There are 85 subjects of the Russian Federation, these include republics and territories, regions and cities of federal significance, autonomous okrugs and autonomous regions. All of them have their own capitals - the main cities in which the authorities are located.
The capital of the Altai Territory
The administrative center of the
Altai Territory, which is part of the
Siberian Federal District, is the city of Barnaul. What area or areas are related to it? Only bordering on the Altai Territory: in the west - two regions related to Kazakhstan, in the east and north - Novosibirsk and Kemerovo. He does not have his own area, bearing the name of the city.
Reason and history of occurrence
The founder of the city is the Siberian industrialist Akinfy Demidov. The confluence of the Barnaulka River into the Ob was chosen by him for the construction of a smelter. In honor of this influx, in 1730 a city was laid down, called Barnaul. What area covered it in those days? Tomsk province, the district city of which he becomes in 1822. Prior to this, immediately after the death of Demidov, in 1745, the Kolyvano-Voskresensky mountain district was formed around Barnaul, named after the oldest local factory.
The beginning of rapid development
And already in 1750, after the transfer of the Barnaul plant to the ownership of the Romanovs, 17 furnaces were commissioned here, and Barnaul itself (the region of mining and manufacturing industry) began to acquire the features of a “mountain city”, the status of which it would receive in 1771. Experienced specialists begin to come here, one of whom was Ivan Polzunov, who made the world's first steam engine. Her tests were carried out on the coast of Barnaulka in 1766. The city becomes an industrial and cultural center (already in 1764 a technical library was opened here, in which there are 7 thousand books), it is quickly rebuilt according to St. Petersburg projects. He was so good that the traveler P. P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky called him "Siberian Athens."
Unique feature
The city has a glorious history, but there is one distinguishing feature that only Barnaul possesses throughout the Russian Federation. What area surrounds it? Barnaul city agglomeration, consisting of two urban districts and one municipal district (the cities of Novoaltaysk, Barnaul, Pervomaisky district). The only territorial unit of Russia with a similar scheme that has passed the approval procedure at the Ministry of Regional Development is located in the northeast of Altai Territory. The population is rapidly approaching a million people. This is explained by the fact that the area is industrial and rich in minerals. In addition to cobalt, nickel, coal, iron ore and precious metals, the region where Barnaul appeared in 1730 is famous for its inexhaustible deposits of porphyry, jasper, rare marble and supplies of drinking water. He first appeared on Russian maps in 1745 (in the Atlas of Russia, published in St. Petersburg).
Modern history
The city is famous for its theaters. Not in every regional center there are so many of them, in addition, they are located in very original buildings, which gives them additional charm.
The first local history museum was opened in Barnaul in 1823. And in 2012, the unique Mountain Pharmacy was opened in the building, which is a historical monument. There are modern museums, one of them is dedicated to V. M. Shukshin, a native of these places. One of the regional drama theaters was named after him. Barnaul is a thriving, modern city.
Endangered villages
True, in Russia so far (this is a key word) there is another settlement called Barnaul. What area does this former village surround? Kurgan. The village belongs to the "endangered", although once there was a collective farm, village council, the number of inhabitants was approaching the 400th. Now the memory of him is kept by a three-tier obelisk dedicated to the fallen soldiers, and a rural cemetery.