the world. The free-standing dome, made with OpenAire’s exclusive, maintenance-free aluminum truss structure, will be 26m / 86’ high with a diameter of 85m / 278’, and will feature a unique retractable design that slides open in a smooth rotating motion, opening up to 50% of the structure to sunlight and fresh air. The 61,000 ft² / 5,667m² Aquatoria, slated to become the largest retractable aluminum-domed indoor waterpark in the world, is being built by Canadian company OpenAire, Inc., a premier designer, manufacturer and installer of retractable roof enclosures and operable skylights.^[33]

Architecture[link]

The VelikoBritaniya hotel is one of the oldest buildings in Donetsk, constructed in 1883.

Donetsk, at the time Yuzovka, was divided into two parts: north and south. In the southern part were the city's factories, train depots, telegraph buildings, hospitals and schools.^[34] Not far from the factories was the English colony where the engineers and the management lived. After the construction of the residence of John Hughes and the various complexes for the foreign workers, the city's southern portion was constructed mainly in the English style.

These buildings used rectangular and triangular shaped façades, green rooftops, large windows, which occupied a large portion of the building, and balconies.^[34] In this part of the town, the streets were large and had sidewalks. A major influence on the formation of architecture in Donetsk was the official architect of a Novorossiya company — Moldingauyer.^[34] Preserved buildings of the southern part of Yuzovka consisted of the residences of John Hughes (1891, partially preserved), Bolfur (1889) and Bosse.

In the northern part of Yuzovka, Novyi Svet, lived traders, craftsmen and bureaucrats.^[34] Here were located the market hall, the police headquarters and the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The central street of Novyi Svet and the neighboring streets were mainly edged by one- or two-story residential buildings, as well as markets, restaurants, hotels, offices and banks. A famous preserved building in the northern part of Yuzovka was the Hotel Great Britain.

The first general plan of Stalino was made in 1932 in Odessa by the architect P. Golovchenko. In 1937, the project was partly reworked. These projects were the first in the city's construction bureau's history.^[34]

A large portion of the city's buildings from the second half of the 20th century were designed by the architect Pavel Vigdergauz, which was given the Government award of the USSR for architecture in the city of Donetsk in 1978.^[34]

Religion[link]

The reconstructed Cathedral Transfiguration of Jesus in Donetsk.

Donetsk's residents belong to many different religious bodies: Eastern Orthodox^[35] Greek Catholic, Protestant, and Roman Catholic, as well as Islamic Mosques and Judaic synagogues. The largest religious body with the most members is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).

Media[link]

Five television stations operate within Donetsk:

• TRK Ukraina (Ukrainian: ТРК Україна)^[36]
• KRT, Kyivska Rus' (Ukrainian: КРТ, Київська Русь)^[37]
• First Municipal (Russian: Первый муниципальный)^[38]
• Kanal 27 (Russian: 27 канал)
• TRK Donbass (Russian: ТРК Донбасс)

In Donetsk, there is the 360 metre tall TV tower, one of the tallest structures in the city, completed in 1992.

Famous people[link]

Donetsk has been home to many people, including sportsmen, musicians, writers, businessmen, dissidents, and many others. The citizens of Donetsk are commonly called Donechyani (Ukrainian: Донеччани). The following is a list of famous people that were born or raised in the city:

Museums[link]

Donetsk is home to about 140 museums. Among them, two large regional museums - Donetsk Region History Museum and Donetsk Regional Art Museum.

Donetsk Region History Museum reveals the city's true identity and covers to the entire local community, diverse as it is. Set up in 1924, it offers an extensive expo with 120,000 exhibits: from archeological findings dating back to pre-historic times to the founding of the city by John Hughes, development of industry and coal mining, World War II and the Soviet times .

FC Shaktar Museum was opened in 2010. This museum is the first Ukrainian museum to be nominated for a European Museum of the Year Award^[39]

Transportation[link]

Local transportation[link]

A Donetsk trolley bus with the Cathedral Transfiguration of Jesus in Donetsk.

Tram LM-2008.

The main forms of transport within Donetsk are: trams, electric trolley buses, buses and marshrutkas (private minibuses). The city public transportation system is controlled by the united Dongorpastrans municipal company. The city has 12 tram lines (~130 km), 17 trolley bus lines (~188 km), and about 115 bus lines.^[40] Both the tram and trolley bus systems in the city are served by 2 depots each.^[40] Another method of transport within the city is taxicab service, of which there are 32 in Donetsk.

The city also contains autostations located within the city and its suburbs: autostation Yuzhny (South), which serves mainly transport lines to the south, hence its name; autostation Tsentr (Center), which serves transport in the direction of Marinka and Vuhledar as well as intercity transport; the autostation Krytyi rynok (Indoor market), which serves mainly transport in the north and east directions; and the autostation Putilovsky, which serves mainly the north and northwest transport directions.

