Fort-Shevchenko (Kazakh: Форт-Шевченко) is a military-base town and administrative centre of Tupkaragan District in Mangystau Region of Kazakhstan on the eastern shore of Caspian Sea. Primary industries include fishing and the extraction of stone. Population: 5,559 (2016 estimate).[1]
History
The city was founded as a military stronghold by the Imperial Russian Navy in 1846 after nearby New Alexander Fort, built in 1834 overlooking Dead Kultuk, was deemed too remote.[2] Until 1857, Fort Shevchenko was known as Novopetrovskoye (Новопетровское) and from 1857 to 1939 as Fort-Aleksandrovskii (Форт-Александровский). It was named for UkrainianpoetTaras Shevchenko, who was assigned to military service here during his exile. Today the town is used by the Kazakhstan Navy as a base.
The coat of arms of Fort Alexandrovsky was approved October 22, 1908, along with other arms of the Transcaspian field: It is black and silver depicting the fortress and two fish.
There are several landmarks of significance; Shevchenko Memorial Museum, National History, and ethnographic museums. The Shevchenko Memorial Museum opened in 1932 near where he had been hiding. There are also some remnants of the fortress, a monument to Shevchenko and a state grave of Civil War heroes.