Everyday Life of the Inhabitants of Mariupol at the End of the Xix - Beginning of the Xx Century
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The research purpose. The article under consideration is devoted to the problem of reconstructing the everyday life of Mariupol residents in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The author summarises certain results of its study and, on the basis of materials from reference books, periodicals, photographic documents, and sources of personal origin, identifies the most important components of urban everyday life, old and new cultural practices, and the time cycle of the city's life. The main research findings. The research reveals that the urban culture of Mariupol, like many commercial and industrial centres of southern Ukraine, especially since the late nineteenth century, has been developing in new realities. The specific combination of functions, including 'port city' and 'large industrial centre', in the economy of Mariupol, its involvement in foreign trade, and the active participation of foreign citizens (merchants and industrialists) in the economic and social life of the city, resulted in a rapid westernisation of urban everyday life, especially in the early twentieth century. Consequently, the gap between the culture of urban elites and ordinary residents gradually disappeared. It has been demonstrated that this phenomenon is most clearly evident in the emergence of infrastructure common to all categories of the population, as well as in the development of shared urban spaces for leisure activities, such as recreational areas, including city gardens and squares, as well as theatres and cinemas. The wider use of technical means had a significant impact on the city's entertainment culture and its mass appeal, particularly in the fields of communications, public transport, cinema and mass media. The early 20th century witnessed a significant telephonisation of the city, ranking it second only to the provincial city of Katerynoslav in terms of its telephone coverage. Concurrently, new routes, including automobile ones, were established to connect the city with its industrial suburbs and the port. Plans for the introduction of trams were also discussed in the city council. Cinemas, a popular form of leisure, emerged not only in the city centre but also in suburban working-class communities. Concurrently, the daily city newspaper, Mariupolskaya Zhizn, was established. The city witnessed the opening of two gymnasiums, a network of primary schools, libraries, and bookstores, contributing to the enhancement of residents' awareness regarding health, nutrition, clothing, and leisure. Conclusions. Despite the numerous changes that have occurred, it has been determined that the influence of the Greek community of immigrants from the Crimea has remained the most significant, despite its significant decline in proportion to other ethnic groups that constituted the city's population in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is particularly evident in the preservation of names in the urban topography of the old part of the city, which is associated with the Crimean period of the Greek community's history, as well as in the preservation of certain production and festive practices and food traditions. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the preservation of names in the urban topography of the old part of the city, which are associated with the Crimean period of the Greek community's history. It is also evident in the preservation of certain production and festive practices and food traditions. Key words: Mariupol, everyday life, citizens, urbanisation, urban space, urban culture.
Author: S. Novikova
Institution: Mariupol State University
Language: English
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409880902