Zlatoust is a city in the Chelyabinsk Region, Russia, located on
the Ai River (in the Kama basin), 160 kilometers (99 miles) west of
Chelyabinsk. Population: 174,962 people (2010 census) 194,551 (2002
census).
The name of the city comes from the Russian
translation of "Chrysostom", literally "golden mouth" in ancient
Greek for the eloquent Saint John Chrysostom, because the city was
founded next to a church dedicated to this saint.
Zlatoust
was founded in 1754 in connection with the construction of a
metallurgical plant. In 1774–76, the factory workers took part in
the uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. At the beginning of the 19th
century, Pavel Anosov made the first Russian damask steel blades in
Zlatoust. It was awarded city status in 1865. From 1865 to 1919,
Zlatoust was part of the Ufa province. The city is also famous for
its first Russian steel cannons. In 1903, the tsarist authorities
brutally suppressed a strike organized by the Zlatoust workers.
At the beginning of the 19th century, a weapons factory was
built there, which began to produce sabers and swords. Famous
artists Ivan Bushuev and Ivan Boyarshinov created unique examples of
edged weapons decorated with engravings. The flying winged horse was
a favorite element of many of Bushuev's prints, so he was given the
nickname Ivan Krylaty (Ivanko Krylatko). Since then, the pegasus has
been the emblem of the city. The Soviets gained control of Zlatoust
in March 1918. The city was occupied by the Whites from June 1918 to
July 1919. On July 13, 1919, Zlatoust was captured by the Red Army.
During the Soviet period, Zlatoust became an industrial city
specializing in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, tool making,
food production and other industries. Zlatoust is one of the centers
of artistic metal engraving in Russia. Traditionally, such
engravings were made on weapons such as knives and swords; however,
in Soviet times, the engraving was transferred to decorative metal
plates. Weapon engraving is popular again these days.
Taganay National Park. ☎ (351)
363-76-88, (3513) 63-70-45 (museum of nature). Without excursion 10
rubles. With a guided tour: 120 rubles. adult, 90 rubles. for
children. National park with an area of 568 km2. At the entrance
to the park there is a nature museum and a parking lot (Taganay
cordon).
Chapel of St. John with a bell tower. The chapel is
located at one of the highest points of the city - Krasnaya Gorka.
You can climb to the observation deck at the top of the bell tower
for the best view of the city. The observation deck is open from
10:00 to 18:00.
Arsenal. The former building of an arms factory,
now a factory museum. An architectural monument of the early 19th
century. As of 2014, the museum is in a state of protracted
renovation, and a good part of the exhibits have already been sold
to private hands.
Monument to I.N.Bushuev. - the creator of the
Zlatoust steel engraving.
Temple of Seraphim of Sarov (1997)
Zlatoust Drama Theater "Omnibus", pl. 3 Internationals, 2. ☎
(3513) 62-02-51, (3513) 62-02-91. RUB 200 (2014). The only theater
for two cities - Zlatoust and Miass, performances are held on two
sites - a large and a small stage, children's performances are shown
in the afternoon.
Center for Olympic training "Uralochka", st.
Taganayskaya, 1a. ☎ (3513) 62-20-53. 8: 00-21: 00. Swimming pool and
fitness center, and also the main sports arena of Zlatoust, because
matches of the Zlatoust women's water polo team "Uralochka-ZMZ", one
of the leaders of the Russian championship, are held here.
Factory "Oruzheinik", Poletaeva, 139. Provides excursions on the
production of the legendary cold decorated weapons in the tradition
of Zlatoust engraving on steel. Guided tours are conducted in groups
and individually. Detailed information on the website in the
"Excursions" section.
Zlatoust Museum of Local
Lore, pl. III International, 1. Open from 10:00 to 17:30 except
Monday and the last Friday of the month. A rich collection of cold
decorated weapons and gold-tone engravings on steel.
