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Gusinoozyorsk (Buryatsky: Galuuta, Galuta) is a city and
administrative center of the Selenginsky District of the Republic of
Buryatia, Russia, located on the northeastern shore of Lake Gusinoe,
110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of Ulan-Ude. Population: 24,582
people (2010 census)
Gusinoozyorsk was founded as a
settlement of Shakhty in 1939, when the development of a brown coal
deposit began nearby. Since 1953 - the city of Gusinoozyorsk.
It is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Gusinoe, 110 km
south-west of Ulan-Ude on the Kyakhtinsky tract - the A340 federal
highway.
Gusinoozersk is the second city in terms of economic
importance and population in Buryatia. The main city-forming
enterprise is the Gusinoozyorskaya TPP.
Tamchinsky datsan
Bultumur datsan
Deer stone
Rock Englishwoman
Agsurg spring
Atsula tract
Temnikovskaya cave
Goose lake
Pike lake
Hara-Hapsagay
Mount Slain
Geser's parking lot
Novoselenginsky Museum of the
Decembrists
Old Selenginsk
Chikoy arrow
Park of culture and
rest
City sports complex
Sports complex GRES
Museums
Museum of the city of Gusinoozyorsk
Theaters
House of
Culture "Shakhtar".
Puppet theater "Rodnichok".
City leisure
center "Russia".
Leisure Center "Rus".
Oykonym Gusinoozyorsk was formed by
tracing the limnonym Galuuta Nuur from the Buryat language. The
Buryat name, in turn, is due to the fact that the inhabitants of the
surrounding uluses collected goose feathers on the shores of the
lakes, which later formed the Goose Lake.
The first
information of Russian and European travelers that the waves of the
Goose Lake throw "hard earth coal" on the shore date back to 1772.
In the 1890s, the geologist V.A.Obruchev conducted a study of the
Gusinoozersk brown coal deposit and pointed out the possibility of
its industrial development.
In 1932−1935, the geologist I.
Ya. Sotnikov conducted preliminary exploration on the eastern shore
of Lake Goose in the area of the Bain-Zurkhe hill (Southern
section). On August 26, 1934, the Bureau of the Buryat-Mongolian
Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks
transferred the Gusinoozyorskoye coal deposit to the Vostsibugol
trust. In September, the laying of the mine and the construction of
the village began, but due to the remoteness and difficulties in
transportation, work at the mine near the Bain-Zurkhe fell was
suspended.
On February 17, 1938, the Bureau of the
Buryat-Mongolian Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party
of Bolsheviks adopted a resolution "On the use of local mineral
fuel" and set the task of comprehensive development of the
Gusinoozyorskoye deposit. In August-September, on the site of the
present city, exploration and production mines No. 2 and No. 5 are
laid. In November 1938, the Council of People's Commissars of the
USSR transferred the development of the deposit from the Vostsibugol
trust to the Bukachachinsky correctional labor camp of the GULAG of
the NKVD of the USSR, later transformed into Gusinoozerlag
(1940-1942 ).
In 1939, the construction of a village began on
the Northern section (the village of Northern Shakhty). The first
trains with coal went along the railway line to the Zagustai
station.
During the Great Patriotic War, over two thousand
prisoners worked at the mines of Gusinoozerlag. In 1942, work on the
development of the deposit was again transferred to the Vostsibugol
trust. At the end of the war, one and a half thousand repatriated
Soviet prisoners of war and three hundred Japanese prisoners of war
of the Kwantung Army arrived. The Japanese worked in mines, built
residential and public buildings in the village, many of which still
exist today.
In the post-war years, the settlement grew and
developed. A power plant with a capacity of 1000 kW was launched, a
FZO school, a hospital, a canteen, a cinema, etc.
On April
28, 1948, the settlement of Shakhty was assigned to the category of
workers' settlements. In the autumn of the same year, the
deportation of Japanese prisoners of war took place. The memory of
them remained in the buildings they built and the name of the
Yaponka tract on the southern outskirts of the city.
On June
15, 1953, the working settlement of Shakhty was transformed into a
city of regional subordination and named Gusinoozerskoye after Lake
Gusino, on the banks of which it is located.
By the decree of
the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated June 21,
1961, the administrative center of the Selenginsky aimag of the
Buryat ASSR was moved from the village of Novoselenginsk to the city
of Gusinoozyorsk.
In 1966, open development of the
Kholboldzhinsky coal deposit began south of the Bain-Zurkhe hill on
the eastern shore of Lake Gusinoe. In November 1968, the
construction of a thermal power plant began at the mouth of the
Zagustai River. On December 22, 1976, the Power Engineer's Day, the
first stage of the Gusinoozyorskaya TPP was launched.
The
1970-1980s were marked by the growth of the city's economy. In
addition to coal and energy enterprises, a radio factory, a bakery,
a dairy, a brick factory, a garment factory, a timber processing
enterprise, and construction organizations operated. The territory
of Gusinoozyorsk is significantly increasing. Neighborhoods of power
engineers, coal miners, workers of a radio plant with five-story
residential buildings, schools, kindergartens and shops are being
built.
On December 27, 1977, Gusinoozersk was transformed
into a city of republican (ASSR) subordination and removed from the
Selenginsky region.
On February 24, 1982, the ulus Tukhum of
the Zagustai City Council was included in the city of Gusinoozyorsk.
