Kholmsk, Russia

Kholmsk (before 1905 - Mauka, from 1905 to 1946 - Maoka; Japanese 真岡) is a city in the Far East of Russia, the administrative center of the Kholmsky urban district of the Sakhalin region. Located on the southwestern coast of Sakhalin Island, on the shores of the Nevelskoy Tatar Strait of the Sea of Japan, 83 km west of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population - 27 148 people. (2020), area 32 km². The third most populous and the second most economically important city of the Sakhalin region.

Sakhalin's largest transport center, which includes an ice-free sea port with two terminals, three railway stations and a highway junction. It is connected with Vanino by the Kholmsk-Vanino sea railway cargo-passenger ferry crossing. The federal highway P495 Kholmsk - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk begins from the city. A large economic, industrial and cultural center of the Sakhalin region, a center for sea fishing and ship repair.

The city was founded on May 21, 1870 as the Russian military post Mauk. From 1905 to 1945 it was part of Japan as the city of Maoka. In 1945 it was returned to the USSR, in 1946 it was renamed to Kholmsk. According to the Japanese classification, it received the status of a city in 1922, according to the Soviet - in 1946.

Etymology

Before the Russo-Japanese War, the city was called Mauka. After the war, from 1905 to 1946, the city bore the name Maoka, that is, the Japanese did not change the name, only changed the pronunciation. There is no exact translation of "Maoka" or "Mauk". Some researchers translate "Mauka" as "windy place", others explain the name of the city as "top of the bay". According to the Ainu-Russian dictionary of M. M. Dobrotvorsky, published in 1875, "mau" means "rosehip", and "ka" means "hill", "peak". Therefore, a more accurate explanation of the name "Mauka" is "hills overgrown with rose hips." A variant of this name - "Maoka" - also denotes the location of the village on the hills.

There are other names for the Ainu village - Entrumgomo and Tunai. They are also related to the peculiarities of its geographical location. "Entrumkomo" ("Entrumgomo") comes from the words "entrum" - "cape" and "como" - "concave", "bent", which means - "village on the cape". "Tunai" comes from the numeral Ainu language "tu" - "two" and "nai" - "river". This name quite accurately indicates the location of the camp between the mouths of two rivers, which is also confirmed by the descriptions of travelers in the middle of the 19th century.

On June 5, 1946, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR "On the administrative-territorial structure of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin region" was issued, where, in particular, its modern name - Kholmsk - was assigned to the city. However, it should be noted that Kholmsk is located not on the hills, but on sea terraces that look like hills from a distance.

History

Prehistory (before 1870)
The first Europeans who attempted to study the Tatar Strait were French sailors - members of Jean-François de La Perouse's expedition on the ships "Bussol" and "Astrolabe". In the summer of 1787, they mapped the western coast of Sakhalin from Cape Crillon to Cape Jonquier. In 1796, the English captain William Broughton took the same route. The result of these expeditions was the hypothesis of the peninsular position of Sakhalin, which was further strengthened in 1805, after the unsuccessful attempt of the Russian navigator I.F.Kruzenshtern to reach the Tatar Strait from the north, through the Amur estuary. The hypothesis of the peninsular position of Sakhalin was dispelled only in 1849, when the Russian navigator GI Nevelskoy sailed along the Tatar Strait on the Baikal transport and proved that Sakhalin was an island. The screw schooner "Vostok" from the squadron of Admiral E.V. Putyatin was the first Russian ship to sail in the waters of the Tatar Strait in 1853 in the footsteps of La Perouse and Broughton. All of the above seafarers noticed that the southwestern coast is quite deserted, although the favorable situation and climate should have contributed to the development of agriculture and fishing here. Nevertheless, there were small Ainu settlements here, one of which was Mauka.

Russian period (1870-1905)
The exact period of the emergence of the Ainu village of Mauka is unknown, therefore it is believed that the history of the city began on May 21, 1870, when 10 Russian soldiers of the 4th East Siberian linear battalion, headed by Lieutenant V.T.Firsov, landed on the shore of Mauka Bay, founded the Russian military post. The soldiers, carrying out guard duty, were engaged in hunting, fishing, gardening.

In the village itself, the Ainu and the Japanese lived, who were engaged in fishing here. Rich fish resources attracted not only Japanese, but also Russian industrialists, in particular, Ya.L. Semyonov, a well-known Vladivostok merchant. In 1878, the Scotsman GF Demby, Semyonov's companion, settled in the village, who began to arrange cabbage fishing here. The main trading post of Semyonov & Co. was also moved here. The settlement began to grow, the office of the manager of the fields, warehouses of finished products, living quarters of workers, as well as a shop selling groceries, manufactories and household items were located here. In 1880, Mauka was a fairly large settlement, where 10 Europeans and 700 workers (Koreans, Chinese, Ainu) lived. In 1884, the village was assigned to the Korsakov District, which included until the Russo-Japanese War. On the initiative of the ethnographer Bronislav Pilsudski, in July 1903, a school was opened in Mauke, attended by 12 children: 8 Ainu and 4 Russians.

