Sysert is a city (since 1946) in Russia, the administrative
center of the Sysertsky district as an administrative-territorial
unit and the center of the Sysertsky urban district as a municipal
formation of the Sverdlovsk region, Russia.
The city is
located on the Sysert River, in the southern part of the Sverdlovsk
Region, 43 km south of Yekaterinburg. Within the city, the Sysert
river forms a vast Sysert pond, which continues to the west and
south outside the city. The city is home to the Bessonov mountain
peak. Near Sysert is a branch of the federal highway M5 "Ural" from
Chelyabinsk to Yekaterinburg. The railway station Turbinnaya
(exclusively for freight traffic) is connected by a railway line for
industrial purposes with the station Sysert in the direction of
Yekaterinburg - Verkhniy Ufaley - Chelyabinsk.
Mount Bessonova (Besenovka, Bezsonova, Bessonova, Bessonnaya, Besa as
the locals call it) with a cast-iron Orthodox cross on top is one of the
symbols of the city;
Orthodox 12-meter, 23-ton cast-iron cross on the
top of Mount Bessonov. Installed on August 29, 2001 as a gift from the
Uralgidromash plant in honor of the 270th anniversary of Sysert.
Sysert Museum of Local History in the building of the Main
Administration of the Sysert Mining District (1779);
Memorial
house-museum of P. P. Bazhov, where P. P. Bazhov was born;
Monument
to the heroes of the Civil War;
In the historical center of the city,
a complex of workshops of the Sysert plant (1847-1900) has been
preserved;
Cathedral of Simeon and Anna (1788), the former building
of the "digital" school (1735);
6 km west of Sysert is Talkov Kamen -
a small lake (32 m deep) with rocks surrounding it on the site of a
former talc quarry. The sides of the quarry are composed of
greenish-white layered talc stone.
“Summer at the Factory” is a
seasonal cluster on the territory of the old Turchaninov-Solomirsky
Factory, which was founded in 1732 by Wilhelm de Gennin and received a
new life in 2020.
Natural park Bazhov places in the Sysert city
district.
Monument to Alexei Turchaninov. Installed in 2021 during a
large-scale reconstruction of the historical center of the city, carried
out as part of the national project "Housing and urban environment"
Etymology and Early Settlement Context
The name “Sysert” comes
from the river on which the town stands. It has Finno-Ugric
(Komi-Zyryan) roots: si (“hair,” implying a narrow or thread-like
feature) + s’ört (“river valley with dense coniferous forest”), roughly
translating to “river with a narrow forested valley.” Some local
interpretations also link it to Bashkir for “foggy place.” The area was
sparsely settled before the 18th century, with iron ore deposits noted
by local peasants as early as 1727.
Founding as an Ironworks
(1732–1759)
Sysert’s history begins with state-driven
industrialization under Peter the Great’s successors. In 1727, peasants
Sergei Babin and Kuzma Suleyev reported iron ore deposits along the
Sysert River to mining chief General Wilhelm de Gennin (Vilim de
Gennin). By 1731, a site was selected for a state-owned iron smelting
and ironworking plant. Construction started in 1732, incorporating
advanced techniques for the era (including a blast furnace at Besenkova
Mountain). The first iron was produced in August 1733. The settlement,
initially called Sysertsky Zavod (Sysert Factory), was designed as a
fortified industrial complex and quickly became the core of a mining
district that included auxiliary plants (Upper Sysert and Ilyinsky).
Early production focused on high-quality cast iron and iron, though
local ore required blending with material from other sites. The plant
attracted workers and settlers, laying the foundation for the town.
