Beloretsk
Encyclopedia
Beloretsk is a town in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia
, situated on the Belaya River
, 245 kilometres (152.2 mi) from Ufa
. The town serves as and the administrative center of Beloretsky District
, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population:
Town-factories were a peculiar phenomenon in the town-planning in Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beloretsk was founded as a factory settlement and this feature constitutes its principal cultural and historical value until now. The history of Beloretsk is closely related to the Beloretsk Iron Factory (since 1940 called Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex).
Beloretsk Iron Factory was built in 1762-1767 by merchants I. B. Tverdyshev and I. S. Myasnikov. They bought 170041 dessiatina of earth from bashkirs
of Belokatay volost
A Bulletin of 1776 says that the Beloretsk Iron Factory was built in 1762 and had two blast furnaces and fourteen sledge-hammers. However, the first fusion of cast iron was recorded as being done in 1767.
In 1777, Beloretsk Iron Factory produced more iron than any other factory in Russia. Productive capacity of the factory was 122,500 pood
s (~2,000 metric tons
) of cast iron and 80,000 poods (~1,300 metric tons) of iron per year. There were 840 male workers at the factory.
The factory was built on land bought from the local people. Builders and first workers of the factory were purchased praedial serfs
from Kazan
, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, and Ryazan Governorates of Russia.
The village of Lomovka was founded in the vicinity of Beloretsk. The name of the village came from the name of the profession of the people who lived there. They all were draymen
who supplied raw materials for the factory. Factory peasants also lived in the village of Arskaya, situated 8 miles (12.9 km) from their work place.
One of the memorable events in the history of Beloretsk was the participation of the factory workers in the 1773-1774 rebellion
under the leadership of Yemelyan Pugachev
.
In 1774, rebel peasants took the factory by storm and reduced it to ashes to prevent recommencement work there. The villages of Lomovka and Arskaya were also burned down. The factory was inactive for three years after that.
In 1784, Beloretsk Iron Factory was inherited by D. I. Pashkova, who in 1803 started construction of the Tirlyan Iron Factory (Tirlyan was a village 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away from Beloretsk).
In the beginning of the 19th century, Beloretsk Iron Factory had two blast-furnaces and eleven Catalan forges. The factory achieved much success in the production of metal. Cast iron produced by the factory was the cheapest in the South Urals and the iron produced was known for its ductility in the cold state.
In 1874, the firm "Vogau and Co." became the new owner of the factory.
In the end of the 19th century, the factory received the highest award at the Russian Countrywide Exhibition at Nizhny Novgorod
.
By the end of the 19th century the population of Beloretsk was 15,000. At the time, Beloretsk was a part of Orenburg Governorate
.
Factory workers were active participants of the revolutionary movement in the South Urals. In 1917, Beloretsk became a part of the Bashkir ASSR
.
In July 1918, the Beloretsk Socialistic Regiment was formed consisting of the factory workers. The Regiment formed a part of the Urals Partisan Army under the command of Vasily Blyukher
and performed a raid against the White Guard.
In 1923, Beloretsk was granted town status. The population of the new town, including the villages of Tirlyan and Lomovka, was 28,830. In 1930, Beloretsky District was formed. At the same time radical reconstruction of the Beloretsk Factory was started.
In 1940, Beloretsk Cast Iron Melting Factory, Beloretsk Iron Factory, Tirlyan Cast Iron Melting Factory, and Tirlyan Iron Factory were merged together under the name of Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex.
During World War II
, thousands of people from Beloretsk participated in the battles against German fascist aggressors. For their courage and bravery many of them received orders and medals, thirteen of them were nominated as Heroes of the Soviet Union
.
In the second half of 1941, there was a problem with the production of copper wire. The only factory that could carry out military orders was Beloretsk Copper Wire and Rope Factory. Due to the wide industrial expertise, material resources and presence of Beloretsk Iron Factory, it supplied all necessary sorts of steel, and that was most important—due to the extremely intensive hard work of thousands of half-starved local people, the factory had been successfully managing its task during World War II.
After the war, Beloretsk Iron Factory was reconstructed and extended, mechanised and automated. The factory then began to produce new kinds of products.
In 1966, Beloretsk Iron Factory was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
.
In the 1960s–1970s, residential and industrial construction was carried out on a substantial scale. A large number of social buildings consisting of more than 400 residential and industrial constructions were built in those decades.. On the ground floors of the many-storeyed buildings were cafes, shops, libraries, social and community centres. New schools and a hospital were also built.
In the 1990s, the transition to market economy led to the drastic recession of industry. Dozens of enterprises were closed, and hundreds of workers were laid off.
In 1996, Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex was changed to an open joint-stock company and is now known as Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, situated on the Belaya River
Belaya (Aghidhel) River
Belaya River is a river in the Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Its source lies in the south-western Ural Mountains. Its length is 1,430 km...
, 245 kilometres (152.2 mi) from Ufa
Ufa
-Demographics:Nationally, dominated by Russian , Bashkirs and Tatars . In addition, numerous are Ukrainians , Chuvash , Mari , Belarusians , Mordovians , Armenian , Germans , Jews , Azeris .-Government and administration:Local...
. The town serves as and the administrative center of Beloretsky District
Beloretsky District
Beloretsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the fifty-four in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. It is located in the eastern part of the oepublic and borders with Chelyabinsk Oblast in the north, Uchalinsky District in the east, Abzelilovsky District in the...
, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population:
History
It was founded in 1762 as a settlement around the newly constructed Beloretsk iron factory on the Belaya River.Town-factories were a peculiar phenomenon in the town-planning in Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beloretsk was founded as a factory settlement and this feature constitutes its principal cultural and historical value until now. The history of Beloretsk is closely related to the Beloretsk Iron Factory (since 1940 called Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex).
