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How many years?

How old is your city?

117K views 201 replies 158 participants last post by  The Polwoman 
#1 ·
This question relates very much to this topic as for the most part, older cities are more prone to have areas with decay.

Attached is a poll, please vote :) Also I would like to read about the histories of your cities so you can post information about that too!
 
#121 · (Edited)
Officially Yekaterinburg was found in 1723 by Vasily Tatishchev and Georg Wilhelm de Gennin and named after Tsar Peter the Great's wife Catherine I (Yekaterina). It started as a state owned (by the time most russian's plants were found and privately owned by Nikita Demidov) metallurgical plant.

But about 20 years before(started at 1702 & completed 1704) the Uktus metallurgical plant was found about 6km to the south. And when Tatishev came to Urals he used it as a base to manage the construction of Yekaterinburg metallurgical plant.


So i voted 300 to 400 years :)

There is nothing left from XVIII century except larch dam of the city pond. But it's impossible to see it under concrete and stones :)
But there are perfect colour photos of the city by Prokudin-Gorsky made in the early XX century.(before USSR)
for example:


from the same site :)


you could try to find this(65m high) church:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zlatoust_Church

there are some historycal maps and more:
http://1723.ru/read/map.htm
 
#122 · (Edited)
My city is called Livno and it is situated in western part of Bosnia Herzegovina.

It was mentioned for the first time in one document by Croatian duke Mutimir, on September 28, 892 (city's "birthday"), but people have been living here for like 4,000 years.

It was reigned by Iliric tribes in Roman ages, then there were first Slavic peoples that came to this area in 6th/7th century, then Ottoman Empire ruled it from 1463 to 1878 and last ruler was Austrian Empire, before Yugoslavia and later Bosnia Herzegovina.

First known city plan, from 1795


Livno today




topic with pics from Livno, take a look :cheers:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=955420
 
#123 · (Edited)
San Francisco, CA, USA
On the fifteenth of December, 1774, Viceroy Bucareli sent from Mexico City a very important letter to Father Junipero Serra at Monterey.

“In consideration,” he wrote, “that the port of San Francisco, when occupied, might serve as a base of subsequent projects, I have resolved that the founding of a fort shall take place by assigning twenty-eight men under a lieutenant and a sergeant. As soon as they are in possession of the territory, they will be sure proof of the king’s dominion. For this purpose Captain Juan Bautista de Anza will take a second expedition overland to Monterey from Sonora [Mexico], where he must recruit the said troops. He will see that they take their wives and children along so that they may become attached to their domicile. He will also bring along sufficient supplies of grain and flour, besides cattle.... When the territory has been examined, and the presidio is established, it will be necessary to erect the proposed missions in its immediate vicinity.”

This was the first move in the grand project of founding San Francisco.

Bucareli’s letter was delivered to Father Serra by Captain Juan Bautista de Ayala, who arrived at Monterey on the twenty-seventh of June, 1775, in command of the “San Carlos,” also known as “The Golden Fleece.” Captain Ayala had orders from the viceroy to survey the port of San Francisco in conjunction with the land expedition from Sonora under Captain Anza.

On the night of August 4, 1775, Ayala brought the “San Carlos” safely through the Golden Gate . . . .

On September 29, 1775, in compliance with the order of Bucareli, Anza set out from Sonora, Mexico, for San Francisco. His party consisted of 177 persons, including women and children. He had a pack-train of 120 mules . . . . His party had arrived in Monterey on March 10, 1776. On the twenty-second, taking with him Moraga, Father Font, and a squad of soldiers, he started for San Francisco . . . .

The “San Carlos” sailed through the Golden Gate—her second entrance into the port of San Francisco—on August 18. Work at the presidio now began in real earnest, the plan being drawn by José Canizares, pilot of the “San Carlos.” This plan called for an enclosure ninety-two varas, or two hundred and fifty-three feet, square. Inside this, and built of palisades and tules, were to be the chapel, officers’ quarters, warehouses, guardhouse, and barracks for the soldiers and colonists, with their families. A house for the commander was also started.

By the middle of September all these buildings were well under way, and formal possession of the Presidio of San Francisco was celebrated on the seventeenth of September, 1776. This was an impressive ceremony . . . .
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/founding.html

The smaller white building to the left is the original mission from 1776.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Francisco_de_Asís

The Presidio in 1817

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_of_San_Francisco
 
#125 · (Edited)
My hometown Basel, in Switzerland is also very Old for Middle-European Country. First traces of a settlement, over 300'000 years old, were found on the site of the actual Old Town. About 800 BC a small castell was built on the Top of the "Münsterhügel".






During the Roman Empire, there was a military Camp, form about 100 BC till 400 AC. The spot on top of the rhine was very important to look out for any movement of attacking Germans from the north. There was a big roman town about 15 km east of Basel, Called Augusta Raurica, that was the actual big city back then.

Augusta Raurica:






In 615 the name Basileae was referred for the first time. During the Medieval time the city got bigger but wasn't very important. The Bridge over the Rhine in Basel was for a very long time the only permanent Bridge, till' the river outfall in the Northern Sea.

