| Korolyov (English) Королёв (Russian) |
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Entrance to the city (October 2003) |
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Location of Moscow Oblast in Russia |
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Korolyov
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| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Moscow Oblast |
| Municipal status | |
| Urban okrug | Korolyov Urban Okrug |
| Mayor[1] | Valery Minakov[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 51.95 km2 (20.06 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
183,452 inhabitants[2] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 98th |
| Population (2002 Census) | 142,568 inhabitants[3] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 117th |
| Density | 3,531 /km2 (9,150 /sq mi)[4] |
| Time zone | MSD (UTC+04:00)[5] |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Previous names | Kaliningrad (until July 1996) |
| Postal code(s) | 141070–141080 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 495 |
| Official website | |
Korolyov or Korolev (Russian: Королёв) is an industrial city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, well known as the cradle of Soviet and Russian space exploration. It was originally founded as Kaliningrad (Калинингра́д) in 1938 by Vasily Boldyrev, Naum Nosovsky, and Mikhail Loginov as the leading Soviet center for production of anti-tank and air-defense guns.
In 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, the artillery plant was reconstructed for production of rockets, launch vehicles, and spacecraft, under the guidance of Russian scientist and academician Sergei Korolev, who envisioned, consolidated and guided the activities of many people in the Soviet space-exploration program. The plant later became known as RKK Energia. Mission Control Center is also located in Korolyov. While the Vostok space vehicle was being developed this research centre was designated as NII-88 or POB 989. Since 1997 Korolyov has hosted the International Space Olympics, an annual competition for young people, to promote space related research.
In July 1996, the city was renamed in commemoration of Sergei Korolev, who died in 1966.
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In the 12th century, a Slavic settlement was located on the site of modern Korolyov. The settlement stood on a junction of trade routes between the Moscow and Vladimir-Suzdal principalities. After the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, the region was in decline. In the 18th century, one of the first textile factories in Russia was established here.
In 1924, the first OGPU working commune in the Soviet Union was established here. In 1938, the town of Kaliningrad was founded in place of the Kalininsky settlement near an artillery plant, which had previously been evacuated from Leningrad.
The area was a place of elite dachas at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Many famous people, such as Konstantin Stanislavski, Anton Chekhov, Valery Bryusov, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova, Isaac Levitan, Pavel Tretyakov, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Vladimir Lenin, lived here.
As of 2002, Korolyov was the seventh-largest city in Moscow Oblast, with a population of 142,568 (2002 Census).[3] In 2007, it became the fourth-largest one in the oblast with a population of 173,600,[6] mostly because of an influx of new inhabitants considering it one of the most attractive places to live near Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 183,452.[2]
The main enterprise of the city is the RKK Energia, but there are several kinds of industry in the city. This naukograd (science city) is the place in which was built the first Youth Residential Complex in USSR. Another famous company located in the city is OAO Kompozit, which is engaged in the field of materials science.
The bandy club Vympel [1] plays in the second-highest division of the Russian Bandy League.[7]