Alushta

Alushta (Ukrainian and Russian: Алу́шта; Crimean Tatar: Aluşta; Greek: Ἄλουστον) is a city of regional significance on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula which, de facto, is within the Republic of Crimea, a federal subject of the Russian Federation but, de jure, is within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine. The status of Crimea is disputed between Russia and Ukraine as a result of the 2014 vote to join Russia which was held during Russian military intervention,[2] and the subsequent annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. It serves as the administrative center of Alushta Municipality, one of the regions Crimea is divided into. Founded in the 6th century AD by Emperor Justinian, today it is a resort town. It is situated at the Black Sea beach line on the road from Hurzuf to Sudak, as well as on the Crimean Trolleybus line. Population: 29,078 (2014 Census).[3]

Alushta Алушта Aluşta
City
Flag Coat of arms
Alushta Location of Alushta within Crimea
Coordinates: 44°40′2″N 34°23′52″E
Country	Disputed:[1]  Ukraine (de jure)  Russia (de facto)
Republic	Crimea
Municipality	Alushta Municipality
Area
• Total	6.983 km^2 (2.696 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2014)
• Total	29,078
• Density	4,200/km^2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code	98500 — 98519
Area code(s)	+7-36560
Former name	Aluston ('till the 15th century)
Climate	Cfa
Website	alushta.rk.gov.ru

The area is notable for its arid, rocky terrain due to its proximity to Crimean mountains. During Byzantine times the town was called Alouston (Ἄλουστον) meaning "Unwashed".[4] Vestiges survive of a Byzantine defensive tower from a fortress of which the city name has derived, as well as a 15th-century Genoese fortress . During the Genoese rule the name modified to Lusta. Adam Mickiewicz dedicated two of his Crimean Sonnets to Alushta.

It is also the home of Seyit the Wolf in the Turkish drama Kurt Seyit ve Sura.

In 1910, 544 Jews lived in Alushta, consisting about 13% of the town population. In 1939, they consisted only 2.3% of the town overall population, numbering 251 individuals. On 4 November 1941, the Germans occupied the town and on 24 November 1941, a unit of sonderkommando 10b shot to death 30 Jews along with captured communists and partisans. In early December 1941, about 250 Jews from Alushta were shot to death by sonderkommando 11b in the park of trade union sanatorium no. 7, which is today in the local center for children and creativity.[5]

Gallery

• 
  15th century Genoese tower in Alushta.
• 
  Downtown Alushta
• 
  Alushta winery
• 
  St. Theodore Church
• 
  Main square
• 
  Panorama of Alushta in the 1850s, by
  Carlo Bossoli
• 
  Rotunda - tourist symbol
• 

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Ukraine

Twin towns — Sister cities

Alushta is twinned with:

• Santa Cruz, United States
• Dzierżoniów, Poland
• Äänekoski, Central Finland
• Jūrmala, Latvia[6]

References

1. This place is located on the Crimean peninsula, most of which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine. According to the political division of Russia, there are federal subjects of the Russian Federation (the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol) located on the peninsula. According to the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine, there are the Ukrainian divisions (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city with special status of Sevastopol) located on the peninsula.
2. "Putin's remarks raise fears of future moves against Ukraine". Washington Post.
3. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2014). "Таблица 1.3. Численность населения Крымского федерального округа, городских округов, муниципальных районов, городских и сельских поселений" [Table 1.3. Population of Crimean Federal District, Its Urban Okrugs, Municipal Districts, Urban and Rural Settlements]. Федеральное статистическое наблюдение «Перепись населения в Крымском федеральном округе». ("Population Census in Crimean Federal District" Federal Statistical Examination) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
4. Variants are Ἄλουστος (masc.), Ἀλοῦστον (neu.), Ἀλούστα (fem.) The feminine form, Alusta, is consistent with it application to a city rather than a fortress. The anhydrous climate likely gave rise to a satirical, anthropomorphic appellation of “unwashed” to the place from a resident(s). Χαραλαμπάκης, Παντελής. “Σκέψεισγια δυο Μεσαιωνικα Τοπωνυμια της Κριμαιαs, (Αλουστου, Παρθενιται)” [Reflections on two medieval names of Crimea (Aloustou, Parthenitai], Βυζαντινά Σύμμεικτα 23 (2013): 201-216; esp. 203, note 7.
5. The murder of the Jews of Alushta during World War II, at Yad Vashem website
6. "Sadraudzības pilsētas". jurmala.lv. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2014. (in Latvian and English)