The official year of foundation of the town of Mariupol is 1778, when the town of Pavlivsk was founded in the territory of the Azov region. The true date of the town’s foundation is currently being studied by historians because the roots of the town date back to 1594, i.e. the time of the Cossack fortress in the territory of present-day Mariupol. The initial development of the town is associated with the mass resettlement of Greeks from Crimea.
Until the early 20th century, Mariupol was a town of trade, fishing, and gardening. In the second half of the 1890s, two metallurgical plants were built in Mariupol: Nikopol and Providance, which gave an impetus to the progressive development of the town and was strengthened by the Soviet industrialization of the town. In the 1950s and 1980s, Mariupol continued to develop as a large industrial centre and a port city.
Historically, the town of Mariupol has been a multinational town: before 2022, it was home to more than 100 nationalities. This largely determined the cultural diversity of the town.
The architectural landmarks of the town existing before 2022 were related to the period of the 19th – 20th centuries and were examples of the unique urban planning architecture of that era.
The town of Mariupol was besieged and under devastating fire from the Russian occupation forces starting from the first days of the full-scale invasion.
During the siege of Mariupol, which lasted 86 days, more than 22,000 civilians died, and almost the entire residential and communal infrastructure of the city was damaged or destroyed. The cost of restoration is preliminarily estimated at 14.5 billion dollars.
Starting from May 2022, the city of Mariupol remains under temporary occupation. Currently, the municipality of Mariupol, remaining a legitimate authority, works on the free territory of Ukraine and has rallied the city community around itself. Residents who also left occupied Mariupol receive help from the extensive network of “I’m Mariupol” aid centres in 20 cities of the country and take an active part in the development of plans for the city’s recovery. Ukrainian Mariupol is waiting for the deoccupation of the city and its residents are preparing to return.
