Creative project Guide to the city of Orenburg

In the south of the Urals, 1441 kilometers from Moscow on the Ural River lies a city that ranks 28th in terms of population among Russian settlements - the city of Orenburg . The Orenburg region neighbors Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Saratov and Samara regions. The length of the region is truly amazing; from west to east it is 755 km, and from north to south 425 km.

Orenburg boasts an unusual history of its founding. The city was founded three times: the first time at the confluence of the Ori River with the Yaik River, the second time the fortress was founded on Red Mountain, and the third time at the site of its modern location on the banks of the Urals. The founder of the city was the scientist, geographer and politician I.K.

Kirilov, who founded the fortress at the behest of Anna Ionovna with the aim of further development of the lands of Siberia. Why did Kirilov call the city Orenburg? The name was chosen because Orenburg was planned as a fortified city on the banks of the Ori.

In 1938, Orenburg was renamed Chkalov in honor of a Soviet pilot who had nothing to do with the city. In 1957, Orenburg was returned to its original name

The impetus for the rapid development of the city was the discovery of a gas field in the 70s of the last century. Orenburg today is a modern, well-maintained city with developed infrastructure and industry.

Climatic conditions of Orenburg

Orenburg belongs to a zone of moderate continental type of climate, which turns into sharply continental. This fact has a direct impact on the sharp fluctuations in the average annual temperature in the region. So in summer the air can warm up to 40 or even 43 degrees, and in winter the temperature can drop to -45 degrees; the temperature minimum was recorded in 1942 and was -49 degrees. The average annual temperature is 5.3 degrees.

Autumn in Orenburg is short, it begins in September, and in November winter comes into its own. The weather in winter is unstable: severe frosts are replaced by a slight minus. At the end of March, spring begins in the city, but even at the end of May, cold weather can unexpectedly return to the region. Summer is short but quite hot, starting in June and ending at the end of August. There is little precipitation, which often leads to droughts.

Moreover, in the west and north of the Orenburg region there is slightly more precipitation than in the east and south. There is a trend: the further east and south, the drier.

Snow in Orenburg falls already by the beginning of November and remains until April. Moreover, the snow cover reaches its maximum height in March. The region is characterized by severe snowstorms with gusty winds, wet sticky snow or even rain. Blizzards appear due to the influence of southern and western cyclones that pass through the region. On average, there are about 50 days with blizzards per year.

It is not surprising that there are a lot of thunderstorms in Orenburg - there are about 20-30 thunderstorm days every year, most of them in July.

Orenburg

Video: Orenburg

Basic moments

Orenburg is located on the Ural River, at the place where the Sakmara River flows into it. The city is the administrative center of the Orenburg region. It is separated from Moscow by a huge distance of 1,441 kilometers. The population of Orenburg, according to 2022 data, is 564,443 people.

Orenburg is rightly called the largest political and industrial center of the entire Ural-Volga region, as well as a leading scientific and educational center, where a network of research institutes successfully operates. The city has a developed network of educational institutions - these are Orenburg State University, pedagogical, medical and agricultural universities, the Presidential Cadet School (by the way, the first in the country), institutes of various profiles and other educational institutions, including secondary specialized ones.

The names of many prominent personalities are associated with Orenburg: poets T. G. Shevchenko, A. N. Pleshcheev, G. R. Derzhavin and Musa Jalil, historian N. M. Karamzin, animator Harry Bardin, geologist Evgraf Fedorov, creator of fables I. A Krylov, lexicographer Vladimir Dahl, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, prominent Communist Party figure Georgy Malenkov, former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and others. Yuri Gagarin was educated here at the flight school. A monument was erected on the avenue bearing his name, and a memorial museum was opened in the apartment in which the first cosmonaut lived. Grigory Bakhchivandzhi, known as the world's first jet aircraft tester, studied at the same flight school. Composer A. A. Alyabyev lived here in exile. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin also set foot on Orenburg soil. The poet visited here in 1833, when he collected materials about Emelyan Pugachev, some of which were included in the story “The Captain's Daughter.”

Geography and climate

Orenburg is located at the point where two continents meet - Europe and Asia, and the city itself, thanks to the presence of a convenient railway interchange and an airport for servicing domestic and international flights, is a connecting link between them. There is even a special sign installed on the pedestrian bridge over the Ural River, symbolizing the border between Europe and Asia.

The climate of Orenburg is classified as moderate continental, turning into sharp continental. This factor directly influences the sharp fluctuations in average annual temperatures throughout the region. If, for example, in summer the air warms up to +40...+43 degrees, then in winter the thermometer drops to –45 degrees. The lowest temperature level was recorded in 1942: it was -49 degrees.

Summer in Orenburg is short but very hot. It begins in June and already at the end of August hands over the “reins of power” to autumn. Precipitation in the warm season is rare, which often leads to droughts. Autumn in the city is also short: starting in September, it gives way to winter already in November. At the same time, the first snow falls in the city, which does not melt until April.

Winter weather is not stable: periods of light frosts alternate with periods of severe frosts. The city and the entire region are characterized by strong snowstorms, gusty winds with sticky wet snow, and sometimes even rain. The occurrence of blizzards is influenced by southern and western cyclones. During the year in Orenburg you can count at least 40-50 days with snowstorms.

Spring usually arrives at the end of March, but you should not enjoy warm days ahead of time, since cold weather can return even at the end of May.

