Former city names. For everyone and everything

"Russia" is a relatively new name. Prior to this, our territory was recorded in the annals of history and marked on geographical maps under completely different names.

hyperborea

The legendary country of ancient Greek mythology. Many scientists claim that the Hyperboreans lived in the territory of the Russian North many thousands of years ago. It is interesting that even on many medieval maps these lands were designated as Hyperborea. The ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus described the Hyperboreans as a minion of fate, more precisely, the god Apollo, who often visited these lands and frankly patronized Hyperborea. Diodorus, not without envy, wrote: “Even death comes to the Hyperboreans as deliverance from satiety with life, and they, having experienced all the pleasures, throw themselves into the sea.”

Sarmatia

The borders of this country stretched from the Black Sea to the Urals. Some historians say that Sarmatia was settled by people from the mythological Hyperborea, who ousted the Scythians and began to rule their population. It is interesting that many clans (coats of arms) of the Polish gentry believe that they originated precisely from the Sarmatians (the so-called Sarmatism). By the way, Mikhailo Lomonosov, in contrast to the defenders of the Norman theory, believed that the origins of Russian statehood should be sought precisely in the Sarmatian tradition.

Tartaria

European cartographers designated the territory of our country with this not harmless name right up to the 19th century. Many domestic historians optimistically associated the name "Tartaria" with the Tatar people. But it is unlikely that Western European geographers of the Middle Ages would have shared such a positive attitude with them, since they associated the name "Tartaria" with Tartarus, the hell of ancient Greek mythology, where the god Kronos (aka Saturn) and other titans were cast down. We owe the localization of this dead place on the Russian Earth to astrologers, according to whose calculations, it is this territory that is controlled by the planet of Saturn with all the ensuing consequences. It is curious that Nostradamus in his "Centuries" promised a happy ending to Tartarus, arguing that almost the Golden Age would await the land of Saturn at the end of time.

Gardariki

This is how the Normans and other Vikings called the current territory of Russia. From Icelandic, the word "gardariki" can be translated as "country of cities." Given the fact that the Normans, who have seen many countries and territories in their lifetime, called only Russia by the “city” name, we can judge the high level of civilization of our ancestors.

Greater Sweden

The famous Icelandic skald and politician Snorri Sturlusson, who lived at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century, called the European territory of the current Russian Federation Great Sweden (in Icelandic - Svitjod). That is, to some extent, we, the citizens of Russia, are Swedes. Only big ones, or great ones. This is how the skald describes mother Russia in the collection of sagas “Circle One”: “To the north of the Black Sea lies Svitiod Bolshaya or Kholodnaya. Some believe that the Great Svitiod is no less than the Great Serkland (Country of the Saracens), some compare it with the Great Bloland (Africa). The northern part of Svitiod is not inhabited due to frost and cold weather. There are many big kheradivs (cities) in Svityod. There are also many different peoples and many languages. There are giants and dwarfs, there are blue people and many different amazing peoples ... ". Actually, little has changed since the days of Snorri Sturlusson. Unless you rarely see blue people.

As-Slavia

This name was given to Russia by Arab geographers El-Farsi and Ibn-Khaukal in the 10th century. The capital of As-Slavia was the city of Salau. Many historians identify As-Slavia with the land of Novgorod, and Salau with the legendary city of Slovensk, which was located not far from present-day Veliky Novgorod. Interestingly, Arab historians still gave several names to Russian territories: Artania and Kuyava. There are still disputes about the localization of Artania: some historians place it in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bmodern Ryazan. Kuyava is clearly associated with the Kyiv land.

Muscovy

Everything seems to be clear here: Russia was called Muscovy due to its capital. True, a number of sources claim that the name Muscovy comes from Mosokh (or Meshech), the grandson of Noah. Say, he was the founder of the people "Muscovites". Interestingly, this version was spelled out in the Synopsis, or Brief Description of the Beginning of the Russian People, which was published in 1674 within the walls of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Many historians went even further, stating that the words "Muscovy" and "Moscow" have nothing to do with each other. If the name of the state came from a descendant of the Old Testament prophet, then the capital of this state came from a certain local god of the Merya tribe, which, as you know, was the natives of the land of the present Moscow region. Alas, we can no longer verify these versions in the 21st century ...

