What city do they want to make the capital. The new capital of Russia is proposed to be built in an open field. “We can’t leave the Far East, they will pick it up if it is ownerless”
Several cities at once claim to bear the honorary title of the third capital of Russia. It is not clear, to be honest, what exactly is honorable or beneficial in this, because the city automatically recognizes the superiority of Moscow and St. Petersburg in all areas. Yes, the reality is exactly that, but our cities could not reach for the two capitals, but immediately adopt, say, the European experience.
Maybe for foreign tourists coming to Russia, there is some charm in this label, and it's all about their wallets? We do not have any special deductions from the federal budget for this title... Be that as it may, some time ago there was a serious struggle for the status of the third capital, and disputes do not subside to this day.
Now the brand "Third Capital" belongs to Kazan. The city wrested it from Nizhny Novgorod and other less successful competitors. But times are changing. AT last years often there are proposals to move the capital of Russia somewhere in the Urals or Siberia, so that soon the struggle for the right to carry the banner of the third capital may again become relevant.
And what do you think about this? Let's vote, because we have so many cool applicants!
Kazan
Everything is clear with Kazan. The capital of Tatarstan, an ancient but modern city, which Putin himself called the third capital! True, sometimes there is such a thing ...
Novosibirsk
The third largest city in Russia, the capital of Siberia (although Krasnoyarsk would argue here), which in 100 years has turned from a provincial provincial town into a metropolis. True, in 1993 Rutskoi and Khasbulatov wanted to set up their temporary capital here, but the people of Novosibirsk are not to blame for this!
Yekaterinburg
The capital of the Urals with a rich history, a constant contender for the title of the third capital, the city in which the first president of Russia matured!
Nizhny Novgorod
The capital of the Volga region... True, this is the only million-plus city in Russia that is losing its population, but Nizhny Novgorod will still never recognize the superiority of Kazan!
Velikiy Novgorod
One of the oldest cities in Russia, once a rich center of international trade, which remained independent even during the Horde occupation of Russia, has now turned into a backwater (although it is the capital of the region). The status of the third capital of Veliky Novgorod was proposed by Nikita Mikhalkov himself.
Samara
Samara during the years of great upheaval was already (in fact) the temporary capital of Russia and the USSR. Another city, the inhabitants of which could not help but be dismayed by the fact that Kazan outran them.
Omsk
Ah, Omsk! Kolchak used to sit here, and now Dvorakovsky was barely kicked out... But maybe the status of the third capital will help this beautiful Siberian city to revive?
Sevastopol
The city-skrepa, which, after the annexation of the Crimea to Russia, received a unique status: along with Moscow and St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, in terms of legislation, is an independent region - a city of federal significance.
Grozny
Another city that the center willingly spends money on. The city that rose from the ashes Chechen wars and acquired important political significance, each time guaranteeing the incumbent president and the ruling party an excellent result in the elections.
Great, but we need another option for fans of the Soviet Union!
Maybe Ruzaevka in Mordovia? 
Or Naberezhnye Chelny in Tatarstan? But then the whole Kazan will be bombed ... 
Let it be better Volgograd! Moreover, I have not been there yet and can not judge biased. And especially for fans of the USSR, we will also rename it to Stalingrad, it’s not a pity!
So, let's practice choosing!
UPD: There will still be a second round. Kazanians, with the active support of the Tatarstan media, tried very hard and forced, but still did not have time until midnight, and the voting results turned into a pumpkin!
At 0:05 Moscow time it was like this:
As you may have guessed, Kazan and Yekaterinburg are going to the final! I hope that Yekaterinburg residents will also wake up by the second round, and an exciting fight will await us.
Which city is worthy of the title of the third capital of Russia? Velikiy Novgorod 83
(2.5
%
)
Volgograd
79 (2.4 % )
70 (2.1 % )
Yekaterinburg
688 (20.6 % )
1576 (47.3 % )
History does not tolerate the subjunctive mood? How to endure. Especially here, in Russia. We list the cities that could be the capital of our Motherland (and even tasted the informal capital status). If not for the circumstances...
Velikiy Novgorod
Of course, this is the first thing that comes to mind. The richest Russian city-state until the 16th century, the place where Rurik was called. It was here that “the Rus, Chud, Slovene, Krivichi and all said:“ Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no order in it. Come reign and rule over us." Actually, this would be more than enough for a claim to the all-Russian metropolitan status. However, Veliky Novgorod had other plans: the city basked in its own self-sufficiency and independence and shied away from any geopolitical games aimed at dominating the territory of the former Kievan Rus. As a result, John III came in 1478 and covered up the "feudal republic". From that moment, the city began to dive down: from the subject of world politics, Veliky Novgorod turned into a regional center and a city-museum, where there is something to show to foreigners.
