Jewish Autonomous District. Capital, map, photo

May 7, 1934 the Resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee was adopted, which created the Jewish Autonomous Region. Its status was assigned to the Birobidzhan district.

History of appearance

The territory of the Amur region has long been inhabited by independent tribes with a small population. These were the Tungus, daur and dyuchery. The Russian people began to master these lands only from the middle of the 17th century. The impetus for this was Vasily Poyarkov 's campaign , which took place in June 1644. The Russian influence in the Amur region was secured by Yerofei Khabarov. After his campaigns, these lands began to gradually join the Russian state.

After the revolution of 1917, the new government decided to attract the country's Jewish population to productive labor and began to search for the territory for its residence. The leaders of the USSR came up with a plan for the creation of the Jewish Autonomous Region. This decision, among other things, had a political aspect. The creation of such an autonomous district was to improve relations with the West, which at that time did not recognize the young state. In addition, the development of the territories of the Far East was necessary for the USSR, which was seriously threatened by the Japanese.

The decision on the settlement of Jews in the free lands of the Amur Region was adopted on March 28, 1928 by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee. On 20.08.1930 the same organ of the Soviet government issued a decision on the formation of the Birobidzhan region, which is part of the Far Eastern Territory. The center of this administrative unit was the Tikhonskaya station. In 1931, it was renamed the village of Birobidzhan. Somewhat later, the status of the district was changed. On its territory was created the Jewish Autonomous Region. Legislatively, this decision was consolidated on May 7, 1934 by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Geography

The Jewish Autonomous District is located in the southern part of the Russian Far Eastern lands. In its western part, it adjoins the Amur Region, and in the eastern part - with the Khabarovsk Territory. The southern border of the Jewish Autonomous District coincides with the state border of Russia. It runs along the Amur River, beyond which the lands of China begin.

The Jewish autonomy has an area of 36.3 thousand square kilometers. As of 01.01.2015, 168 thousand people lived on its territory. The city of Birobidzhan is the regional center of this district.

Promised land

The newly created autonomy was a fact of the revival of the sovereign territory of the Jewish population. The emergence of this district caused the activation of immigration inflow from abroad. About 800 people from Lithuania and Argentina, Latvia and France, Belgium and Germany, Poland, Palestine and the United States have chosen their permanent residence in the Far East.

All this shows that the decision of the Soviet government caused a rather lively response in the Jewish environment. And this is not surprising. The long-suffering people were happy to allocate their own territory for him and the existence of a kind of statehood on it.

Location:

The city of Birobidzhan received such a resonant name from the name of two local rivers flowing nearby - Bira and Bijan. On the shore of the first of them, the center of the newly formed autonomous district was erected. Birobidzhan on the map can be found east of the Bijan River. It flows parallel to Bire and is located one hundred kilometers from the city. It is worth saying that these two rivers bear their waters in the mighty Amur.

Birobidzhan on the map of Russia is one of the stations of the Trans-Siberian Railway. It is distinguished by a close location to the border with China (only 75 kilometers).

Sights of the capital EAO

The main street of Birobidzhan is named after Sholom-Aleikhem. On the territory of its square is a monument to this famous Jewish writer. This is a two-meter copper figure Shalom-Aleikhem (Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich), located on a stone pedestal. The monument is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs, which depict the stories described by the writer from the life of the Jewish people.

Not far from the monument is the Regional Museum, exhibits of which relate to contemporary fine arts. In the premises of this institution you can admire the paintings of contemporary artists written on the subject of the Old Testament. For today in this collection it is collected about two hundred exhibits of various styles and directions, which authors are artists of several regions of Russia.

The capital of the Jewish Autonomous District offers guests and residents of the city to enjoy the work of the creative team of the regional philharmonic society. This center of art and culture of the Jewish Autonomous Region implements very interesting creative projects, which embody sixty artists of various genres.

The building of the Philharmonic Hall was completed in 1984. And up to today the spacious concert hall is pleased to attend up to seven hundred spectators. Comfortable working conditions are created for creative teams. In the building there are rehearsal and service rooms, make-up rooms, the most modern sound, light, and video projection equipment is installed.

Festivals of Jewish and Slavic cultures are held in the regional philharmonic society. Famous foreign and Russian soloists and professional groups come here on tour.

One of the cultural attractions of Birobidzhan is the Regional Museum of Local Lore. It is possible to get acquainted with the history of the creation of the Jewish autonomy, which appeared several years earlier than the state of Israel. In the exhibition halls there are items and documents reflecting the history of the city's origin and development. Here you can find evidence of cultural and economic achievements that the district can be proud of. The museum is located near the synagogue on Lenin Street.

Guests of Birobidzhan can also see the first stone church erected in this region. This is the Annunciation Cathedral, the construction of which was completed in 2004.

