Yugorsk

Yugorsk ( _ru. Югорск) is a town in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, situated in the northwestern part of the East-West lowland, 420 kilometers from Khanty-Mansiysk. The relief in the town is flat. The town is surrounded by forests. The Ess River flows five kilometers from the town. Population: 35,000 (2006 est.)Fact|date=February 2007; 30,285 (2002 Census). Area: 144.21 km². Postal code: 628260. International dialing code: 34675.

As of 2006, the town's mayor is Rais Salakhov. The town is served by Yugorsk Sovetsky air base.

Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, as well as native Khanty and Mansi make up the majority of the population. The dominant religion is OrthodoxyFact|date=February 2007. In the town there is an Orthodox Cathedral of Sergiy Radonezhsky and also a mosque.

History

A settlement of Komsomolsky was built in 1963 to support timber and natural gas industries. The settlement grew as the gas fields of the Western Siberia were being explored, and the production association Tyumentransgas developed. In March 1959, subdivisions of railway troops started the construction of the "Ivdel-Ob" railway. Around the same time, the taiga was being explored, the first timber farms were created, and residential housing development continued. It took over thirty years to construct a compact and comfortable town.

The town was renamed Yugorsk in July 1992. The name originates from the name of the land "Yugra", or "Yugoria"—the place where the Khanty and Mansi peoples live.

In the year of the 39th anniversary, the largest Saint Sergiy Radonezhsky's Cathedral was open after the blessing of Patriarch Alexius II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Construction is currently a priority of the town authorities. A children's hospital, a secondary school #6 for six hundred students, a sports and culture complex, a medical-diagnostic complex, an entertainment center, ten apartment houses, and a row of other objects are being built simultaneously.

Economy

"Tyumentransgas" (owned by "Gazprom") is the major employer in the town, providing jobs to over 7,000 people in Yugorsk.

At present 90% of revenues of the town budget come from "Tyumentransgas" enterprise. The combined power of "Tyumentransgas" gas pumping station is the largest in the world. "Tyumentransgas" contributes to the development of towns and settlements located along pipeline routes in Western Siberia and in the Northern Urals.

Another major enterprise is "Yugorskles", which is engaged in felling, timber splicing, and furniture manufacturing.

The agricultural enterprise JSC "Yugorskoye", which specializes in cattle breeding and poultry also operates in Yugorsk.

Other companies include a construction materials plant, a brick yard, a clothing factory, and a construction company "Yugorskremstroygas".

There are three banks in the town—branches of Gazprombank, "Khanty-Mansiysky Bank of Revival and Development of the Northern People", and a branch of the Sberbank.

Education

Facilities of higher education include the branch of St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University and Zhirnovsky Oil and Gas Technical School

Despite of remoteness from the metropolitan centers, people do not feel as deprived of the cultural values. Young people of Yugorsk study at Children's Art School, Art College, are engaged in groups and sections of the municipal authorities of culture and the center "Nord". Institutions subsidiary education - clubs "Prometey" and "Amarant", sports institutions provide useful leisure for children.

Culture and mass media

Information and Cultural Centre (ICC) "NORD" includes TV and radio broadcasting company (TVRBC) "NORD" and a creation and leisure centre. TVRBC "NORD" is the first private media company in Yugorsk established in 1992. Its programs are broadcast in Yugorsk and over forty other living areas located along gas lines in Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs and in Sverdlovsk Oblast. Through the years of its existence it has grown from a small cable TV studio to a powerful media organization. It became the first regional company that used interactive television principles. The company has latest professional filming and editing equipment including a non-linear editing studio "Trinity" and a mobile TV station. In 1996, "Europa-Plus-Yugorsk" radio station was open and in 1999 "Russian Radio" started to broadcast in the area. At present TVRBC "NORD" has three TV channels (VHF and UHF) , four radio frequencies in the FM and UHF ranges, a modern TV centre and 220-meter high TV tower. Its potential audience is about a half million people. TVRBC "NORD" is a member of the National Association of Television Broadcasters. Its high reputation is confirmed by multiple awards won at national festivals
and forums.Fact|date=December 2007

The Creation and Leisure Centre unites 19 creative groups: dancing, singing and instrumental. They include the Children's Arts School uniting seven pre-school and school groups and five club associations for various categories of children. The Centre's creative groups and performers participated in many national and international festivals and contests. They were welcomed in Yugorsk and Moscow, in France and Egypt. The people living in settlements along gas lines are particularly familiar with these performers. The Centre is a head organization for cultural centres, cultural and sports centres and clubs being part of the "Tyumentransgas" 's system.

The local museum - pride of all townspeople - shows expositions about life of the indigenous population - the Khanty and Mansi, with almost forty year biography of Yugorsk, with the history of gas deposits' development telling about nowadays.

There are its own cultural traditions in the town. One of them is a district festival "Polar lights" where all-aged talents from the towns of the district and route settlements take part . Celebration of the Town's Day and Oil&Gasmen's Day has become a good tradition for the townspeople. On the first Saturday of September inhabitants of Yugorsk - old and young - leave their houses to enjoy the carnival procession, to take part in the national holiday with songs and dances.

The newspaper "Yugorsky Vestnik" (Yugorsky Mercury), the founder of which is the Administration of the town, also the departmental newspaper "Nord" and the large-circulation newspaper "Transport of Gas" are published in the town. In 1993 the television "Nord" of the "Tyumentransgas" enterprise was formed. Programs which are broadcast by the TV company, are for mass spectaculars. At present the new TV center is under construction. This center will improve the quality of broadcasting of all programs by TV and radio company "Nord". In 1995 the branch of the radio station "Europe plus Yugorsk" with the day-all-round broadcasting was formed.

The picturesque taiga is stretched around the town of Yugorsk. On the protected territories of the State natural reserve "Verkhnekondinsky", nature sanctuary of "Kondinskie lakes" and reserve "Small Sos'va" it is possible to see wild northern deer, wolf, bear, other animals. The flora of the taiga is extraordinary rich and diverse.

port

Sport has been an important way of forming a sound mind in a sound body Fact|date=December 2007. Different competitions are held at the Sport-Healthy complexes "Yubileiny" and "Smena", swimming-pools and stadiums are at the service of active leisure amateurs. There are champions who have got high titles at the International and European competitions in the town.

"Tyumentransgas" is proud of its sportsmen Fact|date=December 2007. Denis Pimankov won a silver medal at the Olympic games in swimming and is a multiple prize-winner of world championships and a European record holder in relay swimming. Sergey Kryanin is a member of the Russian national skiing team. He participated in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and 1999 world championship in Austria, and is a four-time Russian champion in super-marathon (70 km ski race). Olga Melnik won silver medals of the world championship in Germany and the Olympics in Nagano. In 1993, an indoor football team "Tyumentransgaz-YAVA" was formed and became a finalist of the Russian Indoor Football Association's Cup the same year. In 1995 "Tyumentransgaz-YAVA" was the third in the Cup of Russia and entered the Russian Highest League. In the Russian championships of 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 the team was a third-prize winner. In 1996 "Tyumentransgaz-YAVA" was the second and in 1997 - the third in the Russian Cup finals.

Yugorsk became one of the most prosperous, dynamically developing towns in Khantia-Mansia, "an island of stability" Fact|date=December 2007. Construction works are a priority line of the municipal policy. Here municipal buildings, social facilities, many-storied and private houses are being erected. Logistical support of the social sphere is given special emphasis.

External links

*ru icon [http://www.ugorsk.ru/ Official website of Yugorsk]

References