The city of Stalingrad: what is it called now, and what was its name before? This will be our conversation.Turning the pages of history, one can understand that the city has a complex, heroic biography.Tsaritsyn, Stalingrad, Volgograd - all these are the names of the same city. Few cities in Russia have changed their names three times in their history.

Tsaritsyn

Let's start the journey into history from the distant 16th century, when the city of Tsaritsyn was erected on the banks of the Volga, designed to become one of the trade and political centers that was needed here, since the river in those days was a means of transportation in summer for ships, in winter - for carts . And this path had to be maintained and protected from enemy attacks.

The wooden fortress erected here in 1589, built by settlers, was burnt down by the tsarist troops. Stone structures appeared in place of the wooden ones. The settlement roamed from place to place, sometimes rebuilding on the right bank of the Volga, sometimes on the left. Either the Cossacks ruled there, or the Adyghes, Circassians, Nogais ran in.

This went on until Peter the Great arrived in the city and ordered the construction of the Tsaritsyno guard line, giving the city his cap and cane, which are kept in the museum to this day. It happened in 1718.

Many more terrible events befell the city of Tsaritsyn: two devastating fires, the raid of Emelyan Pugachev, a settlement on the banks of the Volga by German colonists.

In the 19th century, Tsaritsyn reached an unprecedented flourishing. The first school opened in the city, doctors began to receive patients, a mustard factory opened, potatoes began to grow in the fields, and a railway line appeared. These events turned out to be only the forerunners of the rapid development of Tsaritsyn as a center of industry and culture.

In 1917, the power of the Bolsheviks was established in the city peacefully, and this served only as another impetus for its rapid flourishing.

Stalingrad

In 1925, the congress of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to give the city the name of I.V. Stalin, who, according to eyewitnesses, was against this and did not even appear at the congress.

As a result of the congress in 1925, the city lost its historical name Tsaritsyn. Stalingrad is a name that marked a new milestone in its development.

New factories and factories are being built, the Stalingrad State District Power Plant is being launched, the Stalingrad Tractor Plant has been put into operation, pedagogical and medical institutes are being opened. Stalingrad (1925-1961), in spite of everything, in the most difficult historical conditions, became the largest industrial and cultural center of the Volga region.

The city developed and got upset until disaster struck our country. In 1941 the Great Patriotic War began.

Battle of Stalingrad

The Nazis moved across the country by leaps and bounds. Stalingrad was an important strategic point for their offensive.

The days from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 are a terrible time for the city and for the whole country, which received the name of the Battle of Stalingrad. According to official figures, more than a million Soviet people died in those days. Among them were old people, women and children.

People died not only in battle - the city was subjected to air raids, as a result of which a huge number of civilians died. Although it is difficult to call those people civilians. Everyone who could hold tools in their hands, young and old, went out to build defenses in the devastated city. Despite the ruin, factories continued to operate, releasing new tanks and shells. Who could, became to the machines.

The command sent more and more military units to the Stalingrad Front. Relentless statistics show that the average life of a fighter on the Stalingrad lines was 24 hours.

They fought for every street, every house. The Nazis joked bitterly, calling that war on the streets of Stalingrad a "rat war."

The real massacre went beyond the highest point near the city - Mamaev Kurgan. From time immemorial, the enemy has been trying to capture this important strategic object. From it, as in the palm of your hand, you could see the whole city and its districts for many kilometers.

Particularly fierce fighting took place in the areas of the artillery and tractor factories, which continued to produce military equipment all this time, which immediately went into battle.

February 2 is the day of the official victory of the Soviet army over the Nazis in the Battle of Stalingrad. This day was a turning point for the outcome of the entire war. In Germany, mourning was declared over the defeat at Stalingrad.

The city of Stalingrad suffered terrible battles. The name of the place that immortalized the memory of the defenders who died here is now known to every resident of the city and all of Russia. A majestic monument to the heroes who gave their lives in that battle rises on Mamayev Kurgan.

In the post-war years, the city quickly began to recover, acquiring the past grandeur and beauty. Destroyed buildings, plants, factories were revived, new ones were built.

Volgograd

The city of Stalingrad: what is the name of this hero city now? No one doubts why the name of the city has changed once again.

The decision to rename was made in 1961. The working people of the country did not want the name of the city to remind of a person whose name was associated with the destruction of a huge number of innocent people.

Changes have taken place on the map of our vast country. The replacement of Stalingrad-Volgograd did not affect the rapid development of the city. Currently, it is a million-plus city that attracts many tourists who remember its heroic history.