The catch of fish and seaweed increased every year. If in 1886, 90 thousand poods of cabbage and 50 thousand poods of fish were harvested at Semyonov's fields, then already in 1893 - 47 thousand poods of cabbage and 140 thousand poods of fish, and in 1898 - 50 thousand poods of cabbage and 450 thousand poods of fish. Valuable species of fish - chum salmon, pink salmon, herring - were the main products of the Semyonov trades. The products were also recognized at the all-Russian level. In 1889-1890, at the All-Russian Fishing Exhibition in St. Petersburg, the company received a silver medal, and in 1896 at the All-Russian Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod - a gold medal

In 1890, the island was visited by the Russian writer A.P. Chekhov, who also sailed near the southwestern coast of the island. In his book Sakhalin Island, he described Mauka as follows:
“However, once - this was on the second day of our voyage - the commander drew my attention to a small group of huts and shed buildings and said: 'This is Mauka.' Here, in Mauke, for a long time, seaweed has been mined, which the Chinese are very willing to buy, and since the matter is serious and has already given good earnings to many Russians and foreigners, this place is very popular on Sakhalin. It is located 400 versts south of Douai, at a latitude of 47 °, and has a relatively good climate. Once the craft was in the hands of the Japanese; under Mitsula, there were more than 30 Japanese buildings in Mauke, in which 40 souls of both sexes lived permanently, and in the spring about 300 more people came here from Japan to work together with the Ainos, who then constituted the main labor force here. Now the Russian merchant Semyonov, whose son constantly lives in Mauka, owns the cabbage industry; the business is in charge of the Scotsman Demby, who is no longer young and, apparently, a knowledgeable person. He has his own house in Nagasaki in Japan, and when I, having met him, told him that I would probably be in Japan in the fall, he kindly invited me to stay at his house. Manzas, Koreans and Russians work for Semyonov. Our settlers began to come here to earn money only since 1886, and, probably, on their own initiative, since the keepers of the prisons have always been more interested in sauerkraut than in seaweed. The first attempts were not entirely successful: the Russians knew little about the purely technical side of the matter; now they have got used to it, and although Demby is not as pleased with them as with the Chinese, nevertheless, one can seriously expect that over time hundreds of settlers will find a piece of bread for themselves here. Mauka is included in the Korsakov District. Currently, 38 souls live here in a settlement: 33 meters and 5 meters. All 33 are farms. Three of them already have a peasant title. Women are all convicts and live as concubines. There are no children, no church, and the boredom must be terrible, especially in winter, when the workers leave the trades. The local civilian leadership consists of only one overseer, and the military - from a corporal and three privates. "

In the summer of 1904, due to the danger of a Japanese invasion, Sakhalin was cut off from the mainland, life froze in noisy fishing industries, including in Mauk. Events unfolded very rapidly. After battles with the Japanese in July 1905 near the villages of Vladimirovka and Dalnee, a small detachment of vigilantes, led by military prosecutor B.A. Sterligov, broke through to Mauka. Making their way through the troubled waters of the Tatar Strait and the Sikhote-Alin ridges to the Ussuri railroad, the detachment arrived in Khabarovsk. For this feat, Sterligov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree. The Japanese dealt with the resistance of the partisan detachments cruelly.

On August 23 (September 5), 1905, a peace treaty was signed in the city of Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA), according to which Russia ceded to Japan a part of Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel. Over the next 40 years, the historical fates of Northern and Southern Sakhalin followed different paths.

Japanese period (1905-1945)
During the Japanese colonization, Maoka developed rapidly, the first enterprises arose, and the settlement itself became a real city. After the Russian-Japanese war, only 40 Russian settlers remained in the deserted village for the winter, who later returned to their homeland. And in the former fishing village, a completely different life began. New owners came here - Japanese fishermen, who received all 20 plots in the Maoki area, for which the treasury rescued 172.5 thousand yen. The Japanese authorities immediately drew attention to the advantageous position of the village with an ice-free bay. Already at the end of 1905, between Maoka and Vladimirovka, they laid a temporary road, laid a telegraph and telephone lines. When the fishing plots were handed over in 1906, the Japanese closed fisheries directly in Maoka Bay, since it was supposed to build a port and a city here - the future administrative center of the west coast. Travel notes of the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan, Bishop Sergius, are a valuable source for describing Maoki in the early years of Japanese colonization. Surprised by the rapid development of the former Russian trading post, he expressed several famous catchphrases: “Mauka is a completely new Japanese city”, “They are bringing fish, they are bringing seaweed, they are bringing fish fertilizer, fish oil and even forest!”, “Of course, there is school, hospital, idols ... Empty houses are not visible ... Undoubtedly, Mauka is a city with a future ... ".

Maoka was the second port (after Otomari) through which the main flow of Japanese settlers went to Karafuto. The town was gradually developed, its residential quarters, consisting of several courtyards, multiplied. The treasury gave the settlers a small subsidy for the construction of residential buildings typical for northern Japan: with plank filling walls, sliding partitions inside and with a traditional cast-iron stove "hibachi". In 1909, the first simple water supply system on the island was laid here, consisting of wooden gutters and pipes laid underground at a depth of one meter. Water was retained in them by wooden dams, and large wooden barrels were installed at the main points of the water supply system, in which water was accumulated, stored and taken. There was also a brick factory in the city, producing up to 500 thousand bricks a year. The city was supplied with electricity by 2 power plants with a capacity of 5.8 MW.

