On the shores of Aniva Bay is located one of the most attractive cities for tourists in the southern part of the island - Korsakov. Its history dates back to 1853, where the first Russian settlement on Sakhalin was located on the site of the current city. It was called the Muravyovsky post - in honor of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia Nikolai Muravyov. Soon the post was renamed Korsakovsky - in honor of another East Siberian governor-general, Mikhail Korsakov. And after the end of the Great Patriotic War, the city acquired its modern name. SakhalinMedia news agency invites readers to immerse themselves in the history of the city and learn about the most attractive attractions that are worth visiting.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinskaya street
The entrance to Korsakov is located in the north of the city, which starts from Yuzhno-Sakhalinskaya Street, it is a cultural heritage site. Once upon a time it was the main street of the Korsakovsky post. Yuzhno-Sakhalinskaya abuts the seashore, where you can see a large number of port buildings, ships moored and the endless blue sea.
The first streets of Korsakov and convicts. Photo: I. Pavlovsky, project oldsakhalin.ru
The legendary "Novik"
Noviks were young people from the nobility who entered the higher naval military schools of the Russian Empire to study. “Novik” was the name given to a brand new cruiser - beautiful, elegant, fast - the pride of the Russian fleet, which terrified the enemies of the Fatherland, becoming a legend of Russian history along with its entire crew. Here, on the roadstead of the Korsakov post, on August 7, 1904 (August 20, new style), the 2nd rank cruiser Novik took its last battle with the Japanese and was scuttled by order of the ship’s commander, so as not to be captured by the ships of the Japanese squadron pursuing the cruiser from the shores Port Arthur. “Novik” managed to break the blockade of Port Arthur, was able to escape pursuit, preserved the honor and dignity of the Russian flag, fighting and after its death, the guns carried by the crew from the ship to the shore. Then the ship’s crew and the residents of the Korsakovsky post said goodbye to the legend of the Russian fleet. This sad event became a harbinger of changes in their lives and in the life of their city. Korsakovites learned about the Port Arthur tragedy from the stories of Novikovites.
Memorial sign at the site of the founding of the Muravyovsky post
A memorial sign at the site of the founding of the Muravyovsky post, which later became the city of Korsakov, was unveiled on October 2, 2003. It was here in 1853 that Admiral Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy founded the Muravyovsky post, named after the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia Nikolai Nikolayevich Muravyov. The monument is located on a hill, behind the intersection of Okruzhnaya and Vokzalnaya streets. There is no convenient path to it, but if you wish, you can climb the hill. An interesting fact is that the townspeople installed this sign themselves, without the help of the authorities, in memory of their ancestors. On the side of the arch facing the sea, there is a slab with the inscription “... I, the undersigned, the head of this region, on September 22, 1853, at the main point of the island of Sakhalin, Tomari-Aniva, set up the Russian Muravyovsky post ... Gennady Nevelskoy,” as it says in the modern guidebook “ Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands"*.
A memorial sign at the site of the founding of the Muravyovsky post. Photo: pravosakh.ru
Approval of Far Eastern borders
It was here, on the site of the future Korsakov, that the interests of two neighboring states - Russia and Japan - collided for the first time. And this happened in 1806 - long before the sad events of the Russo-Japanese War for Russia. Then, on October 12, 1806, Nikolai Khvostov, commander of the ship “Juno”, in the village of Kusun-Kotan (the present city of Korsakov) nailed a sign to the wall of one of the buildings: “... the Russian frigate “Juno” under the command of the fleet of Lieutenant Khvostov as a sign of acceptance of the island Sakhalin and its inhabitants under the all-merciful patronage of the Russian Emperor Alexander the First...” Together with the tender "Avos", commanded by midshipman Gavriil Davydov, "Juno" continued its raid on the Kuril Islands, returning to Kusun-Kotan on June 26 (July 8), 1807. Russia finally established its Far Eastern borders with the establishment of the Korsakov post on Sakhalin. And it was like that.
The next time Russian warships appeared in the village of Kusun-Kotan was 45 years later. On September 22 (October 4, new style), 1853, the Russian navigator G. I. Nevelskoy established the military outpost Muravyovsky, named after the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia N. N. Muravyov. The head of the post, Major N.V. Busse, described this event as follows: “The sailors lined up in two ranks; and I, raising the flag, stood in front of them. Commanded: hats off! Nevelskoy ordered a prayer to be sung. The team sang the prayer “Our Father”, then sang “God Save the Tsar”, Russian cheers were heard, echoed on the ship, and Sakhalin became a Russian possession. The assembled Japanese and Ainu looked at us in surprise.” These words have been and will be quoted many times.
The activities of the Russian admiral and explorer of the Far Eastern lands G. I. Nevelsky (1813-1876) contributed to the annexation of the Amur region and Sakhalin to Russia. This explains the attention and interest in the personality of the outstanding Russian navigator.
To be fair, it should be noted that until the middle of the 19th century, Russia did not have official borders in the Far East. The expeditions of G.I. Nevelsky and N.N. Muravyov explored Sakhalin and Amur, and to secure these lands the Transbaikal and Amur Cossack troops were formed.
And, despite the fact that already on May 30, 1854, in connection with the outbreak of the Crimean War, the post was officially evacuated, fifteen years later, on July 31, 1869, it was recreated under the name Korsakovsky in honor of another East Siberian governor-general - M.S. Korsakov.
The main attention of Russian diplomacy was then focused on the western and southern borders of the empire, however, it was impossible to forget about the eastern borders. Russia discovered the Far Eastern lands and asserted its rights here, lost them and regained them again. Only in the middle of the 19th century did Russia sign a formal agreement with China on the Far Eastern borders. But with the founding of the Muravyovsky post, the future Korsakov, Russia, seven years earlier than the emergence of Vladivostok, asserted its right to its Far Eastern borders on Sakhalin. At that time, Korsakov was important as an ice-free port where military and transport ships could enter to refuel with coal.