In terms of age, this city could well compete with Novgorod the Great. Here, too, Rurik ruled, the inhabitants of the city actively participated in Oleg's campaigns against Tsargrad, and it was here that the seed of the future of Moscow Russia was sown. Long time Rostov was the main city in North-Eastern Russia and the largest spiritual center. However, he could not withstand the pressure of Moscow and the Danilovich dynasty. At first, Rostov was divided into two parts at the beginning of the 14th century: Borisoglebskaya and Sretenskaya (which ended up under the Moscow protectorate). The entire disloyal elite was expelled from the Moscow part. The author of The Life of Sergius of Radonezh, who, by the way, came from a Rostov boyar family, laments: “Alas, Rostov and his princes, they took power, reign, estate and glory from them.” And already John III in 1474 finally bought out the second, Borisoglebskaya, half of the city. And Rostov freely began its descent to the state of a quiet provincial town.
Vladimir
Founded at the end of the 10th century on the site of a small village of the Merya tribe, Vladimir, after a century and a half, received the status of the capital city of North-Eastern Russia. Thanks to Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, who in 1157 moved the capital of "the entire Suzdal land" here. But the Mongol-Tatar invasion undermined the promising development of Vladimir. Despite the conditional status of the capital, the city quickly lost its primacy. The last prince to reign directly in Vladimir was Alexander Nevsky.
At the dawn of Russian statehood, Suzdal was a very influential city. Despite the adoption of Orthodoxy, it remained one of the centers of paganism until the 12th century. It was here that the famous uprising of the Magi broke out in 1024. A little over 100 years have passed; the Magi cooled down a bit and dispersed to the nearest thickets, and Yuri Dolgoruky made Suzdal the center of the North-Eastern land. But not for long. And already in 1392, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, having swallowed up this city, finally buried the "capital" ambitions of Suzdal. But in the XVI century the city became one of the spiritual centers of the country. But also not for long. At first, Suzdal resigned itself to the status of a freelance county town, well, already in our era, he took on the burden of "historical Disneyland".
Many lovers of antiquity dream of the capital status of this city (today, in fact, villages). However, Ladoga parted with the claim to the capital city even before the Baptism of Russia. This city was founded by the Varangians. It was from here that the Norman colonization of the future territory of Russia began. According to one version, it was here (and not in Novgorod) that Rurik sat down to rule. In those days, Ladoga was a port city where merchant caravans gathered, furs, jewelry, weapons and slaves were traded briskly. Actually, that's all the claims to the status of the capital. Already in the 10th century, Ladoga became completely dependent on Veliky Novgorod, and in 1703 the “ancient capital of Northern Russia” lost its city status.
Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda
This small town breathed life into the capital under Ivan the Terrible, who made it the center of his oprichnina. For more than a decade and a half, life was in full swing here: the most important political decisions were made in Sloboda, embassies of the most influential states of that time were opened, negotiations were held at the highest level. The best icon painters and architects worked in Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda; The first conservatory in Russia was founded, where, by decree of the Tsar, the best musicians and singers from all over the country were brought. The first provincial printing press in the country was also opened here, and in 1576 the “Slobodskaya Psalter” printed by Andronik Nevezha was published. It is in Sloboda that the traces of the legendary library of Grozny are lost.
But one day it all ended at once. In 1581 the tsar left for Moscow and never returned. And the city fell asleep for several centuries.
City of Kitezh
According to legend, the city was founded by Prince Vladimir Yuri Vsevolodovich on the shores of Lake Svetloyar. The city stood for 75 years before the invasion of Batu Khan. When Batu's troops approached him, then, at the prayer of the inhabitants, Kitezh disappeared. According to one version, he disappeared under the water of the lake, according to another, he simply became invisible. In Russian tradition, it was believed that the city would again become visible only with the second coming of Christ. True, there are legends that even now the true righteous can see (and even live there!) the city. For them, it is already the capital ...
The transfer of the capital of Russia from Moscow to another city is not an economic issue at all, as many mistakenly think. The economy is the tenth thing here. But there are political, demographic and cultural reasons why the capital needs to be urgently moved somewhere beyond the Urals.
In general, the capital is a multifaceted concept. First and foremost, the capital is the political center of the country. Federal officials hang out in it, and fateful decisions for the country are made in it. If the country develops, moves forward, then this makes the capital a cultural center. An artist can be for power or against power - but any real artist is not indifferent to power. And politics and culture determine demographics - smart, ambitious people who feel the pulse of history and want to participate in it, go to the capital. In fact, it gathers the elite of the country. At the same time, the capital should not be an economic center - moreover, the role of an economic center is harmful for the capital. When wealth accumulates next to power, it inevitably begins to corrupt power.
