Ulyanovsk

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Ulyanovsk (English) Ульяновск (Russian)
Location of Ulyanovsk Oblast on the map of Russia
Location of Ulyanovsk on the map of Ulyanovsk Oblast
Coordinates 54°19′N 48°22′E / 54.317°N 48.367°E / 54.317; 48.367Coordinates: 54°19′N 48°22′E / 54.317°N 48.367°E / 54.317; 48.367
Coat of Arms	Flag
City Day: June 12
Administrative status
Federal subject In jurisdiction of Administrative center of	Ulyanovsk Oblast Ulyanovsk Oblast Ulyanovsk Oblast
Local self-government
Charter	Charter of Ulyanovsk
Municipal status	Urban okrug
Head	Sergey Yermakov
Representative Body	City Duma
Area
Area	316.9 km² (122.4 sq mi)
Population
2002 Census - Rank - Density	635,947 inhabitants 19th 2,006.8/km² (5,197.6/sq mi)
Events
Founded	1648
Town status	1796
Renamed Ulyanovsk	1924
Other information
Postal code	432xxx
Dialing code	+7 8422
Official website
http://www.ulmeria.ru/

Ulyanovsk (Russian: Улья́новск, formerly Simbirsk (Симби́рск), is a city on the Volga River in Russia, 893 km east from Moscow. It is the administrative center of Ulyanovsk Oblast, and is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin, for whom it is named. Population: 635,947 (2002 Census);^[1] 625,155 (1989 Census).^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Climate 3 Demographics 3.1 The national composition 4 Economy 5 Transportation 6 Education 7 Architecture 8 Gallery 9 Notable people 10 Sister Cities 11 Notes 12 External links

[edit] History

Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" (alternatively "Sinbirsk") was strategically placed on a hill on the Western shore of the Volga River. The fort was meant to protect the eastern frontier of the Russian Empire from the nomadic tribes and to establish a permanent Imperial presence in the area.

In 1668 Simbirsk withstood a month-long siege by a 20,000-strong army led by rebel Cossack commander Stenka Razin. Also in Simbirsk other country rebel - Yemelyan Pugachev has been broken and captivated. At the time Simbirsk possessed a wooden kremlin which was destroyed by a fire during the 18th century.

As the eastern border of the Russian Empire was rapidly pushed into Siberia, Simbirsk rapidly lost its strategic importance, but nonetheless began to develop into an important regional center. Simbirsk was designated a city in 1796.

In the summer of 1864 Simbirsk was severely damaged by fire, however the city was quickly rebuilt and continued to grow. The Holy Trinity Cathedral was constructed in a restrained Neoclassical style between 1827–1841. The population of Simbirsk reached 26,000 by 1856 and 43,000 by 1897.

In 1924, the city was renamed Ulyanovsk in honor of Vladimir Ulyanov, better known as Lenin, who was born in Simbirsk in 1870. Another Russian political leader, Alexander Kerensky was also born in Simbirsk.

The construction of the Kuybyshev hydroelectric plant (completed in 1957) 200 km downstream of Ulyanovsk resulted in the flooding of significant tracts of land both north and south of Ulyanovsk and increasing the width of the Volga by up to 35 km in some places.

During the soviet period Ulyanovsk was an important tourist center, drawing visitors from around the USSR because of its revolutionary importance.

[edit] Climate

Ulyanovsk has a humid continental climate (meaning hot summers and cold winters). Average temperature in January is -11 °C (11 °F) and in July is 19 °C (66 °F). Autumns are generally warm, with snow beginning to accumulate by the middle of November. Winters tend to heavy snowfalls. Summer weather arrives in the middle of May. Precipitation averages about 480 millimeters annually. The city is subject to frequent, but moderate, droughts. Springs and summers are sunny, but winters and autumns are cloudy ussially. Median annual temperature is 5 °C (42 °F). Ulyanovsk is located in the Moscow time zone (UTC+3).

