Toretsk

Toretsk
Торецьк

City hall of Toretsk

Flag

Coat of arms
Coordinates: 48°23′30″N 37°52′24″E / 48.39167°N 37.87333°E / 48.39167; 37.87333Coordinates: 48°23′30″N 37°52′24″E / 48.39167°N 37.87333°E / 48.39167; 37.87333
Country
Oblast
Raion
Ukraine
Donetsk Oblast
Toretsk Municipality
Founded 1806
City rights 1936
Government
  Mayor Volodymyr Sliptsov
Area
  Total 62 km2 (24 sq mi)
Elevation 179 m (587 ft)
Population (2014)
  Total 34,750
  Density 569/km2 (1,470/sq mi)
Postal code 85200—85279
Area code(s) +380-6247
Website http://www.dzerzhinsk-rada.gov.ua/

Toretsk (Ukrainian: Торецьк), formerly Dzerzhynsk (Ukrainian: Дзержинськ), is a city of oblast significance in Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: 35,296(2013 est.)[1].

History

Toretsk was founded in the 19th century as Shcherbynivka, named after Zaporizhian Cossack Anton Shcherbina, who had settled there.[2] In 1938 the city was renamed Dzerzhynsk, in honor of communist Felix Dzerzhynsky, the founder of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka.[2] In 2001, the population was 43,371 people.

Starting mid-April 2014 pro-Russian separatists captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast;[3][4] including former Dzerzhynsk.[5] On 11 July 2014 Ukrainian forces launched strikes against the separatists.[6] On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the city from the pro-Russian separatists.[2][7][8] Toretsk is only a few kilometers away from the separatists-controlled Horlivka.[2]

Following the 2015 law on decommunization, the city council has decided on 16 October 2015 to rename the city to Toretsk.[9] The name was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.[10]

Nikolai Ryzhkov, a former Premier of the Soviet Union, was born in the city in 1929.

Demographics

As of the Ukrainian Census of 2001, the majority of residents identified as ethnic Ukrainians and spoke Russian as their first language:[11]

Ethnicity

First language

Gallery

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.