Kirishi is a town in Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast

Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...

, Russia

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 right bank of the Volkhov River

Volkhov River

Volkhov is a river in Novgorod Oblast and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia.-Geography:The Volkhov flows out of Lake Ilmen north into Lake Ladoga, the largest lake of Europe. It is the second largest tributary of Lake Ladoga. It is navigable over its whole length. Discharge is highly...

, 115 kilometres (71.5 mi) southeast of St. Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

. Population:

History

The name of the town originates from the Kirisha River (previously Kiresha), a tributary of the Volkhov River.

The settlement of Kirishi was first mentioned in 1693. It was completely destroyed in 1943 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...

.

In 1960, it was rebuilt, and the Kirishi oil refinery

Kinef

Kinef is a Russian joint stock production association operating a large oil refinery based in Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast. It is a subsidiary of Surgutneftegaz. The Kirishi refinery is the only one in Northwestern Russia.Construction of the refinery had begun in 1961 in an area devastated by World...

 was constructed. Town status granted in 1965.

In 1974, a "BVK" (belkovo-vitaminny kontsentrat, i.e., "protein-vitamin concentrate") production facility was constructed next to the oil refinery. This was the USSR Ministry of Microbiological Industry's second plant of this kind (after the one in Kstovo

Kstovo

Kstovo is a town and the administrative center of Kstovsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, southeast of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: -History:...

, opened in 1973). It used n-parafins (byproducts of oil refining) as feedstock for yeast

Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...

, which in its turn produced single-cell protein, used as poultry and cattle feed.

After a 1987 accident at the microbiological plant, mass protests forced the Supreme Soviet

Supreme Soviet

The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...

 (1989) to close down the facility, as well as its seven sister plants throughout the Soviet Union.

Twin towns/sister cities

Kirishi is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Iisalmi

Iisalmi

Iisalmi is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 Tysfjord

Tysfjord

Tysfjord or Divtasvuodna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøpsvik...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...