Biysk ( rus, Бийск, p=bʲijsk; , ) 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 ...

Altai Krai Altai Krai (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders, clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan ( East Kazakhstan Region, Abai Region and Pavlodar Region), Novosibirsk and Kemerovo, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative ce ...

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

Biya River The Biya (; , ''Biy'') is a river in the Altai Republic and Altai Krai in Russia. At its confluence with the Katun, downstream of the city Biysk, the Ob is formed. The Biya is 301 km long; the area of its drainage basin A drainage bas ...

not far from its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the

Katun River The Katun ( ; ) is a river in the Altai Republic and the Altai Krai of Russia. It forms the Ob as it joins the Biya some southwest of Biysk.

. It is the second largest city of the

krai A krai or kray (; , , ''kraya'') is one of the types of federal subjects of modern Russia, and was a type of geographical administrative division in the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. Etymologically, the word is related to the verb "" ...

(after

Barnaul Barnaul (, ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob (river), Ob rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As of the Russian Censu ...

, 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 ...

of the

). Population:

History

The fortress of Bikatunskaya (), or Bikatunsky Ostrog (), was founded in 1708-1709: it was constructed near the confluence of Biya and Katun Rivers (hence the name) in 1709 by the order the Russian

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

signed in 1708. Yet, in 1710, after a three-day battle, the ostrog was destroyed by the

Dzungar people The Dzungar people (also written as Zunghar or Junggar; from the Mongolian language, Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') are the many Mongol Oirats, Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. H ...

. The Bikatunskaya fortress was re-built at a new place ( up the Biya, on the right bank of the river) in 1718 and renamed Biyskaya () in 1732. Gradually, Biysk lost its role as a military base, but became an important center of trade, and was granted town status in 1782. In 1797, the town was abolished, but in 1804 it was restored as an

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

town of

Tomsk Governorate Tomsk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1804 to 1925 as part of Siberian Governorate-General (1804–1822) and West Siberian ...

and granted the coat of arms which is still in use.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Biysk serves as the

of Biysky District, even though it is not a part of it.Law #28-ZS As an administrative division, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated separately as the city of krai significance of Biysk—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 #28-ZS As a municipal division, the city of krai significance of Biysk is incorporated as Biysk Urban Okrug.Law #115-ZS

Economy

The city's industry grew rapidly, especially after some factories were evacuated there from the west of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Later the city was an important center of arms development (including

solid-fuel rocket A solid-propellant rocket or solid rocket is a rocket with a rocket engine that uses Rocket propellant#Solid chemical propellants, solid propellants (fuel/oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder. The incepti ...

engines) and production and still remains an industrial center.

Evalar Evalar () is a Russian company producing dietary supplements. As of 2014, it held the largest share – 17% – of Russia's dietary supplements market. History The company was established in 1991 on the basis of Altai Research Institute of Che ...

, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Russia, is headquartered in Biysk.

Transportation

Biysk has a railway station, a port on the Biya, and is served by the Biysk Airport. The route of federal importance

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and the Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 1,633,595, making it the most populous city in Siber ...

-Biysk-Tashanta (Chuysky Highway) passes through the city.

Education and culture

Biysk is a center of education and culture, and a home to an academy of education, a technical institute and other educational institutions, a drama theater (founded in 1943), a museum of local lore, and other facilities.

Geography

The city is called ''"the gates to the

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...

"'', because of its position comparatively not far from this range. Chuysky Highway begins in Biysk and then goes through the

Altai Republic The Altai Republic, also known as the Gorno-Altai Republic, is a republic of Russia located in southern Siberia. The republic borders Kemerovo Oblast to the north, Khakassia to the northeast, Tuva to the east, Altai Krai to the west, as well ...

to Russia's border with Mongolia.

Climate

Biysk has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') with frigid, rather dry winters and very warm, damp summers.

Notable people

* Alexander Bessmertnykh (born 1933), Russian diplomat * Aleksandr Bogatyryov (1963–2009), Kazakhstani football player * Lev Bogomolets (1911–2009), Soviet Russian painter * Artyom Fomin (born 1988), Russian footballer * Konstantin Garbuz (born 1988), Russian footballer * Sergey Kamenskiy (born 1987), Russian sports shooter * David Khurtsidze (born 1993), Russian footballer *

Vsevolod Kukushkin Vsevolod Vladimirovich Kukushkin (; born 3 May 1942) is a Russian journalist, writer and ice hockey administrator. He has written for ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'', TASS, RIA Novosti and ''Sport Express''. He traveled with the Soviet Union national ...

(born 1942), Russian journalist, writer and ice hockey administrator * Ilyas Kurkaev (born 1994), Russian volleyball player * Aleksandr Lokshin (1920–1987), Russian composer of classical music

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

Official website of Biysk

Biysk Business Directory
{{Use mdy dates, date=May 2011 Cities and towns in Altai Krai Tomsk Governorate Populated places established in 1709 Naukograds 1709 establishments in Russia