After the formation of the Civil Administration of Karafuto on August 28, 1906, their branches were formed in the largest settlements, including in Maoka. In April 1922, in accordance with the "Statute on the cities, towns and villages of Karafuto", Maoka officially received the status of a city, and in July 1929 it became a city of the first category. The head of the city was the mayor, who had a small staff of 26 officials at his disposal: an assistant, a treasurer, three heads of departments of the city mayor's office, several clerks, a technician, etc. The mayor of the city and his officials received salaries from the treasury. There was a city council at the mayor's office, which consisted of 17 deputies. Administratively, Maoka was also the center of the county of the same name, therefore, in the city, in addition to the mayor's office, there was also a county administration. Maoka County covered the entire southwest coast of the island. The bulk of the city's population was made up of immigrants from the northern and northwestern regions of Japan. In the 1920s, large shipments of workers were brought in from Korea and Manchuria to do the hard work. There were practically no Ainu in Maoka, which was once the largest Ainu camp on the island, in the early 1910s.

The development of Maoki as an administrative and industrial center, as well as the role of this city in the system of emerging economic ties of Karafuto, largely depended on communications. Construction of the highway to Toyohara continued in 1906-1909, at a distance of 19 ri (75 km) the road crossed three passes, 84 bridges and several road stations were built. The Japanese authorities paid the most serious attention to the creation of a developed system of communications. Therefore, along with the construction of highways, intensive railway construction was carried out on Karafuto. In 1917, the country's parliament approved a five-year plan for the construction of railways in the governorate of Karafuto, which provides for the construction of three railway lines of important economic and military-strategic importance: Maoka - Honto, Maoka - Noda and Honto - Taranai - Kaizuka. Construction of the Honto - Maoka - Noda line began in 1918. It advanced with great difficulty, twice the flood eroded the track, but, nevertheless, on October 11, 1920, train traffic was opened between Maoka and Honto, and in November 1921 - from Maoka to Noda. In 1925, the line was extended to Tomarioru, and in 1937 to Kussunai. Construction of the third line, which was supposed to connect the city of Honto with the center of the governorship, was delayed and, ultimately, was revised in favor of the city of Maoka. The city's industrialists proved to the Japanese government that from the point of view of the prospects for the development of Karafuto's economy, it would be advisable to lay a railway line directly from Toyohara to Maoki, and not from Kaizuki to Honto, despite the fact that the new option was more complicated and more expensive. Construction of the line began in September 1921. The road was led through several mountain passes of the South Kamyshovy ridge, through taiga, hills and gullies. In those years, it was the largest and most complex engineering structure on Sakhalin. On the line, 15 tunnels with a total length of 5,087 m had to be punched, 35 bridges with a length of 1,047 m had to be erected, and in some places the line of the track had to be drawn in the form of a complex spiral. There were also economic problems (high prices for building materials and a shortage of labor). On September 3, 1928, the Toyohara-Maoka railway line was fully operational. The city turned into a major transport hub, through which Karafuto's economic ties with the ports of Japan, China, Korea and other countries were carried out all year round. By the end of the 1920s, the construction of artificial structures for a seaport, a passenger railway station, a Kita-Maoka cargo station, a locomotive depot was completed in Maoka, a hospital, an outpatient clinic, and a post office were operating.

In the late 1920s - early 1930s, the territory of the city and its environs acquired a completely different look than before. The former "bear's corner" has become one of the most industrially developed areas of the island. Fishing and processing of fish and seafood remained the leading sector of the economy. At the same time, coal mining was quite successful here, logging expanded, agriculture developed, and a new industry appeared - pulp and paper. Maoka became the main center of trade and industry in the west of the island and held a key position in the capitalist economy of Karafuto. In September 1919, a paper mill of the Sakhalin branch of the Oji paper-making company was commissioned in Maoka, with a design capacity of 10 thousand tons of paper per year. Near the city, timber was actively harvested and coal was mined. Through the port of Maoka, most of the timber and coal was exported to the metropolis.

The development of agriculture in the vicinity of Maoki was focused on supplying the residents of the city with vegetables, meat and milk. Due to its geographical location, agriculture (the sown area was only 4.2 thousand hectares) could not meet the needs of the inhabitants, therefore, animal husbandry was most developed, especially cattle breeding (1413 heads) and horse breeding (1836 horses). In 1926, a dairy cooperative was formed in Maoka, which was engaged in breeding high-yield cattle and horses, and had its own creamery. Fur farming was developed. In Maoka and the suburbs, there were 68 nurseries with 700 foxes.