Leisure
GLK "Sport-Extreme", Gagarin Ave., 25. ☎ (3513) 66-72-60. A small
ski complex almost within the city, 2 tracks of average difficulty.
Entertainment complex "Discovery", st. Taganayskaya, 204/1. ☎ (3513)
65-07-47. Billiards (two tables for Russian billiards and two tables
for a pool) and bowling (8 lanes).
Purchases
In Zlatoust,
a number of enterprises are engaged in the manufacture of damask
knives, many have their own brand stores:
LLC "AiR", st.
Taganayskaya, 204/4 (near the shopping center "Discovery"). ☎ (3513)
66-84-40. Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00.
Pilgrim, st. 30 years of
Victory, 3 (in the building of the hotel "Nikolsky"). ☎ (3513)
64-10-10. Mon-Sun 09: 00-21: 00. the store presents the products of
LLC "ROSoruzhie"
Zlatoust arms factory, III International square,
building 16 (Arsenal). ☎ 8 (3513) 67-90-80, (3513) 790-007, 8 (800)
100-1815. Joint store of LLC Zlatoust engraving on steel and CJSC
Zlatoust arms factory
Factory Oruzheinik (LLC "Art-Grani"), st.
Poletaeva, 139/6. mailto:
zakaz@oruzheinik.ru (production),
gid@oruzheinik.ru
(excursions) ☎ (3513) 62-70-30. A small workshop, a distinctive
feature of which are excursions, which will demonstrate the
peculiarities of the production of decorated edged weapons. Without
prior agreement, you can come on Saturday at 14-00. In addition, a
tour can be ordered by phone.
Zlatoust Arms Company, Anosov
Street, 177. ☎ (3513) 62-11-44. Mon-Fri from 8-30 to 17-30, lunch
from 12-00 to 13-00.
Despite the lack of retail space at the rest
of the workshops, they will readily demonstrate their products to
you in the warehouse, where they can also be purchased:
"LiK"
("Lokhtachevs and company"), Parkovy proezd, 3A. ☎ (3513) 63-78-22,
(3513) 63-57-55, fax: (3513) 63-24-55. Mon-Fri from 8-00 to 17-00.
This is the first private production of weapons in Zlatoust, founded
in 1990 by former foremen of the Bulat plant (the last name of the
state arms factory of Zlatoust). Today, the workshop is engaged in
the manufacture of not only weapons, but also sculptures,
tapestries, dishes, etc.
MAOK, st. Taganayskaya, 204. ☎ (3513)
65-02-88.
Zlatko, st. Taganayskaya, 6. ☎ (3513) 62-27-42.
Batyr, Nizhne-Zavodskaya 1st, 44. ☎ (3513) 67-85-48.
Griffin, st.
Tulskaya, 4. ☎ (3513) 63-69-33. Mon-Fri from 9 am to 6 pm.
Blade
edged weapons, st. named after A.V.Suvorov, 68. ☎ (3513) 62-69-49.
Located in the European part of Russia, on the Ai River (Ufa River basin), 120 km west of the regional center of Chelyabinsk (160 km by rail) and 1,750 km east of Moscow (1,941 km by rail). The historical route of the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the city, and the federal highway M-5 “Ural” runs near the city. The city covers an area of 118.2 km². The length from south to north is 17 km, from west to east 10.4 km.
It is located in the mountainous and forested part of the Chelyabinsk
region, in the valley of the Ai River, formed by the mountain ranges of
the Southern Urals. In the east is the Uraltau ridge, in the west - the
Urenga ridge and the Myshlyai mountains. From the north, the valley is
closed by Taganay and the Nazminsky ridge. The city's topography is
typically mountainous, with sharp changes in elevation.
In the
center of the city, at the confluence of the Tesma River and the Ai,
there is a city pond.
The climate is temperate continental. Mountains influence the
climate, making it more humid and reducing the annual range of air
temperatures based on monthly averages.
average annual air
temperature: +1.9 °C;
relative air humidity: 69.2%;
average wind
speed: 3.5 m/s;
Zlatoust is located in the MSC+2 time zone. The applied time offset relative to UTC is +5:00.