History of Orenburg

The chronicle of Orenburg, whose official founding date is considered to be 1743, is clear evidence of its unusual fate. It is the only city in our country that was founded... three times. The first settlement was founded on the banks of the Or River (hence the name), the second - in the place where the village of Krasnogor is now located.

For the third time, the city was founded in its current location, at the intersection of the Ural and Sakmara rivers. This happened on April 19 (30), 1743. The final location of Orenburg was indicated by Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuev, a Russian admiral, an actual Privy Councilor, who went down in Russian history as the organizer of the Southern Urals. Four times in its history Orenburg became a provincial and regional center, three times a district center, and from 1920 to 1925 it was even the capital of Kazakhstan. It changed its name twice: in 1938 to Chkalov, in 1957 – again to Orenburg.

Orenburg was built at the junction of the Kazakh steppes and Bashkir lands as a fortress city and a stronghold of a line of fortifications along the Yaik, Sakmara and Samara rivers, which served as an outpost on the southeastern border of Russia. It became the center of the Orenburg Russian Cossacks, established by Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna. At the same time, the city was entrusted with the mission of a center of economic and economic interaction with the peoples of Central Asia, which, first of all, implied trade relations. Therefore, in addition to the artillery yard, barracks, powder magazines and a number of other military institutions, Gostiny Dvor and customs were built.

Being a distant outskirts of the Russian Empire in the period from the 18th to the first half of the 19th century inclusive, Orenburg was used by the tsarist government as a place of exile for “people of vicious behavior.” Soldiers of the Semenovsky regiment, disbanded after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, served their sentences here. It was in Orenburg political exile that the Russian naturalist and traveler G. S. Karelin began his life as a scientist.

After the February Revolution of 1917, which changed the entire political and social structure in Russia, Orenburg more than once became the venue for the most important political events. From July 21 to 28, the first All-Kyrgyz Congress was held here, at which the autonomy of the Kyrgyz (that is, Kazakh) regions, the forms of organizing state power in them, and land issues were discussed. In July-August of the same 1917, the first and second All-Bashkir Kurultai (congresses) were held in Orenburg, which decided to create a democratic Bashkir Republic as part of federal Russia. The central council of the congress was located in the Caravanserai inn.

After the October Revolution, on December 5-13, 1917, delegates to the Second All-Kyrgyz Congress met in Orenburg, which proclaimed the Kyrgyz (Kazakh) autonomy “Alash” as part of federal Soviet Russia. And from December 8 to December 20, the All-Bashkir Kurultai, already the third in a row, proclaimed the national autonomy of Bashkortostan.

There were truly dramatic, bloody pages in the history of Orenburg. On January 31, 1918, units of the Red Army under the command of Vasily Blyukher drove out the Cossack formations of Ataman Alexander Dutov from the city, pushing him into the Turgai steppes. On April 4, 1918, the Orenburg City Council, which occupied the building of the cadet school, was raided by White Cossacks led by Ataman Nikolai Lukin. It happened at night, they came from Nezhinskaya station and slaughtered the entire first composition of the City Council, including the families of its workers - women and children. A total of 129 people died in this brutal massacre. The Red Army’s offensive on Orenburg began only on January 10, 1919, and 12 days later its two units - the 1st Revolutionary and Turkestan - united.

During the Soviet period, the city's population increased significantly - almost 6 times compared to the pre-revolutionary period. During the Great Patriotic War, many factories were evacuated here from the central regions of the Soviet Union, which gave impetus to industrial development. In the post-war period, the Orenburg gas condensate field began to be developed, which also had a noticeable impact on economic growth.

After the collapse of the USSR, in Orenburg, as in many other cities of post-Soviet Russia, the population began to decrease. However, with the beginning of the 21st century, the situation stabilized, the economy began to develop, primarily thanks to the Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg enterprise, which turned out to be very successful in the realities of a market economy and created many jobs for the townspeople.

In the 90s, Orenburg State University and the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh acquired new buildings. A number of sports facilities were built: the Zvezdny Ice Palace, the Gazovik Stadium and many others. The park and museum ethnocomplex “National Village” has been restored. At the same time, the military Orenburg Cossack society was revived. At the end of the last century, Gazprom built the elite cottage community “Rostoshi” in an ecologically clean area of ​​the city, which is called one of the calling cards of Orenburg.

Sights of Orenburg

Orenburg grew out of a fortress, and its features can be seen in the modern appearance of the city, surrounded by greenery of parks. Here you can see a lot of buildings erected during the Soviet period, which are adjacent to modern high-rise buildings. The main artery of the city is Sovetskaya Street - avenues, boulevards, passages diverge from it like rays. In the everyday speech of Orenburg residents you can hear the following words: Forstadt, Dead City, Paris, New Building, Syreika, Mayak, MZhK. This is how citizens commonly call the city districts, officially called Industrial, Central, Leninsky, Dzerzhinsky.

Sovetskaya Street became pedestrian only a few years ago, turning into the Orenburg Arbat. There is not even public transport on it. Sovetskaya is notable for the concentration of historical buildings here. One of them is building No. 36, which attracts attention not only with its architecture, but also with encrypted messages. On it you can see three letters in the form of the abbreviation “PFP” and the numbers “1914”. What does this inscription mean? As it turned out, it indicates that the building was built in 1914 by the merchant of the first guild, Pyotr Fedorovich Pankratov. Confirmation of this fact can be found in newspapers of that time. From them we also learn that on this street (Sovetskaya was then called Nikolaevskaya) “a new cinema is being built,” which was given the name “Apollo Theater.” The cinema, or more precisely, the cinema, was opened in the autumn of the same year. The merchant Pankratov also owned a large trading house in Orenburg, the building of which has survived to this day; it is located at 7 Matrossky Lane.

