Severobaykalsk

Infobox Russian city
EnglishName = Severobaykalsk
RussianName = Северобайкальск
LocalName1 =
LocalLangName1 =
Skyline = Severo voksal3.jpg
Skyline

LatDeg = 55
LatMin = 39
LatSec = 0
LonDeg = 109
LonMin = 19
LonSec = 0
Locator

LocatorMap





CityDay =
FederalSubject = Buryatia
LeaderType = Mayor
LeaderName = Vladimir Bodrov
Area_km2 = 107
Population = 25434
PopulationRank =
FoundationDate = 1974
Event1 = Town status
Event1Date = 1980
PostalCode = 81420
DialingCode = 30130

Severobaykalsk ( _ru. Северобайка́льск, literally: "Northern Baikal") is a town in Buryatia, Russia. It is located on the northern end of Lake Baikal at the mouth of the Tyya River, convert|440|km northwest of Ulan-Ude and convert|490|km northeast of Irkutsk. Severobaykalsk has a population of 25,800 (2006 est.), down from an estimated 35,000 before 1990. The town was founded in 1974 as a work settlement for workers constructing the Baikal Amur Mainline and it was granted town status in 1980.

History

The history of Severobaykalsk is closely related to the history of the Baikal Amur Mainline. The town was founded as a logistics center and a central starting point for the railway project. To the west the railway line was developed to Bratsk and to the east to Tynda. At this time the only settlement in the area was the village Nizhneangarsk, located at the edge of a swampy plain at the northern tip of the lake. It was decided to develop the new town Severobaykalsk convert|20|km southwest of Nizhneangarsk on a plateau above the lake, thus allowing further extensions and development in the future.cite web
last = Merkel
first = Broder
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Severobaikal’sk - A new town
work =
publisher =
date = November 2004
url = http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/studenten/Baikal_2004/baikalexcursion/history/sibiria/severobaikalsk.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-16] Originally it was planned to increase the population of the town to 140,000 people. [cite book
last = Stewart
first = John Massy
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Lake Baikal: On the Brink?
publisher = The World Conservation Union
date = 1991
location =
pages = 20
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=dunVv36RTxYC&pg=PA20&dq=severobaikalsk&lr=&sig=cK4gsiB1iqKG28TH-jK6-0njWhs#PPA20,M1
doi =
id =
isbn = 283170037X]

The first volunteers of the Komsomol and workers arrived in 1974 and founded a work camp that would later become the town of Severobaykalsk. The camp was initially named New Year ( _ru. Новогодний, transliteration: "transl|ru|ALA|Novogodniy") and consisted of tents, wooden shacks and railway cars. The camp grew rapidly with the development of the railway, and Severobaykalsk was eventually granted town status in 1980.cite web
last = Terentyev
first = Yuri
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Northern Baikal area - Information about Severobaikalsk City
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.sbaikal.pp.ru/eng/region/town.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-16] During this time until official completion of the railway line in 1984 the town had a partnership with Leningrad. Since completion of the Baikal Amur Mainline the town has been in decline, with many projects cancelled during Perestroika.cite web
last = Merkel
first = Broder
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Severobaikal’sk - A new town
work =
publisher =
date = November 2004
url = http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/studenten/Baikal_2004/baikalexcursion/history/sibiria/severobaikalsk.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-16]

Population reached a high with an estimated 35,000 inhabitants in the 1980s and subsequently declined to 28,336 in 1989 and an estimated 25,800 in 2006. As the town was founded mostly by volunteers of the Komsomol the population is relatively young. Ninety percent of the population is Russian Orthodox and ten percent are Buryats.cite web
last = Merkel
first = Broder
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Severobaikal’sk - A new town
work =
publisher =
date = November 2004
url = http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/studenten/Baikal_2004/baikalexcursion/history/sibiria/severobaikalsk.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-16]

Geography

Severobaykalsk is located on a plateau at the northern end of Lake Baikal at the mouth of the Tyya River. To the west the town is surrounded by the Baikal Mountains, to the northeast by the Stanovoy Range. Severobaykalsk is geographically isolated, the closest town is Ust-Kut, more than convert|260|km|abbr=on away. The closest large cities are Ulan-Ude, convert|440|km|abbr=on to the southeast and Irkutsk, more than convert|490|km|abbr=on to the southwest.

As a Siberian town, Severobaykalsk experiences a subarctic climate, characterized by extreme variation of temperatures between seasons. Temperatures can be very warm in the summer, and brutally cold in the winter. The warmest month of the year in Severobaykalsk is July, when the mean temperature is convert|16|C. The coldest month of the year is January, when the mean temperature is only convert|-22|C|0.

Cityscape

Like most Soviet-planned cities, the town center is dominated by five to six floor high rise buildings made of prefabricated concrete panels. Because the northern region of Lake Baikal is in an seismically active region the standard design of the high rise buildings has been adapted to ensure greater resistance to earthquakes. The suburbs are dominated by shacks that trace back to the early foundation period when Severobaykalsk was a work camp. Some of these shacks are made of old railway cars.

The main avenue of Severobaykalsk is Leningradskiy Prospect, which starts at the railway station and runs through the central area of the town. The railway station is shaped similar to a sail and was designed by architects from Leningrad. In front of the railway station is a monument to volunteers and workers from Leningrad who build the town. North of the railway station, along Leningradskiy Prospect is the main square, where the town administration and the Palace of Culture of the railway workers are located. Severobaykalsk also has a church and a museum dedicated to the history of the Baikal Amur Mainline.cite web
last = Terentyev
first = Yuri
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Northern Baikal area - Information about Severobaikalsk City
work =
publisher =
date =
url = http://www.sbaikal.pp.ru/eng/region/town.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-03-16]

Transport

Severobaykalsk is connected by the Baikal Amur Mainline to Bratsk and Tayshet in the west and Tynda and Komsomolsk-on-Amur and in the east. In the summer Voskhod hydrofoils connect Severobaykalsk with Irkutsk via Port Baikal. By air Severobaykalsk is connected with Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude via Nizhneangarsk Airport located convert|23|km|abbr=on north of the town. There are no road connections to the outside world.

References

External links

* [http://www.sbaikal.pp.ru Webpage on the Northern Baikal area]