The first Russian temporary settlement on the territory of modern
Zlatoust arose at the end of the 17th century in connection with the
search for gold. In 1664, Elder Lot from the Dalmatovsky Assumption
Monastery admitted under torture that he had made a trip to the Southern
Urals, during which he was informed that gold and silver was being
smelted on Lake Irtyash, mined on the “Siberian Mountain”, located in
the upper reaches of Ufa, Yaika and Gadai. In 1668-1674, a large
military-geological expedition was equipped, consisting of more than 1
thousand people with guns and equipment, which in 1672 built the
Novo-Uralsky fort in the area of the current Taganay National Park.
This fort became the first Russian settlement on the territory of the
modern Chelyabinsk region. However, geological research ended in
complete failure, which is stated in the chronicle in the following
terms: “Nothing was found, and great futility and destruction were
caused to the sovereign’s treasury.” After the failure, the fort was
abandoned. In 1708, the story about the “Siberian Mountain” was
accidentally discovered in the documents of the Siberian Provincial
Chancellery and reported to the secretary of Peter I A.D. Makarov. V.N.
Tatishchev was instructed to check the information about silver ore. In
the 1720s, a new expedition working near the ruins of the fort did not
find metal in the local rock. In 1741, a new expedition arrived at the
destroyed fort, which discovered iron ore and chose a place to build the
Zlatoust plant.
In 1754, A.P. Mosolov, on patrimonial lands
purchased from the Bashkirs near Mount Kosotur, founded an ironworks,
which was later named in honor of St. John Chrysostom of Zlatoust. The
decree of the Berg College on the construction of the plant was issued
on August 31, 1754. The plant got its name due to the intentions of the
owners to build a church in the name of St. John Chrysostom in the
factory village, which was built in 1865. Thus, the plant received its
name long before construction began. According to local historians, the
image of John Chrysostom was the family icon of the family of the
founder of the plant, entrepreneur A.P. Mosolov.
By decree of
Catherine II dated May 2 (13), 1784, Troitsky district was formed in the
Ufa region. The Ufa governorship was one of the centers of the
metallurgical industry. After the transformation of governorships, the
village and district in 1796 administratively became part of the
Orenburg province.
In 1811, the plant was bought by the state and
became a state-owned plant. This led to a change in the status of the
factory village, which acquired the status of a mountain town and became
the economic center of the Zlatoust mountain district.
In 1824,
Emperor Alexander I visited Chrysostom, and in 1857, Emperor Alexander
II.
In 1842, the chief architect of the Zlatoust factory
Telezhnikov F.A. drew up and approved the first master plan for the
development of Zlatoust.
In 1865, in connection with the creation
of the Ufa province, the city became part of it as the administrative
center of the Zlatoust district.
In 1890, a railway station was
put into operation, named Zlatoust after the name of the city near which
it was built, this simplified, on the one hand, the delivery of
metallurgical products of the plant and other goods, in particular, furs
to the European part of the country, previously delivered by horse-drawn
carts and then rafted by water. through the rivers of the Kama basin, on
the other hand, it made it possible to start using fuel oil and coal
from the Donetsk coal basin, instead of wood, which was depleted as a
result of many years of cutting down trees. The Samara-Ufa railway was
renamed the Samara-Zlatoust railway. In 1891, with the continuation of
the construction of the railway to Chelyabinsk and further to the
Siberian Railway, the plant began to produce rail fastenings.
By
1900, the city had 2916 houses, of which 299 were stone, 8 church
institutions, including one Old Believer church, a Roman Catholic
church, a Protestant church, a city three-class school, 2 one-class
schools (male and female), 4 elementary schools, city and factory
hospitals and pharmacies, city library. There were factories: a
state-owned iron-smelting and iron-making plant (1,000 workers), 7
polishing plants, a beer and mead brewery, a soap factory, a cloth
factory and a number of small enterprises, including an artel of
artisans making iron and steel products (3,000 workers).
