Chelyabinsk Oblast.

History

In the 18th century the Orenburg Expedition built a chain of forts here; in 1736 Colonel Tevkelev founded the Chelyabinsk fortress on the Miass River. From the mid-century on, Zlatoust, Kyshtym and Miass grew up around ironworks. The Trans-Siberian Railway reached Chelyabinsk in 1892, turning it into a gateway to Siberia. During the Second World War the city was nicknamed Tankograd, and the Magnitogorsk works produced a vast share of the country's steel. The oblast itself was formed in 1934.

Culture & traditions

The region is famous for two crafts: Kasli art casting in cast iron and Zlatoust engraving on steel. Chelyabinsk has had an opera and ballet theatre since 1956, and its museums display fragments of the meteor that exploded over the region on 15 February 2013. In the south lies Arkaim, a fortified Bronze Age settlement of the Sintashta culture found in 1987; its discovery saved the site from being flooded by a reservoir. Magnitogorsk is home to the Rear-Front Memorial.

Nature

The oblast has more than 3,700 lakes; among the best known are Turgoyak, Uvildy, Kisegach and the mountain lake Zyuratkul. The highest point is Mount Nurgush at 1,406 metres. Taganay National Park, set up in 1991, is described as the first in the Urals, with ridges, alpine meadows and old mineral mines. Zyuratkul is another national park, and the Ilmen Reserve is known for its wide variety of minerals.

Sport

Hockey is the region's passion: Traktor Chelyabinsk, founded in 1947, plays at Traktor Arena, while Metallurg Magnitogorsk developed players such as Evgeni Malkin. Chelyabinsk hosted the 2014 World Judo Championships and the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships. Volleyball star Yekaterina Gamova and hockey players Evgeny Kuznetsov and Valeri Nichushkin come from the city. The Abzakovo ski resort lies near Magnitogorsk.

Food & drink

Russians, Bashkirs and Tatars live side by side here, and home cooking blends their traditions. The steppe south is farming country, while the mountain and lake country in the west draws those who enjoy the outdoors.

Practical information

The main airport is Kurchatov Chelyabinsk International Airport (Balandino), 18 km north of the city. The Trans-Siberian Railway runs through Chelyabinsk. Local time is Moscow plus two hours. The climate is humid continental, averaging about −15°C in winter and +19°C in summer. Summer and early autumn, when the lakes and mountain trails are at their best, are the ideal time to visit.

What to see

• Taganay National Park — ridges, alpine meadows and old mines near Zlatoust
• Arkaim — a Bronze Age settlement in the Southern Ural steppe
• Lake Turgoyak — one of the region's best-known lakes
• Zyuratkul — a mountain lake and national park
• Ilmen Reserve — a treasure house of minerals
• Rear-Front Memorial in Magnitogorsk — a tribute to the Urals' wartime labour

Cities on the map

• Chelyabinsk 1,156,201