Novouralsk
Encyclopedia
Novouralsk is a closed
town in Sverdlovsk Oblast
, Russia
. Population:
The town, formerly known as Sverdlovsk-44, is situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range
, about 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) north of Yekaterinburg
. Although it came into being during World War II, and was named Novouralsk in 1954, it was kept secret until 1994, and has since had closed town status.
The town is laid out in a grid format
, divided north/south by the central street on which the main administrative building is located. It is subdivided into five residential districts, each covering 10,000 hectares. The town's economy is dominated by the nuclear, automobile and construction industries.
technology, as well as the manufacture of instruments and industrial systems for the nuclear industry. The plant began operating in 1949 and was the site of the Soviet Union's first gaseous diffusion enrichment plant. In 1950, certain technical difficulties were resolved and UECP began producing tens of kilograms of 90 percent enriched uranium
. The original plant, called D-1, was extended to include plant D-3 in 1951, and plants D-4 and D-5 in 1953. Officials from the Ministry of Atomic Industry once said that Sverdlovsk-44 was the only plant ever used to produce weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium.
The plant lead the development of Russian centrifuge technology, has used seventh-generation gas centrifuges since 1996 and has developed eighth-generation centrifuges. UECP now produces LEU using centrifuge technology. It is one of four Russian enrichment facilities.
Another major industrial enterprise was the Urals Auto Motor Plant , founded in 1967. It was the subsidiary of the Likhachyov Moscow's Auto Motor Plant (ЗИЛ). However, the Urals Auto Motor Plant declared bankruptcy in 2000 and was later acquired by Automobiles and Motors of the Urals (АМУР), a joint Russian-Chinese car manufacturing venture.
Modern-day Novouralsk has two Cultural Centers, three libraries, which are considered the best in the region, a children's arts school and a children's musical school, two cinemas, a museum, a puppet theater, and an amusement park. The Central Town Library has become a focus for cultural activities and holds over 800 events annually. The library is fully computerized, and offers free Internet access, and Novouralsk citizens consider their library to be one of the best in Russia. Another library in the town caters solely for children and young people. Cultural life has evolved as the town has grown. The first social club opened in 1947, home to a brass band and various clubs, including drama, followed by cinema and a library in 1949. A musical school opened in 1950 and the Operetta Theater in 1951. The Theater can seat up to 600 people, and the company has traveled to dozens of Russian cities, and to practically every town in the Urals. The Puppet Theater Skazka was founded in 1957. The Municipal Concert-Sports Complex was opened in 1998, a modern facility with an artificial ice rink and a hockey pitch. It can be used as an ice stadium or sports or a concert ground with seating for 1,270 people. The Historical and Area-Study Museum has over 8,000 exhibits.
Closed city
A closed city or closed town is a settlement with travel and residency restrictions in the Soviet Union and some of its successor countries. In modern Russia, such places are officially known as "closed administrative-territorial formations" ....
town in Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: -Geography:...
, 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...
. Population:
The town, formerly known as Sverdlovsk-44, is situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
, about 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) north of Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
. Although it came into being during World War II, and was named Novouralsk in 1954, it was kept secret until 1994, and has since had closed town status.
The town is laid out in a grid format
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, divided north/south by the central street on which the main administrative building is located. It is subdivided into five residential districts, each covering 10,000 hectares. The town's economy is dominated by the nuclear, automobile and construction industries.
Economy
The Ural Electro Chemical Plant (UECP/УЭХК)'s main activities are uranium enrichment and the development of centrifugeCentrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
technology, as well as the manufacture of instruments and industrial systems for the nuclear industry. The plant began operating in 1949 and was the site of the Soviet Union's first gaseous diffusion enrichment plant. In 1950, certain technical difficulties were resolved and UECP began producing tens of kilograms of 90 percent enriched uranium
Enriched uranium
Enriched uranium is a kind of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Natural uranium is 99.284% 238U isotope, with 235U only constituting about 0.711% of its weight...
. The original plant, called D-1, was extended to include plant D-3 in 1951, and plants D-4 and D-5 in 1953. Officials from the Ministry of Atomic Industry once said that Sverdlovsk-44 was the only plant ever used to produce weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium.
The plant lead the development of Russian centrifuge technology, has used seventh-generation gas centrifuges since 1996 and has developed eighth-generation centrifuges. UECP now produces LEU using centrifuge technology. It is one of four Russian enrichment facilities.
Another major industrial enterprise was the Urals Auto Motor Plant , founded in 1967. It was the subsidiary of the Likhachyov Moscow's Auto Motor Plant (ЗИЛ). However, the Urals Auto Motor Plant declared bankruptcy in 2000 and was later acquired by Automobiles and Motors of the Urals (АМУР), a joint Russian-Chinese car manufacturing venture.
Education and sport
Novouralsk's educational facilities include Novouralsks Engineering Physical Institute, Polytechnic College, Medical College, Pedagogical College. There are also 22 schools and 27 kindergartens.Modern-day Novouralsk has two Cultural Centers, three libraries, which are considered the best in the region, a children's arts school and a children's musical school, two cinemas, a museum, a puppet theater, and an amusement park. The Central Town Library has become a focus for cultural activities and holds over 800 events annually. The library is fully computerized, and offers free Internet access, and Novouralsk citizens consider their library to be one of the best in Russia. Another library in the town caters solely for children and young people. Cultural life has evolved as the town has grown. The first social club opened in 1947, home to a brass band and various clubs, including drama, followed by cinema and a library in 1949. A musical school opened in 1950 and the Operetta Theater in 1951. The Theater can seat up to 600 people, and the company has traveled to dozens of Russian cities, and to practically every town in the Urals. The Puppet Theater Skazka was founded in 1957. The Municipal Concert-Sports Complex was opened in 1998, a modern facility with an artificial ice rink and a hockey pitch. It can be used as an ice stadium or sports or a concert ground with seating for 1,270 people. The Historical and Area-Study Museum has over 8,000 exhibits.