Astana

History of Astana and its area

Russian imperial time

In 1824, is founded a fortress Cosaque on the edges of Ichim. It will give rise to then the small town of Akmolinsk (Russianization of Akmola, the Kazakh name of the site).

Soviet era

During the Second world war, Joseph Stalin makes of Kazakhstan (and to a lesser extent other RSS of Central Asia) a place of deportation for the Soviet populations suspected of collusion with the enemy Nazi. In 1941, German known as " of Volga" is massively off-set. In 1944, more than 350.000 Tchétchènes and more than 90.000 Ingouches as of other Caucasian people are moved of force. The Tatars of the Crimea and other people still (whose Korean of the the Russian Far East) will know a similar fate. This massive arrival of deportees (of which much will not regain their area of origin) will modify significantly the face of the population of Kazakhstan and will make of it a kind of Melting pot of the various populations of the Soviet Union.

Of 1947 with 1955, certain a number of Gulag S will be open around Akmolinsk. The writer Alexandre Soljenitsyne, to quote a famous example, was off-set with Karaganda. Like him, the deportees, once released, will not be always authorized to return in their country of origin and many between-them will settle definitively in Kazakhstan.

Following launching in Kazakhstan of the Countryside of the virgin lands (Tselina, целина into Cyrillic) by Nikita Khrouchtchev, Akmolinsk takes in 1961 the name of Tselinograd (Целиноград, " The City of the grounds vierges"). The city then knows a first period of strong development and sees arriving of many new inhabitants, originating for the majority in Russia. It does not act, this time, more deportees but of volunteers, Communist militants eager to take part in the construction of the country or citizens come to try their chance in a new country. The Countryside of the virgin lands, which consisted in putting in culture the Soviet grounds of waste land, was balanced in the long run in Kazakhstan by a failure: the ground of this area proved too fragile to be subjected to the cultures and quickly was degraded, which has, in addition involved problems of an ecological nature.

Time post-Soviet

Kazakhstan having become independent in 1991, the city finds its Kazakh name of origin: Akmola. The new name Astana was chosen, in 1998, because it means Capitale into Kazakh. This choice also answers a concern esthetics: some pointed out at the time of the choice of the city as new capital which the name of Akmola could be interpreted like meaning " tomb blanc" , a quite disastrous name for the future metropolis. The name Astana offers moreover the advantage of being easy to pronounce in the other languages.

Since 1998, the city makes new great strides due on arrival of the ministries, Parliament, large companies and of a certain number of foreign embassies. It increased and enriched considerably by a very great number of modern buildings. She also knows great shifts in population. The citizens of German ethnic origin, formerly extremely many in this area, left it of number for the FR of Germany and the Russians, formerly majority in the city are now in minority, much of them having chosen for the return in their country of origin. On the other hand, the displacement of the administration involved the arrival of new populations, often originating in Almaty, the old capital, or of the south of the country.

Reasons of the choice of Astana like new capital of Kazakhstan

The reasons called upon to move capital of more than thousand kilometers in north are multiple:

Almaty, the old capital, is located on a Zone seismic and threatened of important destruction in the event of seism.
Located at the foot of the mounts Tian Shan, the town of Almaty does not have a sufficient space to develop more.
the creation of a new capital is pretext with a policy of great work supposed to support the economic growth.
Almaty is offset too much.

It may be that other reasons also justified the displacement of the capital:

the north of Kazakhstan is the most Russianized area country. The populations Slaves were largely majority there at the time of the access to the independence of the country. This area is of frontier of the Russia. At the beginning of the Years 1990, certain Russian personalities such as the political leader of extreme right-hand side Vladimir Jirinovski or the writer Alexandre Soljenitsyne went until claiming the fastening of North-Kazakhstan in Russia. By moving the capital there, it may be that the capacity wished to affirm its sovereignty on this part of the country. The arrival of an important population of frameworks of origin kazakhe, in any case, allowed a certain ethnic “rebalancing” in the city.

the too great proximity of Almaty with the China (like with the republics of Central Asia, politically less stable) also could encourage the capacity to move in an area less exposed with the disorders.

On a plan symbolic system, the transfer of the government of this lately independent country in a city which by its name (Tselinograd, to see explanations higher) symbolizes Soviet colonialism is perhaps not innocent.