Railway station building
The building is located on Vokzalnaya Street. Korsakov station was opened on June 1, 1908 as part of the railway of the Karafuto governorate, and was included in the Soviet railways on April 1, 1946.
Old Japanese railway station building. Photo: Collection of the Sapporo City Library, project oldsakhalin.ru
Observation deck
To get to the site you need to move along Krasnoflotskaya and turn onto Dachnaya Street. From the top you can see a breathtaking view of Aniva Bay, you can see ships in the roadstead, the work of the port, coastal cliffs and hills, and Korsakov itself. The best time to view many of the beauties from the observation deck is sunset, when the port lights up. New benches have been installed on the site where you can sit and admire the picturesque views. There is a military unit nearby; through its mesh fence you can see neatly arranged military equipment.
View of the port from the observation deck. Photo: vk.com
Marine Station
This is the largest port in the Far Eastern basin, operations are carried out year-round. The port transships timber cargo, coal, crude oil and petroleum products, metal and scrap metal, equipment, containers, and general cargo. Repairs ships, extracts and processes fish and seafood, carries out passenger transportation on the Sakhalin-Kuril, Wakkanai (Japan)-Korsakov and Vladivostok-Korsakov ferry lines
The port of Korsakov was founded in 1853 by the expedition of Gennady Nevelsky as the military post “Muravyevsky”.
Recently, Korsakov has been extended a free port regime, that is, foreign citizens and stateless persons arriving in Russia for tourism purposes on ferries are allowed to enter the Russian Federation through it.
Sea port. Photo: Yuri Gurshal, SakhalinMedia news agency
On a ferryboat
The ferry to Wakkanai, (Hokkaido) mainly serves to transport equipment, but also takes passengers. Navigation lasts from late May-early June to late September-early October and changes every year depending on freeze-up. Tickets can be purchased on the ground floor of the three-story control building next to the terminal. The ferry itself is operated by the Japanese company Heartland Ferry. Departure is carried out from the Southern Port of the Sea Terminal.
- Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kuril Islands - the passenger ship Igor Farkhutdinov departs in this direction, but only when there is cargo to transport. There is no schedule and one-way tickets must be booked through a travel agency on Sakhalin.
- There is an opportunity to sail to the mainland, but again the schedule is not available. It is best to take advantage of regular flights from Kholmsk.
Monument to "Divided Families"
Opposite the sea station, there is a hill that is popularly called the Mountain of Tears and Sadness, on which an unusual, charming and, in its way, sad Monument of “Separated Families” is installed. After the end of the war, about 40 thousand Korean workers, brought to the island during Japanese rule in southern Sakhalin, gathered here every day. They peered into the surface of the sea, dreaming of sailing to their homeland, to their families. Japan hastily took away its subjects, but refused to take away the Koreans. The Republic of Korea was able to send only three ships to the Sakhalin shores, which could not accommodate all those in need. Since then, many Koreans have forever lost the opportunity to see their family and friends.
The monument was erected in 2007. Fundraising for the construction of the memorial took place both in the Republic of Korea and on Sakhalin. The monument was created by the world-famous avant-garde sculptor Choi In-soo, and the poems that are carved on the pedestal were written by Kim Moon-hwan, the author of the anthem of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. According to the president of the Hangan Forum organization, the monument on Mount Sadness should not only remind of the tragedy, but also make one think about the future, about relations between countries that will not allow what happened many years ago to happen again.
Monument to "Divided Families". Photo: tripadvisor.ru
Monument to "Divided Families". Photo: vk.com
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Former Japanese bank "Hokkaido Takushoku"
The building of the former Japanese bank was built by the Japanese in the twenties of the last century, when the southern part of Sakhalin was called the “Karafuto Governorate”. It is located on the corner of the city park. The building is designed in a pseudo-classical, simple style with narrow vertical windows. The gable roof of the house was completed in Soviet times, when the building continued to serve as a bank. In the mid-nineties, when a financial institution went bankrupt, the bank fell into disrepair. The building is practically classified as an architectural monument. It is currently under reconstruction.
Japanese bank. Photo: vk.com
Wakkanai Square
It is located a little higher from the bank and was laid out in honor of the Japanese city of Wakkanai, a sister city of Korsakov. There are several interesting monuments in the small park.
In the center there is a monument to Gennady Nevelsky; it is difficult to overestimate his contribution to the study of the island. It was he who proved that Sakhalin is an island, and not a peninsula, as previously thought. The monument was inaugurated in 2013.
In the same park there is also a bust of Mikhail Korsakov, the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, which is made of bronze and granite. The monument was opened in October 1993. Despite the fact that the city is named after him, Mikhail Semenovich himself has never been here.
There is also a memorial sign dedicated to the 10th anniversary of sister city relations between the cities of Korsakov and Wakkanai.
Wakkanai Square. Photo: tripadvisor.ru
Wakkanai Square. Photo: tripadvisor.ru
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Geographical location and relief
The city is located on the shore of Salmon Bay in Aniva Bay, 42 km from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The terrain is hilly, with valleys located between the hills. The central hill, on which the forest park area is located, has a height of up to 94 m above sea level. To the north of the city lies the Korsakov plateau. In the southern part there is the Zapovednaya hill, up to 103.8 m high, on which the Korsakov lighthouse is located (accepted for operation on August 15, 1950).
The Korsakovka River flows within the city, flowing into the central basin of the Korsakov port, as well as the Bezymianny Stream.