In October 1906, a private primary school was opened in the city, after the formation of the governorship it became a state school. On May 1, 1926, a female municipal gymnasium was opened, and in 1927 - a male municipal gymnasium, in April 1929, a city commercial school was created. As of April 1, 1936, there were 22 schools in Maoka, where 7.2 thousand students studied and 197 teachers worked. The government paid serious attention to school education, constantly improving it, taking into account local conditions, cultural and living standards of the population. In the directive of the governorship No. 36 of September 3, 1920, the fundamental principles of school education were set forth, subordinate to the main goal - to educate the appropriate capable personnel for the affairs of development, taking into account the special conditions of Karafuto. The governorship promoted the creation of various youth and military sports organizations. In Maoka, there were 24 cells of the Karafuto Seinandan (Karafuto Youth Organization) with a total of 961 people. On February 11, 1933, a Boy Scout organization called Hokusin Shounen Giyudan was formed at the 8-year-old Municipal School No. 2, with 68 students. On November 20, 1933, the Hokushin Shonen Giyudan entered the Japan Boy Scout League, and on February 11, 1934, the Boy Scouts were awarded the "Emperor's Grace Ribbon." The main task of these youth organizations was to educate new generations of Karafuto colonists in the spirit of nationalism, unlimited devotion to the emperor, and readiness to continue the conquest of new lands. Three newspapers were published in the city: the daily morning newspaper "Karafuto jiji shimbun" (from August 15, 1916, owner K. Kurioka, publisher M. Kitagama), evening "Karafuto hokusin shimbun" (from January 1, 1926, owner and publisher V. Kawasaki ) and "Maoka Mainichi Shimbun" (since December 1, 1926, owner S. Iwashita, publisher K. Kimura), the only city public library on the west coast, which consisted of over 9 thousand books, also operated. As with any major port city, there were many restaurants and tea houses, as well as several brothels. There were also 2 hotels with 400 beds, a city bath. There were many places of worship in the city: Shinto temples, Buddhist pagodas, a Catholic church. Here, in July 1909, the very first Shinto temple on Sakhalin was built - Maoka Jinja.

Japanese domination on Karafuto seemed solid and unshakable. The natural resources of the island were pumped into the metropolis in a huge flow. Even in spite of the decline in economic activity in the early 1940s, enterprises in the main sectors of the economy (fish, forestry, pulp and paper, coal industries) worked steadily. The city's population grew from 3,000 in the late 1900s to 20,000 in the early 1940s. The war came to South Sakhalin again in late 1944 - early 1945, with night bombing of settlements by American aircraft. The Second World War rolled up to Japan itself, which was an ally of Nazi Germany. For 40 years, Japan at an accelerated pace led the colonization of South Sakhalin, which they viewed as a military-strategic foothold for the capture of Soviet Sakhalin, and then the Far East.

War period (1945)
At 7:00 am on August 19, 1945, ships with a landing party (3400 people) began to leave Sovetskaya Gavan, the movement of the flotilla forces was carried out in stormy weather in compliance with camouflage measures. At 7:30 am on August 20, the ships approached the port of Maoka in a continuous fog, and the boats of the first landing detachment landed groups of submachine gunners at the berths of the central and southern harbors of the port. At the same time, artillery support ships opened fire. The idea of surprise was fully justified. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the paratroopers captured the coastal port facilities in 40 minutes. The first and second echelons of the assault force landed directly in the harbor and immediately entered the battle. Due to heavy fog, there was no air support, and the ships' artillery fire often had to be suspended. The Japanese offered strong and organized resistance. The two infantry battalions defending the port were supported by the fire of an armored train, a large number of guns, mortars and machine guns. By 12:00 the port was completely occupied by Soviet troops.

But battles for the city continued. The Japanese put up strong resistance, used rifle and machine-gun fire from ambushes built, from attics, from windows and basements of houses. By 14:00 the entire city was captured. During the battle, the Japanese lost about 300 people killed and about 600 prisoners. The losses of the Soviet landing amounted to 77 killed and wounded: 17 in the battalion of the marines and 60 in the rifle brigade. In the street fighting, civilians suffered heavy losses, trying to leave the city in panic - up to 600 civilians died. The city suffered significant destruction and fires. The remnants of the Japanese forces retreated by road and rail into the interior of the island, where they were defeated a few days later.

Soviet period (1945-1991)
In Maoka, as in other liberated cities and villages of the now former governorship of Karafuto, a completely different life began. The first month and a half after the fighting, local power was exercised by military commandants and commanders of military units. But already on October 5, 1945, the head of the civil administration of the Maoksky region, Lieutenant Colonel P.F.Nepomnyashchy, the former deputy chairman of the Komsomolsk city executive committee, took up his duties. On June 5, 1946, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR "On the administrative-territorial structure of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin region" was issued, where, in particular, the city of regional subordination was assigned its new name - Kholmsk.

In the city actively, as the Japanese population repatriated (there was a transit camp No. 379 in the city), new settlers arrived - workers, collective farmers, specialists in various industries. The restoration of the economy and the settlement of the island depended on the work of transport. On October 30, 1945, the Sakhalin Shipping Company was created, which took over a significant part of the transportation of national economic goods and migrants. In 1946, the shipping company's fleet consisted of 17 steamers. The development of the city itself depended on the restoration of the main branch of the economy - the fish industry. The city became the center of the fishing region formed in September 1945, which was transformed in April 1946 into the West Sakhalin State Fishery Trust. In 1950, it included 20 fish processing plants and fish factories, a ship repair shop, a shipyard; the trust's fleet consisted of 240 units of watercraft. In 1946-1955, fishermen caught 635.4 tons of fish and seafood. This is almost the same as the production of other fishing areas in the basin.

