After Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd (Ukraine) was expectedly affected by the law on decommunization. The renaming took place in the summer of 2016 and caused a wave of popular protests.
The wave of renaming in Ukraine
Renaming in Ukraine began within the framework of the law "On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols."
Decommunization distinguished itself by “Leninopad” - a barbaric demolition of the monuments of the Soviet era in the cities of central and western Ukraine. The law also included a circle of people whose activities did not correspond to the new political course.
Kirovograd city: where is it located and what is remarkable?
The regional center of Kirovograd (today called Kropyvnytsky) is located in central Ukraine. The city is a large industrial center. At a time when the Donetsk agglomeration was still part of Ukraine, close and fruitful cooperation was established between the industrial complexes of the settlements. Kirovograd is also a significant transport hub, an educational and cultural center of the Kirovograd region.
History of settlement names
At different times, Kirovograd (renaming occurred three times, excluding the last change of name) was called differently. The city was founded under Elizabeth Petrovna. The Senate proposed to the Empress to establish a new fortress on the lands of the Zaporizhzhya Sich and Hetman. The overgrown fortification point was called Elizavetgrad: the name was formed naturally from the phrase “Fortress of St. Elizabeth”. In this case, it was not directly about the then Empress Elizabeth, but about her heavenly patroness.
Elizavetgrad (modern Kirovograd, renaming took place in 1939) received the rights of the city after the annexation of Crimea. Then the fortress lost its strategic importance and was disarmed. After the arrival of the Bolsheviks, the place was called Zinovievsky (so it was called Kirovograd until 1934). The renaming took place for reasons similar to the motives of the modern authorities of Ukraine, i.e., due to the inconsistency of the old name with the new ideology.
After the resonant murder of the famous politician Kirov, the renaming of streets and cities began again. Moreover, it was Zinoviev, in whose honor the city of Kirovograd was previously called (renaming in 1934, the name lasted one decade), was accused of an attempt on Kirov. The then renaming was also associated with the formation of the Kirovograd region.
Last renaming of Kirovograd: facts
The city of Kirovograd was officially renamed quite recently - on July 14, 2016. The new name of the settlement is Kropyvnytsky. The current authorities, of course, could not leave the previous name in any way, because the city was named after the famous Soviet figure S. M. Kirov. Local residents categorically did not accept the proposal of the Verkhovna Rada on renaming, so the decision of the authorities responded with a series of protests by the townspeople and the local administration. No response was taken by the Verkhovna Rada.
In addition to the city itself, under the name Kirovograd, street renaming also took place. Changed the names of 75 streets and lanes. Their former names somehow reminded of the times of the USSR, which are banned in modern Ukraine. The renaming of streets in Kirovograd (the list is given below) affected the following: Krasnoarmeyskaya (today - Abrikosova), Sovetskaya (Ivan Pohitonov), Pavlik Morozov (Youth) Square, Maria Ulyanova (Besarabskaya), Dekabristov (now Nikolai Sadovsky) and so on. The Leninsky district was renamed Podolsky, the Kirovsky is now called Fortechny (Ukrainian).
Rallies and difficulties in the renaming process
The decision of the Verkhovna Rada to rename the village in Kropyvnytsky caused a storm of popular protests. People went to rallies under the Verkhovna Rada, the city council also opposed the renaming of Kirovograd in honor of theater actor Mark Kropyvnytsky, who was born in the Kirovograd region.
Most of the residents (82%) voted against renaming the city in principle. If the implementation of the law “On Decommunization” cannot be avoided, then let Kirovograd be returned to one of its former names - Elizavetgrad, the townspeople decided to vote. It is permissible, according to people, to use another option - Ingulsk. By returning the city to its old name, historical justice can indeed be restored.
By the way, the regional administration could not decide on a new name for a long time. The deputies eventually supported the name Ingulsk. The initiative was supported at the state level - in the committee on state building issues and local administrations.
As for the name, adopted as a result by expert scientists and the Verkhovna Rada, it is alien to both residents and local authorities of the former Kirovograd. 230 (out of 330) people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada voted for the new name; high-ranking authorities did not wait for a local referendum to be held. The government could not allow the return of the name from the time of the Russian Empire. And Mark Kropyvnytsky, although he was an outstanding theater figure, but many residents of the city heard the name of the famous national playwright for the first time.
