Elista

Elista (Russian Элиста; Kalmyk Элст, Elst ) is a city in southern Russia and capital of the republic of Kalmykia. It has 103 749 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 )

Geography

Elista Kalmykia is located in the west in the Jergenihügeln, in the middle of a steppe landscape between Volgograd in the North Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south.

Climate chart on the right below

History

Today Elista was founded in 1865 and was originally a small settlement within the Astrakhan province of the Russian Empire. The name Elista is a hydronym of the nearby river, whose name in turn is Kalmyk origin, and as much as "sand" or " sandy" means. Until the October Revolution of 1917 Elista had essentially only as a cattle trading center meaning.

1927 began the construction of a city based on the existing village. In 1928, Elista was declared the capital of the Kalmyk Oblast newly formed and received its town charter in 1930. In 1935, the Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast to the Soviet Republic of Kalmykia, Elista whose capital was.

On August 13, 1942 Elista was occupied by German troops of Army Group A. These were on the rise along the northern flank of the Caucasus towards the Caspian Sea. As the German offensive in the south east of the eastern front finally came in December 1942 to a standstill ( the German troops along the overstretched front lines were no longer able to break through the intensification of resistance of the Soviet armed forces), Elista was on 1 January 1943 by the Army Group Hoth cleared and set on fire. The German troops were forced to withdraw gradually further and further to the west in the sequence.

Between 1944 and 1957, the Kalmyks were expelled by order of Stalin to Siberia because they were accused of collaboration with the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. During this time, Elista was called Stepnoi ( Степной to German " steppe city "). 1958, a year after the rehabilitation of the Kalmyks, the Autonomous Soviet Republic of Kalmykia was formed again.

Demographics

Note: Census data

Economy

The city serves primarily as administrative, educational and commercial center. The industry plays only a minor role and mainly consists of smaller companies in the food processing industry. A total of Kalmykia is dominated by agriculture.

Traffic

Street:

The most important road connection from and to Elista is the M6 highway that leads from Kashira ( near Moscow ) to Astrakhan ( near the Caspian Sea ).

Railroad:

Elista has a train station; Since 2008, however, there are no passengers to or from Elista more. Prior to 2006, Elista was points of each section of Stavropol, and by 2008 there were transfer- coaches Moscow - Elista which plied from the Moscow Paveletskaya Station.

Before the financial crisis of 2008 there were plans new rail links to Astrakhan and Volgograd to build; former compound would speed up the transit of goods from China / Central Asia to the Black Sea significantly, temptation line could help to reduce bus transportation; However, both projects with 240 or 180 kilometers in length are not currently being planned and will be hardly realized in the foreseeable future.

Airport:

Elista has a small airport which is serviced three times a week from Moscow Domodedovo from.

Attractions

As the capital of Kalmyk Elista is one of the few major cities in Russia with a Buddhist dominated culture. Among other things, is here with some nine meters, the currently highest Buddha statue in Europe; it was completed in late 2005 along with a new Buddhist temple ( Churul ).

• Park Druzhba: Additional attractions in Elista is one of the park ' Druzhba ' ( German for "friendship ") with a 1965 war memorial erected, and a designed by the sculptor Ernst Neizvestny monument commemorating the expulsion of the Kalmyk people in the postwar period.

Culture

Chess:

Since the 1990s, Elista also considered a chess center with one initiated by long-time President of the Republic and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov chess player commercial and hotel center Chess City. This was completed in 1998 and was in the same year the venue of the World Chess Olympiad. There was in September and October 2006, the union struggle between the two world chess champion title - Classical World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov - is discharged.

Education

The only university in Elista, the Kalmyk State University. Other educational institutions include a Automotive Engineering Center, a medical college and several vocational schools, lyceums and gymnasiums.

Personalities

Sons and daughters:

• Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (born 1962 ), President of the Republic of Kalmykia, FIDE President
• Baira Kowanowa (* 1987), chess player
• Sanan Sjugirow (* 1993), chess grandmaster