Private Ownership and Prosperity Under the Turchaninov-Solomirsky
Dynasty (1759–Early 20th Century)
In 1759, by Senate decree, the
Sysert, Polevskoy, and Seversky plants were transferred to wealthy salt
merchant Alexey Fedorovich Turchaninov. Under Turchaninov and later the
Solomirsky family (through marriage and inheritance), the enterprise
flourished. Production boomed: by the 1770s, the plant smelted tens of
thousands of pounds of iron and copper annually, with goods traded
across Russia and exported abroad. The town earned the nickname “little
Petersburg” for its relative prosperity—high wages, a school, hospital,
and even greenhouses growing pineapples. Architecturally and socially,
it stood out among Ural factory settlements.
During the Pugachev
Rebellion (1773–1775), Sysert workers famously defended the plant
against a detachment led by Ivan Beloborodov, rather than joining the
uprising. In the 19th century, innovations continued: gold was
discovered in 1823, sparking a local rush; the first Russian polishing
of artillery cores and grapeshot occurred in 1812; and mechanical
workshops were built in 1848. Under Pavel Dmitrievich Solomirsky in the
1830s–1840s, major reconstructions added new blast furnaces, rolling
mills, puddling furnaces, and mechanical production facilities. The
plant earned exhibition medals (silver in 1870, gold in 1887) for its
high-quality metal marked with an egret emblem. By 1850, the population
reached about 5,600; by the 1897 census, it was 10,400. Crafts like
blacksmithing, coppersmithing, and match-making supplemented metallurgy.
Revolutionary Stirrings and Early 20th-Century Turmoil (1905–1920s)
Sysert became a hotspot for labor activism. Strikes erupted in 1898 (a
21-day welding-shop action) and more dramatically in 1912—one of the
largest in the Urals, which Vladimir Lenin highlighted in his article
“Strikes of Metalworkers.” In 1905, a Council of Workers’ Deputies
formed. By 1917, over 1,000 residents were Communist Party members. The
plant was nationalized after the October Revolution. During the Civil
War, roughly one in four Sysert residents fought in the Red Army.
Post-Civil War recovery was rapid. By the early 1920s, blast furnaces,
open-hearth furnaces, and rolling mills were restored. In 1925, the
plant (with auxiliaries) was leased for 50 years to the British firm
Lena Goldfields Limited, but the concessionaires abandoned it in 1930
after failing to modernize or meet obligations, citing outdated
equipment and transport issues. Metallurgical production largely ceased,
shifting focus to machine-building (e.g., printing equipment). In 1928,
Sysert gained working-settlement status; Verkh-Sysertskoye was
incorporated in 1931.
Soviet Industrial Transformation and City
Status (1930s–1980s)
The 1940s marked a “second birth.” In November
1942, amid World War II, a hydroturbine plant was established in the
former mechanical workshops (later Uralgidromash or UZGM—Ural Plant of
Hydraulic Machines). The first turbine rolled out in 1943; a direct
railway link opened in 1944, boosting connectivity. On October 31, 1946,
Sysert officially became a town of district subordination by decree of
the RSFSR Supreme Soviet Presidium.
Post-war, Uralgidromash
specialized in hydroturbines, pumps, and irrigation equipment, supplying
major Soviet projects (Volga-Don Canal, Kuban irrigation,
Dnieper-Donbass canal). It earned the Order of the Red Banner of Labor
(1976) and produced millions of consumer items like washing-machine
parts. A porcelain factory opened in 1960 (initially ceramics, later art
porcelain with thin-walled pieces), becoming one of the Urals’ largest
and a national brand by the 1970s–80s.
Culturally, Sysert gained fame
as the birthplace of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov (January 15, 1879), the
beloved Ural writer whose Malachite Box tales drew on local folklore and
mining life. The town preserved pre-revolutionary institutions (schools,
hospital, churches) and developed Soviet-era cultural facilities.
Post-Soviet Era and Creative Revival (1990s–Present)
The 1990s
brought economic challenges: traditional metallurgy declined, and the
old factory complex fell into disrepair after privatization. Population
stabilized around 20,000–22,000, supported by agriculture, proximity to
Yekaterinburg (driving cottage development), and tourism centered on the
Sysert Reservoir, lakes, and natural parks.