Life gradually improved in the city, it settled down, industrial enterprises and social institutions appeared. In 1947, 6 schools (5 primary and 1 secondary), a library (1800 volumes), 5 canteens, 3 tea rooms, a polyclinic, a hospital (130 beds) operated in the city. In 1949, a nautical school was transferred to Kholmsk from Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, which developed the training of fleet specialists here. In 1949, the Kholmsk shipyard began its work with a ship-lifting slip for 12 berths, in June 1950 a tin-can factory was launched, in 1952 a cinder block (10 million bricks per year) and a brewery (100 thousand liters of beer per year) were built ... In 1954, intracity bus traffic was opened along Sovetskaya Street. Intercity bus traffic on the Kholmsk - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk line, as well as suburban routes to Pravda and Yablochny, began in 1956.

In 1959, the Seiner Fleet Administration (USF) was established in the city. Fishing industry enterprises were successfully developing the fishery in the coastal zone, in the open seas. In 1963, the USF was transformed into the Directorate of the Marine Fishing and Hunting Fleet (UMRZF).

The pulp and paper mill operated stably. In the 1950s, reconstruction was carried out, which made it possible to increase the volume and quality of products. So, in 1967 the yield of cellulose from 1 m³ was over 70%, this is 2.2 times more than in 1947. This was the highest rate of cellulose removal among 7 pulp and paper mills in the region and was at the level of the country's leading enterprises. In 1977, like all pulp and paper mills in the region, it was reorganized into a pulp and paper mill.

Kholmsk played an important role in the connection of the island with the mainland. But this role increased even more with the construction of the Vanino - Kholmsk sea rail ferry crossing. The idea of opening the crossing was first announced in 1964, and 5 years later, in April 1969, its construction began. A 252 m long berth was set up in the port, more than 30 km of railway tracks were laid in the city itself. 15 hectares of land were reclaimed from the sea, 520 thousand m³ of rocky soil was removed and transported, more than 65 thousand m³ of reinforced concrete structures were laid and reinforced concrete structures were installed. On April 12, 1973, the icebreaker ferry Sakhalin-1 moored at the port berth. On June 28, 1973, a solemn meeting was held dedicated to the commissioning of a sea railway ferry crossing. After 3 years, with the arrival of the Sakhalin-5 ferry, the ferry reached its design capacity. In 1973-1978, ferries transported 6 million tons of cargo and more than 300 thousand passengers.

The city itself has changed beyond recognition during the Soviet era. In 1951-1972, 192.5 thousand square meters of housing were built, the city's population exceeded 40 thousand inhabitants. A general plan of the city was developed, which provided for the growth of the city's population by 2000 to 70 thousand people. In May 1960, in the suburban village of Pioneers, a trade union health resort was opened - the balneo-mud sanatorium "Chaika". In 1976, the first nine-storey building in Sakhalin and a new building of the sea station were built, and in 1979 the city center was decorated with the Rossiya cinema. In the early 1970s, the development of the III microdistrict began, and since 1976 - the IV microdistrict for 14 thousand inhabitants. In general, the rates of housing construction were very high, but they did not cover the growth rates of the city's population. In the tenth five-year plan (1976-1980), 125 thousand square meters of housing were built, in the eleventh five-year plan (1981-1985) - 90 thousand square meters of housing. In 1985, the population of Kholmsk crossed the line of 50 thousand inhabitants.

The 1980s were the heyday of the Sakhalin city. Then a consumer services complex, a regional communications center, a department store, a hospital (120 beds), several kindergartens (495 beds), a building parts plant, and the second stage of a ferry crossing were put into operation. During the period 1973-1989, the Sakhalin ferries transported about 1.2 million wagons with national economic goods. In 1992, the last ferry, Sakhalin-10, arrived at the crossing.

In the late 1980s - early 1990s, Kholmsk, like hundreds of other cities, faced severe difficulties from which it has not recovered until now.

Modern period (since 1991)
The political, economic and social crisis in Russia in the 1990s strongly affected the life of Kholmsk and disrupted the steady dynamics of the city's development. The destabilization of the financial sector, the growth of mutual non-payments, and growing wage arrears led to a decline in living standards, an increase in crime, bankruptcy and the closure of the city's leading enterprises. UMRZF, a pulp and paper mill, and a building parts plant were closed. Suburban collective and state farms were on the verge of closure. The Sakhalin Shipping Company, a tin and can factory, and a shipyard went through difficult times. Instead of 10 ferries of the Sakhalin series, only 4 of the last vessels remained in the ferry. The Kholmsk - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk railroad ceased operations in 1994, the Nikolaychuk - Novoderevenskaya section was dismantled, and passenger railroad communication with Tomari and Nevelsk was interrupted. In 1992, the Kholmsk-Yuzhny railway station, built by the Japanese in the 1920s, was demolished. The number of worn-out and dilapidated housing increased every year in the city; several houses under construction, including high-rise ones, were abandoned. For 13 years (1992-2005) the city's population decreased from 52 to 33.5 thousand inhabitants.

Since 2005, the situation in the city has gradually started to improve. The work of existing enterprises has stabilized, some of them recorded growth. In recent years, new houses have been built, many shops, various companies have been opened.