While walking, you can go up and find yourself on the Ural embankment, from where a magnificent panorama of the river and the Trans-Ural Grove opens up. This park area, located on the Asian coast, has been a favorite vacation spot for Orenburg residents for almost 200 years. There is a beach along the coast and children's playgrounds. Residents and guests of the city are also attracted by cozy cafes and shady alleys that provide relief in the summer heat. By the way, not far from the embankment there is the City History Museum. The embankment itself, like the districts of Orenburg, also has a popular name - Belovka.

You can get to the European shore and vice versa via an iron bridge, which was erected in the 80s of the last century. But there is another way - along the cable car, which is considered one of the most modern and comfortable in our country. Along the bridge you can cross the geographical border of Europe and Asia, see the monument to the legendary pilot Valery Chkalov, as well as the Elizabeth Gate. The pedestrian bridge across the Urals deserves special mention. It, together with the descent to the river, is the main symbol of Orenburg, which can be seen on almost all local souvenirs. The white stone staircase evokes considerable admiration; it was erected in 1955, just to the right of the descent.

The Orenburg Museum of Local Lore is the oldest in the country; it was founded back in 1830. It occupies one of the most beautiful buildings in the city - the former governor's office. The ancient interiors have been restored, so the museum halls are interesting for visitors in themselves. Among the exhibits, I would like to highlight the cannon of Emelyan Pugachev’s army, the award checkers of the Orenburg Cossacks, gold jewelry from the royal tombs of the Sarmatian era, and even one of Pushkin’s four death masks. In general, the museum has over 100 thousand different exhibits.

In the Museum of Fine Arts, located not far from the local history museum, you can see a unique collection of famous Orenburg down scarves, which owe their appearance to local Cossack women. They began knitting scarves at the end of the 18th century, quickly honed their skills and brought them to perfection. Surprisingly, these voluminous-looking items could easily be pulled through a wedding ring and placed in a goose egg shell. The answer to the secret is that the local goats' down was distinguished by its fineness and extraordinary tenderness. The oldest exhibit in this museum is more than 100 years old and weighs only 40 g. Openwork “cobwebs” were a welcome gift in the royal houses of Europe and more than once received high recognition at various international exhibitions.

In the 30-40s of the 19th century, the Caravanserai was built - one of the most notable architectural monuments of the historical part of Orenburg. Stylized as a traditional Bashkir village, it consists of a main building, a minaret more than 38 meters high and an octagonal mosque (the latter is the dominant feature of the entire complex of buildings). The caravanserai, as experts note, combines the national and stylistic features of the Orenburg region. The object, which arose on the border of Europe and Asia and the junction of two architectural eras, is not unreasonably considered a striking example of both Western (European) and Eastern (Asian) artistic traditions. Immediately after the February Revolution of 1917, the main building was given over to the residence of the commissar of the Provisional Government and the Orenburg Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies; later the authorities of the newly formed Bashkir Republic worked in it. During Soviet times, the Caravanserai was also not used for its intended purpose: in 1932, a club was opened in the mosque, and in 1954, a planetarium. Later, the main building was converted into the Palace of Education, and only in 1993 was it returned to believers. Currently, the Caravanserai is occupied by a Muslim religious association of the same name.

The Orenburg region is one of the most multinational regions of Russia, in which representatives of over a hundred nationalities live - Russians and Bashkirs, Kazakhs and Tatars, Ukrainians and Belarusians, Armenians and Mordvins, Germans and others. In 2004, former governor A. A. Chernyshev took the initiative to build the “National Village” cultural complex in Orenburg. The first farmstead appeared in 2006. Currently, the complex unites 10 courtyards, in each of which you can come into contact with the culture and life of different peoples. And no matter how pretentious it may sound that the “National Village” promotes interethnic harmony in the region, this is true.

Once in the center, you probably won’t pass by a unique place that combines three projects at once: “The Best People of the City”, “The Good Angel of the World” and “Walk of Fame”. Anyone interested in history and the role of individuals in certain events will find a lot of interesting information. Here you will learn about honorary residents, heroes of war and labor, about those who have achieved great heights in their professional activities. It’s not for nothing that this place is called the center of pride and glory of Orenburg.

The city has monuments to many famous people, including A. S. Pushkin and his good friend, writer and ethnographer V. I. Dal. Interestingly, on the monument the latter turned out to be a whole head taller than Pushkin. In order to somehow visually balance both characters, the author of the sculptural composition, Honored Artist of Russia, native of Orenburg N. G. Petina “put” a top hat on the first one, and left Dahl without a headdress. There are two more monuments to Pushkin in the city: the second rises near the city historical museum, and the creator of the third is the Armenian sculptor Stepanyan.

Despite the fact that Chkalov, unlike the great Russian poet, had never been to Orenburg and had nothing to do with it at all, the city bore his name for 19 years. On the embankment of the Ural River there is a 6-meter bronze monument to the legendary pilot; there is also Chkalov Street and a park named after him.