Story
Korsakov is one of the first two Russian settlements on Sakhalin and in the region as a whole, established by Russian sailors in 1853 as military posts. Officially, the founding day of Korsakov is September 22 (October 4), 1853. City Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday of September.
Period before 1853
Initially, on the site of the future city there were Ainu villages, the first documentary evidence of which dates back to the 17th century. In July 1643, the Dutch navigator De Vries on the ship Castricum was the first European to explore the coast of Sakhalin, giving the name Aniva Bay. On July 16, 1643, he landed at a village within the borders of present-day Korsakov and recorded its local name as Aniva-Tamari - the same as that of the neighboring cape and adjacent bay (later the variant “Tomari-Aniva” was established). In 1679, Japanese samurai from the Matsumae clan arrived from Hokkaido to an Ainu settlement called Kusunkotan (Kusun-kotan or Kushunkotan, Japanese 久春古丹) and established a post that lasted until the early 1680s. Later studies showed that the toponyms Tomari-Aniwa and Kusunkotan are synonymous. Of the other villages within the current city in the second half of the 19th century, Hakka-Tomari (Akkatuwari; Hahka-Tomari; Japanese: ハツコトマリ; 函泊) and Poro-an-Tomari (Japanese: ポロアン; 大泊) are regularly mentioned.
In 1790, the Principality of Matsumae sent the contractor Murayama Dembei to the island to organize a fishing site, who built trading warehouses in Kusunkotan, and organized a trading post in Shiranusi, an Ainu village near Cape Crillon. In 1800, the principality transferred the administration of Sakhalin under its direct jurisdiction, and the practical affairs of administration were entrusted to Sibaya Chodai, who founded a trading station in Siranusi, and a business post in Kusunkotan as its branch.
In May 1805, I. F. Kruzenshtern, during the first Russian round-the-world expedition on the sloop Nadezhda, visited the south of Sakhalin, including Tomari-Aniva, mentioning two Ainu villages. According to him, one of them, a larger one, discovered by Lieutenant Commander M.I. Ra.
On October 6, 1806, the brig Juno, under the command of Lieutenant Nikolai Khvostov, on a secret order from Count Rezanov, dropped anchor in Aniva Bay. Thus began the first of the raids (in historiography known collectively as the “Khvostov and Davydov incident”). The next day, the team landed and visited one of the Ainu villages “on the eastern side of Aniva Bay” not far from Kusunkotan. On October 8, Khvostov, without official authority and in violation of secret instructions given to him by N.P. Rezanov, declared the island the possession of the Russian Empire. On October 9, having moved to Kusunkotan, which at that time was already the most important fishing industry for the Japanese on Sakhalin, the sailors plundered Japanese shops and trading posts, and also captured four guards of the Matsumae clan, who remained there to spend the winter. Then all Japanese buildings and timber supplies were burned. A week later, "Juno" left the bay and returned 8 months later along with the tender "Avos" under the command of Davydov: on May 3, 1807, they walked along the coast and burned warehouses and houses in Kusunkotan.
On April 29, 1807, the Japanese government decided to withdraw under its direct control the lands of Ezo (including southern Sakhalin and the southern Kuril Islands) from the jurisdiction of the Matsumae principality due to its inability to cope with the protection of the territories. The defense of Karafuto was entrusted to clans from the north of Honshu, and a Japanese garrison was stationed in Kusunkotan, which became the administrative center. The island returned to its former jurisdiction in December 1821. Since then, every year at the end of May, the Matsumae principality sent another shift of samurai to Kusunkotan to supervise the fishery and conduct the omusha ceremony (Japanese: オムシャ), during which the Ainu “welcomed” the prince’s representatives and received goods in return. At the beginning of July, the garrison departed for Shiranusi and from there returned to Ezo at the end of August.
Muravyovsky post (1853-1854) and the period until 1869
On September 19 (October 1), 1853, the head of the Amur expedition Nevelskoy with Major Busse and Lieutenant Rudanovsky, as well as a team of 90 people, on the transport “Emperor Nicholas I” arrived in Tamari-Aniva Bay, where in the evening the ship anchored. The next day, Nevelskoy, Busse and Lieutenant Boshnyak crossed to the shore, where they were met by Ainu and Japanese guards who had remained for the winter. The sailors presented everyone with gifts, after which they were invited to the office for collecting transport taxes, where Nevelskoy informed the Japanese foremen about the Russians’ intention to settle in Tamari-Aniwa “to protect the local residents from the Americans.”
On September 22 (October 4), 1853, troops landed. The sailors lined up in two ranks, sang “Our Father” and “God Save the Tsar!”, and Busse raised the St. Andrew’s flag. Having declared Sakhalin a Russian possession, G.I. Nevelskoy established the military outpost Muravyovsky, naming it in honor of N.N. Muravyov. For the development of the outpost, the northern cape in Tomari Bay was chosen, where Japanese barns and shops were located. Busse and Nevelsky agreed to leave 59 sailors and 8 hired workers in Muravyovsky, who were also joined by 6 people from D.I. Orlov’s expedition in early October.
On September 25, the unloading was completed and on the night of September 26, the transport “Nikolai”, leaving the roadstead, headed for the Imperial Harbor. After the equipment was transferred to a warehouse purchased from the Japanese, construction began. For the officers - Busse and Rudanovsky - an outbuilding was assembled, brought from Ayan. Between the buildings on the upper battery, walls with loopholes were later erected, as well as two watchtowers.
On May 30 (June 11), 1854, the post was evacuated due to the entry into the Crimean War against the Russian Empire by Great Britain and France, whose warships cruised the Far Eastern waters and posed a potential threat to Russian settlements.
