Barnaul
Barnaul is a city in and the administrative center of
Altai Krai,
Russia. Barnaul is situated in the southwest of the
Siberian Federal District on the
Ob River, and is the closest major city to the
Altai Mountains to the south.
Barnaul is also situated relatively near to the neighboring countries of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.
Geographical location: .
Population: 600,749 .
Encyclopedia
Barnaul is a city in and the administrative center of
Altai Krai,
Russia. Barnaul is situated in the southwest of the
Siberian Federal District on the
Ob River, and is the closest major city to the
Altai Mountains to the south.
Barnaul is also situated relatively near to the neighboring countries of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.
Geographical location: .
Population: 600,749 .
History
Barnaul is one of the older cities in
Siberia. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy
Demidov family in 1730. In addition to the copper which had originally attracted the Demidovs, substantial deposits of silver were soon found as well. In 1747, the Demidovs' factories were taken over by the Crown, and soon became the major silver center of Russia.
By the 18th and early 19th centuries, 90 per cent of Russian silver was produced in the Altai region. Barnaul was the site of the largest silver-smelting factory, and as production expanded, so did the population. In 1771, the once-small settlement acquired the status of a mining town that was one of the largest in Siberia.
By the
1900s, Barnaul had grown into a major center for trade and culture of the region, especially after the construction of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway.
World War II
Despite the fact that Barnaul was thousands of miles away from the actual fighting, hundreds of thousands of citizens from
Altai Krai -- of which Barnaul is the capital -- were killed on the front during
World War II. As there are in many Russian cities, a large Soviet memorial dedicated to those who died can be found in the city center.
Economically speaking, Barnaul benefitted during the World War II period as a result of the relocation of major Soviet factories from the west of
Russia and
Ukraine to areas less likely to be overrun by enemy forces in Siberia.
As a legacy of this period, today Barnaul continues to be home to one of the largest ammunition factories in Russia.
Transportation
The city lies approximately 220 km south of
Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia and the third-largest in Russia. It is at a junction of the
Novosibirsk–
Almaty and
Biysk train lines. Trains to Moscow
Kazan station take 60 hours, 32 hours to
Almaty,
Krasnoyarsk 23 hours,
Irkutsk 42 hours,
Bishkek 42 hours and
Tashkent 53 hours. There are also irregular trains to
Abakan and Novokuznetsk, 24 hours. There are also frequent buses to nearby cities
Biysk and Gorno-Altaysk. It takes about four hours to reach the
Altai Mountains in the south by car along the Chuiskiy highway.
A small airport also exists about an hour from the center of the city, which offers daily flights to and from
Moscow and
Saint Petersburg among other more local flights. Barnaul is approximately four hours by plane to Moscow, and slightly longer to Saint Petersburg. It also takes approximately four hours by plane to reach Vladivostok on the Pacific coast of Russia.
Any part of the city can be reached using public transportation, whether one decides to use the city's many buses, trolleys, or taxis.
Business
When one takes Russia's difficult economic climate into consideration, business is thriving in remote Barnaul. As a result of local entrepreneurship initiatives, the city is making progress towards a more open economic climate and as a result is now home to two
Rotary clubs, chartered in 1997 and 2005 respectively.
The main business street of the city is Prospekt Lenina. New cafés and clothing stores continue to open along Lenina and its surrounding area between the "Old Market" and Oktyabrskaya Square as
Russia's economy continues to develop. New malls with stores and prices geared towards the more wealthy residents of Barnaul have also recently opened.
In addition to the smaller shops along Lenina and the new malls, there are also various sprawling Soviet-style bazaars off of the main streets, where anything from fresh meat to CDs and clothing can be purchased in stalls and from vendors on the streets.
Education and culture
Barnaul is known as a Siberian scientific center. It boasts five universities, including
I. I. Polzunov Altai State Technical University, Barnaul State Pedagogical University, and Altai State University, plus 35 libraries. It also has five theatres and three museums. The city's Museum of Local Lore was founded in 1823 and is one of the oldest museums in Siberia, displaying local artists' work as well as unique artifacts from the nearby Altai region and more.
External links