One of the most famous religious buildings in Orenburg is St. Nicholas Cathedral, built in the 19th century. Within its walls is kept a copy of the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God, revered by believers as a Ural shrine. The original icon is three centuries older than the cathedral; it was found during the time of Ivan the Terrible, but is currently considered lost.

Gostiny Dvor is one of the famous attractions of Orenburg. Its building is located at the intersection of the main streets of the city - Sovetskaya, 9 January, Kirov and Pushkinskaya, so it is not an exaggeration to say that all roads within Orenburg lead to it. True, only the southwestern part of the “hotel” has survived to this day, which does not detract from its merits as an architectural monument. Nowadays, most of the former Gostiny Dvor is occupied by the VolgoUralNIPIgaz Institute and the dormitories of the Pedagogical University.

Local residents and tourists enjoy spending time in the numerous park areas. The oldest green area in Orenburg is the Lenin Park, located in the area of ​​Postnikova Street. There are all sorts of trees here: pine, oak, maple, larch, ash, lilac. Such diversity gives the air of the park a special flavor and healing effect.

Another famous park is the 50th anniversary of the USSR. It is located between Brestskaya and Teatralnaya streets and Dzerzhinsky Avenue. This is where Orenburg residents and city guests prefer to spend time on citywide holidays and folk festivals. For lovers of family holidays and extreme attractions, the small Topol amusement park, located in the very center of the city, on Postnikova Street, 30, is more suitable.

On the territory of the former city garden named after Frunze there is a memorial complex “Salute, Victory!” It is an open-air museum. The memorial exhibition consists of a sector dedicated to the Battle of Moscow, the Armory Chamber pavilion and three thematic halls: “The Battle of Stalingrad”, “The Crossing of the Dnieper” and “The Battle of Kursk”. The second part of the museum is stationary: this is the “Hall of Fame” exhibition, located in the building of the regional museum of local lore.

What to bring as a souvenir

Of course, legendary down products! Folk craftswomen still knit them, passing on traditions from generation to generation, and in each village the process of making an Orenburg scarf has its own characteristics, although in general it has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years.

It is better to buy not only scarves, but also other local down products (scarves, mittens, socks, stoles) in the markets. Many people who want to buy or sell this kind of product gather early in the morning. When choosing the right one, trust your feelings: Orenburg down is usually soft and warm, which distinguishes it, for example, from the prickly Angora and shaggy Volgograd. An important criterion when choosing a “fluffy” souvenir is the price. The cost of stoles starts from 700 rubles, the starting price of warm scarves is even higher - 1,500 rubles. Not everyone can afford designer “cobwebs”; their cost can be several tens of thousands of rubles.

Products made from malachite and jasper are also popular among tourists, and this despite the fact that the Orenburg region is a predominantly steppe region, with small mountain ranges found only in the eastern regions.

Football fans who come to Orenburg are also not left without pleasant souvenirs. Badges, T-shirts, keychains, mugs, scarves and other products with the attributes of the Orenburg football club, which until 2016 was called FC Gazovik, are in great demand among fans of this sport.

The most delicious desserts in the city, and primarily cakes and pastries, are made in the Winnie the Pooh confectionery. Those with a sweet tooth especially like baskets and eclairs, the delicate taste of which evokes nostalgia for childhood. Among the signature cakes of this confectionery, I would like to highlight “Don Pancho”, which even those who do not have a great craving for sweets enjoy trying.

Shopping lovers should visit the Armada shopping and entertainment complex, the largest and fastest growing not only in the city, but also in the region. Under its roof there are 250 shops, ranging from small boutiques to hypermarkets. “Armada” is also one of the most competitive in Russia and occupies an area of ​​150 thousand square meters. On weekends, this shopping and entertainment complex offers a variety of activities for the whole family. For several years in a row, a holiday called “Night Shopping” has been taking place here, attracting tens of thousands of buyers.

Hotels and accommodation

Most hotels in Orenburg offer guests good conditions at very affordable prices. Tourists will also find it affordable to stay in standard rooms in modern four-star hotels.

An excellent and inexpensive option is the Sulak hotel complex, located just 8 km from the city center. Here you will be offered a choice of double standard rooms of the first and second categories, triple rooms and luxury apartments. They are decorated in warm colors, equipped with the necessary furniture and equipped with a bathroom. The hotel has a sauna and a swimming pool, and the banquet hall has all the conditions for holding various celebrations. The cost of living is from 600 rubles per day.

The modern GrandHotel, opened in 2012, is located 3.5 km from the railway station. The rooms are designed in an elegant classic style. The apartments are, without exaggeration, luxurious, like in a palace, and living in them, coupled with a high level of service, will make you feel like a real VIP. The hotel has a restaurant. Guests can also take advantage of laundry, dry cleaning and free secure parking. “GrandHotel” also attracts tourists due to the fact that many city attractions, shopping and entertainment centers are located close to it. A night's stay will cost no less than 2,500 rubles.

The modern Armada Comfort Hotel, located 8.5 kilometers from the historical center, offers guests of Orenburg a comfortable stay in elegant rooms. You can choose from rooms of such categories as “standard” (double and triple), “luxury” and “super-luxury”, as well as double VIP. The hotel has a cozy cafe and free parking. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. Services such as ironing and taxi calling are also available. The cost of living per day starts from 1500 rubles.