Since 1856, the Japanese authorities entrusted the protection of the south of the island to the Satake clan, whose border guard detachment consisted of no more than 50 people. Since 1861, 3 more principalities were involved in the defense of Sakhalin.
On March 18 (30), 1867, the “Temporary Rules regarding the Island of Sakhalin” were signed in St. Petersburg, introducing a regime of joint residence. On July 20, 1867, the schooner Sakhalin arrived in the vicinity of Busse Lagoon in the east of Aniva Bay, landing a company of the 4th East Siberian Line Battalion under the command of Second Lieutenant V.K. Shwan, and on July 29 at the mouth of the Sheshkevich River, by order of battalion commander V. P. de Witte founded a new post called Muravyovsky.
In the spring of 1868, the border detachment of the Principality of Shonai, which had spent the winter here, returned home and there were no Japanese armed forces left on the island. On August 1, 50 Japanese Mikado officials, military personnel, and a large group of settlers landed at Kusunkotan. At the end of October, Kensuke Okamoto, appointed chief administrator of Sakhalin, arrived at the head of a detachment of 80 subordinates and 200 settlers. Taking over the affairs of an official from the Hakodate governorate, he opened the administrative office of the Meiji government.
Korsakov post (1869-1905)
In May 1868, the newly appointed head of the Sakhalin detachment, Major F. M. Depreradovich, reported to the military governor of the Primorsky region I. V. Furugelm about the need to establish new posts, including in Kusunkotan “as the center of the native population,” 3 months later specifying that he considered necessary “to occupy the village of Akkatuvari, 3/4 of a verst west of the village of Kusyun-Kotan.” In December, Depreradovich and Lieutenant Schwan chose the only place in Akkatuvari convenient for holding a Russian post. In May of the following year, he, alone, on a boat, made a reconnaissance of the shore for a landing.
On July 20 (August 1), 1869, Depreradovich and Schwan with two companies of the 4th East Siberian battalion from the Muravyovsky post on the Manchurian transport headed to Hakko-Tomari Bay for landing in the Akkatuvari area. On July 31 (August 12), 1869, a new post was founded here, the name of which the Russians simplified to “Akutuvay”. Soon, however, Furugelm ordered to give the settlement the name Korsakov Post (the toponyms Korsakov, Korsakov Post and Korsakovsk were also then used) in honor of the East Siberian Governor-General M. S. Korsakov.
In July 1869, Administrator Okamoto traveled to Tokyo, where he reported to the government about the landing of Russian troops and called for the dispatch of Japanese forces. Having failed to achieve his goal, he returned in the fall. Appointed in the spring of 1870 as deputy head of the Colonization Bureau responsible for Sakhalin, K. Kuroda, having studied the situation, proposed switching to the development of Hokkaido. Okamoto, who disagreed with this position, resigned at the end of the year.
On April 18 (30), 1869, Alexander II approved the “Regulations of the Committee on the Arrangement of Hard Labor,” which officially designated Sakhalin as a place of hard labor and exile. At the end of January 1870, construction of a wooden pier began in the center of the bay, and in May a church was founded in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the spring of the same year, the first batch of exiled convicts arrived. In the early 1870s, the number of personnel at the post of three companies and a platoon of a mountain battery was about 400 people. Men were assigned to construction work at the Korsakovsky and Muravyovsky posts, as well as to build the road from Korsakov to peasant settlements in the Takaki Valley. Women prepared brooms, washed clothes and washed floors in guard buildings; Some were assigned to serve as servants to officials and officers.
With the advent of hard labor, the crime situation worsened, which became one of the reasons for the outflow of the Japanese population from Sakhalin. To maintain public order, the Japanese Colonization Bureau sent 10 police officers in 1872, and the next year 15 more. All of them were stationed in Kusunkotan and went on patrol to neighboring villages. According to the 1873 census, 281 Japanese and 505 Ainu lived in Kusunkotan. In March 1874, the bureau guaranteed the Japanese residents of Sakhalin who wished to move to Hokkaido, payment of travel and lifting fees. As a result, by the fall, 458 people (about 90% of the population) had left. At the same time, government fisheries and local Japanese administrative bodies were eliminated.
On April 25 (May 7), 1875, the St. Petersburg Treaty was signed, according to which Japan officially renounced its territorial claims to Sakhalin in exchange for the Kuril Islands. According to Article 6, Japanese ships were given the right to visit the port of Korsakov (Kusun-Kotan) “without paying any port and customs duties for a period of ten years.” The Japanese government was also given the right to appoint a consul or consular agent in Korsakov.
On September 7 (19), 1875, the chief of staff of the Primorsky region troops, Colonel Ya. F. Barabash, as well as the Russian consul in Hakodate A. E. Olarovsky, arrived at the Korsakov post for the “formal transfer of Sakhalin into the possession of Russia.” In Kusunkotan, in the presence of the local population and troops, at 11 o'clock the Japanese flag was lowered and the Russian one was raised. On the same day, a school for the children of soldiers and peasants opened in Korsakov. Japanese Commissioner for Sakhalin Tatsutsura Hasebe (Japanese) Russian. ordered all Japanese to evacuate. In 1876, a consulate was established, the main function of which was to ensure the rights of Japanese fishermen conducting their fisheries off the coast of Sakhalin, Kamchatka and in the Sea of Okhotsk. There, “official permission to go to sea” introduced by the Japanese government was issued. The consulate was built in Kusunkotan (on the territory of the current Intercession Monastery on Okruzhnaya Street).
