History of Konstantinovka

Archaeological research in the Konstantinovsky district showed that the settlement of the region began in the early Paleolithic era , 150,000-100,000 years ago ^[1] .

Since the time of the raid of the Crimean Tatars in 1769, it is mentioned that the Zaporizhzhya Army was established on the territory of the Konstantinovsky district ^{[2] [3]} .

On the territory of modern Konstantinovka in 1812, the landowner Nomikosov founded the village of Santurinovka , where 20 families originally settled. In the middle of the 19th century, on the land inherited by the landowner's son, the village of Konstantinovka appeared, named after the owner. By 1859, 29 people lived in it, in Santurinovka - 280.

It was part of the Ekaterinoslav province .

In 1869 , with the construction of the Kursk-Kharkov-Azov railway , a railway station was opened near Konstantinovka. In 1880, it was connected to the Kharkov-Sevastopol Railway . The transformation of Konstantinovka into a railway junction contributed to the industrial development of the area.

In 1885, a zemstvo hospital with 20 beds was opened in Dmitrievsky .

In March 1892, the Konstantinovskaya Railway was commissioned.

The formation of the city and the development of its industry was due to the significant material and managerial contribution from the citizens of Belgium .

On August 11, 1895, Dmitry Konstantinovich Nomikosov, grandson of the founder of the city of Nomikosov, received a security deposit of 6756.75 gold rubles from 210 Belgian citizens for 210 acres of land in the floodplain of the Krivoy Torets river along the railway.

1895–1897 - in Santurinivka, the Belgian “Anonymous Society of Donetsk Glass and Chemical Plants” built glass and chemical plants.

1897 - Ceramic and iron-rolling (metallurgical) factories, as well as a bottle factory, built by Belgian entrepreneurs, began to produce products. The majolica plant began to work. The total number of employees in enterprises was 2,500. The village of Konstantinovka and the station settlement became a single settlement. By 1897, 3,100 people lived in it.

1899 - A factory for mirrored ( polished ) glass and mirrors was built.

In July 1900, all the Constantine factories were swept by a general spontaneous strike. Unrest, which was attended by more than 1000 people, broke out after the Belgians beat two workers. Outraged factory workers stoned the cottages of foreigners with stones. The next day, all the plants stood. A rally was held where workers called for a struggle with the exploiters .

In the railway directory for 1902, it is noted that the village recalls its former military settlements with its monotony ^[4] .

In April 1912, a citywide strike took place in the city, which was a response to the murder by the police of a working bottle factory, revolutionary I. S. Bobylev.

In 1915, there were two hospitals in the village, a primary school, a college, and a private gymnasium.

Industrial growth had a positive effect on the increase in the population of the village and made it attractive for labor migrants. Also, the population increased due to refugees from the frontline areas of the country during the First World War . If in 1914 1755 people worked at the metallurgical plant, then in October 1917 - already 2436 people ^[5] .

In 1917, 60% of the population of Konstantinovka could not read and write ^[6] .

March 2, 1917 in Konstantinovka became aware of the revolutionary events in Petrograd . With the abdication of the imperial king from power, the prohibitions on political and social activities in the village became null and void. This gave an impetus to the development of the Ukrainian national movement in the working environment. The development of the political movement in the village was supported by the Ukrainian public organization Enlightenment .

On April 18–20, 1918, the UPR Army and the Donetsk group of Colonel Sikevich , together with the army of the Middle European countries (Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Germany), expelled the Red Army and established the power of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in the city ^[7] .

In April, Ukrainian state symbols first appeared in the city - a flag, coat of arms, a seal with a trident , and Ukrainian hryvnias . Yesaul Znachkovy became the commandant of the city ^[8] .

In November 1918, Konstantinovka was taken by the Red Army, but in December it passed to the Krasnoyarsk ( White Movement unit). Further, until February 19, 1919, Konstantinovka was a front-line city and more than thirty times passed from “red” to “white” and vice versa.

