Krasnoyarsk

Krasnoyarsk (Russian: ???????????), administrative center of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, is the third largest city in Siberia. It lies on the Yenisei River and is an important station on the Trans-Siberian railway.

History

The city was founded in the midst of July 1628 as a fort. The sluzhylyye lyudi led by the Cossack Andrey Dubenskoy arrived to the influx of the Kacha River and quickly began to build up the fortifications intended to protect the frontier from attacks of Tatars who lived along Yenisei and its tributaries. In the letter to Tsar the Cossacks reported:

Related Topics:
Sluzhylyye lyudi - Cossack - Andrey Dubenskoy - Kacha River - Tatars - Yenisei - Tsar

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: ... The town of trunks we have constructed and around the place of fort, we the servants of lord ye, posts have bedded in and the double bindings have laid so and the place of fort have strengthened mightily ...

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The fort have been named "Krasnyy Yar" (Russian: ???????? ??) after the local Turkic name of the place it was built by: "Kyzyl Dzhar", meaning "Red Cliff" or "Krasnyy Yar" in old Russian. The name "Krasnoyarsk" was given later when the village of Krasnyy Yar has received the town status.

Related Topics:
Russian - Turkic - Kyzyl Dzhar - Old Russian

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The intensive growth of Krasnoyarsk began with the arrival of the Moscow Postroad (the road M53 nowadays) in 1735 to 1741 which connected the nearby towns of Achinsk and Kansk with Krasnoyarsk and with the rest of Russia, and later by the discovery of gold and by the arrival of the railroad in 1895.

Related Topics:
Moscow Postroad - Achinsk - Kansk - Russia

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In the 19th century Krasnoyarsk was the center of the Siberian Cossack movement. In 1822 it had gained the status of town and had become the capital of the Yenisei Guberniya. In the end of the 19th century Krasnoyarsk had several manufactures, railroad workshops and an engine-house.

Related Topics:
Siberia - Cossack - Yenisei Guberniya - 19th century

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In Imperial Russia Krasnoyarsk was the one of the places of political exile. Eight Decembrists have been deported there after the failure of the revolt.

Related Topics:
Imperial Russia - Decembrists

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After the Russian Revolution of 1917 during the Pyatiletkas the large plants and factories have been built in Krasnoyarsk: Sibtyazhmash, the dock yard, the paper factory, the hydroelectric power station (now the fifth largest in the world and the second in Russia), the river port.

Related Topics:
Russian Revolution of 1917 - Pyatiletka - Sibtyazhmash - Dock yard - Paper factory - Hydroelectric power station - World - Russia - River port

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In 1934 the Krasnoyarsk Krai had been formed with the center in Krasnoyarsk.

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During the epoch of Stalinism Krasnoyarsk was the major Gulag center. The most important labor camp was the Kraslag or Krasnoyarskiy ITL (1938-ca.1960) with the two units located in Kansk and Reshyoty. In Krasnoyarsk itself the Yeniseylag or Yeniseiskiy ITL labor camp existed in 1940-41(?).

Related Topics:
Stalinism - Gulag - Kraslag - Kansk - Reshyoty - Yeniseylag

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During the World War II the dozens of factories have been evacuated from the western Russia to Krasnoyarsk and the nearby towns which stimulated the industrial growth of the city. After the war more of the gigantic plants have been built: the aluminum plant, the metallurgic plant, the plant of base metals and many others.

Related Topics:
World War II - Russia - Aluminum plant - Metallurgic plant - Plant of base metals

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In the end of 1970s the Soviet Union began constructing the radar station near Krasnoyarsk that violated the ABM Treaty. After the insistent demands of the United States the construction had been ceased.

Related Topics:
Soviet Union - ABM Treaty - United States

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After the collapse of the Soviet Union and beginning of the privatization many large plants and factories, such as the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant, have become owned by criminal authorities and oligarchs while others were declared bankrupt, this begot the dramatic raise of unemployment and numerous strikes.

Related Topics:
Collapse of the Soviet Union - Privatization - Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant - Oligarch - Bankrupt - Unemployment - Strikes

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Certain problems with ownership of Krasnoyarsk plants continue nowadays since nearly all of them are owned either by monopolistic financial groups or by oligarchs. The most known financial scandal of the second half of 1990's had happened when ownership of the Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant by a known Krasnoyarsk businessman Anatoliy Bykov had been cancelled after accusation him of the murder of this partner Vilor Struganov. The murder eventually turned out to be fictional.

Related Topics:
Monopolistic - Oligarch - Krasnoyarsk Aluminum Plant - Anatoliy Bykov - Vilor Struganov

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Since the election of Pyotr Pimashkov as the mayor of Krasnoyarsk in 1996 the look of the city began to slowly improve: old historical buildings were restored, asphalt walkways have been replaced with paving-stone, numerous squares with fountains have been constructed. Now the major part of the city bears only a few traces of its poor Soviet look.

Related Topics:
Pyotr Pimashkov - Soviet

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