In September 1875, the “Temporary Regulations on Military and Civil Administration on the Island” came into force. Sakhalin". The bodies of the new administration were formed, and the territory of the island was divided into 2 districts: North Sakhalin and Yuzhno-Sakhalin. Since 1879, there has been a regular delivery of exiled convicts around the world by vessels of the “Voluntary Fleet”: twice a year, the next “raft” (batch) of replenishing local prisons and settlements was delivered to the ports of Korsakov and Aleksandrovsk. On May 13 (25), 1880, the regulation “On the staff of the management of convict prisons on Sakhalin Island” was approved. It provided for the construction of three new prisons: Aleksandrovskaya, Tymovskaya and Korsakovskaya. The new “Regulations on the management of o. Sakhalin" dated May 15 (27), 1884, the Sakhalin department of the Russian Empire was divided into 3 districts: Aleksandrovsky, Tymovsky and Korsakovsky. In 1886, a Russian settlement was founded in Poro-en-Tomari, adjacent to the Korsakov post.
On September 12 (24), 1890, A.P. Chekhov arrived at the Korsakov post on the steamer “Baikal”.
From the sea, the post has a decent appearance of a town, not Siberian, but of some special type, which I do not undertake to name; it was founded almost 40 years ago, when Japanese houses and barns were scattered here and there along the southern coast, and it is very possible that this close proximity of Japanese buildings was not without influence on its appearance and should have given it special features. <…> It lies in a valley, which even now bears the Japanese name Hahka-Tomari, and only one of its main streets is visible from the sea, and it seems from a distance that the pavement and two rows of houses descend steeply down the shore; but this is only in perspective, in reality the climb is not so steep.
In Korsakov, the writer rented a room from the secretary of the police department, Stepan Feldman. After spending about a month at work and busy trips around the south of the island, on the night of October 14, Chekhov set off on the steamship Petersburg to Vladivostok.
The proximity of the Korsakov post to Japan and its advantageous position made it and the southern part of the island a likely target for Japanese operations. Until 1903, there was no plan for the defense of Sakhalin, since the military governor of the island, Lyapunov, considered it right not to keep troops there, making do with only prison guards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the needs of hard labor.
On January 28 (February 10), 1904, the mobilization of troops on Sakhalin was announced, but of those there were only local teams (including Korsakov). On January 29, by order of the Far Eastern governor, the formation of voluntary squads of 200 people each began (with the massive involvement of exiled convicts at the expense of promised benefits). In Korsakov there were 4 squads and a cavalry detachment. At the end of February, a battery of 4 light guns was formed here, and in October a reserve battalion of 4 companies was deployed.
On August 7 (20), 1904, in Aniva Bay, the Russian cruiser Novik, heading to the Korsakov post to replenish coal reserves, was attacked by the Japanese cruiser Tsushima and took part in a battle, during which it received significant damage. In response, he inflicted an underwater hole on the enemy and he left the battle for repairs. The commander of the Novik, Captain 2nd Rank M. F. Shultz, having received radio interception data about the approach of the armored cruiser Chitose, ordered his ship to be scuttled and at 23:30 it lay on the ground near Korsakov, and 53 people from the crew joined the defense Sakhalin. From two 120mm and two 47mm guns removed from the Novik, Lieutenant Maksimov built a coastal battery.
In January 1905, General Lyapunov ordered the Korsakov detachment, due to the weakness of the troops of Southern Sakhalin, not to provide stubborn resistance during the Japanese landing, but to immediately switch to partisan actions. On June 24 (July 7), 1905, under the cover of two ships, the Japanese invasion began between the villages of Merey and Savina Pad (now Nechaevka). In order to delay the enemy as they advanced towards the Korsakov post in order to have time to burn the warehouses, buildings and pier there, the defenders took up positions in Poro-en-Tomari and on the lighthouse mountain. At 14:50, destroyers appeared from behind Cape Enduma, and a firefight ensued between them and the coastal artillery of Lieutenant Maksimov. At 5 p.m. the entire post was on fire and the defenders began to retreat to the Solovyov position. By June 25 (July 8), 1905, Korsakov was occupied by the Japanese.
Japanese period (1905-1945)
On August 23 (September 5), 1905, according to the terms of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, the territory of Southern Sakhalin ceded to Japan. For the first three years, the center of Karafuto's civil administration was the Korsakov post. On December 1, 1906, a railway connection opened between it and the Russian village of Vladimirovka, where it was planned to later transfer the “capital” of Japanese possessions on the island.
On March 14, 1907, Karafuto received governorship status and was divided into 3 districts, including Korsakovsky. In the same year, a railway line was put into operation in its administrative center, connecting along the coast of Korsakov (Japanese: コルサコフ; including the former Kusunkotan) and the neighboring village of Poro-en-Tomari, where the construction of a port began at that time. On March 31, 1908, they were united into a common settlement, called Oodomari (大泊, Ōtomari, Otomari). On August 23, the administrative center of the region was moved to Vladimirovka, previously renamed Toyohara.
In 1914, the island's first pulp and paper mill was opened in Oodomari. In 1917, a plant for the production of agar-agar began operating. In 1920-1928, a berth for ships with a reinforced concrete platform bridge 257 m long was built in the port (it is still in operation today). On May 1, 1923, a ferry service was opened with the city of Wakkanai on the island of Hokkaido.
By decree of the Ministry of Colonies of July 1, 1929, the governorate was divided into 7 districts (Japanese: 支庁) and Oodomari became the center of one of them, while receiving the status of a 1st class village (Japanese: 一級町), which corresponds to the concept of a small city or town. When the administrative units of Karafuto were reduced to 4 in April 1943, it became a county center within the Toyohara District, but its previous urban status was retained.
