Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky (town)

Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky ( _ru. Петро́вск-Забайка́льский) is a town in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. It was founded as Petrovsky Zavod in 1789, and was granted town status and renamed in 1926.

Geographical location

The town lies in the valley between mountain ranges Zagan-Daban and Zagorinsky. Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky stretches along the Balyaga river. The town is seated 413 km southwest of Chita. It is a railroad station on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and on an interurban route Chita - Ulan-Ude.

History

Before exploring expeditions of the Russian cossacks in the 17th century, the future Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky's spot was a route junction of nomadic Buryat tribes. Peter the Great granted the heads of the tribes with principality.Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky grew and developed around its iron refinery functioning since 1789. From 1830 to 1839 the hamlet was a detention place for 71 Decembrists transmitted from Chita, in addition, 10 disfranchised wives of them lived in notorious conditions of the exile. There is a commemorating mark on the railway station. In a restored house of the princess Elena Troubetzkoy, wife of Sergei Petrovich Troubetzkoy, was organized a museum, opened on October 10, 1980.

In Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky's historical district there are several buildings related to the times of Decembrists in the town such as, Muraviev's wife funeral chapel, Troubetzkoy's wife grave etc.

In 1940 a new iron refinery was built, which was of the important iron factories in the region during following decades. In modern Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky there are a glass plant, sawmill, food factories.

Population

There is a significant decrease (one third of its residents has fled to nearby cities) in population since the 1990s because of unbearable socio-economical conditions. According to the All USSR Census in 1979, there were 30,867 residents in the town, in 2005 about 20,000.

References

*Дворниченко Н. Е., Земля за Байкалом, Иркутск, 1970;
*Прыжов И. Г., Пушкарев Л. Н., Декабристы в Сибири на Петровском Заводе, М., 1985.

External links

*ru icon [http://oldchita.megalink.ru/towns/petrovsk.htm A short history of the town.]
*ru icon [http://www.mojgorod.ru/chitinsk_obl/petrzabajk/ Statistics]
*ru icon [http://www.petrovsk.com/ Unofficial site of Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky]