- 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 arailroad station on theTrans-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 withprincipality .Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky grew and developed around its ironrefinery functioning since 1789. From 1830 to 1839 the hamlet was a detention place for 71Decembrists transmitted from Chita, in addition, 10disfranchise d 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 ofSergei 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]
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