The Urals is one of the most picturesque regions of the Russian Federation. One must have enormous endurance in order not to pay attention to this region as a traveler. The largest cities of the Urals, such as Yekaterinburg, Perm and others, are important centers of industry and economy. Although some of them may seem uninteresting at first glance, there are many attractions on their territory. The people of these cities honor their history, life and traditions that have been formed over centuries.
Izhevsk
First of all, Izhevsk is famous as the birthplace of Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov, an arms designer. The machine gun of his name forever went down in the history of firearms. Like many other cities of the Urals, the development of Izhevsk fell on the period of active development of iron deposits in the XVIII century. Before the war with the army of Napoleon, an arms factory was laid in the city.
Izhevsk is the capital of Udmurtia. Currently, much is being done in the city in particular and in the republic as a whole to preserve the identity and self-determination of the indigenous nation. A theater operates in Izhevsk, where productions are conducted only in the Udmurt language, and the press is published.
Ekaterinburg (Ural)
Yekaterinburg is the fourth largest city in Russia. It is the largest industrial, scientific and financial center of the Urals. In addition, it is a major transportation hub. It was founded during the reign of Peter the Great, when iron was discovered and mined in the bowels of the Ural Mountains.
Significant for the Russian Federation is the Ural region. Yekaterinburg is inhabited by almost 1.5 million people. There are all types of public transport, including the subway. There is an international airport. According to Forbes magazine, the headquarters of the two companies, one of the 100 largest assets by value, are located in Yekaterinburg. In the last century, the city was one of the centers of the revolutionary movement in the Urals. One of the most tragic pages of Russian history is connected with him: it was here that the last Emperor Nicholas II was shot with his family.
Chelyabinsk (Ural)
Chelyabinsk is one of the largest cities in the Urals. He ranks seventh in terms of population. In 2016, the number of residents exceeds 1.1 million people. The city connects its economic development at the end of the century before last with the name of Emperor Alexander III. At his direction, a railway was laid through Chelyabinsk. Having become an important point in the scheme of trade routes, a small county town began to develop rapidly. Chelyabinsk is one of the ten largest cities in the Urals and Russia in terms of population. It is located on one of the rivers of the state.
During the war, the city supplied tanks for the front, and indeed, many factories evacuated from the European part of the country were concentrated in it. In Chelyabinsk, there is a tractor plant, metal rolling enterprises, known far beyond the borders of the country and Europe.
Ufa
The capital of Bashkortostan is located on the Belaya River, originating from the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. An interesting feature of the soil in this city. There are more than 20 caves near Ufa, which makes it impossible, in principle, to build subway lines. However, the city may well claim this, since more than a million inhabitants live in it.
In Ufa, a very heterogeneous ethnic composition. In addition to the Bashkirs, Tatars and Russians live here, and the Islamic religion and Orthodoxy peacefully coexist with each other. A similar ratio is inherent in almost the entire territory of such an area as the Urals.
Ufa has huge economic potential, which is concentrated in the sectors of the chemical, metallurgical and oil refining industries. This city is a major transportation hub. There is an international airport.
Permian
Continuing the conditional list "The largest cities of the Urals", I want to talk about Perm. This is a city in the Urals, where in 1876 the first railway line was built in the region of the Ural Range. The first university in the Urals was opened in Perm.
For the construction of a smelter in 1720, Peter the Great's associates chose a place on the territory of which modern Perm is located. The city was one of the centers of the 1905 revolution, the famous Motovilikhinsky uprising took place here.
In terms of industrial production, Perm is the first city in the Urals. Kama Hydroelectric Power Station, located near it, is one of the largest in the country. In Perm there are many large enterprises in the chemical and metalworking industries. The Perm-2 railway station is the largest in the Ural region.
The largest cities of the Urals are of great value to tourists not only from other parts of Russia, but also from abroad. You must visit them anyway.