Kungur
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Kungur (Russian: ) is a town at the south-east of Perm Krai, Russia, and is the administrative center of Kungursky District. Population: 68,943 (2002 Census); 75,500 (2000 est.; 81,800 (1989); 64,800 (1959); 36,000 (1939). Geographical location: . Area: 68.7 km².
The town was founded in 1663, and granted town status in 1781. It is situated in the Urals at the inflowing of the Iren and Shakhva Rivers into the Sylva River (Kama basin).
Kungur is an old Russian town with historic architecture. It is a trade, industrial, and transport center. It was the first European town on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Сoat of arms
The town's original coat of arms became official according with the Highest Law of Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1737. Current coat of arms was adopted in 1994.History
Kungur was founded seventeen kilometers above the Iren River's mouth on the banks of the Kungurka River in 1648. In 1662, it was burnt by Bashkirs. In 1663, it was rebuilt as a fortress on the place of Mysovskoye village. In 1774, it withstood a siege by Yemelyan Pugachev's forces. In the beginning of the 18th century, leather and footwear industries started to develop here. In 1724, a tannery was built. By the mid-18th century, Kungur became one of the most populated areas in the Urals. In 1759, Perm administration of mining plants was moved to Kungur. By the end of the 18th century, Kungur is an important transit trade centre of the Siberian road, as well as the centre of leather manufacture in Perm province. Kungur rope and linseed oil were widely known. By the end of the 19th century it became a significant industrial (including manufacture of leather footwears, gloves, and mittens) and cultural centre.Economy
SIA Turbobur (95% of Russian manufacture of turbo-drills and screw face engines, units for repairs of oil and gas wells). JSK "Kungur-footwear" (leather including army footwear). Mill of art goods (souvenirs from stone, majolica), factory of musical instruments (guitars), repair-mechanical plant, clothing and knitting mills, enterprises of food industry. In Kungur raion rye, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, vegetables are grown. Meat-dairy cattle husbandry, aviculture. Deposits of oil, gas, rock-salt, gemstones, gypsum, fireclay and brick-earth, mineral waters etc.Architecture
The most notable buildings in Kungur include the Transfiguration church (1781), Nikola cathedral, former Guest courtyard with the Burse (1865-76, architector R. O. Karvovsky), Zyryanov hospice (1881, now surgical department of a hospital), storehouses of merchants Kopakovs (the 19th century, now a Centre of Culture).Tikhvinsky temple was built in 1763 and got the name from the holy icon of Tikhvinskaya Bogomater. Now the movie theater "Oktyabr" is in the building.
There is Uspenskaya church in the down part of the town on the Kittarskaya street. It was built in 1761 thanks to the merchant Chlebnikov. On the opposite bank of the Sylva river stands the Preobrazhensky temple.
Tourism and attractions
Kungur Ice Cave
Kungur Ice Cave is located in the vicinity of Kungur on the right bank of the Sylva River. This cave is a real wonder of nature. Quaintly ramified passages stretch under the ground for over 6,000 metres, and this is only the part which has already been explored. To this day old slides and crumblings do not allow to determine the total length of the passages. In the explored part of the cave there are several dozens of grottoes. The largest one, which is called the Druzhba (Friendship) Grotto, was given its name in honour of the participants of the International Geological Congress who visited the cave in 1937. Inside this grotto there is a lake with the area of 750 m². Grottoes are "adorned" with columns of stalagmites and icicles of stalactites up to two metres in height, with delicate traces of ice and snow. Over millennia, drop by drop, lime-stone bearing water has created an infinite variety of forms in Kungur Ice Cave. The most interesting ice formations are snowflakes the size of a maple leaf. They change in size during the year and are most spectacular during late winter. March is the best time to visit the cave.The cave is filled with water from the Silva River. Twice a year, in spring and in fall, the cave gets flooded and is not accessible to tourists.
Other attractions
Belogorsky Monastery is located fifty kilometers from Kungur, not far from the village of Kalinino.
There is botanical refugium Spasskaya mountain (an area of mat-grass steppe) in Kungursky District.
Transport
-->Kungur is located at the crossing of the Solikamsk route, the Siberian path, and the Transsiberian highway.
Distance from Kungur to:
- Perm—100 km
- Yekaterinburg—300 km
- Moscow—1,533 km
Education
Education is well-developed in Kungur. Educational facilities include:- Kungur Lyceum
- Kungur College of Woodwork
- Kungur Professional Art Lyceum
- School of Arts
- Kungur Pedagogical College
- Kungur Agricultural College
- Kungur College of Autotransport
External links
- () [About Kungur].
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