For the taxonomic synonym of a genus of molluscs, see Lasaea (bivalve).
Anapa
En nameAnapa
Ru nameАнапа
Loc name 1Быгъуркъал
Loc lang 1Adyghe
Federal subjectKrasnodar Krai
Adm inhabloc jurTown of Anapa
Adm ctr of 1Town of Anapa
Adm ctr of 2Anapsky District
Inhabloc catTown
Urban okrug jurAnapa Urban Okrug
Mun admctr of 1Anapa Urban Okrug
MayorVasily Shvets
Pop 2010census58990
Pop 2010census rank280th
Established date14th century
Current cat date1846
Postal codes353440—353458
Dialing codes86133
Websitehttp://www.anapa-official.ru/

Anapa (Russian: Анапа, ady: Быгъуркъал, Bəġ˚rq̇al, Ukrainian: Анапа) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863.[1] It is one of the largest children's resorts in Russia.[2]

In ancient times, Anapa was the site of a major seaport and a capital of the Sindi people. In the 6th century BCE, it was settled by Greeks, who called it Gorgippia. In later centuries, the settlement came under the control of Genoa and then the Ottoman Empire. In 1781, a fortress was constructed there, which became the site of multiple sieges during the Russo-Turkish wars. It was finally annexed by the Russian Empire in 1829, after several occupations.

History

Antiquity

The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport (Sinda) and then the capital of Sindica. The colony of Gorgippia (Greek: Γοργιππία) was built on the site of Sinda in the 6th century BCE by Pontic Greeks, who named it after a king of the Cimmerian Bosporus.

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE, Gorgippia flourished as part of the Bosporan Kingdom, as did its guild of shipowners, which controlled maritime trade in the eastern part of the Black Sea. A fine statue of Neokles (a local potentate, son of Herodoros) was unearthed by Russian archaeologists and is now on exhibit at the Russian Museum.

An inscription from the ancient city, dated to c. 60 AD, mentions individuals described as "Jews by race".[3]

Gorgippia was inhabited until the 3rd century CE, when it was overrun by neighbouring native tribes. These tribes, of Circassian or Adyghe origin (specifically of the Natkhuay tribe[citation needed]), gave Anapa its modern name.

Middle Ages

Later the Black Sea littoral was overrun by successive waves of Asiatic nomads, including the Sarmatians, Ostrogoths, Huns, Avars, Gokturks, Khazars, Tatars and Circassians who are native to the Northwestern Caucasus. The settlement was renamed Mapa by the Genoese at the turn of the 14th century. Genoese domination lasted until the arrival of an Ottoman fleet in 1475.

Modern period

In 1781, during the reign of Abdul Hamid I, French engineers built a fortress at Anapa for the Ottomans.[4]

The fortress was repeatedly attacked by the Russian Empire and was all but destroyed during its last siege in 1829. The town was passed to Russia after the Treaty of Adrianople (1829). See Russian conquest of the Caucasus § Black Sea Coast. It was included in Black Sea Okrug of Kuban Oblast and was granted town status in 1846.[5]

It was occupied by Ottomans between 1853 and 1856 during the Crimean War. It became part of Black Sea Governorate in 1896. Elizabeth Pilenko, later named as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was the mayor during the Russian Revolution. It became part of Kuban-Black Sea Oblast in 1920, and then the North Caucasus Krai in 1924. According to the 1926 census, the population was 49.6% Russian, 32.7% Ukrainian, 5.7% Greek, and 3.9% Armenian.[6]

During World War II, it was occupied and totally demolished by Nazi Germany with the help of Romanian troops between August 30, 1942 and September 22, 1943.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Anapa serves as the administrative center of Anapsky District, even though it is not a part of it.[7] As an administrative division, it is, together with three rural localities, incorporated separately as the Town of Anapa—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[7] As a municipal division, the territories of the Town of Anapa and of Anapsky District are incorporated as Anapa Urban Okrug.[8][9]

Tourism

The town boasts a number of sanatoria and hotels. Anapa is served by the Anapa Airport. Anapa seldom attracts tourists from outside Russia due to its modest infrastructure and its inconvenient accessibility from Europe via Moscow or Krasnodar.

Transportation

Transportation facilities include an international passenger port for small-tonnage ships,[10] the Anapa Airport, a railway station, a bus station, and a network of highways.[11][12]

Climate

Anapa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with mediterranean (Csa) influences at the lower elevations.[13] Compared to cities further south along the coast like Novorossiysk and Sochi, Anapa receives considerably less rainfall but has somewhat colder winters.