There are many memorable places here, and to this day, residents of the whole country remember the city of Stalingrad. What is the name of the panorama of military events now? Of course, the Stalingrad panorama. And how can you rename that battle? No way. It will forever keep the name -Stalingrad battle.

The city, which played a large significant role in the history of Russia, today is a metropolis with a population of over a million people. This article will help you make an excursion into the history of the city and answer the question of what Volgograd used to be called. Throughout the history of its existence, it has changed its name twice.

How Volgograd appeared

What was the name before and how did the city develop? It was founded at the end of the 16th century, but many researchers believe that the settlement existed a long time ago, back in the days of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Along with Samara and Saratov, the city of Tsaritsyn was founded as a fortress by a garrison of military Cossacks and a local governor, Grigory Zasekin, at the behest of Ivan the Terrible after the conquest of the Astrakhan kingdom. from nomad raids. The fortress was guarded around the clock by archers on duty, who raised the garrison from the watchtowers on an alarm signal.

City development

What was the name of Volgograd before 1925? Until that time, he was called Tsaritsyn. The city began to develop rapidly, having moved to the right bank of the great Russian river Volga after the final victory over the wild hordes. Its inhabitants were distinguished by liveliness and enterprise, therefore, from a paramilitary settlement on the outskirts of the state, Tsaritsyn quickly assumed the guise of a merchant city. But in the following centuries of its history, the people often called Tsaritsyn "Ponizovaya freemen", since runaway serfs and peasants from all over Russia gathered in the Lower Volga. History has preserved the names of famous heroes-fighters for the free life of the people - Stepan Razin, Kondraty Bulavin, Emelyan Pugachev.

How did Volgograd get its name?

How the city used to be called and what is the history of each of its names - not everyone knows. Those who are not strong in history are sure that Tsaritsyn was named after Empress Catherine the Great. This is an incorrect assumption, although it is to her that he owes the transformation from a narrowly military settlement into a rapidly developing city. And the name arose thanks to the small river Tsaritsa, from which only a few springs remained. But five centuries ago, the riverbed was full, and it carried its clay waters quite rapidly into the Volga. For its color, the Mongol-Tatars began to call the river Sary-Su, which means "yellow water". Later, this name began to be perceived by ear as the Queen, hence the first name of the city.

The earliest mentions of the Tsaritsyn fortress date back to, therefore, since then this date has been considered official, and it is from it that Volgograd traces its history. What was the name of this city before and where did the first name come from, you now know.

Early 20th century

During the time of the Civil War, the city found itself at the junction of battles between the Red and the White Guards, who captured the city, dealt very cruelly with the Red soldiers who were captured - they were chopped down with checkers. Great damage was inflicted on the city: residential and cultural buildings were wiped off the face of the earth, the water supply and sewerage system, as well as the power plant were put out of action, and industrial enterprises were almost destroyed. Then came the restoration of the city. First, the giants of the industry were launched: metallurgical, sawmill, woodworking plants, then they set up lines for hosiery and clothing factories, built and launched food industry enterprises.

Second name

What was the name of Volgograd before (1925-1961)? In 1925, the city of Tsaritsyn changed its name to Stalingrad. Of course, this renaming is associated with I. V. Stalin, who since 1922 was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. By this time, the city had 112 thousand people, it ranked nineteenth in terms of the number of inhabitants among the cities of Russia. Two years later, the population was already 140 thousand, which served as an impetus for grandiose housing construction.

In the future, the city, like the whole country as a whole, developed towards industrialization. The country's first tractor plant was built, and "Red October" - a metallurgical plant - began to produce high-quality steel.

War

But the outbreak of war knocked the ground out from under their feet and subjugated everything. From its first days, Stalingrad turned into the largest arsenal in the south-east of Russia. Factories continuously produced and repaired tanks, ships, machine guns. A division of the people's militia and eight battalions were formed on the territory of the city. Defensive construction reached a huge scale. Railway lines were built, which played a huge role in supplying the troops. Since 1942, regular enemy air raids by local air defense forces were reflected in Stalingrad.

The city worked and fought in spite of the fascist invaders, frustrating Hitler's plans. The enemy command sent its selected forces to Stalingrad. If they managed to break the main shock concentration of troops, then this would significantly change the course of the battles. But Stalingrad stubbornly resisted the onslaught, its heroic resistance allowed the Soviet troops to move on a decisive offensive. Having defeated the enemy, the Soviet army created the conditions for the course of the entire war. At the Stalingrad line, the enemy was not only stopped, but also crushed physically and morally.

