The small Ukrainian town gained wide fame in the post-Soviet space due to its labor achievements. The population of Gorlovka for more than 100 years mainly worked in coal mines and industries related to the maintenance of coal mining. Now the city (in the terminology of Ukraine) belongs to the Ordlo (Separate areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions) and is controlled by the unrecognized Donetsk People's Republic.
general information
The city is located in the north-eastern part of the Donetsk region, at a distance of 50 km from the regional center. It is located on a hill (western spurs of the Donetsk Ridge). The total area of the territory is 422 km 2 . 29 rivers of the Azov Sea basin flow through the village. Here is the main coal basin of Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
Now on the outskirts of the city runs a line separating the opposing forces in the Donbass.
And this settlement was founded in 1867, it was originally the village of Korsun, in 1869 it received its modern name.
The village was named in honor of Peter Nikolaevich Gorlov, a mining engineer who equipped the first mines in the region. Gorlovka officially received the status of a city only in 1932. The official population of Gorlovka is about 260 thousand people (as of 2018). However, actually fewer people live here, according to some estimates, about 150-180 thousand people live in the city permanently.
Base
The first known settlements on the territory of modern Gorlovka appeared in the XVII century. Then, on the banks of local rivers, farms of Zaporozhye Cossacks and fugitive peasants were built. In 1795, in two villages - Gosudarev Bayrak and Zaitsevo (now it is located within the city), 6 514 people lived. At the beginning of the XIX century, several new settlements were formed, which were populated mainly by peasants from the Kharkov region. At the same time, the first coal deposits were discovered in the region, and the local population began their development in a makeshift way.
Only after the start of the construction of the railway and the opening of the railway station did the village of Korsun officially appear here, later renamed Gorlovka. At the same time, the commercial development of coal deposits began, two mines were built, equipped under the leadership of Peter Nikolaevich Gorlov. In subsequent years, mining began at the anthracite deposit, discovered in 1889.
Best times
In the Soviet years, an increase in coal production accelerated, the city was built up and growing. In 1939, the population of Gorlovka was 181 thousand people. In subsequent years, the Soviet government built or enlarged nine mines, several engineering enterprises and the largest chemical enterprise in Ukraine, the Severodonetsk Azot Association, now it is the Stirol concern.
In the post-Soviet era, most of the mines were closed, as were many industrial enterprises. In 2001, the population of Gorlovka totaled 289,872 people. In subsequent years, the population of the city decreased due to migration outflows, from 1989 to 2013, the decline amounted to as much as 16%.
In recent years
The population of Gorlovka (Donetsk region) 2-3 years ago was about 267,000 inhabitants. As of April 1 of this year, 263,214 people lived in the city (in accordance with the data of the GlavStat of the DPR). However, in fact, much less lives here, as evidenced by half-empty streets and abandoned houses. According to some estimates, about 30% of local residents left it with the outbreak of hostilities and the loss of Ukraine control over this settlement.
People traveled to other cities of Ukraine and Russia in order to gain permanent residence. Many residents of Gorlovka, due to lack of jobs and low wages, left to work abroad, where they now live most of the time. Now the population of the city of Gorlovka is about 150-180 thousand people.
The birth rate in the city also decreased significantly - in the first quarter of 2018, only 245 children were born. In past years, an average of 45 newborns were registered in Gorlovka per week (now 17). Mortality rates in recent years have changed slightly. In addition, there has been a tendency in recent decades, when young people leave to study or earn money and do not return home, so the population is not only decreasing, but also aging. Accurate statistics regarding how many residents left the city were not found.