January 13, 1919 (December 31, 1918 according to the old style ) is the day 13 of the executed workers of the bottle factory. For the fact that the population did not betray the Reds, the White Guards gathered factory workers on the square near the bottle factory and shot every tenth ^[9] .

On February 19, as a result of a long battle, the Red Army forces ousted the enemy ^[10] , but at the end of May they were driven out by the White Army, and until December 1919 the village was under the rule of the White Guards.

At the end of December 1919, Russian troops of the Southern Front, with the assistance of rebels, ousted Denikin from the village.

In January 1920, the Konstantinovo-Druzhkovsky district was created . The first chairman of the executive committee was G. O. Bondarenko.

In 1920, the first theater in the Donetsk region began to work in Konstantinovka.

In November 1920, by order of the SNK of the Ukrainian SSR, factories were nationalized.

March 7, 1923 as part of the Bakhmut district, the Konstantinovsky district was created with its center in the village of Konstantinovka ^[11] .

A tannery was built in 1925 (now Konstantinovsky Extract-Tannery Plant ).

February 28, 1926 Konstantinovka was assigned to the category of urban-type settlements. Its population was 25,000 people.

During the years of accelerated industrialization, a zinc plant (now Ukrzinc ) was built, a refractory product factory, a bakery, an Avtoglass factory (formerly mirror) was reconstructed.

In the 1930s, at the Konstantinov enterprises, ruby stars of the Moscow Kremlin , a sarcophagus for the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin , marblite (colored glass) of the Moscow metro stations, and a crystal fountain for the World Exhibition in New York were made ^[12] .

On September 19, 1930, the Konstantin city-based newspaper “ Banner of Industry ” was founded.

In December 1930, the 1st State Theater of Russian Drama of Donbass began its work ^[13] .

In 1930, there were 16 schools in the city with 7,000 students, and already in 1939 more than 14,000 children were enrolled in 25 schools. From 1931 to 1940, 8 new schools were built. 524 teachers worked in them.

In 1931, a tram line was laid from the center to the station, and in 1940 its length reached 10 km.

In 1932, a glider flight school was created, then reorganized into an aero club. Konstantinovsky flying club prepared more than 1000 pilots.

On April 4, 1932, by resolution ^{[14] of the} All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, signed by the chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee G. Petrovsky and secretary Y. Wojciechowski, the village of Konstantinovka received the status of a city of regional subordination.

By 1939, its population was 96 thousand people, of which 68% were factory workers. The city economy was reconstructed. Worked industrial, technical, pedagogical, medical schools, glass-ceramic college. In 1936, the Russian Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin .

Since February 1934, the mirror factory began to be called Auto Glass.

For 10 years (1928-1937), the area of ​​green spaces increased by 14 times.

By 1940, adult illiteracy was almost eliminated. Two rabfak opened. The Russian Drama Theater named after A.S. Pushkin , two Palaces of Culture, 4 clubs, 16 libraries operated.

World War II

In mid-October 1941, in the area of ​​Konstantinovka, military operations of the Soviet army and the Wehrmacht unfolded outside the city. From the side of the Soviet Army on the outskirts of the city, soldiers of the 393rd Infantry Division fought. October 28, 1941 the city was taken by soldiers of the Wehrmacht ^[15] .

On January 16, 1942, schooling was restored. In Konstantinovka and the district, 27 elementary schools and 12 incomplete secondary schools opened. The training was in Ukrainian.

A month after the conquest of the city, individual enterprises began to fulfill orders of the Wehrmacht, which was the main economic goal of the current government. Subsequently, some enterprises began to produce products for the local population. Some Konstantinists sabotaged the efforts of the German leadership to set up production at the enterprises of the city. In April 1942, 60 tons of tanning agent were lowered into the sewer at a tannery, and 50 tons of acid at a chemical plant .

