Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, North Caucasus, Russia

🇷🇺 Nalchik (Нальчик) is the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia, situated at an altitude of 550 meters (1,800 ft) in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about 100 km (62 mi) north-west of Beslan (Beslan is in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania). It covers an area of 131 square km (51 sq mi).

History The territory of modern-day Nalchik was formerly known as Slabada. The modern city dates from the early 19th century when the expanding Russian Empire built a fort there together with settling Mountain Jews in 1818; this date is seen at the top of the city's coat of arms.

In 1838, a Russian military settlement was founded in the city, and after the Russian Revolution of 1917, in the year 1921, Nalchik was given the status of administrative centre of Kabardin Autonomous Oblast. During the Russian Empire, the settlement was the administrative capital of the Nalchiksky Okrug of the Terek Oblast.

The word "Nalchik" literally means "small horseshoe" in Kabardian (or Circassian, a Northwest Caucasian language) and Karachay-Balkar (a Turkic language). It is a diminutive of na'l, a common Middle Eastern word (Arabic, Persian, Turkish) for "horseshoe", possibly from the ancient Scythian, 'nalak" (horseshoe). The city of Nalchik was named this way because of how it is shaped as surrounded by the mountains of the land, and the Nalchik River is named after the city it runs across.

During World War II, on 2 November 1942, Nalchik was occupied by Romanian mountain troops (Vânători de munte) under the command of Brigadier General Ioan Dumitrache, its capture earning the Romanian General the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The city was heavily damaged during the conflict. General Dumitrache went to great length ordering his troops to protect local population during the time Nalchik was occupied by Romanian forces. Professor A. N. Dainaco, the Mayor of Nalchik at that time, thanked General Dumitrache for liberating the city. Although he was accused of war crimes, General Dumitrache was fully exonerated after the war by a joint Soviet and Romanian judicial commission.

Due to the harsh treatment of Jewish people by the Soviet Union, there has been a mass exodus of Jews from Nalchik over the decades, reducing the population that is left to a small percentage of what once was.

In 1990, there was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Nalchik.

On October 13, 2005, Nalchik was attacked by a large group of Yarmuk Jamaat militants led by Shamil Basayev and Anzor Astemirov. Buildings associated with the Russian security forces were targeted, killing at least 14 civilians and wounding 115. Thirty-five policemen died in the fighting. Eighty-nine militants, including their leader Ilias Gorchkhanov, were killed, and another fifty-nine arrested.

Geography: Administrative status Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated as the city of republic significance of Nalchik—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the city of republic significance of Nalchik is incorporated as Nalchik Urban Okrug.

Ethnic groups The population of the city in 2021 included the following breakdown by ethnicity: • Kabardians (Circassian) (49.2%) • Russians (22.8%) • Balkars (Taulu) (18.2%) • Cherkess (3.6%) • Ossetians (1.3%) • others (13.2%); 2002 census data was as follows: • Kabardians (47.3%) • Russians (31.8%) • Balkars (11.4%) • Ossetians (1.9%) • Ukrainians (1.0%)

Economy Nalchik is a balneological and mountain climatotherapy resort, with several sanatoriums. It also serves as an industrial centre of the republic (non-ferrous metallurgy, light industry, construction materials manufacturing, machine building).

Education Nalchik is home to the following facilities of higher education: • Kabardino-Balkarian State University • North Caucasian State Institute of Arts • Kabardino-Balkarian State Agricultural Academy.

Sport PFC Spartak Nalchik is an association football club based in Nalchik, playing in the Russian Premier League. The 2008 World Women's Chess Championship has also been held in Nalchik on August 28–September 18, 2008.