The construction of the metro system in the city, begun in 1992, was recently abandoned due to the lack of funding. No lines or stations has been finished^[41]

Railroads[link]

Donetsk's Main Railway Station, located in the North of the city.

Donetsk's Main Railway Station, which serves about 7 million passengers annually,^[40] is located in the northern part of the city. There is a museum near the main station, dealing with the history of region's railroads. Other railway stations are: Rutchenkovo, located in the Kyivskyi Raion; Mandrykino (Petrovskyi Raion), and Mushketovo (Budionivskyi Raion). Some passenger trains avoid Donetsk station and serve the station Yasynuvata, located outside the city limits. Although not used for regular transportation, the city also has a children's railway. (As of September 2009) a new railway terminal facility that will comply with UEFA requirements (since Donetsk is one of the host city's for UEFA EURO 2012) is planned.^[42]

As the Donetsk Oblast is an important transportation hub in Ukraine, so is its center Donetsk. The Donetsk Railways, based in Donetsk, is one of the largest railway divisions in the country. It serves the farming and industrial businesses of the area, and the populations of the Donetsk, Luhansk, partly the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv oblasts.

Road transport[link]

The highway, part of the International E-road network, runs through the city en route to Rostov-on-Don in Russia.

In addition, another international road runs through the city: the M 04. Also, three national Ukrainian roads ( N 15, N 20, and N 21) pass through the city.

Air travel[link]

In addition to public and rail transport, Donetsk has an international airport.^[43] It was constructed in the end of the 1940s to the beginning of the 1950s. The whole airport complex was finished in 1973. The city-based DonbassAero airline operates the airport.

Education[link]

Donetsk is a well-known educational location of the surrounding area, accompanied with several universities, which include 5 state universities, 11 institutes, 3 academies, 14 technicums, 5 private universities, and 6 colleges.

The most important and prominent educational institutions include the National Technical University^[44] ("Donetsk Polytechnical Institute" in 1960–1993), as well as the Donetsk National University^[45] which was founded in 1965. The National Technical University held close contacts with the University in Magdeburg. Since 1970, more than 100 students from Germany (East Germany) have completed their higher education at either one of the two main universities in Donetsk.

There are also several scientific research institutes, and an Islamic University within Donetsk.

Twinnings[link]

Donetsk participates in international town twinning schemes to foster good international relations. Partners include:

Footnotes and references[link]

External links[link]

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v t e Administrative divisions of Donetsk Oblast Administrative center: Donetsk Districts Amvrosiivka Artemivsk Dobropillia Kostiantynivka Krasnoarmiisk Krasnyi Lyman Marinka Novoazovsk Oleksandrivka Pershotravnevyi Shakhtarsk Sloviansk Starobesheve Telmanove Velyka Novosilka Volnovakha Volodarske Yasynuvata Cities Major cities Avdiivka Artemivsk Debaltseve Dobropillia Dokuchaevsk Donetsk Druzhkivka Dymytrov Dzerzhynsk Horlivka Khartsyzk Kirovske Kostiantynivka Kramatorsk Krasnoarmiisk Krasnyi Lyman Makiivka Mariupol Novohrodivka Selydove Shakhtarsk Sloviansk Snizhne Torez Vuhledar Yasynuvata Yenakiieve Zhdanivka Other cities Amvrosiivka Artemove Bilozerske Bilytske Chasiv Yar Hirnyk Ilovaisk Komsomolske Krasnohorivka Kurakhove Marinka Mospyne Mykolaivka Novoazovsk Rodynske Siversk Soledar Sviatohirsk Svitlodarsk Ukrainsk Volnovakha Vuhlehirsk Yunokomunarivsk Zuhres List of: urban-type settlements — villages

v t e  Administrative divisions of Ukraine Capital: Kiev Oblasts Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk Ivano-Frankivsk Kharkiv Kherson Khmelnytskyi Kiev Kirovohrad Luhansk Lviv Mykolaiv Odessa Poltava Rivne Sumy Ternopil Vinnytsia Volyn Zakarpattia Zaporizhia Zhytomyr Cities with special status Kiev Sevastopol Autonomous republic Crimea Administrative centers Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi Dnipropetrovsk Donetsk Ivano-Frankivsk Kharkiv Kherson Khmelnytskyi Kiev Kirovohrad Luhansk Lutsk Lviv Mykolaiv Odessa Poltava Rivne Sevastopol Simferopol Sumy Ternopil Uzhhorod Vinnytsia Zaporizhia Zhytomyr