In 1903,
there was a mass shooting of a meeting of striking workers of the
Zlatoust state-owned plant. 69 people were killed, more than 250 were
injured, and more than 100 were arrested.
By the mid-1910s, the
city's population numbered approximately 20,000.
In 1815, an arms factory was built (it produced edged weapons, the
first craftsmen were gunsmiths from the German city of Solingen), and in
1859 - a steel factory. In 1860-1868, the Prince-Mikhailovskaya
steel-gun factory operated, where the first steel cannons in Russia were
cast (then gun production was transferred to enterprises in St.
Petersburg and Perm).
Since the beginning of the 19th century,
Zlatoust has been the center of artistic metal engraving, which
originated as an auxiliary production for decorating sabers, dirks, and
swords. Nowadays, gift weapons are decorated with gold and silver
notches, and decorative panels are made on steel plates.
The
ensemble of the factory square (XIX century, III International Square)
is an object of historical and cultural heritage of federal
significance.
On December 4, 1917, Soviet power was established in Zlatoust. On May
27, 1918, near the railway station, a battle took place between
legionnaires of the Czechoslovak corps and local Red Guards, who tried
to disarm a train of about 800 legionnaires that had arrived at the
station the day before. On June 25, 1918, the city was abandoned by Red
Guard units. On July 13, 1919, during the Zlatoust operation, the city
was captured by units of the 5th Army of the Eastern Front of the Red
Army.
During the administrative-territorial reforms in 1919-1934,
Zlatoust repeatedly underwent changes in status and territorial
affiliation. In 1919 and 1922, the boundaries and composition of the
county changed. In 1922, in connection with the abolition of the Ufa
province, Zlatoust became part of the Autonomous Bashkir Socialist
Soviet Republic. In August 1922 it became the district center of the
Chelyabinsk province. After its abolition in 1923 and the creation of
the Ural region, it became the administrative center of the Zlatoust
district. In 1930, the districts of the Ural region were liquidated,
Zlatoust became an independent city of regional subordination. In 1934,
the Ural region was abolished with the creation of three regions, one of
which was Chelyabinsk. Zlatoust was not affected by further
administrative and territorial changes in the Chelyabinsk region.
In 2004, Zlatoust became the administrative center of the Zlatoust
urban district of the Chelyabinsk region. It is interesting that in No.
1 of the magazine “Around the World” for 1928 there is information with
the following content: “In Zlatoust, Ural region, while digging pits,
flint axes and arrowheads were found. Further excavations by local
archaeologists yielded two human skeletons. Both skeletons are well
preserved. One of them, according to the study, belongs to a man 2
meters and 10 centimeters tall, and his origin dates back to the Ice
Age.”
More than 30 thousand Zlatoust residents took part in the
Great Patriotic War, more than 9 thousand of them did not return from
the battlefields. During the war years, the city's enterprises produced
1.58 million tons of steel, 1.4 million tons of rolled metal, 13.8
million shells and mines, 109.5 thousand machine guns of various brands,
41.8 thousand aircraft guns, 292.3 thousand ... watches for tanks,
aircraft and the Navy. During this period, evacuated equipment and
specialists from more than 20 enterprises arrived in Zlatoust,
including: Tula Arms, Podolsk Mechanical, First Moscow Watch, First
State Precise Technical Stones (TTK-1), 2nd Luga Abrasive Plant.
Also during the war, camp No. 337 of the NKVD of the Chelyabinsk Region
was located in the city for interned prisoners of war of foreign armies.
Zlatoust was awarded the Order of the October Revolution (1980).
On November 15, 2022, for the dedication and labor heroism of city
residents in achieving Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945,
the city was awarded the honorary title of the Russian Federation “City
of Labor Valor.”