In the 1990s, with the collapse of the USSR, the main
enterprises of the Soviet period were closed due to the
unprofitability of production. Due to the low quality of the new
coal seams, the work of the Gusinoozyorsk mines is terminated. In
2000, the Kholboldzhinsky coal mine was closed, which was one of the
main enterprises of the city for more than two decades.
In 1998, Gusinoozyorsk ceased to be a city of republican
subordination and was included in the Selenginsky district.
In 2013, an interdistrict vascular center was opened in the city,
where residents of the Selenginsky, Kyakhtinsky, Dzhida and
Zakamensky districts undergo treatment.
In February-March
2015, the XIII Republican Winter Rural Sports Games were held in
Gusinoozyorsk.
Gusinoozyorsk is a town located in the Republic of Buryatia,
southeastern Siberia, Russia. It serves as the administrative center of
the Selenginsky District and is positioned in a region characterized by
diverse natural landscapes, including highlands, steppes, and freshwater
lakes. The town lies on the northeastern shore of Lake Gusinoye,
approximately 110 kilometers southwest of Ulan-Ude, the republic's
capital, and close to the Mongolian border. Its geographic coordinates
are 51°17′N 106°30′E, with an elevation ranging from 548 to 580 meters
above sea level. This placement in the Selenga Highlands contributes to
its scenic yet rugged environment, blending steppe valleys, mountain
ridges, and aquatic features. The town's geography is influenced by its
proximity to Lake Baikal's broader watershed, though it is not directly
on the lake itself.
The surrounding area features undulating terrain
typical of the Selenga Highlands, with dry steppe valleys at lower
elevations (around 600 meters) transitioning to higher peaks exceeding
2,300 meters, such as Mount Baruun Kharaatay at 2,368 meters. The
central part of Gusinoozyorsk sits on the southwestern steppe slopes of
the Monosta Ridge, part of the Selenginsky middle mountains. This ridge
and the broader highlands form a transitional zone between forested
mountains and open grasslands, creating a mosaic of boreal forests,
forest-steppe, and steppe ecosystems. The highlands are part of the
Selenga River basin, which originates in Mongolia and flows
northeastward through varied landscapes, including lush valleys and
scattered woodlands, before contributing to Lake Baikal. The region's
topography is shaped by tectonic activity in the Baikal Rift Zone,
resulting in basins and ranges that support diverse habitats.
Hydrography and Lake Gusinoye
A defining feature of Gusinoozyorsk's
geography is Lake Gusinoye (also known as Gusinoye Ozero or, in
Mongolian, Galuut nuur), a freshwater lake spanning the Gusinoozyor
Basin. The lake is nestled between two parallel ranges of the Selenga
Highlands, creating a natural depression that collects water from
surrounding tributaries. It measures about 25 kilometers in length and
up to 10 kilometers in width, with depths varying significantly—shallow
near the shores (1-3 meters) and reaching up to 18-20 meters in central
depressions, as indicated by bathymetric profiles. The lake's hydrology
is influenced by inflows from rivers like the Temnik and local springs,
with outflows contributing indirectly to the Selenga River system. This
makes it part of the larger Lake Baikal catchment, where the Selenga
River and its tributaries supply around 80% of Baikal's water.
The
lake's ecosystem supports wetlands and serves as a habitat for over 170
bird species, including migratory ones, and acts as a nursery for fish
like grayling, cisco, and the endangered Baikal sturgeon. However,
environmental challenges include anthropogenic impacts from nearby coal
mining and the Gusinoozyorsk GRES power plant, leading to elevated
levels of potentially toxic elements in sediments and water. Despite
this, the lake remains a key recreational and cultural site, with the
historic Tamchinsky datsan Buddhist monastery on its southwestern shore.
Climate
Gusinoozyorsk experiences a sharply continental,
monsoon-influenced subarctic climate (Köppen classification: Dwc),
typical of the Selenga Highlands and broader Siberian region. This is
marked by extreme temperature swings, long harsh winters, and relatively
short, warm summers. Annual average temperatures hover around 1.6°C
(34.9°F), with January being the coldest month at an average of -21.5°C
(-6.7°F) and lows occasionally dipping below -33°C (-28°F). Summers peak
in July, with averages around 20-25°C (68-77°F) and highs rarely
exceeding 31°C (88°F). The region sees about 300-400 mm of precipitation
annually, mostly in summer due to monsoonal influences, with dry winters
dominated by snow cover from November to April. Rivers and lakes,
including Lake Gusinoye, freeze solid during this period, with spring
snowmelt causing seasonal flooding and increased river flow. The
semi-arid basin experiences strong winds and low humidity in winter,
contributing to a subarctic feel despite the southern latitude.
Flora, Fauna, and Environmental Context
The geography supports a mix
of ecosystems: dry steppes in valleys give way to coniferous forests
(pine, larch) on higher slopes, with grasslands dominating lower areas.
Wildlife includes species adapted to subarctic conditions, such as deer,
foxes, and various birds, while the lake's wetlands are crucial for
migratory waterfowl. The Selenga Highlands' biodiversity is part of the
larger Baikal ecoregion, a UNESCO World Heritage area, though local coal
extraction and power generation have led to environmental concerns like
air and water pollution. Overall, Gusinoozyorsk's geography offers a
blend of natural beauty and human-modified landscapes, ideal for outdoor
activities like hiking and fishing.
How
to get there
6 km northwest of the city is the Zagustai station
of the East Siberian Railway on the southern Ulan-Ude - Naushki
line.
There is a bus station in the city, from which buses
regularly depart in all directions of the region and to Ulan-Ude.