7-th Asian Games | Astana Almaty 2011

DEVELOPMENT STAGES OF ALMATY

In the 10-9 century B.C. in the Bronze Age in the modern city territory the first settlements of early farmers and cattle breeders appeared. This is testified by the traces of ancient settlements Terenkara and Butakty situated in the territory of the city. Ceramics, stone implements, ware from bone and metal were found there.

7^th century B.C. - the boundary of C.E. in the era of Sakis the Almaty region became the residence place of Saki and later Usun tribes. This time left numerous barrows and settlements; huge barrows of the aristocracy of “Saki tsars” stand out among them. The most known findings are “Golden Man” from Issyk barrow, Zhalaulin treasure, Kargalin diadem, Semirechye “artistic bronze” - lamps, altars, coppers. In the epoch of Sakis and Usuns the territory of Almaty becomes the centre of early state education in the territory of Kazakhstan.

8-10^th centuries C.E. The nest life stage in the territory of Almaty is connected with the epoch of middle ages, time of city culture development, transition to settled way of life, development of agriculture and trade, appearance on the territory of Semirechye of numerous city settlements, which excavations discovered multitude of findings of ceramics, articles from metal and bone.

In the 10-14^th c.c. the cities situated in the territory of “Large Almaty” are drawn into the orbit of trade relations functioning on the highway of the Great Silk Way. Almaty becomes one of commercial, trade and agricultural centers on the Great Silk Way having a mint. This is testified by a finding in the territory of present-day frontier college dated by the 13^th century of two silver dirhams on which the name of Almaty is mentioned for the first time.

15 - 18^th c.c. In connection with extinction of the Great Silk Way on the given territory the degradation of city life takes place. However, this period is full of important political events which had a great influence on the history of Almaty region and Kazakhstan as a whole. Important ethno-political processes, formation of original culture of Zhetysu take place here. Namely here, in the places strongly attached to Almaty region the formation of the Kazakh state and Kazakh nation took place.

In this territory tragic events connected with Dzungarian invasion and heroic struggle of the Kazakh people for their independence happened. In 1730 in 70 km north-westward from Almaty in Anyrakai mountains Kazakh warriors won a historic victory which became a turning point in the Patriotic war of the Kazakh people against Dzungars.

4 February 1854. New history of the city is connected with the foundation in the foothills of Zailiyskiy Alatau, in the interfluve of two Almatinka rivers of a military fortification of the Russian empire - fort Vernoye.

By the autumn of 1854 the military fortification Vernoye was basically ready. Fortification Vernoye represented in plan irregular, palisaded pentagon, one side of which was situated along Malaya Almatinka. Subsequently the wooden palisade was changed by a wall from mudbrick with loopholes. Main structures were erected around large square for military inspections and studies.

On 1 July 1855 a first party of Kazakhs-migrants arrived to Verniy. In 1856 first Russian peasants-migrants begin to arrive, they laid the foundation of Large Almatinskaya stanitsa which grew up near the fort. As far as the migrants arrived soon Malaya Almatinskaya stanitsa  and Tatar (Tashkent) settlement where Tatar merchants and craftsmen appeared in the neighborhood. In May 1859 the settlement already numbered 5 thousand inhabitants. The construction works were managed by engineer L.Aleksandrovskiiy, the site manager was military engineer Ts. Gumnitskiiy.

11 April 1867 the military fortification Vernoye was reformed to a city with its renaming to Almatinsk but the name has not fixed and in the same year by the report of the governmental “Steppe Commission” the city was named Verniy. Reformation of Verniy from military fortification to a city is connected with the 1867-1868 reform. Verniy becomes the centre of Vernensk uyezd and Semirechenskaya oblast. The first governor of Semirechenskaya oblast was appointed G.А. Kolpakovskiyi.

The author of the first city plan is N.Krishtanovskiyi. According to his plan the city had the following dimensions: 2  km southward along the Almatinka, 3 km westward. Hay, horse and green markets, four squares for parks are provided.

The territory allotted for the new city was divided to quarters, and the quarters to sections. There were established three categories of city houses. The houses of the I and II categories were to be two-storeyed, at least, one-storeyed on a high basement, many of them are built in the city, the houses of the III category - outskirts. Land plots for construction were sold.