Memorial Complex

The legendary Battle of Stalingrad was left behind, turning the city into ruins. In memory of this battle, a famous memorial complex was erected on Mamaev Kurgan with the world-famous monument "The Motherland Calls!", which has become a symbol of the city. It was built for nine years, its height is 55 meters, weight is 8000 tons, the complex is a part of the monument. It is visible from all parts of the city.

What was the name of Volgograd before? Until 1961, it bore the proud name of Stalingrad, but, despite the historical significance of the name, the country's authorities decided to rename the city, giving it a third name - Volgograd, due to its geographical location. According to historians, this idea was put forward in order to combat Stalin's personality cult.

So you got acquainted with a brief history of the city and now you can answer any question about how the city of Volgograd used to be called.

On December 14, 1937, the Japanese authorities renamed the capital of China. For several centuries in a row, the Chinese themselves called the city of Peiping, but the invaders decided to erase the former name from all maps and gave it a simpler name. "Beijing" by which we know him today. It seems that the Chinese are satisfied with this ...

However, history also knows examples of a different kind, when the people inhabiting the capital want to get rid of the name imposed by someone. On December 14, but already in 2005, the people's assembly of the Chechen parliament decided to give Grozny the new name is Akhmad-Kala, in honor of the President of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, who died on Victory Day during the terrorist act. The current Russian name of the city - Grozny - did not suit the deputies, since it comes from the name of the Groznaya fortress, which was founded in 1818 by General A.P. Ermolov. And then the construction of roads from fortress to fortress went on, which, according to the deputies, contributed to the successful conquest of the highlanders by Russia.

But the son of the deceased President, the current head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, acted wisely, explaining to the deputies that the best memory for his father would be the restoration of both the capital and peaceful life in Chechnya.

But back to Beijing. During the Chinese Civil War of 1928-1949, the Nationalist Kuomintang Party decided that the city in the hands of the communist enemy should be called "Peiping", that is, "Peace in the North", and not "Beijing", which literally means "Northern capital". The Japanese have settled all disputes...

By the way, representatives of the Land of the Rising Sun had a lot of worldly experience in renaming capitals. Thus, the Japanese port of Edo (literally "Harbor Gate") was named Tokyo(“Eastern Capital”) in 1868, when the capital officially moved here. The renaming was rather symbolic and reflected the end of the shoguns and the formal restoration of the emperor's power.

An attempt to turn over the old and start a new page in history is at the heart of many renames. The most striking example of this is the current Istanbul. It was founded by the Greeks, and it was then called Byzantium. Then, under the Romans, it became New Rome, Constantinople, and then it was conquered by the Ottomans - and received its current name, Istanbul. And in 1928, it was decided to forget centuries-old wars as soon as possible and stake out a peaceful solution to many issues of life. To this end, they began to build a new capital - Angora, which is translated in English as "anchor". A little later, it was renamed Ankara, which is more familiar to Turkish ears.

Local residents of certain states suffered very often from foreign names. For example, in Soviet times, communist leaders decided to give the capital of Kyrgyzstan the name of the legendary revolutionary and commander Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze. And no one even bothered to find out that the Kyrgyz language does not have the sound "ef" at all. Bishkek was renamed Frunze in 1926, and the Kyrgyz themselves had to call it "Prunze" until 1991, when the former name was returned to the city.

Almost "neighborly" Ulaanbaatar also went through a number of name changes. The city, founded in 1639, the Mongols themselves called Orgoo (literally "Palace"), Russians and Europeans called it in their own way - Urga. In 1924, the insurgent people renamed it Ulaanbaatar (literally - "Red Hero") in honor of Sukhe Bator, who liberated Mongolia from the detachments of Baron Ungern and Chinese troops. Whether such a name will remain in the future is difficult to say. Now there are certain "encroachments" to rename the capital so that it bears a name more befitting an ancient civilization. After all, purely calendar "Red Bogatyr" walks through the Mongolian steppes for some 83 years. In the history of the country, this is a hundredth of a second. That is why the hottest heads propose to rename Ulaanbaatar nothing less than Genghis Khan. But for now everything stays the same...