Economy

A plan 2000-2005, which founded an exclusive economic Zone (ZEE), wants to make of Astana the economic capital of Kazakhstan. The posted objective is to create a counterweight with Almaty and its 1,5 million inhabitants.

Tourism

The Western part of the city, between the railway station and the center town, which is that the least underwent changes since the independence of the country. Constructions which are there date as a whole from the Soviet period and more particularly from the time from the Campagne from the virgin lands. One will find, not far from the station, the old Palate of the Railwaymen, transformed since into Theater devoted to the Kazakh lyric art. Street Aouezov, near the center, draws up the old residence of the Kazakh writer Seyfouline (Сейфулин), transformed into small museum. More in north, one will be able to visit the very large Bazar of Astana as well as the Mosquée located at his accesses.

Around the Old Place, in the center of the city, draw up the Parliament, the Presidential palace, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as well as other administrative buildings and governmental. In spite of their recent aspect, the majority of these buildings date from the Soviet era and were renovated and sometimes increased. On the left Presidential palace, is TSOUM (ЦУМ), a shopping mall. On the New Place, behind the Presidential palace, one can admire the very impressive Ministry for Finances, a modern masonry.

One will find in the center of Astana only very little of houses testifying to the period former to the Soviet Union. Rare old constructions are the Gorki Theater (on the New Place), the residence which currently shelters the Embassy of Ukraine and finally the store of food located just behind this same embassy.

The Avenue of the Republic (ПроспектРеспублики) is the main artery of the city. It is bordered of many stores, coffees, restaurants, discotheques and even of casinos. With number 3, the Museum of modern art is and opposite the presidential Museum, vast overcome construction of a blue dome who shelters traditional expositions with the history and the art of the country as well as an important library. It is as of this avenue as one can reach the orthodoxe Église of Astana, located in a court.

The river banks Ichim, are one of the places of walk of predilection of the inhabitants. The river is bordered on a side by high residential buildings of design modern and other by a park where one will find restaurants and attractions.

The edges of the channel Ak Boulak (АкБулак), which leads to the University of Eurasia, also offer the occasion to see new monuments and constructions. One will find there the Catholic church, the news Synagog as well as a vast place decorated with a great sculpture dedicated to the Fatherland.

The urban expansion is done mainly by the east. In the North-East, beyond old the " mikrorayons" (great whole of buildings of housing) were built many new apartment buildings.

But it is the south-eastern part of the city, that which extends from the bridge on Ichim with the airport located at ten kilometers from there, which is most impressive by far since it constitutes an immense building site from where emergent vast buildings intended to accommodate all the bodies of the State as well as the embassies. In its center a high surmounted metal tower of a sphere is set up. This monument, baptized " Bayterek" (Байтереk), has to symbolize the town of Astana.

Many constructions deserve to be visited:

the modern governmental district
the Turn Baïterek
the Banks of Ishim
the “Oceanarium”
the Islamic Center
the cathedral roman catholic
the market hall

Problems arising from the construction of the new capital

The development with forced march of the city as well as the displacement of the capital do not go without involving a certain number of problems.

Problems involved in the geographical site of Astana

Economically, culturally and in term of many inhabitants, Almaty remains the most important city of Kazakhstan. The transfer of the capital, decision of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, did not achieve the unanimity. Astana is still difficult access, especially from abroad, and is with more than thousand kilometers of Almaty, where are the majority of the national companies and foreign.

In spite of the construction of a " village diplomatique" intended to accommodate the embassies, consulates and residences of the foreign diplomats, the majority of the diplomatic representations (Western especially) were still not determined to leave Almaty.

the climate of Astana, very continental, is far from being gravitational: it freezes six months per annum there.

Social problems

the massive arrival and constant of new inhabitants (civils servant and frameworks of private companies originating in Almaty and transferred to Astana but also citizens of modest origin attracted by the employment appropriatenesses created by the urban development) involved a fulgurating rise of the rents and the price of the real estate. So of many buildings of housing are currently built, they are in the vast majority of the cases " of large standing" and are accessible only to the highest incomes.

new constructions which appear in the city are often made at the price of the destruction of old residences and the expropriation of their inhabitants; expropriations often made against insufficient compensations.

Archbishop's palace

Archdiocese of Sainte-Marie d' Astana
Notre-Dame Cathedral of the Perpetual-Help of Astana

Twinning

Bonds

Photographs of Astana

Goulags in Kazakhstan

Simple: Astana

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