Square Gostinodvorskaya (now the trade center “Almaty”) was selected as the composition center of the city. The main administrative and public buildings were located in quarters adjoining the city park (now the Park named after 28 Panfilov heroes).

The first city architect was G.N.Serebryanikov (1839-1883).

On the 28^th of May 1887 a destructive earthquake took place in Verniy. At 4 o’clock tremors which lasted for 11-12 minutes destructed almost the whole city. Large brick houses suffered most of all.

On the 1^st of June 1887 military governor of Semirechenskaya oblast issued the order: “Due to found out insecurity of brick structures in cases of earth shaking henceforth it is proposed to erect only wooden houses” (”Semirechye Vedomosti”, No. 91, 1 June 1887).

For studying of consequences of earthquakes and development of certain measures in cases of its repetition in Semirechye the commission headed by professor I.V.Mushketov worked.

The aerthquake and its consequences changed the city’s apearance to the worst. Afterwards mainly one-storeyed houses from wood or adobe were built. The large contribution to the city’s restoration and change of its appearance to the better was made by А.P.Zenkov - military engineer, architect, who was the first in Semirechye to develop and realize principles of seismic construction (the Cathedral).

Earthquake in 1910 confirmed the correctness of his developments. The large achievement in this period was planting of the city. This was the merit of the city’s administration and personally brothers Eduard and Otto Baums. The elder brother О.Baum - scientist- forester since 1883 - manager of the Government garden (Gorky Park) where in 1880 he has planted a grove which bears his name.

In 1909 in the collection “Russia. Full geographic description of our Fatherland” (under the editorship of V.P.Semyonov-Tyan-Shanskiy, 1913) there was given such description of Verniyi: “In Verniy all oblast institutions of Semirechye headed by military governor are concentrated, and Turkestan and Tashkent bishop are present. The population of the city reaches 37,000; 2,100 houses, 9 churches, 4 mosques, 18 educational institutions, small oblast museum, 66 factories and plants with 313 workers are available there. The city incomes make 119,515 roubles, the expenses make 119,113 r. (v.19, page 770).

The second and last architect in pre-Revolutionary years was Frenchman Paul Gurde (1846-1914), who became the author of the first emblem of the city.

The revolution of 1917 did not change the city’s appearance. On old building new signs and slogans appeared.

In March of 1917 military governor, Vernensk city mayor, military chief were removed from their posts.  Temporary government assigned its commissars Shkapskiy and Tynyshpayev.

On the 2^nd of March 1918 the Soviet authority became established in the city, an oblast executive committee headed by P.М.Vinogradov was elected.

On the 5^th of February 1921 at the united solemn meeting of Oblast Committee, Oblast Military Revolutionary Committee, representatives of Soviet institutions, professional and proletarian organizations, Muslim poor it was decided to rename city Verniy to city Alma-Ata. By this decision Semirechenskiy Military-Revolutionary Committee issued the order: “Former name of the administrative center of Semirechye given in token of faithfulness to colonial regime… cannot be bearable, when the city has acquired the significance of the revolutionary center… Henceforward Verniy will be named as Alma-Ata” (Archive of Alma-Atinskaya oblast, f.349, op.1, d.155, p.17).

On the 3^rd of December 1926 the Council of Labor and Defense adopted the decree on construction of Turkestan-Siberian railway road without which the successful reconstruction of national economy of the very wide region of the east and the south-east of the republic would have been impossible.

The construction of Turksib became the decisive economic factor for selecting Alma-Ata as the capital of Kazakhstan.

On the 2^nd of March 1927 CEC (Central Executive Committee) and CPC (Council of People’s Commissars) of Kazakh SSR adopted the decree on transfer of the republic’s capital Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata. (Central State Archive of RK, f.585, op.10, d.45). The VI All-Kazakhstan congress of Councils approved this decree (Materials of the VI congress of Councils. Kyzyl-Orda, 1927). In its turn CPC of RSFSR at the meeting held on 29^th of April 1927 decreed: “Transfer the capital of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialistic Republic from Kyzyl-Orda to Alma-Ata”. Actually the movement of governmental institutions has been timed to the beginning of regular trains movement along Turksib. The movement took place in May 1929 by a trial train of built Turksib (Archive of Almaty “Documents on the movement of Kazakhstan’s capital to Alma-Ata”.

