Geography 

Nalchik is the capital of Kabardino-Balkarya, a republic located in the very south of the Russian federation. The republic boasts some 1 mio citizens on 12'000 square Kilometers (roughly half of Belgium). The city comprises some 300'000 inhabitants and can thus be considered - by Russian standards - a small to medium sized town.

Ethnic composition 

Nalchik, like the republic around it, is ethnically mixed. The majority of the population is Kabarda (a sub-group of the Cherkess, also called Circassian people). They speak a dialect of the Adygue language, a Caucasian language with no equivalent elsewhere. Most Kabardas are muslims. Ethnic minorities include Balkars (a turkic speaking muslim population), russian and cosaques (ethnic russian having settled in the Caucasus for generations having thus somehow adapted their ways to the region). The exact demographic weight of each group is a matter of very heated internal disputes.

History 

Whereas the region in and around Nalchik was inhabited early on by Kabarda and Balkar population groups, it is only with the creation of a russian fort in 1818 that the development of the present day city really started. For nearly a century, Nalchik remained a backwater military garrison town. In 1921, 4 years after the october revolution, Nalchik was registered a city.

Nalchik is named after the river nalchik on the banks of which it is built. The word nalchik means "small horeshoe" in Kabardian language. It possibly evocates the shape of the mountain range surrounding the city / river.

During Soviet union, Nalchik has developped into a spa town. Numerous sanatorium were built. Compared to many former soviet city, Nalchik is a green, fairly agreeable town. Artificials lakes and parks have been arranged. The main avenue (Lenin Prospekt) is wide, friendly, boarded with bleached white buildings of 5-6 floors. Nalchik has largely escaped - possibly thanks to its touristical vocation - the brezhnev era grey concrete buildings that have uglied most other former soviet cities.

Nalchik has regretably made it to world fame on Oct 13 2005 when a group of fighters took over the city, attacking the police and army headquarters. The city was finally assaulted by the russian special forces. Some 136 people died in the event. Within a few days life returned to normal even though many people mourn a friend or relative who has been killed or injured in the attack

Security 

This event remained absolutely isolated. Nalchik is now a calm and quiet city. Safety is optimal and the only thing you may have to worry about is the occasional pickpocket near the market place. It is certainly one of the safest place in the troubled North Caucasus.

To get there

Nalchik has an airport with daily flights to Moscow Vnukovo airport and weekly flights to Istanbul (many charter weekly). Take information from the company Elbrus Avia, the only one to serve Nalchik airport.

An alternative is to fly to Mineralnye Vody (a more important airport about 1h30 driving from Nalchik). Min. Vody has many daily flights to Moscow (incl. with aeroflot company) and even some direct charter flights to West Europe (Germany).

You can also reach Nalchik by train. Get information from the russian railways.