Destinations

Engineering facilities
Bridge 74 km (“Devil's Bridge”). One of the attractions of Kholmsk is the railway bridge at 74 km of the former railway line Kholmsk - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, better known as the "Devil's Bridge". It is located 4750 m from the nearest railway station Nikolaychuk and 14 km southeast of the center of Kholmsk. The unique railway structure was built by the Japanese in the early 1920s, it was and remains the highest bridge in the Sakhalin region. The train passed along the railway through two tunnels, drove almost to the very top of the hill and passed along the "Devil's Bridge" at a height of 41 meters above the mouth of the tunnel, from where a beautiful panorama of the island nature opened up.

The height of the railway facility is 41 m, the length is 125 m, the width is 8.9 m.The length of the tunnel, which originates under the bridge, is 870 m, the width is 6 m, and the height of the tunnel is 5.5 m.

Passenger and freight traffic was stopped in 1994. In 2008, the management of the Sakhalin Railway decided to restore the passage to the "Devil's Bridge" (in the 1990s, a tourist train "Retro" went to the bridge) due to the uniqueness of this facility. It is very attractive to tourists. From Kholmsk in spring, summer and autumn you can go by train to Nikolaychuk station, where there is a monument to the fallen soldiers. Further on foot along the sleepers you can reach the famous bridge and climb it up the wooden stairs. The bridge also attracts tourists in winter. At this time of year, they get here from Kholmsk on skis. A tradition has appeared - tourists go to the bridge on Youth Day. It is under the protection of UNESCO.

Lighthouses. The water area of the city is characterized by a shallow depth and the presence of numerous pitfalls, therefore, for the safety of navigation and the entry of ships into ports, beacons and lighthouses operate in the city itself. In total, there are 5 lighthouses in the city: 2 Japanese-built lighthouses located on the jetties of the commercial port, 2 more navigation lighthouses of the Soviet period on the slope of the hill of the 4th microdistrict, as well as the main lighthouse. The main lighthouse for safe entry of ships into the port was opened in 1958. It is located in the south of the 5th microdistrict ("Rabochy settlement") and is a round reinforced concrete tower, painted with white and black horizontal stripes, 29 m high, and from sea level - 67 m. It operates all year round at night (6 hours a day).

Monuments and sculpture
There is not a single important event in the history of our Motherland that would not be reflected in the monuments. Monuments and memorable places of Kholmsk are part of its historical past, they testify to the feats of arms and labor of Kholmsk residents. In total, there are 78 archaeological and 20 historical and cultural monuments and memorial sites in the city and its surroundings.

Monuments dedicated to the founding of Kholmsk and the exploration of Sakhalin in the 19th century
The place where the Russian military post Mauka was founded in 1870 is within the boundaries of Sovetskaya, Portovaya and Zelenaya streets;
Memorial complex to the discoverers of Sakhalin - a memorial complex in front of the building of the Central House of Culture, which includes:
Memorial plaque in honor of the schooner "Vostok" - installed in 1996;
Memorial plaque to the "Vanzetti" steamer, who distinguished himself in the battles of the Great Patriotic War;
Memorial plaque to Ivan Moskvitin;
Memorial plaque to Admiral Nevelskoy and his associates (D. I. Orlov, N. K. Boshnyak, N. M. Chikhachev, G. D. Razgradsky, N. V. Rudanovsky) - participants of the Amur expedition of 1849-1855 - authors M. Ya. Fradkov, V. Ya. Shevchenko;
Memorial plaque and memorial stone "Jungs of Fiery Voyages" of the Great Patriotic War - installed in 2009 in memory of the Jungs of the Pacific Fleet, who made an invaluable contribution to the approach of victory during the war;
Monument to the founders and liberators of Kholmsk. It is located on the site of the alleged landing of the landing of Russian soldiers who founded the city, and the landing of Soviet soldiers who liberated it in 1945. It was created on the basis of the project of V.A.Glushchenko and installed on the embankment of Primorsky Boulevard in 2000. The structure is presented in the form of a ship entering the port, it is crowned with a five-pointed star, reflecting the realities of 1945 and symbolizing the guiding star of good fortune for the residents of the city. On the front side of the monument there is an inscription: "To the soldiers of the Russian Fatherland from grateful residents of the city of Kholmsk"

Monuments of the era of the governorship of Karafuto:
Remains of the Shinto Shrine of Maoka Jinja - at present, a staircase leading to the shipping company building, a retaining wall and two pedestals on which there were lanterns in front of the entrance to the temple, are preserved from the temple buildings;
The ritual bath of the Maoka jinja temple - was located in front of the entrance to the temple, one of the hieroglyphs depicted on it means "purification";
The remains of a Buddhist pagoda - a stone pedestal, now located on the territory of the cafe "Rainbow";

The stone pedestal of the Bato Kannon monument is the only monument on Sakhalin dedicated to the deity Bato Kannon with the head of a horse; a stone pedestal with a carved name of the deity and an inscription indicating the name of the master and the year of manufacture (1928) has been preserved. Above there is an image of a lotus flower, in the middle of which there is a recess for installing a figure, which has now been lost;
Memorial stone at the site of the former Japanese cemetery - installed by Japanese compatriots in 1995 in memory of the former residents of Maoki;
Japanese school fire-resistant pavilions "Gosineihoanden" - special rooms for storing spiritual treasures, they contained copies of the "Imperial Rescript" (the main ideals of Japanese society) and portraits of the emperor and his family members; there were 4 pavilions in Kholmsk:
Pavilion on Lesozavodskaya Street - partially preserved, belonged to Primary School No. 1 in Maoka;
Pavilion on Victory Street - completely destroyed;
Pavilion on Makarova Street - completely destroyed, only the remains of columns and a cornice have survived;
The pavilion on Heroes Street is completely preserved.

