A settlement called Alexandrovskaya on the present site of the town was first recorded in 1862.[2] In 1869, an agricultural farm was established there, which later grew into the village of Alexandrovka. At the time, it was known as Otchishi (落石, Ochīshi) among Japanese.
In 1881, a military post was established and became known as Alexandrovsky. The outpost served as the administrative center for managing katorga, prisons, exile settlements, and the whole island until the October Revolution. Anton Chekhov lived here in 1890 while gathering material for his book The Sakhalin Island. According to the 1897 census, the settlement had a population of 3,860, 87% male and 13% female, and 69,6% Russian, 6.9% Tatar, 6.8% Polish, 5.5% Ukrainian, 1.5% German, 1.2% Armenian, 1.2% Jewish, 1.1% Circassian.[10]
Town status was granted to Alexandrovsky in 1917.[citation needed] During the Russian Civil War, the town was under the control of Admiral Alexander Kolchak in 1918–1920, before being occupied by the Japanese until 1925. It was known as Akō (亜港町, Akō-chō) "Street of Port Alexander" during Japanese occupation between 1918 and 1925.
In 1926, the town was renamed Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky to distinguish it from other places of the same name.
Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky was the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast between 1932 and 1947. It was also known as the coal mining center of the island during Soviet times.
The economy of Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky is mainly reliant on its harbor, the oldest and previously most important on Sakhalin, and the mining of black coal in the local area.
Anton Chekhov museum in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. It is the house where he stayed in Sakhalin during 1890
Anton Chekhov monument in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky
"Three Brothers" rocks in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky
Settler's way of life. Near church at holiday. 1903
Aleksandrovskaya Prison in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky in 1903
Notable people
Oleksandr Gennadiyevich Rezanov (born October 14, 1948, in Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, RSFSR) is a former Soviet handball player who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №25-ЗО от 23 марта 2011 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №62-ЗО от 27 июня 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 10 Закона Сахалинской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 9 апреля 2011 г.. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №55(3742), 29 марта 2011 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #25-ZO of March 23, 2011 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #62-ZO of June 27, 2013 On Amending Article 10 of the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of April 9, 2011.).
Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №524 от 21 июля 2004 г. «О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №45-ЗО от 27 мая 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в Закон Сахалинской области "О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №175–176(2111–2112), 31 июля 2004 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #524 of July 21, 2004 On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #45-ZO of May 27, 2013 On Amending the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of January 1, 2005.).