It is, of course, a perfect oil painting. In reality, the capital of Russia is its economic center. Power and wealth go hand in hand. Businessmen feed officials, they grow fat and multiply, their relatives themselves become businessmen and attract more and more new flows of goods to the city. This is a vicious vicious circle characteristic of third world countries. As a result, the capital turns into an octopus drinking juice from the rest of the country. Not the best are already going to it, but for the most part those who want to take a good walk and profit (I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think that native Muscovites will agree with me). If such a capital is a cultural center, it is only because of the general decline of culture in the country. The development of the regions is hampered, because the capital drinks all the juice from the regions. But the capital itself is unable to develop due to rampant corruption and the influx of excess population.
The only way out is to move the capital to another city. In the history of Russia, it has happened more than once that our country fell into decline, even fell apart, and then revived again and began to develop - but with a new center. Novgorod, Kyiv, Vladimir, Moscow, Petersburg, Moscow again, ...? Each new capital determines a new vector of development: the main direction foreign policy and the main direction of "internal colonization", concentration of forces and means, exploration of resources and new industries. People accumulate in the capital, wealth comes after people, wealth corrupts power, power degrades and ... everything starts anew.
Where to move the capital? It depends very much on many factors. On the one hand, it is cheaper to make the capital where the infrastructure is already developed. On the other hand, the transfer of the capital itself stimulates the development of infrastructure. On the one hand, it is safer to place the capital in the depths of the country, away from incoming missiles. On the other hand, in order to keep the territories falling away from Russia, it is better to move the capital city closer to these territories. On the one hand, for ease of management, it is better to place the capital where the climate is milder. On the other hand, the harsh climate will scare away idlers and hedonists and will attract to the capital those for whom the main thing is debt.
Some proposals for the transfer of the capital. Yuri Krupnov - Far East. Eduard Limonov - Southern Siberia. Mikhail Delyagin - Krasnoyarsk Territory (Yeniseysk). Sergei Pereslegin - multi-capital.
In conclusion - about the connection between the transfer of the capital and the construction of cities of the future, future cities. If we build somewhere on the outskirts of the city of the future, and the capital itself remains a city of the past, then the whole country will remain in the past. If the capital of Russia is a futuropolice, then the whole of Russia will become a country of the future. That is why it is important to build the capital from scratch or on the basis of a small settlement.
There is, if not a tradition, then at least a steady trend: every few hundred years, our state changes its capital. Will it continue and which cities can claim the title of the center of the country?
Trade routes change capitals
The change of the main city, as a rule, took place against the backdrop of serious geopolitical changes. So, Veliky Novgorod can be considered the first capital of the Russian state - it was there that the Slavic tribes, according to legend, called Rurik to rule in 862. However, the center Ancient Russia the city did not remain long.
Already in 882, Rurik's successor Prince Oleg settled in Kyiv. The "mother of Russian cities" suited the role of the capital in the best possible way: it was closer to Byzantium - the main partner of Russia, protected due to its convenient location on the banks of the Dnieper. In addition, the “Road from the Varangians to the Greeks” lay across this river - then the main trade corridor from North to South.
By the middle of the 11th century, after Kyiv became the residence of the Russian metropolitan, the institution of the capital in its modern sense was formed in the city. An important role in this was played by a long period of autocracy of the Kyiv princes. But with the onset of feudal fragmentation in Russia, and especially after falling under the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the formation of statehood stalled.
Russia, which was under the rule of the Horde, was, in fact, not a monolithic state, but rather a collection of separate principalities. At this time, Vladimir began to be considered the nominal capital - it was the local princes who were recognized by the Tatar-Mongols as the oldest. However, the local table, as a rule, was transferred to one of the specific princes of the North-East, and the "Varangians", having received the title " Grand Duke of all Russia”, did not consider it necessary to personally meet in the city. As a result, Vladimir gradually turned into a provincial town.
After that, Moscow gradually came to the fore. Local princes eventually managed to unite Russia, liberate the country from the Tatar-Mongols and make their hometown the capital of the newly formed state. It is believed that Moscow acquired the status of the center in 1389, when Vasily I came to reign.
new capital First of all, it was distinguished by its advantageous location - and not only geographical and military, but also commercial. Through the Moscow River, one could get into other large rivers - the Volga, Oka and Klyazma, and along them - further south. In addition, the city by the XIV century became the cultural and spiritual center of Russia.
Moscow remained the center of the country for more than 300 years - until 1712, when, by the will of Peter I, St. Petersburg became the main city of the state. Petersburg, by the will of the sovereign, was specially created in order to be the capital. And the decisive factors in choosing a place were proximity to Europe and location on the sea coast: this allowed guests from other countries "to sail to the king by sea, and not overcome the dangerous road to Moscow." The swampy delta of the Neva was not the most successful place for building a city, but almost the only one that made it possible to connect Russia and Europe by the shortest sea route. This connection, according to the first emperor, was more in line with the development path that he saw for the Russian state.