Monuments to the liberators of South Sakhalin and the city of Kholmsk
Monument at the mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died on August 21-23, 1945 during the liberation of the city of Kholmsk in the city park. After the end of the fighting, 45 soldiers were buried here and a wooden monument was erected by the soldiers of the 113th Special Rifle Brigade. In 1954, the monument was reconstructed: additional architectural details, characteristic of that time, appeared - cast bas-reliefs depicting scenes of battles and military paraphernalia. The modern memorial was erected in 1970 according to the project of the Moscow architect Yu. A. Regentov and the Ryazan artist B. A. Alekseev; it represents three seven-meter concrete pylons-bayonets, symbolizing the connection of three generations - grandfathers, fathers and sons; in the lower part, the pylons are fastened with a brass ring 0.5 m wide, on which the names of the fallen soldiers and the text: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the battles for the liberation of the city of Kholmsk on 23.08.1945" are carved. At the base there is a bronze star, the foundation of the monument is a two-stage concrete platform of irregular hexagonal shape;
Mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of South Sakhalin in 1945. The place of fierce battles with the enemy in August 1945. A memorial complex was erected on the mass grave of 24 Soviet soldiers who died on August 20-23, 1945. It is a 7 m high reinforced concrete stele, symbolizing a sea wave, on the crest of which there is a 76 mm ZIS-3 anti-tank gun. The stele is surrounded by a bronze half-ring with the inscription: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in battles against Japanese aggressors during the liberation of the primordially Russian lands of South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands." On the mass grave there is a plate with the names of the fallen soldiers and the text: "Here are buried the soldiers of the Soviet Army who died in the battle with militaristic Japan at the Kholmsk Pass in August 1945". The memorial complex was opened on September 3, 1975, its author is the architect A. Derevianko.
A memorial place on the Kholmsk Pass - a bunker, the place of fierce battles of Soviet troops during the liberation of the city of Kholmsk;
A memorial plaque to Vladimir Volkov, a soldier of the Soviet Army who died in the battles for the liberation of the city, was installed on the house number 1 of Volkov Street (in 1981, Nizovaya Street was renamed Volkov Street) in 1970 in memory of the heroically killed Red Army soldier V. A. Volkov.

Monuments dedicated to the Soviet era
A memorial plaque to the Hero of Socialist Labor A.S. Khan - installed in 2006 on a house on Chekhov Street, built on the initiative of a famous fisherwoman, who for many years headed a brigade of set nets and achieved record catches;
Memorial complex in memory of the fishermen of the fishing and processing fleet - established in 2006, the memorial complex is dedicated to the heroic labor of fishermen and is a sea anchor and a memorial plaque with the inscription: "In memory of the fishermen of the fishing and processing fleet";
Monument to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - erected in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the leader of the October Revolution, was opened on April 22, 1970 on the central square of the city. The sculpture is cast in bronze with a height of 3.25 m and is installed on a pedestal with a height of 5 m. In the complex with the monument, a podium measuring 28 × 9 m is made of reinforced concrete slabs. Authors - Moscow architect Y. A. Regentov and Ryazan artist B. A. Alekseev.

Resting places
There are many places for recreation in the city, most of them are located in the southern part of the city:

Peace Square is another city square, located on the shore of Kholmskaya harbor. Quite a popular place for recreation among Kholm residents, from the square you can watch the arrival and departure of the Sakhalin ferries and sailing regattas. The only city fountain is located on the square;
Heroes' Square - a large area of green territory in the center of the city, where solemn meetings are held on Victory Day;
Primorsky Boulevard with the embankment is the most equipped place in the city. Primorsky Boulevard is a whole composition of sculptural monuments, there is an excellent embankment on the coast of the harbor, there are several shopping centers next to the boulevard.

Kholmsk is one of the cultural centers of the Sakhalin Region, its cultural influence extends beyond the south-west of the island, and creative teams take part in events of the regional, national and international level.

Culture houses
The main center of leisure, amateur performances, and methodological assistance to the creative teams of the city is the Central District House of Culture, or the House of Culture of Seamen. Its history dates back to June 1947. Today, the CDC is a multifunctional public communication center for city residents, the main activity of which is to provide the population with a variety of services of a socio-cultural, educational, recreational and entertainment nature, conditions for practicing amateur art, organizing events of a city, district, regional scale, participating in festivals and competitions ... The CDC is famous for its creative potential: 25 club formations work here, of which 6 amateur art groups bear the high title "People's" - the academic choir "Harmony", the folk choir "Russian Song", the folk dance ensemble "Assol", the folk theater, the orchestra folk instruments "Chime" and the pop dance ensemble "Edelweiss". It should be noted that the folk theater is the oldest amateur collective in the region, created in 1947 and awarded the title of folk theater in 1962. In the House of Culture for children and adolescents, 11 groups have been opened, in which 346 participants are engaged.