On 28^th of April 1930 at station “Aina-Bulak” the last spike which connected two huge economic regions - Siberia and Kazakhstan was rammed down. On the 1^st of May a through movement along Turksib opened and the first train arrived from Moscow to Almaty aи в Alma-Ata пришел первый поезд из Москвы.

In the same year the structures of city railway branch (named by people as “gor. vetka”) and the highway from the city to station “Alma-Ata” were completed.

In 1930 Alma-Atinskiy airport was opened and the capital of Kazakhstan got air connection with Moscow. Alma-Ata became the air gates of Kazakhstan. The turning of small provincial town to the capital of the republic required construction of a number of governmental and administrative buildings, as well as large housing.

In autumn of 1929 the city’s population reached already 100 thousand people against 45 thousand in 1926.

In connection with the capital’s movement to Alma-Ata , in 1936 a Master Plan was developed in the Architectural-Planning Shop No. 1 of People’s Commissariat of RSFSR. The main objective of the Master Plan was to turn Alma-Ata to cultural well-planned capital. The basis of planning was made by historically formed rectangular system of quarters with its simultaneous enlargement and reconstruction.

1941-1945. In the years of the Great Patriotic War the city territory endured large changes. For organization of all-USSR home front and concentration of production and material resources 45 thousand sq. meters were freed for accommodation of 26 thousand evacuated people. More than 30 industrial objects were transferred from the front-line area to Almaty, 8 evacuation hospitals were opened, 15 high educational institutions and technical colleges, about 20 scientific-research institutes, more than 20 cultural-enlightening institutions were stationed in Alma-Ata. Leading film studios of Leningrad, Kiev, Moscow were united in Almaty.

For the selfless labor at the rear more than 52 thousand Almaty citizens were awarded high state decorations. 48 citizens received the high title of the Soviet Union Hero. 3 rifle divisions (among them the 8^th famous Guards Panfilov division), 2 rifle teams and 3 aviation regiments were formed in Almaty on the basis of Almaatinskiy aeroclub.

The new project of Alma-Ata planning performed in 1949-1950s by the Leningrad division of Giprogor was conditioned by the five-year plan of reconstruction and development of national management of the Kazakh SSR which provided for the territory’s expansion in the south-western direction, building of the central part by 3-4-storeyed houses: special attention is paid to improvement of transport mains and communications; for the first time it is proposed to organize anti-mudflow protection of the city.

The Master Plan  of Almaty with prospect till 1980 developed by “Lengiprogor” in 1962-1963s singled out four planning areas and projected reconstruction of existing residential areas.

Only for the period of 1966-1971 1,400 thousand sq.m. of the state and cooperative housing fund were put into operation in the city; annually about 300 thousand sq.m. of residential area are built. In the same period the experience in erection of seismic-proof buildings of increased number of storeys is actively implemented in the construction.

Historically formed traditions of the planning system of Verniy found their reflection in the new Master Plan of Alma-Ata city of 1968, in which the concept of “dynamic center” was introduced, which provided for transition of urban core toward the city’s developing area.

Using typification and unification of structures in the construction allowed to diversify architectural forms. The construction of schools, hospitals, cultural-entertainment structures among which are the Palace named after Lenin, hotel “Kazakhstan”, sporting complex “Medeo” and other projects, is active.

Recreational areas are designed and built, large attention is paid to ecology problems, urban transport is developing. Since 1981 works on designing of metropolitan are carried out.

The new Almaty Master Plan developed in 1998 with prospect till 2020, sets the formation of “ecologically favorable, secure and socially comfortable living environment” as its main object. The main architectural-planning idea is to preserve and develop the image of Almaty as the “city-garden” (Draft Master Plan of Almaty. S. Baimagambetov). The Master Plan developed projects of territories building with multi-storeyed and individual construction, industrial areas were reorganized, road-transport network was improved, the metropolitan was put into operation.

In 1993 by the decision of the government the city of Alma-Ata was renamed to Almaty.

In 1997 by the Decree of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev the capital was moved from Almaty to Astana.

On the 1^st of July 1998 the Law about special status of Almaty city defining it as the scientific, cultural, historical, financial and production center was adopted.

The information was prepared by the Archives and Records Administration of Almaty city.