Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky (town)

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Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky (Russian: Петро́вск-Забайка́льский) is a town in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. It was founded as Petrovsky Zavod in 1789, and was granted town status and renamed in 1926.

1 Geographical location
2 History
3 Population
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geographical location

The town lies in the valley between mountain ranges Zagan-Daban and Zagorinsky. Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky stretches along the Balyaga river. The town is seated 413 km southwest of Chita. It is a railroad station on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and on an interurban route Chita - Ulan-Ude.

[edit] History

Before exploring expeditions of the Russian cossacks in the 17th century, the future Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky's spot was a route junction of nomadic Buryat tribes. Peter the Great granted the heads of the tribes with principality. Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky grew and developed around its iron refinery functioning since 1789. From 1830 to 1839 the hamlet was a detention place for 71 Decembrists transmitted from Chita, in addition, 10 disfranchised wives of them lived in notorious conditions of the exile. There is a commemorating mark on the railway station. In a restored house of the princess Elena Troubetzkoy, wife of Sergei Petrovich Troubetzkoy, was organized a museum, opened on October 10, 1980.

In Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky's historical district there are several buildings related to the times of Decembrists in the town such as, Muraviev's wife funeral chapel, Troubetzkoy's wife grave etc.

In 1940 a new iron refinery was built, which was of the important iron factories in the region during following decades. In modern Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky there are a glass plant, sawmill, food factories.

[edit] Population

There is a significant decrease (one third of its residents has fled to nearby cities) in population since the 1990s because of unbearable socio-economical conditions. According to the All USSR Census in 1979, there were 30,867 residents in the town, in 2005 about 20,000.