One of the most recent renames - the capital of South Africa, Pretoria in Tswana. This happened in May 2005, and was met with great enthusiasm by black residents of the capital. The fact is that the word "Pretoria" was formed on behalf of the Boer settler, commander-in-chief of the troops of the Boer settlers Andres Pretorius. And Tswane is the name of the local leader of pre-colonial times (literally - "we are all equal").

Let's not go far from the south of the African continent. Thus, the capital of Zimbabwe, neighboring South Africa, founded in 1890, for a long time bore the name of Salisbury, which means nothing to the Zimbabwean ear. Now the city is proudly named Harare, in honor of the great leader of the Shona people - Harare (literally - "one who never sleeps").

After gaining independence of Kazakhstan, it was decided to move the capital from Alma-Ata to Astana(former names Akmolinsk - from 1830 to 1961, Tselinograd - from 1961 to 1992, Akmola - from 1992 to 1998). This was done for several reasons. First, Alma-Ata is in a geographical dead end, which makes it difficult to communicate with other regions of the republic. Secondly, the city is located in extreme proximity to the Chinese border and, finally, in a dangerous zone of seismic activity.

To some extent, the transfer was justified. Moreover, the former Tselinograd is the second largest city in the republic, and with the transfer of the capital here, almost all contradictions were removed. On the other hand, new investments in the new capital of Kazakhstan should pay off handsomely. And even though the plan to turn the city into Kazakhstan's Venice turned out to be a failure (and it turned out that there is not much water in the Ishim River, and digging canals is a troublesome business), the transfer gave a powerful impetus not only to the development of the capital, but to the whole of Kazakhstan...

Let's move on to Scandinavia. Specifically to Sweden, because not without reason Stockholm unofficially considered the capital of all Scandinavia. The city got its name from the island of Stadsholmen, where in 1187 a fortified point began to be built on the site of a fishing settlement. The mouth of the strait connecting Lake Mälaren with the Baltic Sea was of great strategic importance. The first mention of Stockholm as a city dates back to 1252. However, there is also a more “Russian” version, they say, the city is called by a simple addition of two words “drain” - a log and “hill” - a small island.

The capital of Sweden has never changed its name. Unlike the capital of Finland - Helsinki, which was built by the same Swedes (King Gustav Vasa in 1550) and inhabited by several hundred inhabitants of the town of Parvoo, which is located 50 km from the current capital. By the way, this city for a long time bore the Swedish name of Helsingfors. What is even more surprising is that the Swedes themselves for a long time considered the city of Turku to be the capital of Finland.

But the capital of another Scandinavian country - Norway - Oslo has changed its name over its almost 953-year history. From 1624 to 1925, it was called Christiania or Christiania in honor of King Christian IV, who, after a fire at the beginning of the 17th century, as king of Denmark and Norway (then it was a common state) moved the city to the site of present Oslo. However, then Christiania was considered a small provincial town, and "rose" only after the union of Norway with the same Sweden. By the way, despite the not very large platform for the “battle”, the showdown between Sweden and Denmark has existed for almost the entire history of these two countries. Now the dispute: "Who is the boss in Scandinavia?" seems to have vanished.

Concluding the tour of Scandinavia, one cannot fail to mention the capital of Denmark, founded in 1043. Copenhagen at that time it was called Havn, which means "wharf", here the majority of the population was engaged in fishing. The next two centuries of fishing and trade turned the small fishing village into a thriving city. In 1343 AD King Valdemar the Great made Copenhagen the capital of Denmark. The name hasn't changed since then...

Now we are transferred to other islands - to Great Britain. The capital of Great Britain - London- was not always called that way. When in 43 A.D. during the invasion of Britain by the Romans, led by the emperor Claudius, the city was founded, it was named in the Latin manner - Londinium. In the 5th century, when the Romans left Londinium and the Britons began to settle in it, they gave the place a different name - Lundenburg. The new name - London - was apparently given to the city by William the Conqueror. By the way, the last time an invader set foot on the streets of London was almost a millennium ago - in 1216, when the city was captured by the French king Louis VIII.

Here is the capital of Ireland Dublin- never changed its name.

Let's look now at the southwest of Europe. Lisbon- the capital of Portugal - got its real name from the ancient Phoenicians, who, 1200 years before the birth of Christ, dubbed their commercial stop at the intersection of sea routes "Alis Ubbo" (blessed bay). By the way, the Phoenicians only did what they called the city, but no one in its more than 30-century history found a reason to “rewrite” the name of the capital under any hero or some historical event. Although Portugal itself in those distant times, together with Southern Spain, was called "Lusitania" from the Lusitan tribe who lived here. But the Phoenician name was preserved ...

