An old patriarchal city that retained its originality and good provincial charm. One of the first Russian towns in Bashkiria, which today is recognized as a historical and cultural monument. The city was built on the site of a village burned during the Bashkir uprising. Recently, the population of Birsk celebrated the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city.
general information
The city is located in the southern part of the Urals, on the right mountainous bank of the Belaya River (a tributary of the Kama River), near the confluence of the small river Bir. This is a forest-steppe zone on the Pribelskaya rocky undulating plain.
The status of the city received in 1781. Birsk is the administrative center (since August 20, 1930) of the homonymous district and urban settlement of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The capital of the republic, the city of Ufa, is 100 km away. Nearby is a regional highway Ufa - Birsk - Yanaul.
The city has historical and religious buildings that create a unique atmosphere of a provincial Russian town. Architectural monuments include Holy Trinity Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, St. Michael the Archangel and the Church of the Intercession. Well preserved one-story buildings of the XIX century.
origin of name
The famous Russian historian Tatishchev believed that the name of the city, which he received along the Bir River, comes from the Tatar word "bir", which translates as "first". The historian wrote that the Tatars gave this name because it was the first Russian fortress built in these places. Tatishchev also noted that the Russians themselves in 1555 called their settlement Chelyadin, named after the first builder of the city.
The generally accepted version - Birsk got its name from the corresponding hydronym. The local population, Tatars and Bashkirs, name the river Bir-su (or Bire-suu), which translates as “wolf water”. In addition, old-timers, in accordance with urban legends, say that the city was formerly called the Archangel, after the name of the first church in the name of the Archangel Michael, then built in it.
Foundation of the city
The history of the city begins in 1663, when the construction of the Birsk fortress was begun. Soon, a settlement was built outside its walls, in which agriculture and crafts flourished, bringing considerable income. The successful development of the village was greatly facilitated by its convenient location - on the Kama tributary. In 1774, Pugachev’s troops burned the posad along with the fortress. In 1782, Birsk became a county center.
The city grew around Trinity Square, on which was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, built in 1842. In 1882 a foreign teacher’s school was built, in which the Tatar and Bashkir population of Birsk could study. For a long time the city was completely built up only with wooden buildings. In the XX century, the construction of stone buildings begins. The first to appear were a real school, a female gymnasium and a trade school, and stone pavements were laid.
In the first years after the revolution, only agricultural processing enterprises worked in the city - a winery, a mill, and some artisanal enterprises. In the 30s, a pedagogical, medical and cooperative school was organized in Birsk. During the war, evacuees lived in the buildings of educational institutions, of which there were about 4 thousand in the city.
Post-war development
An important catalyst for the development of the city is the opening of the Bashvostoknefterazvedka trust in the 1950s, which managed to explore more than fifty hydrocarbon deposits in the area. A significant amount of exploration has attracted a large amount of labor resources from other regions of the country to the city. By 1967, the population of Birsk had grown to 32,000.
In the 70s, the drilling operations department was organized, and the development and development of oil fields began. Oil production stimulated the development of the region's economy, the city began to be improved, new residential neighborhoods, cultural and healthcare institutions were being built. According to the latest Soviet census, the population of Birsk was 34,881 inhabitants.
Modernity
Thanks to the oil industry, 160 and 165 quarters were built up, schools, kindergartens, a club, and the Neftyanik shopping center were built. A gas pipeline was extended to the city and a gas distribution station was organized. In the post-Soviet era, the city’s economy continued to develop successfully thanks to hydrocarbon production and high oil prices. In the first year of independence, the population of Birsk reached 36,100.
The Birsk Drilling Office was privatized, now the company is owned by Lukoil.
The population growth of the city of Birsk continued until the 2008 global economic crisis. Then the city was inhabited by 43,809 people. In the next three years, the number of citizens declined slightly due to natural causes. In 2010, 41 635 people lived in the city.
In terms of ethnic composition, Russians accounted for the largest share - 53.6%, Tatars were the second largest group - 16.8%. Then came the Bashkirs - 14.6%, and the Mari - 13.1%. After the economic recovery since 2012, the number of residents of the city continued to grow. In 2017, the population reached a maximum number of 46,330 people.