Average Sea Temperature (1977-2006).[14]
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average temperature6.8 °C6.1 °C7.4 °C10.6 °C15.1 °C20.0 °C23.1 °C24.1 °C21.1 °C16.6 °C11.9 °C8.7 °C

Demographics

The population of Anapa according to recent censuses is as follows:

Culture

The Town Theater of Anapa is located on Krymskaya Street. It was opened after the reconstruction of the Town Cultural Center.[15] There are twenty-nine public libraries, including four for children. In 2010 the libraries of Anapa received more than 8,000 books, and magazines and newspapers were ordered costing more than 1,000,000 rubles; in addition, nine hundred CDs were purchased.[16]

There is museum of Local History (Краеведческий музей) on Protapova Street.[17]

Architecture and sights

List of mayors

Activities carried out in the town

Twin towns and sister cities

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

Anapa is twinned with:

References

Notes

  1. ^
  2. ^ "Anapa". Great Russian Encyclopedia. Online ed. 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  3. ^ Collar, Anna (ed.) (2013), "The Jewish Diaspora in the west: the rabbinic reforms, ethnicity and the (re?)activation of Jewish identity", Religious Networks in the Roman Empire: The Spread of New Ideas, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 172–174, ISBN 978-1-107-04344-2, retrieved 2026-03-18
  4. ^ Minorsky, V. (2012 [Originally published 1960]). "Anapa". Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Bearman, P. (ed.). Brill. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  5. ^ "General Information" (in Russian). Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  6. ^ Поселенные итоги переписи 1926 г. по Северо-Кавказскому Краю (in Russian). Rostov-on-Don: Северо-Кавказское краевое статистическое управление, Отдел переписи. 1929. p. 330.
  7. ^ Reference Information #34.01-707/13-03
  8. ^ Charter of Anapa Urban Okrug
  9. ^ Law #676-KZ
  10. ^ "Port of Anapa". SeaRates. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ "ru:Вокзал Анапа: жд вокзал Анапа, авто вокзал в Анапе, морской вокзал" (in Russian). Anapa.yuginform.ru. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  12. ^ Davydovich, Anna; Karamova, Aida; Fesenko, Olesya; Anisimova, Nina (2020). "Transport and logistics infrastructure of the Krasnodar Krai: Problems and solutions". E3S Web of Conferences. 164: 07007. doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202016407007. S2CID 218950016
  13. ^ "Using the Köppen classification to quantify climate variation and change". Environmental Development, volume 6, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Anapa Water temperature 1977-2006 (in Russian), Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  15. ^ "ru:Городской театр" [Town theatre] (in Russian). gorodanapa.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  16. ^ Сологуб, В. "Некриминальное чтиво". Анапа
  17. ^ "ru:Анапский краеведческий музей, Анапа" (in Russian). ЮГА.ру. ООО "ЮГА.ру". Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  18. ^ "Анапский археологический музей — филиал Краснодарского государственного историко-археологического музея-заповедника имени Е.Д. Фелицына". Museum.ru. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  19. ^ "ru:Остатки турецкой крепости Анапа и памятник А.д. безкровному" [Remnants of the Turkish fortress of Anapa and the monument to Bezkrovny] (in Russian). Anapafuture.ru. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  20. ^ "ru:Храм Святого Онуфрия Великого" (in Russian). Anapahome.ru. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  21. ^ "ru:Анапский Маяк" (in Russian). Turspeak.ru
  22. ^ "ru:Заказник "Большой Утриш". Справка" (in Russian). Eco.rian.ru. December 26, 2008.
  23. ^ "ru:Мать Мария, бывшая в 1917 г. главой Анапы, причислена к лику святых" [Mother Maria who was a mayor of Anapa in 1917 is canonised.] (in Russian). Юга.Ру. Krasnodar, Russia: ООО "ЮГА.ру". February 13, 2004. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  24. ^ Ольга Лихина & Наталья Орлова (September 11, 1993). "ru:Канарские острова стали лучшим курортом в мире, не считая Анапы" [Canary islands became a best resort in a world, to say nothing about Anapa.] (in Russian). Коммерсантъ. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  25. ^ Павлючик, Леонид (September 21, 2000). "От шока — к шику" [From shock to chic] (in Russian). Труд. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  26. ^ "ru:Анапа официально открыла курортный сезон" [Anapa officially opened the holiday season] (in Russian). RATA-news. June 23, 2004. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  27. ^ "ru:Краснодарский край. Мэрию Анапы ждут реформы, в том числе кадровые." [Krasnodar Krai. Reforms, Including Staffing, Planned in Town Hall of Anapa] (in Russian). Regions.ru. December 16, 2004. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  28. ^ "ru:А. Пахомов вступил в должность мэра Анапы" [A. Pakhomov assumed the position of Mayor of Anapa] (in Russian). Юга.Ру. March 22, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  29. ^ Кузнецова, Татьяна (April 3, 2009). "ru:Вступит в должность новый мэр Анапы" [The new mayor of Anapa will assume post.] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  30. ^ "Kinoschock". Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  31. ^ Жданович, Николай (September 15, 2010). "ru:Знаковый момент" [Moment of significance] (in Russian). Рэспубліка. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  32. ^ "Главная". Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved 2009-11-29.