Yelizovo is a city (since 1975) in the Kamchatka Territory of Russia. It is the administrative center of the Elizovsky district, and forms the Elizovsky urban settlement.
The first settlement on the site of the current Yelizovo was founded
in the 17th century by Itelmens, it was a small prison. When the
Cossacks arrived in these places at the beginning of the next century,
they developed a difficult relationship with the locals, which led to
clashes and bloodshed. The settlement was destroyed by the Cossacks, it
was a response to the murder of their comrades by the Kamchadals, led by
Ataman Antsiferov. These tragic events caused the place to be called the
Old Ostrog tract. For a long time no one settled here.
At the
beginning of the 19th century, a small estate was built in Stary Ostrog,
where a family of Russian immigrants began to live. The village of the
same name began from this place. Statistics from the middle of the 19th
century already show the presence of four houses. All of them were
occupied by members of the same family, the father lived in one house,
his sons with their wives and children lived in the rest. As people
arrived in Kamchatka from mainland Russia, the village grew. By 1876,
more than 80 people lived here, and in the 20s of the twentieth century,
226.
The name Stary Ostrog (or Staroostrozhnoye) retained its
name until 1897, when it was renamed the village of Zavoyko, in honor of
the first governor-general of Kamchatka, a remarkable man in every way.
It would be fair to continue to bear such a name, but during the Civil
War, dramatic events took place in Kamchatka. On the banks of the Avacha
there were bloody battles for Soviet power, a detachment of red
partisans was led by Georgy Elizov. He died. To perpetuate his memory,
in 1924 the village of Zavoyko was renamed Yelizovo. Later, a bust of a
partisan commander was erected here.
The inhabitants of the
village were mainly engaged in fishing, hunting, and agriculture. But
then it was not possible to make fishing in the Avacha River industrial.
In addition, the area did not have a supply of timber. These
circumstances caused the slow development of Yelizovo. But after Soviet
power was established here, a plan was adopted to expand it. They began
to develop the fishing industry, in 1931 a collective farm was created.
At the same time, the infrastructure improved, such benefits of
civilization as a bathhouse, a telegraph appeared, a school was built, a
store opened, a club was created, where cultural and educational work
began.
The status of Yelizovo changed in 1964, it became known as
a workers' settlement, and in 1975 as a city. The fishing industry
remains the main branch of the local economy, and there is also
agriculture. Tourism is rapidly developing, which has already become a
significant line of income for the region. Yelizovo is located in a
wonderful place, where there are all opportunities for a varied holiday.
Yelizovo is located on the banks of the Avacha River, 32 km west of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Despite the fact that Elizovo is located only three tens of kilometers from the regional center, the climate here is slightly different. In winter, it is always a few degrees colder here, but the average annual wind speed is less than in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Snow cover in Elizovo and its environs melts on average 2 weeks earlier than in the regional center, around the second decade of April. In summer, higher temperatures are observed (sometimes above 30 °), the number of days with fog is noticeably less than in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, however, autumn comes earlier and night frosts on the soil can be observed already in the second half of September. In general, the climate of Elizovo, due to its remoteness from the ocean coast, is characterized by a greater continentality than the climate of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - warmer in summer and colder in winter. The city and its environs are one of the most favorable climatic regions of Kamchatka, here for a long time the cultivation of vegetables and berries has been developed, and in recent decades fruit crops (apple, cherry, plum and others) have been successfully grown.
Being not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, next to the highway,
Yelizovo has good transport accessibility. Tourists can see at the
entrance to the city (if you go from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) a
monument erected in 2011, on which is written “Russia begins here”. The
monument depicts a she-bear with a cub, moreover, the she-bear holds a
big fish in her mouth. A similar picture can be observed in reality
during spawning. The monument is also impressive because it stands
against the backdrop of amazingly beautiful volcanoes - Avachinsky and
Koryaksky.
The airport of the same name located near Yelizovo has
a small but informative Museum of Civil Aviation of Kamchatka. Those
interested in this topic can get acquainted with various exhibits. In
the city itself there is the Museum of Nature of the Kronotsky State
Natural Biosphere Reserve, as well as the Museum of Local Lore.
The Museum of Nature of the Kronotsky Reserve first opened its doors in
1983, but went through difficult times in the 90s. Updated and
reconstructed, it started working again in 2013. The current exposition
involves the use of interactive ways of presenting information. Visitors
can see all the richness of the natural features of the protected area.
The premises of the museum are decorated in accordance with certain
types of landscape. Entering the hall, you find yourself either in the
caldera of a volcano, or in the tundra, or in the Valley of Geysers or
on the seashore, etc. Getting acquainted with the exposition, visitors
will learn a lot about the unique ecosystem of the reserve.
No
less interesting is the Elizovsky Regional Museum of Local Lore. There
are several halls, each of which introduces a certain topic:
anthropology, ethnography, history (different periods), nature. The
exhibits provide an opportunity to learn a lot about the features of the
region. The tour must be booked in advance.
Yelizovo even has its
own zoo. It was opened back in 1986 and is always popular with tourists
and locals. The initiator of its creation was A.A. Shevlyagin, who kept
a home menagerie, which became the basis of the zoo. Now it is a park
occupying 1.2 hectares. There are guided tours around the zoo. The
composition of animals is diverse, there are small and large
representatives of the fauna. Even a crocodile lives in a spacious
enclosure among the inhabitants of the Elizovsky zoo.
Since 2009,
in the vicinity of Yelizovo (at a distance of 12 km), the Kainyran
ethnocultural center has been operating, designed as a camp of the
indigenous peoples of Kamchatka. Arriving here, tourists seem to be
visiting the original inhabitants of the peninsula. They are shown the
peculiarities of life and culture, treated with fish soup and tea,
entertained with songs, performances and playing the harp.
From
Yelizovo, you can go to nearby active and extinct volcanoes to climb
them, go to hot springs, bathing in which heals. Very close to the city,
7 km away, is Moroznaya Mountain, a popular ski base with five slopes of
varying difficulty and two lifts. The ski season lasts from December to
April.
Yelizovo has been changing its appearance in recent years,
becoming more well-groomed. Modern houses are being built, and the
former view, rather monotonous, becomes more picturesque. The buildings
here are low, the pace of life is leisurely, calm.
The Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Ust-Kamchatsk highway passes through
Yelizovo.
At the entrance to Yelizovo, from the side of
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, there is the Elizovo international
airport. Urban public transport - buses.
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