During the Yuzhno-Sakhalin operation of the Soviet-Japanese war on the morning of August 25, 1945, ships of the Northern Pacific Flotilla arrived in Oodomari and the landing began at 6:00. Two hours later, units of the 113th Infantry Brigade approached the city from the north. The enemy garrison and the personnel of the naval base (3,400 people) laid down their arms without resistance and capitulated at 10:00 am. Even before the outbreak of hostilities and during their course, the Japanese command and the civilian authorities of Oodomari used the entire most suitable and powerful self-propelled fleet for the partial evacuation of the population and the removal of valuables to Hokkaido.
Post-war period (1945-1949)
On September 24, 1945, 11 district and 15 city departments for civil affairs were formed in the south of Sakhalin. A reception and resettlement center was opened at the port for immigrants from the mainland (a similar one was located in Maoka). By order of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade of the USSR No. 339 dated December 17, 1945, a customs post was opened in Oodomari, which became the center of the customs service on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
In 1946, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 2, the Yuzhno-Sakhalin Region was formed as part of the Khabarovsk Territory. By Order No. 72 of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin Regional Administration for Civil Affairs dated 02/22/1946 “On the administrative division of the Yuzhno-Sakhalin Region”, Oodomari was allocated as a city of regional subordination, and by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR dated 06/05/1946 it was renamed Korsakov and its status as a city was secured regional subordination. It was officially stated that the name was given in honor of the captain of the schooner “Vostok” V. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
On February 9, 1947, city residents, distributed among three sections of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk electoral district No. 177, took part in the elections to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of the 2nd convocation (the only candidate was I. I. Baikov). On March 1, the executive committee of the city Council of Workers' Deputies began its activities, the chairman of which was appointed .mw-parser-output .ts-comment-commentedText{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}@media(hover:none){.mw -parser-output .ts-comment-commentedText:not(.rt-commentedText){border-bottom:0;cursor:auto}}B. S. Volkov, who previously headed the city civil administration. On December 21, the Korsakov City Council consisting of 72 deputies was elected. In October, the first plenum of the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was held, at which P. M. Mikhailov was elected first secretary.
On June 30, 1948, a factory of cardboard boxes (corrugated containers) began operating. In the first half of the year, after major renovations, a polyclinic and an infectious diseases hospital with 50 beds were opened, and in September, in the building of the former church, a maternity hospital with 40 beds was opened (at the corner of Krasnoflotskaya and the now defunct Pushkin Street).
1950–1980s
On January 3, 1952, the central square received the official name - Komsomolskaya (previously, Komsomol members of the city went out on a cleanup day and planted seedlings of deciduous trees in the equipped park). However, for several more years, people continued to call it Gorela, since its territory was formed after the clearing of massive fires in 1945-1946. This square remained central until the early 1970s, when its functions gradually transferred to the current square named after V.I. Lenin (the name was assigned in 1987).
On October 22, 1954, the city was visited by the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N. S. Khrushchev, the USSR Minister of Trade A. I. Mikoyan and the USSR Minister of Defense N. A. Bulganin. On June 5, Korsakov and the city’s enterprises were visited by cosmonaut No. 4 P.R. Popovich, who came to the region for the 40th anniversary of the Sakhalin Komsomol. On January 15, 1967, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A. N. Kosygin visited the city.
In honor of the city’s centenary, on June 30, 1969, the USSR Ministry of Communications released an illustrated envelope “100 years of the city of Korsakov” (drawing by V. Rybakova), and on July 1, the builders of the Sakhalinshakhtostroy trust commissioned a 90-apartment large-panel building on the street. Navy with a commemorative mosaic on the end.
On August 18, 1972, the wide-format cinema “Soyuz” was put into operation (it received its first spectators on September 30), and on December 29, the building of the Consumer Services Plant (House of Public Services) on the street. Soviet. On March 2, 1987, the central boiler house was put into operation (at 76 Tolstoy Street). In February 1989, construction began on a new printing house and editorial office building on the street. Flotskaya, which was planned to be completed in 1992 (due to problems with financing, it remained unfinished).
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 12, 1977, V.I. Barmuta, captain-director of the Cape Senyavin BMRT of the Korsakov Ocean Fisheries Base, was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. On August 1, cosmonaut G. M. Grechko visited the city and met with pioneers, fish factory workers and soldiers of the naval garrison. By decree of April 2, 1981, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to P. N. Kostyuchenko, the foreman of an integrated team of dockers and machine operators of the Korsakov port. By decree of August 19, 1988, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor was awarded to A. A. Arbuzov, captain-director of the BMRT “Cape Senyavin” of the Korsakov oceanic fishing base.
Period since 1991
During the stay of the official delegation from the city of Wakkanai, headed by Mayor Kazuo Tsuruga (Japanese: 久春古丹), in the Korsakov district on July 2-4, 1991, a twinning agreement was signed. On September 22, the Iris-1 fish processing enterprise of the Pilenga Godot holding was founded. On April 28, 1995 - half a century later - regular ferry service between Korsakov and Wakkanai was resumed.
In October 1993, on the day of the celebration of the 140th anniversary of the city, a bronze bust of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia Mikhail Korsakov (author - V. N. Chebotarev) was installed in Komsomolsky Square.
On September 30, 1999, the regulations on the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Korsakov” were approved. On February 27, 2002, by decision of the district meeting, the coat of arms of Korsakov was approved (author - artist M. R. Faizrakhmanov).
On December 29, 1999, a new, five-story building of the central regional hospital was opened on Fedko Street 2, the construction of which was planned in 1989 and began in 1995 (repeatedly interrupted due to lack of funding). December 30, 2008 in a new 3-story building built in 2 years on the street. Krasnoflotskaya, a district clinic has been opened
In 2003, construction began on the Prigorodnoye complex, which was put into operation and reached its design capacity in 2009.