Map of the old town:



Today, Basel is well known for its Bank sector, its industry an of course its huge pharmaceutical sector. Novartis, Roche, Syngenta and Actelion are among the most important companies in this sector.










Big Project for an island in the Rhine river. Is in planning, but will begin after 2020




Roche Tower: 175m - under construction
 
#126 ·
from Wikipedia:

Tyumen (Russian: Тюмень) is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River 1,700 kilometers (1,100 mi) east of Moscow. Population: 609 650 (2012), 22-th city by population in Russia

Tyumen was the first Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 1586 to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most important industrial and economic centers east of the Ural Mountains. Located at the junction of several important trade routes and with easy access to navigable waterways, Tyumen rapidly developed from a small military settlement to a large commercial and industrial city. The central part of Old Tyumen retains many historic buildings from throughout the city's history.

The Tyumen area, originally part of the Siberia Khanate, was annexed to Russia by the Cossack ataman Yermak Timofeyevich in 1585. On July 29, 1586, Tsar Feodor I ordered two regional commanders, Vasily Borisov-Sukin and Ivan Myasnoy, to construct a fortress on the site of the former Tatar town of Chingi-Tura ('city of Chingis'), also known as Tyumen, from the Turkish and Mongol word for 'ten thousand.'

Tyumen was founded on the "Tyumen Portage" on the historical trade route between Central Asia and the Volga region. Control of the portage had been continuously contested by various South Siberian nomads in the preceding centuries. As a result, early Russian settlers were often attacked by Tatar and Kalmyk raiders. These attacks caused Tyumen's population to be dominated by the Streltsy and Cossack garrisons stationed in the town until the mid-17th century. As the area became less restive, the town began to take on a less military character.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Tyumen had developed into an important center of trade between Siberia and China in the east and Central Russia in the west. Tyumen had also become an important industrial center, known for leather goods makers, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen. In 1763, 7,000 people were recorded as living in the town.

In the 19th century the town's development continued. In 1836, the first steam boat in Siberia was built in Tyumen. In 1862, the telegraph came to the town, and in 1864 the first water mains were laid. Further prosperity came to Tyumen after the construction, in 1885, of the Trans-Siberian Railway. For some years, Tyumen was Russia's easternmost railhead, and the site of transhipment of cargoes between the railway and the cargo boats plying the Tura, Tobol, Irtysh, and Ob Rivers.

By the end of the 19th century, Tyumen's population exceeded 30,000, surpassing that of its northern rival Tobolsk, and beginning a process whereby Tyumen gradually eclipsed the former regional capital. The growth of Tyumen culminated on August 14, 1944 when the city finally became the administrative center of extensive Tyumen Oblast.

At the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, Tyumen was controlled by forces loyal to Admiral Alexander Kolchak and his Siberian White Army. However, the city fell to the Red Army on January 5, 1918.

During the 1930s, Tyumen became a major industrial center of the Soviet Union. By the onset of World War II, the city had several well-established industries, including shipbuilding, furniture manufacture, and the manufacture of fur and leather goods.

World War II saw rapid growth and development in the city. In the winter of 1941, twenty-two major industrial enterprises were evacuated to Tyumen from the European part of the Soviet Union. These enterprises were put into operation the following spring. Additionally, war-time Tyumen became a "hospital city", where thousands of wounded soldiers were treated.

During the initial stages of World War II, when there was a possibility that Moscow would fall to the advancing German Army, Tyumen also became a refuge for the body of the deceased Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. Lenin's body was secretly moved from Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow to a hidden tomb located in what is now the Tyumen State Agriculture Academy. (former Tyumen Agriculture Institute).

Between 1941 and 1945, more than 20,000 Tyumen natives saw action at the front. Almost a third, about 6,000, perished in action (the exact number is uncertain as official data includes non-native soldiers who died in Tyumen's hospitals).

After the discovery of rich oil and gas fields in Tyumen Oblast in the 1960s, Tyumen became the focus of the Soviet oil industry. The activities of the oil industry caused a second economic and population boom in Tyumen. While most of the oil and gas fields were hundreds of kilometers to the north of the city, near the towns of Surgut and Nizhnevartovsk, Tyumen was the nearest railway junction as well as the oblast administrative center. These advantages made Tyumen the natural site for numerous oil related enterprises which contributed to the city's development between 1963 and 1985. These years saw the arrival in Tyumen of tens of thousands of skilled workers from across the Soviet Union.

The rapid growth of the city also brought a host of problems, as the growing population quickly outstripped Tyumen's limited social infrastructure. As well, the lack of city planning has resulted in uneven development which Tyumen has continued to struggle with into the present.

The oldest map mentioning Tyumen (as Tumen) by Baron Sigismund von Herberstein, published in 1549


The Gerhard Mercator's map of Asia (1595) shows Weliki Tumen


Foundation Stone
 
#127 · (Edited)
Usually, king Olav Trygvasson is attributed to be the founder of Trondheim, Norway in 997 AD. Archeological evidence suggests that the settlement is a couple of centuries older, though. Most buildings in Trondheim were traditionally wooden, and as the city has been devasted by several city fires the only few buildings remaining from the first centuries are stone buildings like the Nidaros Cathedral (largest medival cathedral of the Nordics, and the northermost medival cathedral of the world), Vår Frue (St. Mary's) church and the Archbishop's Palace (the oldest secular building in Scandinavia). All these buildings originates from the period 1070-1200. In addition, there are some other churces of similar age around the city center. The city is currently growing fast and has a population of about 180 000 + 31 000 or so students, most of whom is not registered as inhabitants of the city.
 
#130 ·
Berlin 776 years old

Compared to other European capitals Berlin is a young city. The first recorded date in the history of Berlin is 1237.

Berlin has been inhabited for about 60,000 years. The oldest town in the area is actually Spandau, now a Berlin suburb, which dates from the 8th century. “Berlin” is a word of Slavic origin, meaning a swamp.


775 years celebration in 2012
As part of the celebration, the city has created an open-air exhibit in the center of Berlin. A huge walkable map with colorful pins each highlighting a different part of Berlin's uniqueness.

 
#136 ·
Live in Groningen, The Netherlands..
First time that name was really mentioned in written documents was in 1040 AD. So, the city as we know it by that name excists 973 years. In 1990 we had a party because of it's 950 years excistents.
But, at the place of the current Martini Church was already an church in 800AD and since the third century the place has excisted as an place with continuesly inhabitation.
Before that period there are numerous traces found of inhabitation of the area that is the city center now.
First traces are C14-dated at 3950–3720 BC
 
#141 ·
My current city is very new. There were some settlements before but the real history starts in 1819 when the great Thomas Stamford Raffles arrived and signed a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor on behalf of the British East India Company to develop the southern part of Singapore as a British trading post. Until a few decades ago it was an insignificant town.
 
#142 ·
Kyiv, Ukraine

Part 2

According to legend, Kyiv was founded by three brothers (princes), Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid. Kyiv is named after Kyi, the eldest brother. Legend has it that the emergence of a great city on the future location of Kyiv was prophesied by St. Andrew (one of the Apostles). He was fascinated by the spectacular location on the hilly shores of the Dnieper River. The city is thought to have existed as early as the 5th century, initially as a Slavic settlement. Archaeological excavations have shown there indeed was an ancient settlement from the 5th century. Gradually acquiring eminence as the center of the East Slavic civilization, Kyiv reached its Golden Age as the center Kyivan Rus' in the 10th–12th centuries.

Monument to the legendary founders of Kyiv


http://tov-tob.livejournal.com/

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) was founded in the mid-11th century, is one of the most famous and important monasteries in the history of Europe.


http://elektraua.livejournal.com/

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is the largest Christian monastery in the world. The architectural complex of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.

Saint Sophia Cathedral (Ukrainian: Собор Святої Софії):



The cathedral was founded by Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the first half of the 11th century (1037).
In 17-18 centuries the cathedral was rebuilt in the Ukrainian baroque style but inside have been preserved frescoes & mosaics of 11th century:



Saint Sophia Cathedral was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.

_Mosaics: http://www.icon-art.info/location.php?lng=en&loc_id=148&mode=mos
Frescoes: http://www.icon-art.info/location.php?lng=en&loc_id=148&mode=mur
 
#144 ·
My hometown Sofia dates back to the neolithic age. Archeological works have proven there was human settlment as early as 5000 BC, due to the strategic location and the available hot water springs. During the late antiquity it was a blooming town. It was fortified and during the Roman period was one of the possible candidates for a capital of the Eastern Roman empire, known as Byzanthium.

As for it's names it has been known as Sardica, Sredets, Triaditsa and for the last 5 centuries has been known as Sofia, namely after the Hagia Sophia church (6th century AD)

The oldest surviving building that still stands in our days is the St. George rotunda, 4th century AD, which in fact is one of the oldest functioning churches in the world.

 
#145 ·
I live in São Paulo, which was founded during a Jesuit Mass in January 25th, 1554 (therefore, 459 yo), on the margins of the Tamanduateí river. The city was founded around a school pateo ("Páteo do Colégio"), which was used to christianize the indigenous population and teach them portuguese (as well as understand the natives' language). Although it is as old as some of the most important south-american cities, until around 1810 it was not more than a few streets, most of which still exist under different names. A map of the city back then:



This was the exact location of the mass (the original Jesuit school has been rebuilt), in a hill next to the Tamanduateí river, which now runs far from the location:


(Both from the Histórico Demográfico da Prefeitura de São Paulo).

However, through the immigration attracted by the booming coffee culture and the industrialization of Brazil, between 1870-1950 the city grew enormously, becoming one of the world's biggest (as of today, it is the 5th largest agglomeration, according to the UN, 3rd in the Americas and the largest city in the southern hemisphere). Just for comparison, here's a picture of the city seen from the top of one of its tallest and most famous buildings, the Banespa (my picture), where you can see the "Páteo do Colégio" in the lower left, with the Sé Cathedral (one of the 10 biggest neogothic churches in the world) in the middle:

 
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