But the Spanish capital - Madrid- in the first years of its foundation it was called Mantua of Carpetania, then, years later, Majirit, and only then it turned into Madrid, which is more familiar to our ear. By the way, this city did not become the main city of Spain immediately, but more than six centuries after its foundation ...

And here Amsterdam became the capital of Holland against all odds. Antwerp was considered the main city, but when the Spaniards captured it, most of the wealthy merchants rushed to Amsterdam, which began to grow by leaps and bounds, and was recognized as the capital. And as if by the grin of history, Antwerp today is the second largest city in ... Belgium.

And in conclusion about paris. A lot of interesting things are also connected with it. Firstly, the city was founded in the III century BC, and only a third of its history is called Paris, and before that the city was known as Lutetia. Secondly, Paris does not give rest to anyone, it is an insidious seducer. You can list the small "Paris". There are cities and towns with this name in the Chelyabinsk region and Bashkiria, as well as in Belarus. The Slovaks were more modest, calling the river Paris. And the most "Parisian" Paris is, of course, in the United States. Guess with three letters, in which state? It is not difficult to do this - of course, in Texas. Cowboys know that their guiding star is hiding at the top of the Eiffel Tower...

On May 19, 2016, it became known about the decision of the Verkhovna Rada of independent Ukraine to rename the city of Dnipropetrovsk to Dnipro. The renaming was initiated by the city council at the end of 2015 as part of the decommunization of the names of Ukrainian cities. The fact is that the city was renamed in honor of the Soviet party and statesman Grigory Petrovsky (1878 - 1958), and not in honor of the Apostle Peter, as one might assume. And now the capital of the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine is the city of Dnipro.

A similar situation in Russia is associated with Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg, which, having returned their former names, remained the centers of the Sverdlovsk and Leningrad regions, respectively. But the conversation is not even about that. Just today I wanted to remember and find out the former names of Russian cities. Because many former names are not only not well known, but may even seem paradoxical. For example, what is the name of Stavropol-on-Volga today? Don't remember? Because how else can you find out the old name of Tolyatti, if you are either not born and live there, or have relatives there, or be Wasserman from Russian geography. For everyone else - the current article.

Cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people

To determine the order in which cities are indicated, the names of which have changed over the course of Russian history, the principle of decreasing population was chosen - from the largest to the smallest. To do this, it turned out to be sufficient to use the list of Russian cities with the corresponding rank, for example, in the Wikipedia table. It seems that it is enough to confine ourselves to cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people, and say a few words about the rest separately. So.

Cities with a population of less than 500 thousand people

Yes, it would be fundamentally wrong to focus only on large cities. After all, the population is one thing, and the proud names are another. It is difficult to imagine the current article without recalling Grebenshchikov's line "This train flies like an apostolic rank on the way from Kalinin to Tver" and without indicating that from 1931 to 1990 Tver bore the name of the "all-Russian headman" Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin.

However, one can confine oneself to simple mentions of how certain Russian cities used to be called. So:

Kirov - Vyatka - Khlynov

Kaliningrad - Twangste - Koenigsberg

Stavropol - Stavropol-Kavkazsky - Voroshilovsk

Sevastopol - Akhtiar

Ivanovo – Ivanovo-Voznesensk

Kurgan - Tsarevo Settlement - Kurgan Sloboda

Vladikavkaz - Ordonikidze (yes, if the city had been left named after Grigory Nikolaevich Ordzhonikidze, it would have been not Vlakikavkaz, Ordzhonikidze "Alania" that was the Russian football champion in 1995)

Murmansk – Romanov-on-Murman

Yoshkar-Ola - Tsarevokokshaysk - Krasnokokshaysk

Syktyvkar – Ust-Sysolsk

Dzerzhinsk – Rastyapino

Veliky Novgorod – Novgorod

Engels - Pokrovskaya Sloboda - Pokrovsk

Yes, not only cities, but also entire countries and empires are insured against large-scale renaming. It is only important that new names are chosen according to taste. Here is Tula, for example. As it was founded in 1146, it remains Tula today. Maybe they say the truth, that whatever you call a ship, that's how it will sail. This is especially true for such huge ships as cities.