Beloretsk Iron Factory was built in 1762-1767 by merchants I. B. Tverdyshev and I. S. Myasnikov. They bought 170041 dessiatina of earth from bashkirs
Bashkirs
The Bashkirs are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan extending on both parts of the Ural mountains, on the place where Europe meets Asia. Groups of Bashkirs also live in the republic of Tatarstan, Perm Krai, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Samara and Saratov Oblasts of...
of Belokatay volost
A Bulletin of 1776 says that the Beloretsk Iron Factory was built in 1762 and had two blast furnaces and fourteen sledge-hammers. However, the first fusion of cast iron was recorded as being done in 1767.
In 1777, Beloretsk Iron Factory produced more iron than any other factory in Russia. Productive capacity of the factory was 122,500 pood
Pood
Pood , is a unit of mass equal to 40 funt . It is approximately 16.38 kilograms . It was used in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Pood was first mentioned in a number of documents of the 12th century....
s (~2,000 metric tons
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
) of cast iron and 80,000 poods (~1,300 metric tons) of iron per year. There were 840 male workers at the factory.
The factory was built on land bought from the local people. Builders and first workers of the factory were purchased praedial serfs
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
from Kazan
Kazan Governorate
The Kazan Governorate or Government of Kazan was a governorate of Imperial Russia from 1708–1920, with the city of Kazan as its capital.-History:...
, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, and Ryazan Governorates of Russia.
The village of Lomovka was founded in the vicinity of Beloretsk. The name of the village came from the name of the profession of the people who lived there. They all were draymen
Drayman
A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used for transport of all kinds of goods. Now the term is really only used for brewery delivery men, even though routine horse-drawn deliveries are almost entirely...
who supplied raw materials for the factory. Factory peasants also lived in the village of Arskaya, situated 8 miles (12.9 km) from their work place.
One of the memorable events in the history of Beloretsk was the participation of the factory workers in the 1773-1774 rebellion
Pugachev's Rebellion
Pugachev's Rebellion of 1774-75 was the principal revolt in a series of popular rebellions that took place in Russia after Catherine II seized power in 1762...
under the leadership of Yemelyan Pugachev
Yemelyan Pugachev
Yemelyan Ivanovich Pugachov , was a pretender to the Russian throne who led a great Cossack insurrection during the reign of Catherine II...
.
In 1774, rebel peasants took the factory by storm and reduced it to ashes to prevent recommencement work there. The villages of Lomovka and Arskaya were also burned down. The factory was inactive for three years after that.
In 1784, Beloretsk Iron Factory was inherited by D. I. Pashkova, who in 1803 started construction of the Tirlyan Iron Factory (Tirlyan was a village 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away from Beloretsk).
In the beginning of the 19th century, Beloretsk Iron Factory had two blast-furnaces and eleven Catalan forges. The factory achieved much success in the production of metal. Cast iron produced by the factory was the cheapest in the South Urals and the iron produced was known for its ductility in the cold state.
In 1874, the firm "Vogau and Co." became the new owner of the factory.
In the end of the 19th century, the factory received the highest award at the Russian Countrywide Exhibition at Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
.
By the end of the 19th century the population of Beloretsk was 15,000. At the time, Beloretsk was a part of Orenburg Governorate
Orenburg Governorate
Orenburg Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire with the center in the city of Orenburg.The governorate was created in 1744 from the lands annexed from Siberian and Astrakhan Governorates...
.
Factory workers were active participants of the revolutionary movement in the South Urals. In 1917, Beloretsk became a part of the Bashkir ASSR
Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the former Soviet Union. Currently it is known as Bashkortostan....
.
In July 1918, the Beloretsk Socialistic Regiment was formed consisting of the factory workers. The Regiment formed a part of the Urals Partisan Army under the command of Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Blyukher
Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher (also spelled Bliukher, Blücher, etc., , Soviet military commander, was among the prominent victims of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge of the late 1930s....
and performed a raid against the White Guard.
In 1923, Beloretsk was granted town status. The population of the new town, including the villages of Tirlyan and Lomovka, was 28,830. In 1930, Beloretsky District was formed. At the same time radical reconstruction of the Beloretsk Factory was started.
In 1940, Beloretsk Cast Iron Melting Factory, Beloretsk Iron Factory, Tirlyan Cast Iron Melting Factory, and Tirlyan Iron Factory were merged together under the name of Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, thousands of people from Beloretsk participated in the battles against German fascist aggressors. For their courage and bravery many of them received orders and medals, thirteen of them were nominated as Heroes of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
.
In the second half of 1941, there was a problem with the production of copper wire. The only factory that could carry out military orders was Beloretsk Copper Wire and Rope Factory. Due to the wide industrial expertise, material resources and presence of Beloretsk Iron Factory, it supplied all necessary sorts of steel, and that was most important—due to the extremely intensive hard work of thousands of half-starved local people, the factory had been successfully managing its task during World War II.
After the war, Beloretsk Iron Factory was reconstructed and extended, mechanised and automated. The factory then began to produce new kinds of products.
In 1966, Beloretsk Iron Factory was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
.
In the 1960s–1970s, residential and industrial construction was carried out on a substantial scale. A large number of social buildings consisting of more than 400 residential and industrial constructions were built in those decades.. On the ground floors of the many-storeyed buildings were cafes, shops, libraries, social and community centres. New schools and a hospital were also built.
In the 1990s, the transition to market economy led to the drastic recession of industry. Dozens of enterprises were closed, and hundreds of workers were laid off.
In 1996, Beloretsk Metallurgical Complex was changed to an open joint-stock company and is now known as Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant.