Beslan (Russian: Беслан; Ossetian: Беслӕн, Beslæn, listen) is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia, located about 29 kilometers (18 mi) north of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz, close to the border with the Republic of Ingushetia. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 36,728, making it the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz and Mozdok.[2]

Beslan
Беслан
Other transcription(s)
 • OsseticБеслӕн
Railway station in Beslan
Railway station in Beslan
Coat of arms of Beslan
Location of Beslan
Map
Beslan is located in Russia
Beslan
Beslan
Location of Beslan
Beslan is located in North Ossetia–Alania
Beslan
Beslan
Beslan (North Ossetia–Alania)
Coordinates: 43°11′N 44°33′E / 43.183°N 44.550°E / 43.183; 44.550
CountryRussia
Federal subjectNorth Ossetia–Alania[1]
Administrative districtPravoberezhny District[1]
Town Under District JurisdictionBeslan[1]
Founded1847
Elevation
484 m (1,588 ft)
Population
 • Total
36,728
 • Capital ofPravoberezhny District,[1] Beslan Town Under District Jurisdiction[1]
 • Municipal districtPravoberezhny Municipal District[3]
 • Urban settlementBeslanskoye Urban Settlement[3]
 • Capital ofPravoberezhny Municipal District,[3] Beslanskoye Urban Settlement[3]
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[4])
Postal code(s)[5]
363020, 363021, 363023–363027, 363029
Dialing code(s)+7 86737
OKTMO ID90635101001
Websitewww.beslan.ru
Beslan population
2010 Census36,728[2]
2002 Census35,550[6]
1989 Census32,469[7]
1979 Census29,879[8]

It was previously known as Tulatovo/Tulatovskoye (until 1941) and Iriston (until 1950).

History

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Beslan was founded in 1847 by migrants from elsewhere in Ossetia and was unofficially called Beslanykau ("the settlement of Beslan") after a local lord, Beslan Tulatov.[citation needed] In official use, however, the town was known after Tulatov's surname as Tulatovo or Tulatovskoye.[citation needed] It was renamed Iriston (lit. Ossetia) in 1941. From 1942 to 1943 the Germans tried to take Beslan, on the Adyghea-Beslan-Mozdok line.[citation needed] In 1950, when the town was rapidly industrialising, it was renamed Beslan.[citation needed]

Beslan school hostage crisis

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On 1 September 2004, Beslan's School No. 1 was seized by a group of at least thirty-two Islamic terrorists related to the Second Chechen War. The siege ended on 3 September with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and the Russian security forces. According to official data, 334 people were killed, 186 of them children, and hundreds more wounded. All but one of the hostage-takers were killed, with the survivor arrested and later tried and convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.

Administrative and municipal status

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Within the framework of administrative divisions, Beslan serves as the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District.[1] As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Pravoberezhny District as Beslan Town Under District Jurisdiction.[1] As a municipal division, Beslan Town Under District Jurisdiction is incorporated within Pravoberezhny Municipal District as Beslanskoye Urban Settlement.[3]

Economy

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Beslan is an important railway junction, situated on the main line between Rostov-on-Don and Baku, and is the starting point of a branch line to Vladikavkaz. It is an industrial-agricultural town dominated by a large corn processing plant established in the 1940s.

Transportation

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The town is served by the Beslan Airport.

Geography

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Beslan lies about 29 kilometers (18 mi) north of Vladikavkaz, the capital of the republic,[9] and about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi) south of Moscow.[10]

Ethnic groups

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As of 2021, the ethnic composition of Beslan was:[11]

Education

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One of the schools in Beslan is the Ivan and Konstantin Kanidis School. It was dedicated in 2010 and named after teacher Ivan (Yanis) Kanidis and his son; the teacher died during the Beslan school siege in 2004 at School No. 1. The governments of Greece and Norway paid 2.5 million euros through the United Nations Program of Development to have the school built. The school's athletic programs specialize in soccer.[12]

Another school is located on Kominterna Street. It replaced School No. 1, which closed after the hostage crisis. Officials chose not to give the replacement school, located across the street from School No. 1, a number.[13] Immediately after School No. 1 closed, classes for children who would have attended it were held at School No. 6.[14]

Notable people

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  • Alan Dzagoev (b. 1990), Russian professional association football player
  • Zaurbek Sidakov (b. 1996), a 2020 Olympic champion and two-time World Champion amateur freestyle wrestler

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Law #34-RZ
  2. ^ a b c Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  3. ^ a b c d e Law #17-RZ
  4. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  6. ^ Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  7. ^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
  8. ^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Национальный состав населения по регионам России [All Union Population Census of 1979. Ethnic composition of the population by regions of Russia] (XLS). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года [All-Union Population Census of 1979] (in Russian). 1979 – via Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics.
  9. ^ "Russia School massacre." The Guardian. Retrieved on October 31, 2011. Click the slides until the part about Beslan's location
  10. ^ Perry, Tony. "TELEVISION REVIEW The voices of innocence lost." Los Angeles Times. September 1, 2005. Retrieved on December 24, 2017.
  11. ^ "Национальный состав населения". Rosstat. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "«Ivan Kanidis» School inauguration Archived October 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." SAE World Council of Hellenes Abroad. September 7, 2010. Retrieved on November 7, 2011.
  13. ^ Ewart, Ewa. "The children of Beslan five years on." BBC. Saturday August 29, 2009. Retrieved on October 1, 2011.
  14. ^ Varoli, John. "Russian Federation: Beslan -- six months on Archived October 26, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." UNICEF. Retrieved on October 5, 2011.

Sources

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  • Закон №34-РЗ от 9 июля 2007 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Северная Осетия-Алания», в ред. Закона №44-РЗ от 12 ноября 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в Приложение к Закону Республики Северная Осетия–Алания "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Северная Осетия–Алания" и Закон Республики Северная Осетия–Алания "Об установлении границ муниципального образования Алагирский район, наделении его статусом муниципального района, образовании в его составе муниципальных образований — городского и сельских поселений"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Северная Осетия", №148(24949), 16 августа 2007 г. (Law #34-RZ of July 9, 2007 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, as amended by the Law #44-RZ of November 12, 2013 On Amending the Appendix to the Law of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania" and the Law of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formation of Alagirsky District, Granting It the Status of a Municipal District, Establishing Municipal Formations—Urban and Rural Settlements—Within Its Structure". Effective as of the official publication date.).
  • Закон №17-РЗ от 5 марта 2005 г. «Об установлении границ муниципального образования Правобережный район, наделении его статусом муниципального района, образовании в его составе муниципальных образований — городского и сельских поселений и установлении их границ», в ред. Закона №19-РЗ от 31 мая 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Республики Северная Осетия–Алания в связи с принятием Федерального закона "О полиции"». Вступил в силу с 1 марта 2005 г. Опубликован: "Северная Осетия", №43 (24344), 15 марта 2005 г. (Law #17-RZ of March 5, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formation of Pravoberezhny District, Granting It the Status of a Municipal District, Establishing Municipal Formations—Urban and Rural Settlements—Within Its Structure and on Establishing Their Borders, as amended by the Law #19-RZ of May 31, 2012 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania Due to the Adoption of the Federal Law "On Police". Effective as of March 1, 2005.).
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