Orenburg
Orenburg () is a
city on the
Ural River and the administrative center of
Orenburg Oblast in the
Volga Federal District of
Russia. It lies 1,478 km south of
Moscow, at . Population: 542,700 (
2005 est.); 549,361 (
2002 Census). Highest point: 154.4 m. International dialing code: +7 (3532). Postal code: 460000. As of 2006, the mayor of the city is
Yuri Meshcheryakov.
The
Russian Empire began plans for the construction of an eastern frontier fortress town in the southern Ural region to be named
Orenburg in
1734. The colonists originally founded a settlement in
1735 at the confluence of the
Ural River with the
Or River. The town's name meant "fortress near the Or," as
Burg is
German for fortress. This settlement changed its name in
1739 to
Orsk. An attempt was made to found another Orenburg at a location called
Krasnogar, or "Red Hill," in
1741, but this settlement failed. A third Orenburg was successfully established by
Ivan Neplyuyev at its present location approximately 250 km down the Ural from Orsk in
1743.
This third Orenburg functioned as an important military outpost on the frontier with the nomadic
Kazakhs. It became the center for the
Orenburg Cossacks. After the incorporation of
Central Asia into the
Russian Empire, Orenburg became a trading station and a prominent
railway junction on route to the new Central Asian possessions and to
Siberia.
Orenburg played a major role in the rebellion of
Pugachev (1773-1774). At the time, it was the capital of a vast district and the seat of the governor.
Pugachev besieged the city and it's fortress from nearby
Berda from October 1773 - march 26th, 1774. The defence was organized by luitenant-general
Reinsdorp. General
Golytsin defeated
Pugachev at Berda, and later again at Kargala (north of Orenburg). Most of the city was left in ruins, and thousands of inhabitants had died in the siege.
The famous Russian writer
Alexander Pushkin visited Orenburg in 1833 during a research trip for his books "
The History of Pugachev" and his famous novel "
The Captain's Daughter". He met his friend
Vladimir Dahl here, who would later write the first serious dictionary of the Russian language.
Orenburg functioned as the capital of the
Kyrgyz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (in present-day
Kazakhstan) within Russia from
1920-
1925. When that republic was renamed
Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in
1925, Orenburg rejoined Russia proper and Alma-Ata (
Almaty) became the new capital. Although the republic became the
Kazakh SSR in
1936, Orenburg remained in Russia.
From
1938 to
1957, the city bore the name
Chkalov () (after the test pilot
Valery Chkalov). The city's distance from the
Nazi invasion during
World War II led many
Soviet enterprises to flee there, helping in the city's economic growth.
Educational facitilies include
Orenburg State University,
Orenburg Institute of Economics & Culture,
Orenburg State Medical Academy, and the Orenburg branch of
Moscow State Law Academy.
Orenburg Drama Theater, Musical Theater, Tatar Drama Theater, and Puppet Show Theater
Pierrot are located in Orenburg. Orenburg is also home to Orenburg Academic Russian Folk Chorus.
Mountain and river tourism is developed in the region. There are a number of fast mountain rivers and rocks in pleated spurs of the southern edge of the Urals range, popular with tourists.
The city is famous for its down
Orenburg shawls. The thinnest lacy design, knitted by hand shawls and cobweb-like kerchiefs (pautinkas), is not only warm, but also is used for decorative purposes.
A famous boulevard on the embankment of the
Ural River is one of the most notable places in Orenburg.
Orenburgenergy company is one of the biggest energy generating companies in Russia.
*
Yuri Gagarin*
Rostropovich*
City History of Orenburg*[
1]
