Donetsk

Donetsk, like many cities of Donets Basin (Donetsk coal basin), was founded not due to an advantageous geographical position. The town emerged owing to large natural deposits of coal, at a critical time of increasing need in metal for military needs, and railway construction in Russia.

The founder of the city is an engineer from South Wales - John James Hughes. Therefore, one of the first names of the city is Yuzovka (Yuz is simplified from Hughes). The date of the founding of the city is considered to be April 18, 1869, when the royal government and the Emperor of Russia adopted «The contract for the foundation of the Novorossiysk coal, iron and rail production community, and a company of the railway from Kharkov-Azov line». From this moment begins the active industrial life of the region, which led to the formation of large industrial center - the city of Donetsk and a big coal mining and metallurgical industry. It is notable that as a result of the inflow of foreign capital and high wage of the workers, the population of the city consisted of a large number of different ethnic groups. According to the census in 1917 among residents of Donetsk were many Greeks, Germans, Austrians and British. Also, the Czechs, Spaniards, Italians, French, Swiss, and even the Chinese, who had a great influence on the development of the mining center, were in this census.

One of the symbols of Donetsk metallurgical industry is «The Palm of Mertsalov». It is an elegant sculpture, made of railroad rail for the exposition at the biggest Russian industrial and art exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod in 1896. In 1900, «The Palm of Mertsalov» in the composition of the exposition of Yuzov plant at the World Exhibition in Paris, received the «Grand Prix». Currently, this piece of blacksmith's work of Ukrainian masters is stored in the museum of the University of Mines in St. Petersburg. The Image of «The Palm of Mertsalov» is used on the coat of arms of Donetsk oblast. In the era of Soviets, Donetsk was renamed several times in favor of the authority in Moscow. In 1924 Yuzovka was renamed into Stalino. A very short period of time the city was called Trotsk. Only in 1961 the city was renamed into Donetsk.

Donetsk today is a regional center, one of the largest industrial cities of Ukraine, and the cultural and business center, located in the upper reaches of the river Kalmius. The population of the city is about 1,3 million people. Today it is one of the most ecological industrial cities, known as «the city of a million roses». Donetsk is also the city of billionth capitals and such notable businessmen as Rinat Akhmetov and Sergei Taruta. The city is one of the biggest football centers in Ukraine, where base the well-known teams as «Shakhtar» and «Metallurg».