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Lugansk - History

At the end of XVIII century Russia successfully won a number of Black Sea wars. A wide access to the Black Sea was opened for Russia as well as a chance of using the rich natural resources of Azov Sea territories. The access to the Black Sea and joining of Crimea stipulated a need for fortification of the South borders. Old Turkish fortresses, and newly-built ones were used for this purpose. The fortresses and the fleet needed cannons. Industrial Ural was far off, and government came to a conclusion of construction of a government plant close to the Black Sea shore. "Godfather" of Lugansk foundry plant certainly was a commander-in-chief of the Black Sea fleet, admiral Nikolay Semenovitch Mordvinov, and "godmother" - empress Ekaterina the Second, who signed in 1795 the edict on the settlement of foundry plant on the river Lugan'. Edict was prepared by Mordvinov, since he was the one who managed to persuade Petersburg Admiralty to switch 715 thousand silver roubles left over from the construction of the young Black Sea fleet to the construction of a cannon-foundry plant in the south Russia. Mordvinov entrusted a Scottish foundry engineer and inventor, Carl Gaskoin, to build a cannon-foundry plant. After close study of the natural deposits, Carl Gaskoin offered to manufacture cast iron cannons, rather than copper ones. For this purpose an ironworks was built at the village of Cambrod (Stone Ford) near the river Lugan'.

The lant was built in rather a short term. First cast iron was produced in 1800. Canons and projectiles, cast at Lugansk foundry plant, protected Russia in War 1812, in the Crimean war of 1853-1856. Together with the plant, a village was growing that was called Lugansk plant. By the 30's of the XIX century there were already nearly 200 private houses, along with the barracks where the most poor population nestled. Amongst the workers there were Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Belorussians, Tatars, Jews. Each nationality tended to save their own traditions, customs, but gradually merging, they formed some particular flavor of Lugansk region.

First, the city was being built without an officially confirmed plan. All vertical streets were identified as lines (as in Saint Petersbourgh), and all horizontal ones had names. The very first street of the city was English Street. Foreign specialists who arrived to work at the plant settled there. A mansion for the director of the plant was built there. On the same street, in the family of a factory physician, Vladimir Dal, a compiler of a well-known Explanatory dictionary of Russian, was born. Later have other streets appeared such as Peterbourgskaya, Uspenskaya, Kazanskaya, Bankovskaya. Later Peterbourgskaya Street became the main one. Here houses with two floors were built, in which, as a rule, shops, barbers' shops were placed at the ground floor. In Lugansk there were more then ten churches of different religions: Kazanskaya Preobrazhenskaya,Trinity, Assumotion, Petropavlovskaya, Nikolayevsky cathedral, a synagogue, a catholic church, several prayer houses. To great regret all these buildings that had a great value as architectural monuments were destroyed in the 30's of the XX century. The only church that survived but was greatly damaged is Petropavlovskaya church in the Stone Ford.

In 1882 Lugansk, considering its economic position, by the solicitation of local merchants and gentries was raised in the status of a district city. In the springtime of 1883 the first Chairman of City Duma (Mayor), Nikolay Petrovitch Kholodilin was elected, and Duma itself was placed in one of the best buildings of the city on Kazanskaya Street.

With increasing population, a network of schools was established. In the city there were several private gymnasiums, two public gymnasiums, elementary schools and grade schools. With the development of industry in Lugansk several banks appeared in the city. The largest was Azov-Don bank on Kazanskaya Street.

In 1903 Lugansk received its court of arms.

Life of the citizens of Lugansk was varied and interesting. Several libraries, movie theatres, a circus, parks, clubs were instituted in the city.

In 70-80's of XIX century new factories and plants appeared in Lugansk. The largest one was Lugansk cartridge plant modified from foundry and locomotive plant of Gartman. In 1898 there were already more than 30 industrial enterprises, as well as much small businesses and craft workshops.

At the beginning of the XX-th century Lugansk has confirmed itself as a large industrial centre, as a city with Its own multinational traditions and particular mode of life.

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