The wind of change
However, as history shows, the choice of the capital directly depends on the ideas of the leadership about the future of the country. Petersburg was the main city for only two centuries: in 1918, the Bolsheviks who came to power, apparently no longer in need of guests “sailing by sea”, returned the central status to Moscow, which it still retains.
However, today voices are heard again, suggesting, if not completely, then at least partially, to transfer management functions to another city. Most often among the successors, of course, St. Petersburg is mentioned - he has been asked for this role since 1991. It is quite simple to explain this: on the threshold of the third millennium, pro-Western sentiments were strong in Russia, whose supporters believed that moving the capital closer to the “partners” would have a positive effect on the development of the state. Over time, other arguments have been added to this argument. For example, about the high degree of Moscow's workload with all kinds of officials. And if the attraction to the West has gradually decreased, then the last contradiction remains unresolved until now.
However, in the future, St. Petersburg is far from the only city that could compete with Moscow for the right to have the title of the capital. So, one of the most dynamically growing settlements in Russia is Krasnodar. Its population for ten years - from 2006 to 2016 - increased by 20% - up to 853 thousand people. The total number of inhabitants, of course, is not comparable with 12 million in the capital, but the increase turned out to be more significant than Moscow's 13%.
In addition, Krasnodar is consistently ranked among the largest economic centers of Russia. In the industrial complex of the city there are about 130 large and medium-sized enterprises, which employ about 30% of all employees. Moreover, the minimum number of unemployed was recorded in this settlement.
The local economy is highly diversified: there are factories that produce appliances, metalworking, and there are clothing and furniture factories. The favorable business climate that has developed in Krasnodar attracts the attention of both domestic and foreign investors. Officials, for sure, would be attracted by the opportunity to work in an actively developing city with a mild climate, just 100 kilometers from the Black Sea. And at the same time reliably guarded by the Russian fleet.
Another regular in various ratings of Russian cities is Tyumen. This settlement, like Krasnodar, is one of the fastest growing: in ten years its population has increased by a third - from 542 to 721 thousand. In addition, Tyumen is the leader in the ranking of cities in terms of living standards in 2017, which was compiled by the Department of Sociology of the Financial University under the Government. According to citizens, the level of education, public services and road construction are recognized as the best here. The results show that Tyumen - the capital of the region's raw materials - has skillfully used the money received from oil and gas. And, of course, such an experience would be useful for the whole country as a whole.
At the right time in the right place
However, getting into the ratings is far from the factor by which the capitals of states are chosen. Both the historical role and the geographical position. For the main city of the country, it is important that its place on the map is convenient not only for communication between regions, but also for interaction with major foreign partners. Not for nothing, Kyiv, Moscow and St. Petersburg took their place at different times.
But times are changing. Russia, once openly pro-European, is now pivoting to the East and betting on the Northern Sea Route, hoping to become a conduit between the Old World and Asia. And the ongoing changes in the future may well encourage the authorities to change the capital.
As well as possible in this case, one of the two Far Eastern cities is suitable - Vladivostok or Khabarovsk. Already now, both settlements are competently using their border position, establishing relationships with the "Asian tigers". And Vladivostok made an infrastructural breakthrough thanks to the recently held APEC summit here. By the way, the event showed that the city is quite able to cope with representative functions.
Another contender for the title of the center, no doubt, is Krasnoyarsk. The city has already become the informal capital of Eastern Siberia, largely due to its powerful industrial base, transport and logistics capabilities. This settlement is located almost in the heart of the country on one of its largest rivers - the Yenisei, which connects Krasnoyarsk with the northern territories. The city itself is located very close to the southern border of Russia.
If, however, forecasts are made that the Northern Sea Route will become one of the world's main trade arteries, ready to compete with the Suez Canal in terms of the volume of transported goods, then Murmansk, one of the largest ports in Russia, will inevitably claim the title of capital. And the fact that this city is the largest in the world beyond the Arctic Circle should not scare off officials at all. The climate here is temperate, and given the widespread warming, the weather conditions can be considered acceptable at all. So the cold is unlikely to become a hindrance, which cannot be said about the polar nights.
Delegate in parts
Russia, by moving the Constitutional Court from Moscow to St. Petersburg, took a step in a similar direction. For our country, with its vast territory, the distribution of authorities could be a response to many challenges. It is clear why until recently, for example, the ministries for the Far East or the North Caucasus were located in Moscow: to be closer to the decision-making center. However, in the age of new technologies, this need is gradually disappearing.
So in the near future, perhaps, management structures will be dispersed throughout the state: the ministry responsible for the NSR, in Murmansk; department in charge of relations with Asian countries - in Vladivostok. And officials will probably be in charge of oil production from Tyumen.