The Jewish Autonomous Okrug can be proud of an amazing nature protection institution. Birobidzhan offers visitors and residents of the city to visit the dendrological park. On a vast territory of 19 hectares, special plant collections are grown. This huge work is carried out with the goal of enriching the plant resources of the region, as well as for conducting economic, educational, educational and scientific activities. This park is rightfully proud of the entire Jewish Autonomous Region. The map of the territory indicates that this is a zone of coniferous-broad-leaved forests. That is why a variety of trees grow in the arboretum. There are shrubs here. But, despite this, every year in the park the planting of cedar, fir and spruce seedlings takes place.

For visitors to this unique area, excursions are organized, during which you can see a large number of species of woody plants. By special trails the route runs to a hill, from which an amazing view opens up on the ridges of Uldur, Bastak, Shukhi-Poktoy. Along the borders of the arboretum there are small ponds. Their inhabitants are small invertebrate animals, Far Eastern toads and Siberian anglers.

In the list of Birobidzhan attractions there are also:

- a monument to Lenin, erected in front of the building, where the regional government is located;
- a stele erected at the entrance to the city, on which there are inscriptions both in Russian and Yiddish;
- a monument in honor of the first Jewish pioneers in the square near the station building;

- a fountain with a Jewish menorah;
- a memorial complex with eternal fire, in memory of those residents of the city who died during the Great Patriotic War;
- chapel of the Sovereign Orthodox Icon of the Mother of God built in the Victory Park;
- IS-3 tank, installed as a monument in 2005;
- a synagogue;
- a sculpture of a Jewish violinist and stele with muses at the Philharmonic;
- Church of St. Nicholas, made of wood in 1998-99.

Timezone

Due to the fact that the Jewish Autonomous Okrug is located in the Far East far from the capital of Russia, the time in it relative to Moscow is shifted by 7 hours. This time zone is designated by international standard as VLAT / VLAST (Vladivostok Time Zone). In relation to the world time, a shift of 11 hours is observed here.

Climate

The Jewish Autonomous District is located in a territory dominated by dry and cold winters, as well as a humid and hot summer. This is the zone of the temperate monsoonal climate belt. In its natural conditions, the EAO is one of the most favorable places in the Far East. The features of the climate zone create excellent conditions for the development of grass and forest vegetation, as well as agricultural crops.

The northern territory of the district is more severe climate. Here are also sites with permafrost. In the south, natural conditions are more favorable for life.

The average temperature in January in the territory of the EAO is in the range from 21 to 26 degrees below zero. In July, the air warms up to 18-21 degrees. The average number of precipitation in the year varies from 500 to 800 mm.

Culture

The Jewish Autonomous Region (the Far Eastern Federal District) has its own unique flavor. This is the most fertile territory of the Amur region, it is fertile soil for the development of art and culture. It is in the EAO is the oldest literary studio in the Far East. Through the efforts of its participants almanacs such as Birobidzhan and Forpost were published.

Among the important cultural events of the region is the creation of the State Jewish Theater. In the 1970s, the Jewish Chamber Music Theater was opened in Birobidzhan. Shortly thereafter, the puppet show and the ensemble of violinists began to please the spectators with their performances.

Natural resources

In the north of the Jewish Autonomous Okrug, as well as in the northwestern part of it, there are the ridges of Pompeyevsky, Sutarsky, Lesser Khingala, and also the spurs of the Bureinsky Range. The mounds located on the territory of the EAO, on the southern slopes are covered with deciduous forests. On the northern side, on these hills, mainly coniferous trees grow. In these parts you can find honeysuckle and wild grapes, as well as Manchurian nut. Here grows even a cork tree.

In the territory of the EAO there are specially protected places. This is over three hundred thousand hectares with one reserve, seven reserves and almost three dozen natural monuments.

Surprising in its beauty, the plant can be seen on the surface of the water bodies of the region. In summer, Komarova's lotus blossoms here. Its huge, with a child's hand, dark pink petals adorn the watery surface.

The special geological structure of the territory of the EAO makes it possible to make predictions about the presence of oil fields and ore gold, gas and phosphorites, ornamental and facing stones, platinum and diamonds. Today, iron and manganese ores, talc and magnesites, peat and brown coals, fresh and thermo-mineral healing waters are already being mined here.

Administrative division

The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, by its Resolution issued in 1991, singled out the Jewish Autonomous Region from the Khabarovsk Territory, making it an independent subject. In 2006, another municipal reform was carried out. As a result, the Jewish Autonomous District was divided into five districts. Cities in the EAO are few. There are only two of them. This Birobidzhan, which is the center of the Birobidzhan region, as well as Obluchye (Obluchensky district). The centers of the other three districts are villages and settlements. The list of these territorial units is given below:
- Leninsky district - with a center in the Leninskoye village;
- Oktyabrsky district - with the center in the village of Amurzet;
- Smidovichsky area - with the center in Smidovich village.

Further perspectives

Since the 1990s, heated discussions began about the status of the region. This was a period when Jews immigrated to Israel immensely. As a result, there was an opinion about the collapse of the EAO, as well as the inexpediency of its existence in the future.

To date, the project of joining the Jewish Autonomous Region to the Khabarovsk Territory has been developed, and a proposal has been put forward to include it in the Amur Region with the simultaneous formation of the Amur Region.