Tourists who want to travel economically can use one of the best options - the Usadba Hotel. It is not necessary to stay here overnight or for the whole day: you can rent a room for only 3 hours and inexpensively, for only 500 rubles. For those who decide to stay here for more than 5 days, a special discount system is provided. Each room has free internet. There is a cozy restaurant on site.

Among the most inexpensive hotels in Orenburg is the Columbus, where a night’s stay will cost only 400 rubles. This opportunity to save is ideal for those who come to the city on a business trip, to look for work, or just to stay for a few days and see the sights, without wanting to spend a lot.

Orenburg also has its own inexpensive hotel-hostels, the living conditions of which resemble a hostel. One room can accommodate from 2 to 10 people at a time. Guests have access to a shared kitchen, bathroom and toilet. If necessary, the staff can provide a kettle, plates and even a saucepan. These hostels include “Alaska”, the UDPO dormitory and “Apartments on Prostornaya Street”. A day in such hostels costs from 200 to 700 rubles.

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How to get there

Orenburg is one of the largest transport hubs in the entire Ural region. 19 km from the city is the Yu. A. Gagarin International Airport, which can be reached by bus, minibus or taxi. The air harbor receives flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Perm, Omsk and other cities. Departures from the capital of Russia are carried out from Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports, travel time is about 2 hours.

Orenburg has railway connections with cities such as Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Samara, Orsk, and Adler. In addition, it is located at the intersection of several railway transport lines leading to Aktyubinsk, Samara, Ufa and Orsk, which allows travelers from different regions to get to Orenburg without transfers. From Moscow you can get there by. The journey from the capital to the homeland of the famous down scarves will take 25-26 hours.

The Orenburg bus station serves routes from Yekaterinburg, Orsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Kazan, Perm, Samara, Magnitogorsk, Ufa, Tolyatti, Yasnaya Polyana and Kazakhstan's Aktyubinsk and Uralsk. There is no way to get directly from Moscow: residents of the capital will first have to get to Kazan and change to an intercity bus there. The bus service between Orenburg and the capital of Tatarstan includes several trips per day.

You can also get to Orenburg by private car. The P239 highway runs through the city, which originates in Kazan and stretches to Akbulak and the border with Kazakhstan. From Moscow by car you need to travel along the M7 Volga highway, passing through Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. Having left the capital of Tatarstan, you should turn onto the P239 highway.

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Ecology of Orenburg

The environmental situation in Orenburg cannot be called favorable, since there are many industrial enterprises operating in the city that have a direct impact on the cleanliness of the air. The region occupies a leading position in the ranking of cities with the highest emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soil. Thus, about 900 thousand tons of pollutants are released into the air every year. Among the cities of the Urals, Orenburg is second only to the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions in this indicator.

In general, the region is home to more than 14 thousand enterprises and mineral deposits that have a direct impact on the environment, including 74 chemical plants and 130 oil and gas fields. Metallurgical and fuel and energy enterprises account for about 47% of all emissions.

A large number of vehicles, including private ones, have a significant impact on air cleanliness. It accounts for an average of 63% of total emissions into the atmosphere. Moreover, from year to year this figure is becoming higher and higher.

The situation in the region with clean drinking water is also difficult. Not all the water that comes through the pipeline to the homes of city residents meets all the standards and indicators of good drinking water. Urban landfills contribute to the pollution of underground sources, because the movement of water occurs in the direction from the landfills.

Population of Orenburg

According to the latest data, 565,341 people live in Orenburg. It cannot be said that the city’s population is constant, far from it. In the period from 1863 to 1995 it constantly increased, but from 1996 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2009 it steadily decreased. Since 2012, the population has been growing, which can be explained by both rising birth rates and migration from neighboring regions. What attracts migrants to Orenburg? Of course, work. Here they work in agricultural and industrial enterprises, on numerous construction sites and in mining operations.

Orenburg is a multinational city. Representatives of more than 100 nationalities live here. Russians account for about 83.5% of the total population, in second place are Tatars, they number 7.8%, Kazakhs 2.0%, slightly less Ukrainians, there are 1.97%, 1.1% Bashkirs, 0.63 % Armenians and 0.52% Mordovians.

Despite such a multinational composition, interethnic conflicts almost never happen in the city; Orenburg is a friendly city. The proximity of different peoples has led to the fact that the culture and life of the local population consists of an interweaving of traditions and represents a close interaction of ethnic cultures.

Orenburg residents, as a rule, speak two languages. Absolutely everyone knows Russian as a state language. The second language is the national language, the one spoken in the family or among representatives of the same nationality.

Among the age groups in Orenburg, the working age population predominates, accounting for about 67%, while pensioners account for only 17%. As for the working population, Russians, as a rule, work in industrial enterprises, while Kazakhs and Mordovians work primarily in agricultural enterprises in the region.

Interesting facts about Orenburg

Like many other cities, Orenburg was built to protect state borders. In those years, no one imagined that in the future Russia would grow so much that it would be far from any border, which, however, did not prevent it from turning from a border fortress into a prosperous settlement. Now Orenburg is one of the thirty largest cities in Russia, and it continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Facts about the city of Orenburg

• It is not known for certain where its name came from. Most researchers agree that it means “fortress on the Or River.”
• The reason for the founding of Orenburg was the desire of a number of Kazakh elders to voluntarily join the Russian Empire. They took upon themselves the obligation to protect Russian borders and trade caravans, and in return they demanded that a fortress be built for them, which was done a year later.
• In total, the location for Orenburg was moved three times. On the site of the very first Orenburg fortress there is now the city of Orsk, and on the site of the second - Berdsky town.
• The famous Soviet musician and composer Mstislav Rostropovich is an honorary citizen of Orenburg.
• In the 30s of the 19th century, A. S. Pushkin came here in search of inspiration, and his guide to Orenburg was the famous compiler of the Russian language dictionary V. Dal (interesting facts about Pushkin).
• Interestingly, the coat of arms of Orenburg appeared 9 years before the city itself was founded. It was captured on the document that sealed the agreement on the construction of the fortress.
• Orenburg stands on the banks of the mighty Ural River, and on the bridge spanning it there is a sign dividing the city into European and Asian parts. True, modern geographers draw the border between Asia and Europe in a completely different place.
• During the Soviet era, the population of Orenburg increased sixfold. And now more than 550 thousand people live here.
• For a long time, Orenburg served as a place of exile for many convicts.
• For almost 20 years it bore the name “Chkalov”, although the famous test pilot, in whose honor the city was renamed, had never even been here.

• Orenburg is widely known even outside of Russia thanks to local craftsmen who create surprisingly soft and warm down scarves from the down of a special breed of goats (interesting facts about goats).
• During the Great Patriotic War, 44 different enterprises important for the defense and economy of the Soviet Union were evacuated to Orenburg.
• There once was a majestic cathedral here, but in the 30s of the last century it was blown up by the Bolsheviks.
• Among all Russian cities, Orenburg ranks second in the number of parks and public gardens.
• Representatives of more than 100 different nationalities live here.
• Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in history, studied at the Orenburg Military Aviation School.
• The largest monument in the city is the monument to Chkalov. The height of the monument itself is 6 meters, and the height of the pedestal on which it is installed is 7.
• During the peasant revolt of Emelyan Pugachev, rebel troops besieged Orenburg for six months, but the townspeople withstood the siege. For this perseverance, Empress Catherine II gave the city the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called, which can now be seen on the Orenburg flag and coat of arms.
• Leo Tolstoy also visited this city, but little is known about the details of his trip (interesting facts about Leo Tolstoy).
• The annual celebration of City Day in Orenburg began only at the end of the 20th century. Before this, townspeople celebrated only round dates.

• Interesting facts about the borders of Russia
• Interesting facts about Omsk
• Interesting facts about the Ottoman Empire
• Interesting facts about Kaliningrad
• Interesting facts about Magnitogorsk
• Interesting facts about Emelyan Pugachev
• Interesting facts about Novokuznetsk
• Interesting facts about Einstein

Famous people of Orenburg

The history of Orenburg is inseparable from the life and work of its inhabitants. The Orenburg land was glorified by many famous people of our country. A. S. Pushkin came here in 1833, the poet collected information in the city about the Pugachev uprising, which, as we know, swept the Orenburg land. Later, based on the materials received, Pushkin wrote his “Captain's Daughter”.

The Orenburg land is connected with the life and work of I. A. Krylov, G. R. Derzhavin, N. M. Karamzina, A.N. Pleshcheeva. N. I. Yeltsin, L. A. Guzeeva were born here, the famous conductor M. L. Rostropovich spent his childhood here, P. A. Strepetova M. M. Tarkhanov performed on the stage of the local drama theater, actor L. S. lived in the city. Bronevoy and actress A. Ya. Sadovskaya, poet T. G. Shevchenko served.

The title of Honorary Citizen of the city was awarded to 41 people, including cosmonaut Yu. A. Gagarin, conductor M. L. Rostropovich, politician, minister S. Yu. Witte.

↑ 2. Monument to Yu.A. Gagarin

The name of another famous conqueror of the skies, Yuri Gagarin, is associated with Orenburg. Here he graduated from the Orenburg Military Aviation School. K.E. Voroshilov, took the military oath, got married. The Orenburg monument to the first cosmonaut on the avenue named after him is the authorship of Yu.L. Chernov and was opened on April 12, 1986. The monumental composition represents Gagarin’s phrase embodied in sculpture that Orenburg gave him wings. The location around the monument with steles, where flower beds are planted in summer and a New Year tree is erected in winter, is one of the favorite vacation spots of Orenburg residents.

Economy of the region

Orenburg is a city with a developed diversified economy. There are enterprises in the gas production and gas processing, construction, chemical, metalworking, light, food, and electrical industries operating here.

Orenburg is home to Europe's largest gas condensate field, as well as about 2,500 deposits of various minerals, including rare and non-ferrous metals, jasper, iron ore, brown coal, oil and rock salt.

Industry accounts for 55% of the region's GDP, and more than 25% of the working-age population works here.

The region is actively developing oil fields. Work is underway to identify new deposits. So far, 192 gas and oil fields have been found in the region, 165 structures have been prepared for drilling, and 254 promising structures have been identified.

Due to the presence of explored mineral deposits in the region, the metallurgical industry is developed in the Orenburg region, and metallurgical enterprises can without a doubt be called city-forming. Currently, about 30% of all products produced by the region's industry come from metallurgy. Moreover, 8% of total industrial production belongs to non-ferrous metallurgy.

Mechanical engineering is also developed in the region - transport, agricultural and machine tool manufacturing; about 70 large enterprises operate in this industry.

We cannot ignore the region's agriculture. There are enterprises here that specialize in both livestock and crop production. Moreover, more than seven thousand small, medium and large enterprises in this industry operate in the Orenburg region.

