Shcholkine, Russia

Shcholkine

Shchelkino (Ukrainian Щолкіне, Crimean Tatar Şçolkino, Shchelkino) is a city in the Crimea, in the north of the Kerch Peninsula.

Included in the Leninsky district as part of the (Autonomous) Republic of Crimea. Forms the urban settlement of Shchelkino (Schelkinsky City Council) as the only settlement in its composition.

It is the youngest city of the republic (since December 18, 1992). From 1978 to 1989 developed as an important center for a promising nuclear industry, but after the construction site was recognized as geologically unstable, the city's economy switched to post-industrial rails, which set beach and festival types of tourism, as well as the related service sector and private entrepreneurship. Shelkino is the only city in Crimea where the streets do not have names, but only house numbers. Also Shchelkino is the only city on the coast of the Sea of Azov, whose beaches are relatively deep.

 

Etymology

Named after Kirill Shchelkin, Soviet nuclear physicist, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. On April 16, 1982, the settlement of the Crimean nuclear power plant was named "Shchelkino settlement". In 1992 it received the status of a city of regional subordination.

Geographical position
Located in the east of the peninsula, 75 kilometers west of Kerch (by road, in a straight line - 50) and 65 kilometers northeast of Feodosia (by road, in a straight line - 55), on the shores of the Azov Sea, near Cape Kazantip. The nearest villages are Mysovoye (2 km) and Semyonovka (11 km). From all sides, except the southern, the city is surrounded by the bays of the Azov Sea. To the south of the city there is a salt lake Aktash.

 

Climate

Shchelkino is located on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones. The annual precipitation here is low (300-400 mm), and the duration of sunshine is significant, reaching 2,300-2,350 hours per year, which determines the supply of a large amount of solar energy. The climate is temperate continental, very arid, moderately hot with short, mild and almost snowless winters and long, warm, long summers (about 6 months). In winter, cloudy weather prevails, while summer is clear and sunny.

The average annual air temperature according to long-term observations in the city area here is +11.0 °C. The average air temperature of the coldest month (February) is -1.1 °C, and the warmest (July) - +23.9 °C. The absolute minimum was −26°C and the absolute maximum was +37°C. The frost-free period lasts an average of 222 days. The number of clear days reaches 293. The average annual precipitation in the city area is 329 mm. The shallow Sea of Azov becomes very cold in winter, but warms up earlier in summer, so you can swim on its southern coast already in May. Shchelkino is located in its relatively deep-water part (depths in the bay are up to 10 m). The salinity here is higher than in the north, and the average annual temperature of the coastal waters of Azov is +12 °C near the village of Mysovoye. The sea can be covered with ice in January-February, but due to frequent thaws, the ice melts several times. The water temperature in July-August here reaches +28-30 °C.

 

History

Founded in October 1978 as a settlement for the builders of the Crimean nuclear power plant. The construction of the Crimean NPP began in 1981. In 1984, at the suggestion of the then head of construction, Shtogrin V.A., following the Zaporozhye NPP, the construction was declared an All-Union Shock Komsomol. By this time, about a hundred five- and nine-storey buildings had appeared in the city, a division into microdistricts appeared (Lesovod, Neptun, Energetik-2, 2nd, 3rd microdistricts).

In 1987, construction almost stopped and was officially frozen in 1989 at 80% completion due to the fact that the development site was deemed geologically unstable. On December 18, 1992, the town of Shcholkine officially received the status of a city of regional subordination.

In addition, a solar power plant was built and operated for some time near the city. Also, about twenty wind turbines were installed, which are still in operation.

From 1993 to 1998 the annual festival of electronic music "KaZantip" was held in the Shchelkino region.

In 2007-2008, the film “Inhabited Island” was filmed at Cape Kazantip (directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk).

In 2013, the city authorities of Shchelkino began to study the possibility of renaming the city into Kazantip, after the name of the nearby cape. The initiative has already provoked resistance from the residents of the city.

 

Sights

Not far from the city, in addition to the ruins of the Crimean nuclear power plant - the remains of an experimental solar power plant, a wind power plant.

Near the city there is a unique natural monument - the Kazantip nature reserve.

In the city itself, as well as near Shchelkino, there are a number of beaches with a total length of more than 25 kilometers. The density of the population and the degree of stress by tourists is not high here, and therefore many beaches remain in a relatively wild state.

 

Culture

Since 2008, near Cape Kazantip, in the Tatarskaya Bay, the festival of music and contemporary art "Neighboring World" has been held. Since 2009, the city itself has hosted an international festival of literature and culture "Slavic Traditions", and since 2011 - an international children's festival "Fortuna".

 

Economy

There are no industrial enterprises in Shcholkine. The basis of the material income of the residents of the city is the tourism and trade business: cafes, bars, entertainment establishments, excursion bureaus and trade. Currently, the city is a seaside resort, there are boarding houses, recreation centers, hotels. The Sea of ​​Azov near the city is popular with fans of windsurfing and kitesurfing.

 

The science

In Simeiz, on Mount Koshka, there is the Simeiz Department of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, known as the Simeiz Observatory. The world's first lunar spacecraft tracking station was located here, which was used to control the flight of the Luna-1 (January 1959) and Luna-2 (September 1959) spacecraft, and later took the first photographs of the far side of the Moon. (spacecraft "Luna-3", October 1959).

The asteroid (748) Simeiz, discovered by Russian astronomer Grigory Neuimin in 1913 at the Simeiz Observatory, is named after the city of Simeiz and the observatory of the same name, where it was discovered. This is the first asteroid discovered from the territory of Russia.

One of the components of the Interkosmos system is located in Simeiz. It is an experimental laser observation station for artificial satellites of the Earth.