Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai
Encyclopedia
Zheleznogorsk is a closed
town in Krasnoyarsk Krai
, Russia
, with a developed nuclear industry. It was formerly known as Krasnoyarsk-26. Population:
created the closed town of Krasnoyarsk-26 for production of weapons plutonium. The history of the town and the associated defense complex are intertwined. In 1959, the Government created there under M.F. Reshetnev supervision the Eastern office of OKB-1
(further NPO PM - the satellite manufacturer). Defense plants included nuclear facilities built within caverns excavated in the granite mountain on the norther edge of the city as well as space research enterprises.
The town was a secret city in the Soviet Union until President Boris Yeltsin
decreed in 1992 that such cities could use their historical names. Before then, the town had not appeared on any official maps. As is the tradition with Soviet towns containing secret facilities (e.g. Ozersk
, aka Chelyabinsk
-40; Seversk
, aka Tomsk
-7; Sarov
, aka Arzamas
-16), Krasnoyarsk
-26 is actually a P.O. Box number and implies that the place is located some distance from the city of Krasnoyarsk
. The town was also known as Soctown, Iron City, the Nine, and Atom Town.
Zheleznogorsk is also the location for the production of plutonium, electricity and district heat using graphite-moderated water-cooled reactors. The last reactor was shut down permanently in Аpril 2010. It is the location of a military reprocessing facility and for a Russian commercial nuclear-waste storage facility.
A significant employer in the city is JSC Information Satellite Systems
, Russia's largest satellite manufacturer and the prime developer of the GLONASS
program.
Closed city
A closed city or closed town is a settlement with travel and residency restrictions in the Soviet Union and some of its successor countries. In modern Russia, such places are officially known as "closed administrative-territorial formations" ....
town in Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, with a developed nuclear industry. It was formerly known as Krasnoyarsk-26. Population:
History
In 1950, the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
created the closed town of Krasnoyarsk-26 for production of weapons plutonium. The history of the town and the associated defense complex are intertwined. In 1959, the Government created there under M.F. Reshetnev supervision the Eastern office of OKB-1
S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia
OAO S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia , also known as RKK Energiya, is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components...
(further NPO PM - the satellite manufacturer). Defense plants included nuclear facilities built within caverns excavated in the granite mountain on the norther edge of the city as well as space research enterprises.
The town was a secret city in the Soviet Union until President Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
decreed in 1992 that such cities could use their historical names. Before then, the town had not appeared on any official maps. As is the tradition with Soviet towns containing secret facilities (e.g. Ozersk
Ozyorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast
Ozyorsk or Ozersk is a closed town in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded on the shore of the Irtyash Lake in 1945...
, aka Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
-40; Seversk
Seversk
Seversk is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1949, it was known as Pyaty Pochtovy until 1954 and as Tomsk-7 until 1992. Town status was granted to it in 1956.The current Chair of the City Duma and Mayor...
, aka Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
-7; Sarov
Sarov
Sarov is a closed town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. Until 1995 it was known as Kremlyov ., while from 1946 to 1991 it was called Arzamas-16 . The town is off limits to foreigners as it is the Russian center for nuclear research. Population: -History:The history of the town can be divided...
, aka Arzamas
Arzamas
Arzamas is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Tyosha River , east of Moscow. Population: -History:Arzamas was founded in 1578 by Ivan the Terrible in the lands populated at the time by the Mordvin people...
-16), Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
-26 is actually a P.O. Box number and implies that the place is located some distance from the city of Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
. The town was also known as Soctown, Iron City, the Nine, and Atom Town.
Economy
Zheleznogorsk is the location of the Krasnoyarsk Mining and Chemical Combine, a combine which played a significant role in the early Russian nuclear weapons production campaigns.Zheleznogorsk is also the location for the production of plutonium, electricity and district heat using graphite-moderated water-cooled reactors. The last reactor was shut down permanently in Аpril 2010. It is the location of a military reprocessing facility and for a Russian commercial nuclear-waste storage facility.
A significant employer in the city is JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems
JSC Information Satellite Systems - Reshetnev Company is a Russian satellite manufacturing company. It is based in the closed city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai near the city of Krasnoyarsk. The company was formerly called NPO PM.- Overview :...
, Russia's largest satellite manufacturer and the prime developer of the GLONASS
GLONASS
GLONASS , acronym for Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema or Global Navigation Satellite System, is a radio-based satellite navigation system operated for the Russian government by the Russian Space Forces...
program.