A remarkable turnaround
began in the late 2010s. The abandoned factory—declared a federal
monument in 1974—transformed into the “Leto na Zavode” (Summer at the
Factory) creative cluster. Starting with 2018 tours and art residencies,
the 2020 tactical urbanism festival cleared debris, built temporary
infrastructure (amphitheater, cinema embankment, coworking), and drew
tens of thousands of visitors. Annual festivals, year-round events,
studios, and restoration plans (targeting workshops and open-hearth
areas) have turned the site into a cultural hub blending history, arts,
and modern enterprise. The porcelain factory and Uralgidromash remain
key employers.
Location and Coordinates
Geographic coordinates: 56°30′N 60°49′E
(town center).
Elevation: Approximately 240 m (787 ft) in the town
center; the broader town area ranges from about 216 m (709 ft) to 312 m
(1,024 ft), with an average of ~254 m (833 ft).
The town occupies a
compact area of about 20 km²; the surrounding Sysertsky District covers
2,030.55 km².
Sysert sits in the transition zone between the Ural
Mountains’ foothills and the western edge of the West Siberian Plain. It
is on the eastern (Asian) side of the Europe-Asia continental divide.
The town developed historically around metallurgy and is now valued for
its clean environment and proximity to nature, with no major polluting
industries.
Topography and Relief
The landscape is typical of
the Middle Urals foothills: gently rolling hills, low ridges, and wide
valleys rather than sharp alpine peaks (the highest points in the
immediate area do not exceed ~300–400 m). The terrain features:
Low hills (e.g., Gora Bessonova or Bessonov Hill right within the town
limits, which has a prominent 12 m cast-iron Orthodox cross on its
summit).
Rocky outcrops and small “kamni” (stone formations) common
in the Urals.
Broad, forested interfluves and river valleys carved by
glacial and fluvial processes during the Pleistocene.
The relief
is relatively subdued compared with the higher Northern Urals but
provides scenic variety with numerous viewpoints, small cliffs, and
quarries that have been transformed into lakes.
Hydrography
Sysert’s geography is defined by water. The town lies directly on the
Sysert River (Сысерть), a right tributary of the Iset River (which
ultimately feeds the Ob River basin). Within and immediately around the
town, the Sysert forms the large Sysert Reservoir (Сысертское
водохранилище / Sysertsky Prud), a scenic artificial pond that extends
westward and southward beyond the urban boundary, creating a broad water
mirror surrounded by forests and dachas.
The wider Sysertsky District
is rich in rivers and lakes:
Major rivers → Sysert, Iset,
Bagyarak (Багаряк), and their numerous tributaries.
Significant lakes
and reservoirs → Sysertskoye, Bagyarak, Shchelkunskoye (Щелкунское),
plus several flooded quarries turned into deep, clear lakes.
The
most famous is Talkov Kamen (Тальков Камень / Talc Stone Lake), a 32 m
deep artificial lake formed in a former talc quarry ~6 km west of
Sysert. Its striking greenish-white layered talc cliffs make it a
geological highlight.
The district contains hundreds of smaller lakes
and ponds, many of glacial or karst origin, typical of the Ural
foothills.
Climate
Sysert has a humid continental climate
(Köppen Dfb) — warm-summer subtype — with cold, snowy winters and
mild-to-warm summers. It is transitional between moderately continental
and fully continental patterns.
Key averages (based on long-term
data):
January (coldest month): average temperature around −16 °C;
daily highs ~−7 °C, lows ~−16 °C.
July (warmest month): average
~+17.9 °C; daily highs ~+23–24 °C, lows ~+11–13 °C.
Annual
temperature range: Significant seasonal contrast, typical of inland Ural
locations.
Precipitation: Evenly distributed through the year,
totaling roughly 500–600 mm annually; maximum in summer (convective
showers) and solid snow cover in winter.
Snow cover: Persistent from
late October/November to April.