Museums
The city is the museum center of Sakhalin, there are 4 museums
Kholmsk Municipal Natural Science Museum was created in 2003 on the basis of the Museum of Sea Fauna, which, in turn, opened its doors to its first visitors on June 18, 1982. The museum was originally located in an apartment building, occupying two two-room apartments. After the transfer of the building of the Seamen's Palace of Culture from the Sakhalin Shipping Company to the municipal property, the museum was allocated premises on the second floor of the Central Dispatch Center. The main fund of the museum is 3065 storage units, the scientific auxiliary fund - 1934 storage units (4999 storage units in total). Exposition and exhibition area - 214.16 sq. m. The Museum consists of 3 rooms: sea fauna, local history and exhibition. In the hall "Fauna of the Sea", the permanent exhibition includes items from the collections: "Invertebrates", "Fish", "Mammals", "Birds", "Amphibians". In the hall "Regional Studies" there are departments "Archeology", "Historical and household items". The exhibition hall regularly hosts exhibitions of paintings by local painters.
The Museum of Military Glory was created on February 23, 1972 on the basis of the collected material on the hostilities of the 113th separate special rifle brigade in 1945 during the liberation of Kholmsk from the Japanese, and has become a real center of military-patriotic education of students. The museum has 4 departments: "Local History", "Liberation of Southern Sakhalin", "Kuril Landing Operation" and "113th Separate Sakhalin Rifle Brigade". The stands contain photocopies and original documents, trophies, letters of memory. The museum conducts excursions, Lessons of courage, meetings with guests of the city and veterans of war and labor, Weeks of Remembrance, Open Days, contests, local history quizzes, Olympiads, various conferences;
The Museum "Yungam of Fiery Voyages" was created in 2001, the museum's fund contains original documents, photographs, letters and manuscripts of young participants in the international convoys "PQ" and "Dervish", telling about the path and young soldiers of the 113th separate Sakhalin rifle brigade;
The Museum of the History of Navigation and Maritime Affairs on Sakhalin is located in the Sakhalin branch of the Maritime State University. Admiral Nevelskoy.

Art schools

The educational institution of culture is the children's art school, opened in 1956. Here 400 children and adolescents study musical instruments and literacy, improve their vocal skills and comprehend dance techniques, master the basics of fine arts. Students of the school, under the guidance of 25 teachers, perform at concerts and present exhibitions. Young musicians and artists of the city traditionally participate in the “Young Talents of Sakhalin” contests and become laureates of international contests of performers and exhibitions. Today the school has 7 departments: piano, theoretical, folk instruments, art, choreographic, "Spring" and general aesthetic.

Libraries
A whole library network has been created in the city, which includes 6 institutions: the Central Regional Library named after Yu. I. Nikolaev, the Central Children's Library and 4 of their branches. Since 1999, the Central Regional Library of Kholmsk bears the name of the Sakhalin poet Yuri Ivanovich Nikolaev, the father of the pop singer and composer Igor Nikolaev, well-known in Russia and abroad, the library is one of the oldest (it opened on August 25, 1947) and the largest (in its funds 71 thousand copies of books, designed for all categories of readers, and 185 titles of periodicals, as well as audio cassettes, videotapes, CD-ROM, gramophone records) in the region. At the service of visitors there is a subscription, a reading room of industry literature, a hall of periodicals, an interlibrary loan. The library serves almost 6 thousand people annually, carrying out about 7 thousand various bibliographic references. The computerization of library processes, a rich collection of books, periodicals, a rich music library, and public events made the library one of the best in the region and in the Far East. In recent years, new structural divisions have been opened: the sector for the introduction of new technologies, the Internet class, the information and bibliographic sector. The specialists of these services search for information on the Internet, the SPS "Consultant Plus", provide the population with a fund of published and unpublished documents of local self-government bodies, which includes 1708 documents.

Cinemas
The city has one cinema "Russia", which has been transformed into a cinema leisure center. A cinema with an auditorium for 600 people was opened in 1979. Now it is a cinema leisure center providing services in the field of culture, work with the population, youth policy, cultural, creative, educational and leisure activities of various directions, forms, types and genres based on film screenings. There are 8 club formations in CDC "Russia". They are attended by 190 people, who are united by common interests, joint creative activities, and the need for amateur art. There are three associations working for the adult population: the literary and creative association "Parnas", the club of veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the labor front, veterans of labor and honored pensioners of the city "Circle of Friends" and the combined choir of veterans. Young people are engaged in 5 associations: the Pilgrim youth association, the Young Journalist club, the Fiesta contemporary dance studio, the Artistic Word studio of poetry lovers and the Kholmskie Sparks art studio.

Festivals
Every year on the coast near Kholmsk or on the Primorsky boulevard of the city, the festival of bard songs "At the Tatar Strait" is held, bringing together many poets and musicians from all over the Sakhalin region, as well as from the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories.