Ekaterinburg, Russia. Also known as Yekaterinburg or Sverdlovsk 1924-1991

Ekaterinburg Location.

Ekaterinburg is the capital of the Ural Federal District and Sverdlovsk Region. It is located on the Ural Mountains, separating Central Russia from Siberia and Europe from Asia.

Ekaterinburg Foundation.

Ekaterinburg was founded in 1723, by Peter I, after St. Ekaterina, patroness of Impress Ekaterina (wife of Peter I).

Ekaterinburg Area:

1143 sq. km.

Administrative Division:

7 districts

Ekaterinburg Population.

Population of Ekaterinburg is 1 339 000 inhabitants (2005), 1 350 100 inhabitants (2010)

Ekaterinburg Religion.

Main religion is Orthodox Christianity.

Ekaterinburg Government.

Ekaterinburg city government includes mayor, municipal Duma, council of city ministers, city court.

The head of Ekaterinburg.

The head of Ekaterinburg is mayor (Eugeniy Roizman, from october 2013). Alexander Yakob is the city manager and the head of city administration.

Ekaterinburg Climate:

Climate is continental. This climate is characterized by cold long winters and short mild summers. Winter average temperature is -15 C (rarely it falls to -20-30 C). Summer average temperature is +18-20 C (sometimes hotter). First snow falls in October, snow cover lies till March.

Ekaterinburg Industry.

Ekaterinburg is the centre of machine building, military-industrial establishment and metal working industry. The strategically important factories ‘Uralmash’, ‘Uralelectromash’ are located in Ekaterinburg.

After the World War II chemical and oil chemical industries were formed in Ekaterinburg, they make 8% of industrial production. Light industry is developed in Ekaterinburg (1% of industrial production). Food industry enterprises contribute to the industry of Ekaterinburg. Traditionally, Ekaterinburg is famous for stone cutting art. There is a jeweler factory “The Urals Jewellers” and an enterprise “Russian gems”.

Ekaterinburg Economics.

Ekaterinburg is the important economical center. Production volumes make about 43 million rubles per year. There are about 560 thousand working persons. 65% persons are engaged into production and manufacture, 35% are involved into social service, 11% are engaged into popular schooling, 7% work in the public health service, 5% are involved into housing and communal service, 3,5% persons are into science, 3% are engaged into government and administration, 2% work in the sphere of culture and 2% in the sphere of finance. Ekaterinburg Finances. There are 37 banks, travel checks offices, Western Union offices in Ekaterinburg.

Ekaterinburg Transport.

Ekaterinburg is one of the most important transport junction, ways from Ekaterinburg fork into 7 directions. There are 2 airports “Koltsovo” (international) and “Uktus”. Ekaterinburg is in 2 hours from Moscow by plane. There are direct flights from Germany, Czech Republic, France, UK and the USA. The Trans-Siberian railway passes through Ekaterinburg. Ways, roads, railways go in 7 directions from Ekaterinburg to other cities of the country. There is a transport network within the city: buses (about 100 routs), trams, trolleybuses, rout taxi. There is the metro in Ekaterinburg. It functions since 1992 and is famous as the shortest metro in the world.

Ekaterinburg International Relationships.

Ekaterinburg attracts foreign partners due to various events that are held in Ekaterinburg regularly and create broad investment opportunities for foreign partners. Annual Russian Economic Forum attracts many visitors to Ekaterinburg. Besides, there are different festivals, torments and other events in Ekaterinburg every year. Consulates general of the USA, Great Britain, Czechia, Germany embassies, representative offices of several foreign states and international organizations function in Ekaterinburg.

Education and Science.

The system of Education in Ekaterinburg includes more than 300 kindergartens, 233 state schools, 11 private schools, 38 state colleges, 2 private colleges, 16 state universities, institutes and academies and 13 private institutes. State Universities are the following: the Ural State University after Gorky (USU), the Ural State Technical University (UPI), The Russian State Vocational Training University, The Ural State Pedagogical University, the Ural State College after Polzunov, the Ural State Conservatoire after Mussorgsky, the Ural State Architectural Academy, the Ural State Law Academy and others. Ekaterinburg is one of the prominent scientific centers. 140 research institutes and developers lead scientific researchers here. 70 000 people are involved into research effort. The leading position belongs to the Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Service and Tourism.

Ekaterinburg has a developed infrastructure. There are more than 1 000 shops, 1 100 restaurants, cafes and canteens. Ekaterinburg attracts many tourists every year. There are about 60 comfortable hotels for the guests of the city.

The most popular places of interest in the city are orthodox churches and monasteries: the Cathedral on the Blood in the memory of Romanov's family, the Church to Alexander Nevsky. A lot of museums and art galleries are open for their visitors. Pride of the city is the Art Museum with its Cast Iron Pavilion, collection of Faberge, beauties of jewelry arts and exhibition of Russian and European paintings. There is the Geological Museum with the big collection of minerals, caved stones (about 900 types of minerals), the Museum of Nevyansk Icons. The Municipal Museum of Ural Writers includes several museums dedicated to famous Russian writers of the19th and the 20th centuries: Mamin-Sibiryak D.N., Reshetnikov F. M., Bazhov P. P. The Bazhov’s House-Museum is famous not only for its exposition, but for its location, as it is situated at the place, where the famous writer lived. Visitors can feel the atmosphere of the past here.

Ekaterinburg city is famous for its theaters too. The Opera House is one of the oldest theaters in Russia (1912). There are also the Drama theatre, The Academic Musical Comedy Theater (founded in 1933) and the Puppet Show for the little one. Visitors and citizens of Ekaterinburg enjoy the newest movies in the cinema houses. There are about 10 cinema houses: ‘Coliseum’ cinema is situated in classic architectural building (the most popular, modern and comfortable), ‘Salute’, ‘Dom Kino’ (Cinema House). As for other paces of entertainment, there are the Zoo, the Circus, Ekaterinburg casino, bowling center ‘Luna 2000’ (the biggest in Ekaterinburg), night clubs and disco halls in Ekaterinburg.

Ekaterinburg surroundings also present a great interest for guests of the city. Ganya Pit (the place where Romanovs’ remains were buried), the border between Europe and Asia, Ice cave of Kungur, Falling Town of Neveynask, Verkhoturye (Orthodox Christianity center of the Urals and Siberia), mineral springs in Obukhovo, Ilmen National Reserve, mountains (Ezhovaja, Talc Stone, Konzhakov Stone, Azov mountain), as well as winter skiing resorts and are worth visiting.