In September 2012, reconstruction of the city's central square began. Within a year, it was covered with colored tiles with the “Wind Rose” pattern, a fountain was installed in the center, and the monument to V.I. Lenin was moved from the administration building to the passage opposite the Ocean Palace of Culture; 4 decorative stones with plaques “reflecting significant events in the history of the port city” were also installed. The presentation of the work completed according to the plan took place on September 15, 2013 - the day of the celebration of the 160th anniversary of Korsakov.
On July 20, 2013, a monument to Admiral Nevelsky (sculptor A. S. Charkin) was unveiled in Komsomolsky Park.
Lenin Square
The square is located in the very center of the city of Korsakov next to the city administration. There is a fountain in the center, around which there are benches and flower beds. Next to the fountain there is a traditional monument to Lenin. However, of greater interest is the monument to those who fell during the liberation of Korsakov from Japanese militarists, erected in 1949, and the memorial sign “300th anniversary of the Russian Fleet” in the form of an anchor, which rests on a stone, installed in 1996.
Not far from the square there is a cinema, a stadium and a cultural center.
Lenin Square. Photo: vk.com
Return
In the chronicles of the city of Korsakov, August 25, 1945 is a special date. On this day, Soviet troops occupied the city of Otomari without a fight or bloodshed: the mayor of the city, avoiding unnecessary casualties among the civilian population, announced the surrender of the city. This event ended the offensive operation of the Soviet troops to liberate Southern Sakhalin. Korsakov gained the right to his historical name, although official recognition occurred a year later. And even though hostilities in the Kuril Islands continued until September 1, it was with the release of Korsakov that Russia regained its right to South Sakhalin.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated June 5, 1946, Otomari was renamed Korsakov, in honor of Mikhail Semenovich Korsakov, and the Russian post officially received the status of a city.
Korsakov Museum of History and Local Lore
The Korsakov Museum of History and Local Lore was opened in 1983, on the 130th anniversary of the city of Korsakov. The museum's exhibitions tell the history of the city and its inhabitants. Materials are presented about the stay of the Russian writer A.P. at the Korsakov post in 1890. Chekhov, who during his trip to Sakhalin conducted a population census, issued cards for prisoners and exiles, and also provided medical assistance, lived in Korsakov for a whole month. The main fund of the museum collections is formed from items donated to the museum by residents and guests of the city. The museum also talks about new technologies for the production of liquefied natural gas, the Karafuto period and the feat of the cruiser "Novik", this is written about in the modern guidebook "Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands "*.
Primate's blessing
Today the monastery is one of the most attractive places in the city; everything related to the history of the place is carefully preserved here. The monastery is constantly being improved.
The monastery is conveniently located on the southern slope of one of the three capes, reliably sheltering it from the cold northern winds. From the territory of the monastery you can see the water surface of Aniva Bay, you can see the water area of the port with its cranes, cargo and passenger ships from all over the world arriving on the island through its sea gate - the port of Korsakov.
The rising sun colors the sea with amazing shades of an incredible palette of colors - from soft pink with tints of golden-scarlet in the morning to purple-red, turning into crimson tones in the evening. Sometimes, through the haze of light clouds, the border separating the turquoise sea and the blue sky is barely visible. This is where the Russian morning begins. From here Russia greets the dawn, turning its prayerful gaze to God. And when on the western borders of the Fatherland the Church is just completing its daily prayer circle, here it already begins again: “From the east of the sun to the west, praise is given to the name of the Lord...”.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' noted in a particularly warm way the significance of the island Korsakov monastery in his Primate Word when visiting the Monastery in 2010. This was the first visit of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church in the history of Sakhalin Island, in the history of the city of Korsakov, in the history of the Korsakov monastery. The primate blessing for the monastery was expressed in the words of the Primate of the Russian Church: “The Holy Protection monastery is well known outside of Sakhalin. This is one of the easternmost monasteries of our Church. Here, in the Far East of Rus', you are especially aware of the importance of spiritual outposts, which are the temples of God. This is not the end of the world. This is our Russian land. Here we are at home. This land should not be abandoned, but developed, and I believe that with God’s help this will happen, and life on Sakhalin and throughout our Fatherland will become more and more beautiful.”
The material was published in the special issue of the Foma magazine “Small Towns - Heroes of Russia.” When implementing the project, state support funds are used, allocated as a grant in accordance with the order of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 1, 2015 No. 79-rp and on the basis of a competition held by the Knowledge Society of Russia.
Monastery of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The monastery was built recently - in 1999. It uses premises that served completely different purposes during the Russo-Japanese War. It is considered the most eastern monastic monastery in Russia.
Until 1904, the building of the Japanese Consulate was located on the site of the monastery, and then - a garrison rest house for Japanese officers. After the liberation of Southern Sakhalin from Japanese militarists in 1945, construction of a military camp began here. During Soviet times, the Sailors' Club, built in 1959, operated on this site. There is very little left of the Japanese consulate, but even this is interesting to take a look at.
The total area occupied by the monastery is 1.792 hectares.
The monastery houses many shrines: icons, relics and even a piece of the vestment of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt.
On the territory of the monastery there is a grave with the burials of Russian sailors from the cruiser Novik who died during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904.
Monastery. Photo: pravosakh.ru
A name in oblivion
A year later, on June 24, 1905 (July 7, new style), a Japanese landing force landed at the mouth of the Mereya River, in the village of Prigorodnoye near the Korsakov post. Japan began to seize Southern Sakhalin. In 1905, Southern Sakhalin ceded to Japan, and the Russian city of Korsakov was renamed. From that time on, it bore the Japanese name - Oodomari. Until October 1908, this was the administrative center of the Karafuto governorate, which was later moved to Toyohara, the new capital of Karafuto. Oodomari was renamed Otomari by the Japanese. Until 1945, the city kept its true name in oblivion for forty years.
