Fort-Shevchenko () is a military-base town and administrative centre of Tupkaragan District in Mangystau Region of Kazakhstan on the eastern shore of Caspian Sea. Primary industries include fishing and the extraction of stone. Population: 5,559 (2016 estimate).
History
The city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial
Russian Navy in 1846 after nearby New Alexander Fort, built in 1834 overlooking
Dead Kultuk, was deemed too remote.
[ Travel Guide to Fort Shevchenko and Bautino – Planet Esoterica] Until 1857, Fort Shevchenko was known as
Novopetrovskoye (Новопетровское) and from 1857 to 1939 as
Fort-Aleksandrovskii (Форт-Александровский). It was named for
Ukrainians poet Taras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile. Today the town is used by the
Kazakhstan Navy as a base.
The coat of arms of Fort Alexandrovsky was approved October 22, 1908, along with other arms of the Transcaspian field: It is black and silver depicting the fortress and two fish.
Russian Civil War
Fort Alexandrovsky was the site of naval action on 21 May 1919, when a Squadron of the British Caspian Flotilla attacked the port.
Climate
Landmarks
There are several landmarks of significance; Shevchenko Memorial Museum, National History, and ethnographic museums. The Shevchenko Memorial Museum opened in 1932 near where he had been hiding. There are also some remnants of the fortress, a monument to Shevchenko and a state grave of Civil War heroes.
31 km from the city is the necropolis Beysenbay and up the coast the site Bautino (Баутино).
External links