Weather averages for Ulyanovsk
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	18 (-7.7)	19 (-7.1)	31 (-0.4)	53 (11.4)	69 (20.8)	76 (24.2)	78 (25.4)	74 (23.4)	63 (17.3)	46 (7.5)	31 (-0.4)	23 (-5.1)	49 (9.5)
Average low °F (°C)	4 (-15.4)	4 (-15.5)	15 (-9.2)	34 (0.9)	45 (7.3)	54 (12.2)	57 (13.9)	53 (11.7)	45 (7.2)	32 (0.2)	21 (-5.9)	11 (-11.7)	33 (0.5)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.14 (29)	0.83 (21)	0.75 (19)	1.14 (29)	1.42 (36)	2.6 (66)	3.43 (87)	1.85 (47)	2.09 (53)	1.61 (41)	1.14 (29)	1.06 (27)	19.06 (484)
Source: Russian gidrometeocenter {{{accessdate}}}

[edit] Demographics

• Births (2008): 6,774
• Deaths (2008): 8,054 ^[3]

[edit] The national composition

• Russians - 75 %
• Tatars - 12 %
• Chuvashs - 8 %
• Mordvins - 3 %
• Others - 2 %

[edit] Economy

Ulyanovsk is a significant industrial city. The UAZ automobile manufacturing plant, Aviastar-SP Aircraft Company and UMZ are based in the city along with a variety of light industry and food-processing enterprises.

Tourism is a growing business in the city and the surrounding area

The 31st Airborne Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops of the armed forces is based in Ulyanovsk.

[edit] Transportation

A railway bridge across the Volga was built in 1912–1916 and two automobile lanes were added to it in 1953–1958, allowing for the city to expand on the Eastern bank of the river and transforming it into a local transportation hub.

The aging Ulyanovsk bridge, the only crossing of the Volga in the 400 km stretch from Kazan to Tolyatti, can no longer cope with the growing needs of the city. The chronic congestion caused by increasing traffic has made the construction of a second bridge imperative.

Construction of the new bridge began in the late 1980s, but was delayed significantly due to catastrophic economic circumstances following the collapse of the Soviet Union. When completed, the bridge will have a total length of 5.5 km, making it one of the longest in Europe. The new bridge is slated to enter service 2009.^[4]

Ulyanovsk is served by Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport and Ulyanovsk Baratayevka Airport (Ulyanovsk Central Airport).

[edit] Education

Ulyanovsk is home to the Ulyanovsk State University, originally established in 1919, and long associated with Moscow State University. At the present time, USU is one of the largest higher educational institutions in the Volga region, comprising 6 institutes, 6 independent faculties, 2 affiliates, 5 junior colleges, 6 learning centers. USU enrolls about 15 thousand students annually, among them 125 foreign citizens from 20 countries of the world.

There is also a number of technical and pedagogical colleges in Ulyanovsk.

[edit] Architecture

During the Soviet period, Ulyanovsk lost much of its historical heritage. All traces of the original wooden fort are gone, as are all the churches of old Simbirsk; only a few 19th century buildings remain in the city, most notably the houses where Lenin lived between 1870–1887. The reconstruction of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was considered, but has since been canceled.

[edit] Gallery

The Lutheran church	A view of Kirov street	The All-saints Church	The Victory monument
The Simbirsk Orthodox Brotherhood	The Simbirsk Orthodox Brotherhood	The city's Gas-fired power plant	A mosque in the New town

[edit] Notable people

• Vladimir Lenin
• Ilya Ulyanov
• Ivan Goncharov
• Alexander Pushkin (He was in Simbirsk)
• Nikolay Karamzin
• Andrey Sakharov (He was in Ulyanovsk)
• Alexander Kerensky
• Pyotr Chardynin (1873-1934), Russian film director

[edit] Sister Cities

• Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• Macon, Georgia, USA.
• Shenzhen, PRC.
• Oklahoma City, USA.
• Saransk, Russia.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Ulyanovsk City Portal (Russian)
• The history of Simbirsk (Russian)
• High resolution satellite photos of Ulyanovsk (Russian)

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