Chegem (Kabardian-Cherk. Shadzhem, Karach.-Balk. Chegem) is a city in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The administrative center of the Chegem municipal district.
The name of the city comes from the hydronym Chegem, which comes from the tribal name of the Balkars, Chegem.
The city is located in the central part of the
republic, on the right bank of the Chegem River, 3 km north of
Nalchik. The federal highway Caucasus (R-217) passes through the
city.
The area of the urban settlement is 73 km2. Of these,
about 30% are the territory of the city proper, more than 70% are
suburban areas.
It borders on the lands of settlements:
Chegem Vtoraya in the north, Shalushka in the south, Yanikoy in the
south-west and Lechinkai in the west.
The city is located in
the foothill zone of the republic, at the southwestern tip of the
sloping Kabardian plain. The relief is relatively flat, with
fluctuations in the amplitude of heights of about 150 meters. The
average height of the city is 493 meters above sea level.
The
hydrographic network is represented by the Chegem River and its
small tributaries within the urban settlement. There are artificial
reservoirs for fish farming. Due to the occurrence of underground
waters close to the surface of the earth, the city is highly
supplied with fresh drinking water.
The climate is temperate.
The average annual air temperature is + 9.5 ° С. Summers are hot
with average July temperatures around + 21.5 ° C. Winters are cool,
with average January temperatures of -2.5 ° C and minimum
temperatures rarely drop below -10 ° C. Average annual rainfall per
year is about 700 mm. The main amount of precipitation falls in the
period from April to June.
The most ancient
structures on the territory of the modern city are the Adyghe
(Kabardian) burial grounds in the form of mounds of embankments
dating back to the XIV-XVI centuries.
A modern settlement on
the territory of the city arose in 1822, when the Kundetov princes
allocated a plot on the right bank of the Chegem River to their
assistant Islam Mambetov, who later moved to the land allotted to
him with his family. The new settlement, as was customary among the
Kabardians, was named in honor of the princes who owned the land -
Kundetovo (Kabard-Cherk. Kundetei). Over time, the new aul began to
grow rapidly thanks to new settlers from different parts of the then
Kabarda.
In 1825, with the fall of Kabarda and its annexation
to the Russian Empire, many residents of Kundetovo, like other auls
of Kabarda, not wanting to recognize the power of the military
Russian administration over themselves, went beyond the Kuban to
other Adygs in order to continue the war there.
Subsequently,
the population of the aul once again sharply decreased after the end
of the Caucasian War and with the final annexation of the entire
Caucasus to the Russian Empire, when, during the Muhajirism, many
Caucasians were exiled to other Muslim countries due to their
unwillingness to swear allegiance to the infidel Russian tsar.
In 1865, a land reform was carried out in Kabarda, during which
the nearby auls - Altudokovo (Kabard-Cherk. Altudokuei), Perkhichevo
(Kabard-Cherk. Perkhyshei) and Shogenovo (Kabard-Cherk. Shchodzhen)
were annexed to Kundetovo. ...
In 1920, with the final
establishment of Soviet power in Kabarda, by the decision of the
Revolutionary Committee of the Nalchik District, Kundetovo, like
other Kabardian settlements, was renamed due to the presence of
princely and noble families in their names. As a result, the village
received a new name - Chegem Pervyi.
During the Great
Patriotic War, the village was occupied by German troops for about
three months, causing great damage to the economy of the village. At
the beginning of 1943, Chegem Perviy, simultaneously with Nalchik,
was liberated from the fascist invaders. Several monuments have been
erected in the city in memory of the victims.
Until 1944, the
First Chegem Village Council was part of the Nalchik District (until
1935, the Nalchik District) of the KBASSR. Then it was transferred
to the Chegem region and elected as its regional center.
In
1962, the First Chegem Village Council, like the entire Chegem
District, was included in the Baksan District.
In 1965, the
Chegem region was separated from the Baksan region within its former
borders.
Since 1957, some Balkars returning from exile began
to settle in the village, who expressed a desire to settle in the
foothill zone of the KBASSR.
In 1992, the First Chegem
Village Council was reorganized and transformed into a rural
settlement Chegem I.
In 2000, the settlement of Chegem Perviy
received the status of a city and the name Chegem.
Culture and attractions
City Palace of Culture
Palace of
Sports
Regional Museum of History and Local Lore
Regional
newspaper "Voice of Chegema"
National dance centers
Monument-memorial to the fallen soldiers
Bas-relief of Vladimir
Ilyich Lenin
Memorial House-Museum of Kaisyn Shuvaevich Kuliev