On December 1, 1942, the German military commandant's office eliminated the Directorate, and subordinated the enterprises directly to themselves. Also on this day in Konstantinovka the Central Trade Base began to work, the task of which was to supply industrial goods to the population ^[16] .

Two newspapers were published in the city - Kostyantinivsky Visti and Vidbudova. They were published by the German city commandant’s office, which was located in the Palace of Culture of Chemists, and the printing press of the commandant’s office on Bazarnaya Square printed magazines. Edited both newspapers A. Tsymbal.

October 13, 1942 the first issue of the new newspaper "Vidbudova."

From December 1941 to October 10, 1942, 70 issues of the publication "Kostyantinіvskі vіstі" ^{[17] were} published.

During the Donbass operation, the city ​​was conquered by the formation of the South-Western Front of the USSR Armed Forces: ^[15]

• 3rd Guards Army , composed of: 32th Special Command (Major General Zherebin, Dmitry Sergeyevich ), composed of: 266th Special Command (Major General Rebrikov, Korney Grigoryevich ), 259th Special Command (Colonel Vlasenko, Alexei Mitrofanovich ); 135th tank brigade (Lieutenant Colonel Beznoshchenko Mikhail Zakharovich) 23rd tank (Lieutenant General t / in Pushkin, Efim Grigoryevich ).
• 17th Air Army composed of: units of the 5th Guards. attack air divisions (Colonel Kolomeytsev, Leonid Viktorovich ), 288th fighter air divisions (Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov, Boris Alexandrovich ) ^[18] .

On the night of September 6, 1943, the 135th Red Banner Order of Kutuzov II degree tank brigade of the 23rd tank corps under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Beznoschenko Mikhail Zakharovich took control of the USSR Konstantinovka. Subsequently, this date is celebrated as the day of the city of Konstantinovka.

The troops involved in the liberation of Donbass , during which they took control of the cities of Konstantinovka, Artyomovsk , Gorlovka , Debaltseve , Enakievo , Ilovaisk , Krasnoarmeyskoye , Lisichansk , Makeevka , Chistyakovo (now Torez ) and other cities, by order of the Supreme Commander I.V. Stalin on September 8, 1943 was thanked and in the capital of the USSR , Moscow saluted twenty artillery salvoes of 224 guns.

By order of the Supreme Commander of the USSR I.V. Stalin, in commemoration of his victory, the unit that distinguished itself in the battles for the liberation of the city of Konstantinovka, was given the name "Konstantinovsky" ^{[15] [19]} :

• 135th Tank Brigade (Lt. Col. Beznoshchenko, Mikhail Zakharovich)
• 179th anti-tank fighter regiment (Major Savchenko, Yakov Stepanovich ).

For 22 months, the troops of the Third Reich killed 15,382 people - in a concentration camp located on the territory of the Chemical Plant, more than 10,000 civilians and prisoners of war were tortured, 305 staff workers were shot for refusal to cooperate with them, 1,000 civilians (most Jews) were executed in Sergeevskoy beam the north-western outskirts of the city, 1,434 people were forcibly taken to work in Germany. More than 20,000 Konstantinists fought on the military fronts, over 10,000 were awarded government awards, 21 - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union . The city military enlistment office keeps a book of losses during the war years. It contains 8124 soldiers, sergeant, foreman, sailor and officer. During the retreat, German troops caused material damage to the city in the amount of 442 million rubles: almost all plants were blown up and burned, 60% of the state housing stock, 25 schools, 2 cinemas, the city library, hospital, and other institutions were destroyed.

In 1945, Avtosteklo factory workers completed an emergency order for the front — they produced 200 powerful reflectors for searchlights and sent them to Marshal Zhukov . Konstantinovsky spotlights were used during the assault on the Zelovsky heights during the military operation to capture Berlin .

Post-war years

Over the years after World War II , more than 20 industrial facilities were built in Konstantinovka. By 1949, the city's enterprises were completely restored.