Other features: Moderate humidity,
frequent cloudy days in winter, and occasional thaws or Arctic
outbreaks. Strong winds and blizzards are relatively rare because the
Middle Urals partially shelter the area.
Vegetation, Soils, and
Ecosystems
The district lies in the southern and middle taiga zone.
Dominant vegetation includes:
Coniferous forests of pine, fir, and
spruce.
Mixed stands with birch and some aspen in disturbed or
transitional areas.
Forests cover most of the territory, giving
the region high ecological value and making it popular for recreation.
Soils are generally podzolic and relatively poor (typical of taiga),
limiting large-scale agriculture; farming is confined mainly to the
southeast of the broader oblast.
Protected Areas and Natural
Monuments
Sysertsky District contains one of the most visited
protected areas in the Urals: the Natural Park “Bazhovskiye Mesta”
(Бажовские места — “Bazhov’s Places”), named after the famous Ural
writer Pavel Bazhov. It spans tens of thousands of hectares and protects
unique geological, hydrological, and cultural landscapes. Highlights
include:
Talkov Kamen Lake and its talc cliffs.
Other lakes
(e.g., Bolshoy Shchuchye / Big Pike).
Springs (Potopayevsky and
Kipyaщий keys).
Rock formations (Markov Kamen).
Old crystal and
garnet mines.
The district has 18 official natural monuments,
including Vesyoly Uval, Asbest-Kamen, Markov Kamen, Rodonit mine, and
others. These preserve rare rock outcrops, old-growth forest patches,
and mineralogical sites.
Sysert, as well as 37 rural-type settlements subordinate to the city, form the municipality Sysert urban district. The urban district includes all territories and settlements of the Sysert district, except for the city of Aramili, the settlement of the same name and the settlement of Svetly, which form a separate Aramil urban district. The head of the Sysert urban district is Niskovskikh Dmitry Andreevich.
The turnover of organizations in the Sysert urban district (full
circle) for 2021 amounted to 32,073.5 million rubles, or 83.1% compared
to the same period last year.
The main enterprises of the city of
Sysert:
LLC "Sysert Porcelain Factory";
OJSC "Uralgidromash";
LLC Izvest Sysert;
LLC "ATOM Cement";
OOO "SAZ";
OOO
"Metallkomplekt";
LLC Chistogorie;
OOO Technosila.
LLC "Tonus"
Despite the weak development of industry, the relative economic
prosperity and population growth of the city are supported by two
factors: good land around the city provides agriculture. The picturesque
area with coniferous forests around the Sysert River and the Sysert
Reservoir contribute to the active growth of cottage settlements and
recreation centers around the city and the buying up of land and the
construction of expensive cottages by wealthy residents of
Yekaterinburg.
Sysert Porcelain Factory
Since 1977, the city
of Sysert has been known as one of the centers of porcelain production
in Russia and the largest porcelain production in the Urals, and Sysert
porcelain is one of the brands of the Urals and all of Russia. The craft
arose in the middle of the 20th century on the basis of the Sysert
pottery and local traditions of artistic painting. Porcelain products
are produced at the Sysert Porcelain Factory. The shape, style and
painting of products are completely based on national traditional
ceramics, primarily on the centuries-old experience of local craftsmen:
their idea of beauty is expressed in rounded, clear outlines of objects,
in brushstroke painting, which is clearly preferred.
The Sysert
Porcelain Factory was founded in 1960 on the basis of an artel for the
production of ceramics. In 1970, the plant acquired its own unique style
of painting household utensils Ural House painting - the compositional
motif "Sysert Rose". The plant produces vases, dishes, figurines and
souvenirs. Now the priority direction for the plant has become the
production of church iconostases from faience. Sysert iconostases adorn
the churches of Verkhoturye, Nevyansk, Yekaterinburg and other cities of
the Urals.
Tourism
Sysert is a city in the Sverdlovsk region,
known for a large number of attractions - museums, historical monuments
and ancient temples. It is also the birthplace of the outstanding writer
Pavel Bazhov.