Grozny

Lore & Background

The fortress of Groznaya was founded in 1818 as a Russian military outpost on the Sunzha River by general Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov. As the fort was being built, the workers were fired upon by the Chechens. The Russians found a solution by strategically positioning a cannon outside the city walls. When night fell and the Chechens came out of their hiding places to drag the gun away, all the other guns opened up with grapeshot. When the Chechens recovered their senses and began to carry away the bodies, the guns fired again. When it was over, 200 dead were counted. Thus did the 'fearsome' fort receive its baptism of fire. It was a prominent defence centre during the Caucasian War. Russian poets Alexander Griboedov, Alexander Polezhayev, Mikhail Lermontov, the classic of Russian literature Leo Tolstoy, the Decembrist and writer Alexander Bestuzhev and other famous figures of Russian culture visited the fortress. After the annexation of the region by the Russian Empire, the military use of the old fortress was obsolete and on an unspecified date it was granted town status and renamed Grozny. As most of the residents there were Terek Cossacks, the town grew slowly until the development of oil reserves in the early 20th century. The founder of the Nobel Prize, Alfred Nobel, took part in the development of the oil industry of the city of Grozny, as well as members of the Rothschild family. In addition to the Nobels and Rothschilds, British companies played an important role in the oil industry from 1893 onward. Alfred Stuart, an English engineer, completed the first well in Grozny by drilling in 1893 the largest oil field in the Caucasus region outside the Baku district. Eleven firms drilled 116 wells before 1900. This encouraged the rapid development of industry and petrochemical production. In addition to the oil drilled in the city itself, the city became a geographical centre of Russia's network of oil fields, and in 1893 became part of the Transcaucasia–Russia-proper railway. The result was the population almost doubled from 15,600 in 1897 to 30,400 in 1913. In early 1914, the then largest oil company, Royal Dutch Shell, was established in the city thus making Grozny one of the largest industrial centres of the Caucasus. During the Russian Empire, the city was the administrative capital of the Groznensky Okrug of the Terek Oblast.

Reader's Guide

Grozny is the capital of Chechnya, located on the Sunzha River. Key sites include the former fortress of Groznaya, the city center with Stalinist-era architecture, and the Grozny University buildings. The city has a history of oil development, with Alfred Nobel, the Rothschilds, and British companies involved. The first well was drilled by Alfred Stuart in 1893. Royal Dutch Shell was established there by early 1914. The city was heavily damaged in two Chechen wars.

Did You Know?

• In Russian, 'Grozny' means 'fearsome', 'menacing', or 'redoubtable', the same word as in Ivan Grozny (Ivan the Terrible).
• The fortress of Groznaya was founded in 1818 by general Aleksey Petrovich Yermolov.
• Alfred Stuart, an English engineer, completed the first well in Grozny by drilling in 1893 the largest oil field in the Caucasus region outside the Baku district.
• In early 1914, Royal Dutch Shell was established in the city.
• In 1997, the authorities of the Chechen republic of Ichkeria renamed the city Dzhokhar-Ghala after Dzhokhar Dudayev.