Investments

A unique geopolitical location, a significant amount of labor resources, the potential for the development of natural resources, a well-developed transport infrastructure, and comprehensive interaction with local governments have determined the investment attractiveness of the Orenburg region.

What exactly is Orenburg land attractive for investors?

• favorable geographical location. Orenburg is located between Europe and Asia and is a link between these large markets. The largest transit cargo flows pass here, including from Kazakhstan and Siberia.
• availability of sufficient labor resources. Not only is the region home to more than 2 million people, but the proportion of its working-age population is higher than the national average.
• availability of mineral reserves in the region. Deposits of about 75 types of minerals, including oil and gas, have been discovered in the region.
• favorable natural and climatic conditions, which contributes to the development of both crop and livestock production.
• government support measures for investors.

• developed transport infrastructure. The Orenburg region ranks 7th in Russia in terms of the length of highways. Air traffic is actively developing both within the region and communication with other regions. Transit flows to Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and the cities of the Urals also pass through the Orenburg region. Transport routes connect Orenburg with Chelyabinsk, Samara, and Ufa. The region also has established railway connections with neighboring regions.

It is not surprising that in recent years there has been a positive trend in investment, including foreign investment, in the Orenburg region. Over the past decade, the share of investment in the region has increased three times, the share of foreign investment by 6.8 times, and foreign direct investment by more than 11 times.

↑ 1. Pedestrian bridge Europe-Asia

Orenburg pedestrian bridge across the river. The Urals became a symbol not only of the city, but also of the connection between Europe and Asia. On the bridge stands the “Europe-Asia” stele - a sign of the dividing line of the Eurasian continent. True, the division is very conditional, since since 1959 the International Geographical Union has drawn the border between Europe and Asia along the river. Emba and the Ural Mountains, Mugodzhar.

On the European side of the bridge there is a cable car and an observation deck. On the Asian coast there is the Transural Grove recreation park. At night, the embankment and bridge are illuminated. A modern metal suspension bridge, 220 meters long and weighing about 900 tons, was erected across the Urals only in 1982 on the site of previous temporary pile and floating bridges. And the very first wooden bridge in Orenburg was built back in 1835. The writer Vladimir Dal, who then lived in Orenburg, participated in its design.

Enterprises

Enterprises in the chemical, metallurgical, light, food, mining, engineering and other sectors of the economy operate successfully in Orenburg.

The mining industry is represented by:

• Gazprom Dobycha and Gas Processing Plant;
• Ural steel;
• Orenburgneft;
• Yuzhuralnickel;
• Orenburg minerals;
• Copper-sulfur plant in Mednogorsk;
• Orsknefteorgsintez;

• Gai Mining and Processing Plant and others.

Among the large enterprises of ferrous metallurgy, the following can be distinguished:

• Ural steel;
• Mining company;
• Scrap metal company;
• Vtorchermet.

The non-ferrous industry is represented by:

• Cryolite plant;
• Metal structures plant in Orsk;
• Non-ferrous metals processing plant in Gai;
• Copper-sulfur plant in Mednogorsk;
• Nickel plant;
• Gai Mining and Processing Plant and others.

In addition, the following enterprises operate in Orenburg:

• Helium plant;
• Machine tool plant;
• Orenburg radiator;
• Hydropress;
• Orenshal (famous down scarves);
• Oil refinery;
• Construction mixtures plant;
• Polymer pipe plant and others.

The financial sector is represented by both large Russian and commercial banks, including Promsvyazbank, VTB, Avangard, Uralsib, Sberbank, Rus Uniastrum Bank and others.

Construction in the city of Orenburg

Orenburg was built according to the principles of urban planning that appeared in Russia in the 18th century. The city has a central square, and its streets intersect each other at right angles. The buildings that were built in Orenburg before the revolution were erected in the same architectural style and located symmetrically to each other.

It is noteworthy that the historical center of the city was not subject to significant restructuring during Soviet times, and therefore retained its spatial structure, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about the historical flavor. The thing is that numerous churches, towers and cathedrals were destroyed during the Soviet era.

The buildings that were erected in the historical part of the city before the 50s of the last century fit well into the historical appearance of this part of Orenburg. Those buildings that were built later than this date strongly contrast with the previous buildings.

Orenburg acquired its modern appearance in the post-war years, because it was at that time that active development of the city began, primarily with residential neighborhoods. In addition, the expansion of the city also occurred due to the annexation of nearby small settlements to the growing city.

↑ 4. Monument to the first teacher

On the main pedestrian street of the city at Sovetskaya, 7B there is a monument to the first teacher. The idea of ​​creating a sculptural composition arose in 2010, which was declared the Year of the Teacher in Russia.

Four schoolchildren—two boys and two girls—climb the steps of the monument, symbolizing the “ladder of knowledge,” to the figure of the first teacher. Behind them is a memorial stele with the names of the best teachers in the region - “Chronicle of the Teachers’ Glory of the Orenburg Region.” The authors of the project are A. Emaev and S. Solomakha.

Property value

The level of real estate prices is not constant and changes almost every day. Housing prices depend on the time of year, on the developer, on the type of house, its number of floors, on the area and many other factors

.

The average cost per square meter of an apartment in new buildings in Orenburg as of February 2022 is RUB 39,298.

The official administrative structure of Orenburg is 4 districts: Dzerzhinsky, Leninsky, Industrial and Central.