In 1952, the Evening Chemical College was opened.

In 1959-1961 in the Research Institute "Autoglass" from the waste of metallurgical production (blast furnace slag) with the addition of ordinary sand, a new building material was obtained - ceramic , which has lightness, strength and durability.

In 1962, a research institute was established on the basis of the Autoglass plant.

In 1967 the city museum of local history was opened.

Since 1968, Konstantinovka has been developing according to a single master plan .

In 1970, the “Monument to the Guardsmen of the Five-Year Plan” was erected in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Ukrtsink plant.

The annual appropriations of the state for housing construction from 1959 to 1975 increased 18 times and amounted to 3,965,000 rubles.

In 1975, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the Obelisk of Victory was built.

In 1981-1983, a secondary school No. 1, a dormitory for students of a medical school, a surgical building for 240 beds, a city hospital No. 5 were built. The glass factory produced 170 million bottles for champagne wines a year — 90% of all production in this industry in the USSR.

On September 7, 1983, an eternal flame was lit in memory of the Taras Shevchenko square in memory of the liberating soldiers, and a memorial plate was installed at the foot of the tank, in which a capsule with a message from WWII veterans and residents of the city to the descendants of 2045 was walled up.

December 6, 1990 - the first issue of the first private newspaper “Province” in the region was published .

In the 1999 presidential elections in Ukraine, the city voted for Kuchma (48.73%), Simonenko (48.43%) ^[20] .

February 29, 2000 - a session of the Donetsk Regional Council decided to organize the Kleban-Bull regional landscape park (RLP) in the Konstantinovsky district. 2.1 thousand hectares, 550 hectares of a reservoir mirror, 200 species of nesting birds and 600 species of plants.

December 15, 2000 - a decision of the Executive Committee of the City Council approved the modern coat of arms of Konstantinovka, developed by the heraldmeister Nikolai Starodubtsev.

School number 10 was closed in 2002. The building was auctioned for 12,398.4 hryvnias and subsequently destroyed ^{[21] [22]} .

In the 2004 presidential election, the city ​​voted for Yanukovych (93.75%) and Yushchenko (4.26%).

В мае 2007 года предварительная экспертиза подтвердила результаты замеров радиоактивного пятна на границе Константиновки. Уровень радиации составляет около 700 тысяч микрорентген в час (0,7 рентген в час при норме 0, 000025 рентген), а территория заражена цезием-137 ^[23] .

16 января 2008 приказом главного управления охраны здоровья Донецкой областной госадминистрации закрыто стационарное отделение константиновской психиатрической больницы ^[24] .

22 мая 2009 за вымогание взятки в особо крупных размерах задержан городской голова Ю. Роженко ^[25] Приговорен к 5 годам лишения свободы с отсрочкой на 3 года ^[26] .

На президентских выборах 2010 года город голосовал за Януковича (90,02 %); Тимошенко получила 7,07 % ^[27] .

На выборах городского головы 31 октября 2010 года победил Сергей Давыдов (12758 голосов — 59,9 %) ^[28] — предприниматель, владелец и совладелец нескольких украинских и одной зарубежной компаний ^[29] .

28 октября 2012 года жители города приняли участие в парламентских выборах . 60,12 % (51322 человек) проголосовало за Партию регионов , 24,24 % (20691 человек) за Коммунистическую партию , 5,36 % (4578 человек) за ВО « Батькивщина » ^[30] .

13 августа 2013 года приказом холдинга «Золотой урожай» остановлен и закрыт Константиновский хлебозавод № 2, производивший сладкие сорта хлеба и кондитерские изделия. ^[31]

В апреле 2014 года решением городского совета закрыт «Зеленстрой». Функции фирмы переданы другому коммунальному подразделению исполкома — «Службе единого заказчика» ^[32] .

