Mariupol, located on the north coast of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Kalmius River, had over 430,000 inhabitants and was the tenth largest city in Ukraine before the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.
From that date until May 20, 2022, when the very last fighters came out of Azovstal, the world followed in mixed fascination and horror as Mariupol was constantly bombarded. Individual tragedies stood out, such as the bombing of the regional drama theater where large numbers of civilians, many of them children, had taken shelter.
The longest lasting story was the resistance put up by Ukrainian army forces to shield civilians who had taken shelter beneath the Azovstal steelworks. By the time that the military forces finally stood down and the first of them became prisoners on May 16, the civilians having been rescued earlier, most of Mariupol had been destroyed.
Let’s go back in time to explore the Mariupol that used to exist. Mariupol was founded on a former Cossack encampment and granted city rights in 1778, but people had lived in the area, on and off, from neolithic times, dating to the end of the third millenium B.C.E. Because many of these people were semi-nomadic, and because the area has a long history of wars, the population varied greatly over time.
Once it became a city, Mariupol played a key role in the development of higher education and in the industrialization of Ukraine. It also was a Black Sea resort area. The above photo is of Pryazovskyi State Technical University, one the oldest in Donetsk Oblast (in which Mariupol is located). This building of the University housed a temporary Jewish ghetto in 1941.
The two photos above are of the Azovstal iron and steel works, typical of the type of industry in the area. Many civilians sheltered beneath the factory as the city was besieged and shelled. Below is the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre and surrounding area as it appeared before it was destroyed on March 16, 2022. The theatre had celebrated its 125th year in 2003.
The next photos display some of the many faces of Mariupol. The first of the three photos, a typical city street scene, was described in the source information as a “residence with spires”; however, the “spires” really are onion domes on the Orthodox church just beyond the building on the corner. The corner building has apartments upstairs and businesses and offices downstairs, as do many city buildings.
The next photo is of a very lovely mosque. I wish the description had told what year it was built; it looks fairly new. The third photo is of the beach beside the Black Sea, reminding us that Mariupol is a beach resort.
Here is an aerial view of Mariupol, focused on the old water tower and, past the tower, the Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. Apartment buildings cluster around these two landmarks. You can see an industrial area on the right and, beyond it, the sea.
Next is a close-up photo of the old water tower. The apartment building (made of dark reddish-brown brick) behind the tower in the close-up photo is the same building as the one extending from the left, lower corner of the aerial view. The old water tower was built in 1910, when the first branched water distribution system was constructed.There is a link at the foot of the page to more information about the tower and a bit of city history.
Finally, we end our imaginary visit to Mariupol with a night scene, photographed from near the dome of the church. The city lights highlight the old tower and the dark brown brick apartment building (in this photo to the left of the tower) and show us a thin layer of snow on the ground.
I’ve added a few links, in case you want to learn more about Mariupol. The main article explains the connections between Mariupol and the Cossacks. There also are many more photos of the city. The most difficult part of this post was choosing which Mariupol sights to leave out! There is a link to learn more about the Old Water Tower, with its eclectic architecture and practical purpose. Because it was the first large city destroyed, the loss of Mariupol seems to be particularly poignant. For that reason, I have included a link to the article, “The Siege Of Mariupol”. Oh, and there’s also a link back to the “Cities Before” page, so that you can explore another city.
Links
Return to the “Cities Before” page link: Click Here. Cities Before index page, with button to go to the map.
Mariupol article in Wikipedia link: Click Here. Extensive article about Mariupol including history of the area from the third millenium B.C. Many more photos of the city.
Old Water Tower article in Wikipedia link: Click Here. Interesting article about the Old Water Tower including history of the design and construction of the water distribution system. Photos of the inside of the tower and the URL of a video exploring the Old Water Tower.
Siege of Mariupol article in Wikipedia link: Click Here. Article about the Siege of Mariupol with a special section about resistance in the Azovstal steel plant.
Photo Credits
The photo credits are listed in the order the photos appear in the post.
