The land and wealth of the Siberian region were famous at all times. To conquer the vastness of Siberia, Russian people began many centuries ago. So, from small villages founded by immigrants from different parts of Russia, whole cities grew over time. One of them was Nizhnevartovsk.
Geographic location
Nizhnevartovsk is located in the north of Western Siberia. The city was founded on the right bank of one of the Siberian rivers - the Ob. Today it is located hundreds of kilometers east of the city of Khanty-Mansiysk and almost a thousand kilometers northeast of Tyumen. The development of oil fields is the main factor that attracts the population here. Nizhnevartovsk is called the oil capital of the Russian Federation.
History of the foundation of Nizhnevartovsk
At the beginning of the 20th century, and more precisely in 1909, in the bend of the Ob River, on its right bank, a small wooden pier was built. Merchant ships arrived here to replenish firewood. The marina was called "Nizhnevartovskaya", which in the language of local residents meant "downstream". The first settlers, only 11 people, built several houses in the marina area.
During the years of Soviet rule (in the 1920s) the Nizhnevartovsk Village Council was created here. And only forty years later, in 1964, he was given the status of a working-class urban-type settlement.
Nizhnevartovsk owes its further development to the discovery of oil fields in its environs in 1965 . The largest of them was Samotlor. The development of the field attracted people here, as a result of which the local population replenished. Nizhnevartovsk began to change its appearance. Streets appeared. The first construction trust Megiongazstroy was established. As a result, in 1972, the village of Nizhnevartovsky finally received the status of a city, after which air communication was opened with the capital of Russia, Moscow.
The construction of a new railway to Surgut and the launch of passenger trains to Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg) contributed to the rapid growth of the population of Nizhnevartovsk. Tatar and Bashkir oil workers with whole families moved to Nizhnevartovsk.
The peak of oil production from the Samotlor field occurred in 1980. Then almost 159 million tons of “black gold” was mined.
Heraldry of Nizhnevartovsk
The large oil-producing city of Western Siberia has its own emblem. It was approved in 1999 by a decision of the local administration. The coat of arms depicts a ring and drops that symbolize the oil pipeline and the oil flowing from it. Green spruce on a gold background and a pair of silver fish in a azure field indicate the wealth of Siberian forests and the Ob River.
Nizhnevartovsk has its own flag, which echoes the emblem of the coat of arms, but in a simplified version. Each flag color, and all three of them, has its own designation. The blue bar is a symbol of greatness, it is both the sky and the water riches of Siberia; white - a symbol of snowy Siberian open spaces, purity; and the gold strip between them is oil fields, the wealth of the region.
Nizhnevartovsk today
The city is the organizational and economic center of one of the main oil and gas producing regions of Russia. Large enterprises are concentrated here - OAO Nizhnevartovskneftegaz, Chernogorneft. There are a car repair plant, food and forestry enterprises. Many pipelines have their origin here.
A river port, a railway station with a station building for 900 passengers, an airport, which are actively used by the local population, were built. Nizhnevartovsk, unfortunately, does not have a trunk connection with the "big land".
One way or another, the whole modern life of the city is connected with the exploitation of one of the largest not only in Russia, but also in the world of the Samotlor oil field. Almost the entire population of the city of Nizhnevartovsk is involved in the operation of this oil complex.
A developed social infrastructure has been created here. There are social enterprises, a number of educational institutions. There are museums, theaters, libraries. All conditions are created for life, work, recreation of the city residents.
Local authorities pay much attention to the improvement of housing estates. Playgrounds are being created, programs have been developed to optimize the use of the city's territory in order to improve the quality of improvement, which ultimately led to an increase in the comfort of living, which the urban population would appreciate. Nizhnevartovsk, however, today faces many unsolved social problems. Housing construction almost froze. Most roads require serious repairs. Locals lack shopping centers, movie theaters.
The population of Nizhnevartovsk
According to the latest statistics, 250 thousand people make up its population today. G. Nizhnevartovsk, the oil capital of Russia, in 2010 ranked 14th in the Forbes ranking of “30 Best Cities for Business”. Being a cultural, industrial, business center, the city continues to develop, thereby remaining attractive to new residents.