16 апреля 2014 года Константиновский городской совет во главе с секретарем Ю. Г. Разумным принял решение поддержать проведение псевдореферендума на территории Донецкой области о будущем Донецкой Народной Республики ^[33] .

28 апреля 2014 года городской совет и отдел милиции были захвачены вооруженными боевиками Донецкой Народной Республики . Часть из них приехала на автомобиле с флагом России ^[34] .

В ночь на 4 мая украинские военные начали проведение антитеррористической операции на территории города. На территории Константиновки высадился десант из 2-х вертолётов ^[35] . Произошел бой возле телевышки, где противостоящие стороны боролись за контроль над телевизионным освещением событий ^[36] . В этом бою сепаратисты применили против украинских солдат тяжелое вооружение. Около 20:30 исчезли все украинские телевизионные каналы. В результате боя оборудование телевышки было полностью выведено из строя ^{[37] [38]} .

8 мая под давлением вооруженных представителей ДНР на 2 дня была закрыта редакция газеты «Провинция» , которая издавалась с 1990 года. Поводом к закрытию стало расхождение во взглядах и переиздание ранее конфискованного представителями ДНР тиража газеты ^[39] . 10 мая работа редакции возобновлена под руководством заместителя редактора лояльного к сепаратистам, прежнему руководству рекомендовано покинуть город ^[40] .

25 мая жители города не смогли принять участие в президентских выборах . Как и в ряде других городов Донецкой области, в Константиновке боевики ДНР, угрожая членам избирательных комиссий, не позволили организовать избирательный процесс ^{[41] [42] [43]} .

5 июля противостояние в Славянске сил Украинской армии и ДНР завершилось отступлением последних из Константиновки. Украинские солдаты вернули город под контроль Украины, а над зданием городской администрации был водружен украинский флаг . Отступая из города боевики ДНР отобрали школьный автобус, принадлежавший одному из учебных заведений города ^[44] .

7 июля над горуправлением милиции Константиновки поднят флаг Украины. По приказу Министра внутренних дел Арсена Авакова , правопорядок на улицах Константиновки обеспечивается совместными силами местных подразделений МВД и сводного отряда милиции специального назначения.

В ходе боевых действий, проходивших на территории Константиновского района в течение двух июльских недель, погибли четыре военнослужащих украинской армии. Ещё семеро получили ранения различной степени тяжести ^[47] .

В период с 10 по 17 сентября неизвестными был повален памятник Ленину, находившийся в парке Металлург ^{[48] [49]} . Массовый демонтаж памятников Ленину, происходивший по всей стране и затронувший Константиновку получил название .

В сентябре 2014 года начался массовый приток людей в Константиновку из населённых пунктов, контролируемых представителями ДНР. Люди приезжают с целю купить более дешевые продукты первой необходимости, а также оформить в учреждениях города пенсии и социальные выплаты ^[50] . В то же время государственными органами упрощён механизм получения пособий и соцвыплат для переселенцев на новом месте жительства ^[51] . В городе начал функционировать центр, предоставляющий жилье беженцам ^{[52] [53]} .

30 октября 2014 года распоряжением Президента Украины Петра Порошенко , во исполнение Закона «Об очищении власти», уволен председатель Константиновской районной государственной администрации Сергей Чертков (см. Люстрация на Украине ) ^[54] . Новым головой назначен В. О. Маринич ^[55] .

3 июля 2015 года во исполнение закона Украины «Об осуждении коммунистического и национал-социалистического (нацистского) тоталитарных режимов на Украине и запрете пропаганды их символики» (закон № 317-VIII) ^[56] решением Константиновского городского совета № 6/58-1035 от 25.06.2015 г. демонтирован памятник В. И. Ленину на Торецкой улице ^[57] .

Важное значение в новейшей истории города имеет имени Героя Украины старшего лейтенанта Ивана Зубкова . Батальйон принимавший участие в дислоцируется в Константиновке и является главным щитом города от новых террористических угроз.