Mariupol Drama Theatre Destroyed 1.jpg by Donetsk regional military administration (CC BY-SA 4.0 intnl.) 3-16-22 Українська: Маріупольський Драмтеатр, зруйнований російською бомбою. English: Mariupol Drama Theatre Destroyed by Russian airstrike. Via Wikimedia Commons.
April 2022 -Ukraine Under Attack-Week 7 51992856360_efdff0a7be_o.jpg by manhhai (CC BY-NC 2.0) 4-13-2022 A photo taken during a visit to Mariupol organized by the Russian military shows the inside of a theater where hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed in mid-March, when it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. Via Flickr.com.
Depositphotos_554619906_XL.jpg by Maca Vojtech Darvik/DepositPhotos.com 2-24-22 Editorial Use Only (Non-commercial, attribution required) Bridge over the Kalmius River in Mariupol. Behind it you can see the Azovstal steel plant, which was literally razed to the ground in seven days. ID554619906 Via DepositPhotos.com.
Вул._Італійська_(Апатова),_115.jpg by Oleksandr Malyon (CC BY-SA 4.0) 5-2-21 The building that housed the temporary Jewish ghetto in 1941, Mariupol, st. Via flickr.com. [Across the top it says: ПРИАЗОВСЬКИЙ ДЕРЖАВНИЙ ЕХНІЧНИЙ УНІВЕРСИТЕТ = PRIAZOVSKY STATE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY]
Azovstal iron and steel factory, Mariupol, Ukraine 4.jpg by Chad Nagle (CC BY 2.0) 10-6-14 The giant Azovstal steel works visible in the distance from the center of the city. [This is the same factory that held out under steady bombing from 2-24-22 until 5-20-22, but in happier days.] Via Wikimedia Commons.
Mariupol_2007_(124).jpg by Olegzima (CC BY-SA 3.0) 7-25-07 English: Bridge near Azovstal works Mariupol (Ukraine) Український: Міст біля Азовсталі працює Маріуполь (Україна). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Драмтеатр Маріуполь.jpg by Mrpl.travel (CC BY-SA 4.0) 7-23-20 Drama theater building, Mariupol, square Teatralna, 1 Via flickr.com.
Будинки_зі_шпилем_(Маріуполь).jpg by Oleksandr Malyon (CC BY-SA 4.0) 5-2-21 Residential building with spires, Mariupol, st. Archipa Kuindzhi Via flickr.com. [This turns out to be a corner city building with apartments upstairs and businesses and offices at street level. The “spires”, really onion domes, are those of an Orthodox church, the next building along the street.–A.Brundige]
Mosque_in_Mariupol.jpg by Malik Bilal (CC 0, public domain) 4-20-09 English: Mosque at Mariupol built by Mr. Salih Cihan. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Mariupol beach 2012 (4).JPG by MOs810 (CC BY-SA 3.0) 7-11-12 Mariupol – beach. July 2012. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Стара_вежа_(Маріуполь).jpg by Oleksandr Malyon (CC BY-SA 4.0 intnl.) 5-1-21 English: Water tower, Mariupol, str. Architect Nielsen (Engels), 36 [and behind it, the Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Mariupol and the city] Via Wikimedia Commons.
Вежа влітку.jpg by Mrpl.travel (CC BY-SA 4.0 intnl.) 6-11-20 English: Old Water Tower in Mariupol Українська: Водонапірна башта, Маріуполь, вул. Архітектора Нільсена (Енгельса), 36 Water tower, Mariupol, str. Architect Nielsen (Engels). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Вежа взимку.jpg by Mrpl.travel (CC BY-SA 4.0 intnl.) 12-22-20 English: Old Water Tower, Mariupol, street Architect Nielsen (Engels), 36 Українська: Водонапірна башта, Маріуполь, вул. Архітектора Нільсена (Енгельса), 36 Old Tower and a dome of the Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God. [Notice the snow on the ground.] Via Wikimedia Commons.