Arzamas (, ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,119,115 as of the 2021 Ru ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located on the

Tyosha River The Tyosha () is a river in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia, a right tributary of the Oka.Тёша (река)

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Oka), east of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. As of 2024, it has a population of 103,629.

History

Arzamas was founded in 1578, during the reign

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

, in the lands populated at the time by

Mordvins Mordvins (also Mordvinians, Mordovians; ; no equivalents in Moksha language, Moksha and Erzya language, Erzya) is an official term used in Russia and the Soviet Union to refer both to Erzyas and Mokshas since 1928. Names While Robert Gordon ...

. By 1737, more than 7,000 people lived in Arzamas and the town became a major transit centre on the route from

to eastern parts of Russia. It was known for its

geese A goose (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...

and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s as well as leather crafts.

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

in 1781 granted town status to Arzamas and a coat of arms based on the colours of the Arzamas regiment. In the early 19th century, Arzamas had over twenty churches and cathedrals, the foremost being the Resurrection Cathedral. It was built in the Empire style to commemorate the Russian victory over

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

in 1812.

Alexander Stupin Alexander Vasilyevich Stupin (; February 1776 in Arzamas – in Arzamas) was a Russian painter and art teacher. He founded and led the Arzamas School of Painting, Russia's first provincially based art school. Biography He was the illegit ...

art school was located in Arzamas between 1802 and 1862 and many famous Russian artists studied there, including

Vasily Perov Vasily Grigorevich Perov (; 2 January 1834 O.S. 21 December 1833">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 21 December 1833– 10 June .S. 29 May1882) was a Russian painter, a key figure ...

. By the early 20th century it was still an important centre of trade, and had tanneries, oil, flour, tallow, dye, soap and iron works; knitting was an important domestic industry, while sheepskins and sail-cloth were articles of trade. The 1897 population was 10,591. From 1954 to 1957, Arzamas was the center of Arzamas Oblast, a short-lived administrative unit that was split from

Gorky Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It has a population of 3,119,115 as of the 2021 Census. From 1932 to 1990 it was known as Gorky Oblast (). The oblast ...

and later merged back into it. In 1988, the city was the site of the Arzamas train disaster which caused the death of ninety-one people.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Arzamas serves as the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Arzamassky District Arzamassky District () is an administrative district (raion), one of the forty in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia.Order #3-od Municipally, it is incorporated as Arzamassky Municipal District.Resolution #670 It is located in the southern central pa ...

, even though it is not a part of it.Order #3-od As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the city of oblast significance of Arzamas—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

.Law #184-Z As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Arzamas is incorporated as Arzamas Urban Okrug.Law #142-Z

Population

Ethnic composition (2010): *

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

– 97.9% *

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

– 0.4% * Others – 1.7%

Economy

left, 200px, 11th microdistrict of Arzamas Local industry includes

Arzamas Machine-Building Plant Arzamas Machine-Building Plant () is a company based in Arzamas, Russia and established in 1972. It is part of the Military Industrial Company group. The Arzamas Machine-Building Plant assembles the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier, the Tigr 4× ...

, a manufacturer of military and specialized civilian automotive vehicles (such as

BTR-80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled Amphibious vehicle, amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first de ...

GAZ Tigr The Tigr () is a Russian Four-wheel drive, 4×4 multipurpose all-terrain infantry mobility vehicle manufactured by Military Industrial Company, first delivered to the Russian Ground Forces, Russian Army in 2006. Primarily used by the Russian Arm ...

). It is now part of the

GAZ Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

holding company. Also in Arzamaz there is the Peshelansky gypsum plant, which has been operating since 1933.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Arzamas is twinned with: * Popovo,

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Ruma Ruma (; ) is a town and municipality in the Srem District of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the town has a population of 27,747, while the municipality has a population of 48,621. History Traces of organized human life ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Valozhyn Valozhyn or Volozhin (, ; ; ; ; ) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Valozhyn District. It is located northwest of the capital Minsk, on the Valozhynka River in the Neman, Neman River basin, and the begi ...

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

New Athos New Athos or Akhali Atoni is a town in the Gudauta Municipality of Abkhazia situated some from Sokhumi by the shores of the Black Sea. The town was previously known under the names Nikopol, Acheisos, Anakopia, Nikopia, Nikofia, Nikopsis, Absara ...

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Alupka Alupka (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and Russian language, Russian: ; ; , Alòpex) is a resort city located in the Crimea, Crimean peninsula, a territory of Ukraine currently annexed by Russian Federation (see 2014 Crimean crisis). It is located ...

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Armenia, 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border ...

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Official Website of the Municipality of Ejmiatsin
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Notable people

*Patriarch

Sergius I of Moscow Patriarch Sergius (; born Ivan Nikolayevich Stragorodsky, Иван Николаевич Страгородский; – May 15, 1944) was the 12th Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus', from September 8, 1943 until his death on May 15, 1944. He ...

* Marina Orlova, philologist * Evgeny Namestnikov, ice hockey player *

Leonid Nikolaev Leonid Vasilevich Nikolaev (10 May 1904 – 29 December 1934) was the Russian assassin of Sergei Kirov, the First Secretary of Leningrad City Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Early life Nikolaev was a troubled young So ...

, conductor *

, painter

References

Notes

Sources

* * * *

External links

Official website of Arzamas

Directory of organizations in Arzamas

Pictures of Arzamas
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Arzamassky Uyezd Populated places established in 1578