Description

City of Military Glory is an honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of Russian cities, where defenders had displayed courage, steadfastness, and mass heroism in the fight for their Fatherland’s freedom and independence during the Second World War.

Tuapse was originally known by the name of Nicopsis since its founding as a colony by the Greeks. It was integrated into the kingdom of Abkhazia and then into the kingdom of Georgia, from the eleventh century. With the chaos of the sixteenth century, Georgia lost Nicopsia to the Circassians.

The name of the town is itself Adyghe (literally meaning "two waters") since Tuapse was part of historical Circassia and it became a part of Russia during the rule of Tsar Alexander I in 1801-1825. In early Greek sources the town was also attested as Topsida.

The modern settlement dates back to 1838, when the Russian fort of Velyaminovsky was established in the area after this region became a part of Russia in 1829 by Treaty of Adrianople.

During World War II, the German military attempted to seize the town during the Battle of the Caucasus, which caused major damage to Tuapse.