Busse Lagoon
Busse is one of the most popular lakes in the south of the island. The reservoir got its name in honor of Nikolai Busse, a member of the Amur expedition and the first head of Sakhalin Island. The Shishkevich and Arakul rivers flow into the lake, and it also communicates with lakes Chibisansky, Maly and Bolshoy Vavaysky.
Shellfish are also found in the lagoon, mainly mussels, giant oysters, sea scallops, sea cucumbers, and large grass shrimp. The lake is home to many species of fish, including pink salmon, chum salmon, herring, navaga, smelt, crucian carp, taimen and others. Waterfowl nest on the lake. You can also see the Red Book white-tailed eagle, heron, whooper swan, little swan, and Far Eastern curlew.
The red algae Ahnfeltia, from which agar-agar is extracted, is found in abundance.
Busse Lagoon is a natural monument of regional importance and is a rich ecosystem of great commercial and scientific importance.
Catch from Busse Lagoon. Photo: tripadvisor.ru
Busse Lagoon. Photo: tripadvisor.ru
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Lake Tunaicha
Tunaicha is the second largest lake in Sakhalin, salty, lagoon type. The reservoir is conventionally divided into large and small Tunaichu, between which Bird Island is located.
The lake is home to 29 species of fish from 13 families, including 9 species of salmon, including the rare Sakhalin taimen. Chum salmon, pink salmon, herring, smelt and navaga are of commercial importance. A small Tonnai population of Pacific herring breeds and overwinters in the lake. Many species of birds nest along the banks of Tunaichi, including the white-tailed eagle, osprey, mandarin duck, little swan, and whooper swan. Fishing and the use of motorized boats on the lake are limited and regulated. During the licensed hunting season, sport fishing is permitted.
On the coast of Lake Tunaicha there is a burial place of staff captain B. Grotto-Slepikovsky and the fighters of the partisan detachment under his command who died in July 1905. A memorial complex was built here.
Lake Tunaicha. Photo: vk.com
Lake Tunaicha. Photo: vk.com
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“Work to make the world a better place”
These parting words were spoken by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church when visiting a monastic monastery in the city of Korsakov in 2010: “Love and radiate goodness. Work to make the world a better place."
The idea of a large-scale project - “Russian Historical Center in the city of Korsakov, Sakhalin Region”, formulated in 2012 and presented by the leadership of the monastery at different levels, involves the participation in it of all interested bona fide partners, including municipal and regional authorities, which are considering the project .
The ideas contained in the project not only confirm the historicity of the Russian presence on Sakhalin, but if it is implemented, they will also acquire a memorial and artistic architectural expression, and also contribute to the patriotic education of youth. After all, Sakhalin land is the only place on Russian territory where fighting took place during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, and in the Korsakov urban district, for the first time in Russia, a fraternal reburial of Russian soldiers was carried out at the site of a battle from that war. The main idea of the project is not only the opportunity to realize and demonstrate the historically and spiritually predetermined Orthodox component of the Russian development of Sakhalin Island in the period from the 1850s to 1905, but also its specific architectural and monumental expression in the form of a monastery complex.
Mount Juno
East of the village of Prigorodny there is Mount Juno, named after the ship on which Rezanov traveled. In 1806, this ship, under the command of Nikolai Khvostov, approached the shores of southern Sakhalin.
You can climb the hill at any time of the year. The slopes are quite steep, but even an unprepared person can climb them in a maximum of an hour. It is best to climb from the south side of the mountain. In autumn you can find ripe lingonberries there, and from the top there is a stunning view of the sea, hills and the LNG plant. In 2013, a Memorial Cross was erected here in honor of the Russian pioneers who discovered Sakhalin in 1643, as well as the 160th anniversary of the raising of the Russian flag on the island by the famous navigator Gennady Nevelsky. The installation of the cross required a lot of effort and resources. The cross was lifted to the top of the mountain by a Mi-8 helicopter.
View of the LNG plant from Mount Juno. Photo: Elizaveta Karpova, SakhalinMedia
Commemorative plaque on Mount Juno. Photo: Elizaveta Karpova, SakhalinMedia
Cross on Mount Juno. Photo: Elizaveta Karpova, SakhalinMedia
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LNG plant
In 2009, on the site of the former Sakhalin village of Prigorodnoye, Russia’s first liquefied gas (LNG) plant was opened. In addition to the plant, the Prigorodnoye production complex includes an oil and liquefied natural gas export terminal.
The port of Prigorodnoye is the first seaport in Russia that was built specifically to service ships carrying LNG and oil tankers. In May 2008, the port was opened for international traffic by order of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Despite the proximity to the enterprise, there is a beach near the plant, which is very popular among local residents and not only. From here you can watch the work of the plant, the process of refueling tankers and simply admire the blue, blue sea.
LNG plant. Photo: Denis Taushkanov, SakhalinMedia news agency
*Modern guide to the Sakhalin region “Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands”, second edition (corrected and expanded), M.: PressPass Publishing House, 2021, p. 248.
Korsakov
(Sakhalin region)
OKATO code:
64216501
Founded:
1869
City since:
1946 City of regional subordination
Center:
Korsakov district
The city was formerly called:
| Korsakov post | 1869 | 1905 |
| Otomari | 1905 | 1946 |
| Telephone code (reference phone) | |
| 42435***** | — |
Deviation from Moscow time, hours:
8
Geographical latitude:
46°38′
Geographical longitude:
142°46′
Altitude above sea level, meters:
30 Sunrise and sunset times in the city of Korsakov