The most prestigious district of Orenburg is Leninsky (38,639 rubles / sq. m - the cost of new buildings in February 2022 in this area). This location is densely built up, so there are few new buildings here, and most of them appear through compaction development. There are many buildings from the Soviet and perestroika periods; budget options can only be found in panel “Khrushchev” buildings, which are not particularly comfortable.

For commercial real estate, you should go to the Central District - the most densely populated (the cost of new buildings in February 2020 in this area is 39,133 rubles / sq. m). Administrative buildings, retail and entertainment facilities and offices were erected here. Housing is actively sold on the secondary market; prices for lots are not democratic.

Orenburg has budget real estate in the Industrial District (the cost of new buildings in February 2022 in this area is 39,573 rubles/sq. m). The housing stock in this area is quite varied, and the level of infrastructure is not the highest.

The most promising area in the segment of housing under construction is Dzerzhinsky, where new buildings are being actively built today (the cost of new buildings in February 2022 in this area is 38,804 rubles/sq. m). Housing here is still quite affordable, since the social infrastructure and transport system are just taking shape. There are still not enough necessary institutions, and getting to the city center by public transport is quite problematic.

Developers in Orenburg predict an increase in real estate prices due to a fall in the pace of construction. In their opinion, growth will begin in 2020 and continue until 2022. During this period, housing prices, both primary and secondary, can increase by up to 30%.

↑ 5. Sarmatian Deer

In 2010, another unique monument was erected on Sovetskaya, 15, which became a symbol of the region - the Sarmatian deer. The more than two-meter sculpture was an exact reproduction of a golden figurine of a deer found during excavations in the Ilek district (Orenburg region). Deer was a sacred animal among the Sarmatian Scythians, who inhabited the Orenburg steppes in the 5th-4th centuries BC. e.

↑ 6. Museum of Local Lore

The Orenburg Governor's Museum of History and Local Lore on Sovetskaya, 28 is one of the oldest museums in Russia. It was opened in 1831 by decree of the governor of Orenburg P.P. Sukhtelena. The history of the museum is very dramatic. Not having his own premises, he repeatedly moved from one building to another. In 1925, 9/10 of the museum’s exhibits were transferred to Kzyl-Orda, when it became the capital of Kazakhstan, replacing Orenburg. It was a kind of payoff for the return of the city to Russia.

The museum received permanent premises only in 1946. The mansion of merchant A.I. became his permanent home. Yenikuntseva is an architectural monument of the 19th century, erected by the architect G. Gopius in the style of late classicism.

↑ 7. Museum of Fine Arts

In Orenburg there is also a collection of artistic works and crafts related to the life of the region - the Orenburg Regional Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a classicist building of the early 19th century on Kashirin Lane, 29.

Built for the City Duma in 1814 according to the design of the architect M. Malakhov, the building was transferred to the Fine Arts Museum, which opened in 1961. The basis of the museum's collection, representing Russian art from the times of Ancient Rus' to the present, is a collection of works by the painter Lukian Popov, who was born and worked in Orenburg. A collection of Orenburg downy scarves, openwork webs and shawls was collected here.

↑ 8. City History Museum

Another historical and local history institution in Orenburg is the City History Museum, located on the embankment in the former building of the Treasury storeroom, and later the Guardhouse. In the 1970s, a monument to the sitting A.S. was erected in front of the museum. Pushkin, who traveled around the Orenburg province in 1833. The opening of the museum took place in 1983 - on the date of the 240th anniversary of the founding of the city.

↑ 9. Water tower

A historical and architectural landmark of the city is the water tower of the early twentieth century, standing at the intersection of Pobeda Avenue, 14/1 with Zhukova Street. This 28-meter tower was erected by architect I.V. Ryangin in 1927 on the site of an earlier construction (1904) to purify city water. After the construction of Pobeda Avenue in the 60s with new five-story residential buildings, the tower ceased to be used for its intended purpose. Today it houses offices, a bar and a cafe.

↑ 10. Temple of the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God

Orenburg is also interesting for its sacred architectural buildings, both Orthodox and Muslim. The Icon of the Tabyn Mother of God is considered the patroness of the Orenburg Cossack army and the Ural region as a whole. On the street On January 9, 1a in Orenburg there is a church erected in her honor.

↑ 11. Caravanserai Mosque

The Orenburg historical and architectural complex Caravanserai was built in 1837-1846 to house the office of the Bashkir troops, hotels for Bashkirs serving or visiting Orenburg, outbuildings for their needs, and a school with workshops for Bashkir children. To provide the Bashkirs with the opportunity to pray, according to the design of A. Bryullov, an octagonal mosque in the form of a Bashkir yurt with a 38-meter minaret was erected. During Soviet times, the mosque housed a planetarium. Since 1993, the mosque was transferred to the use of Muslim believers and is operational.

↑ 12. Cultural complex “National Village”

Orenburg is a multinational city. It is home to about 100 different nationalities. You can get acquainted with their culture and traditions in the National Village complex, located in the park named after. Gagarin. Here on one street there are original architectural examples of different ethnic farmsteads: Armenian, Bashkir, Mordovian, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar, Chuvash. Inside each of the farmsteads you can taste dishes of one or another national cuisine, attend a presentation of folk costume, life and literature. A visit to the complex will be especially educational for children.

↑ 13. Poplar Park

You can visit other parks in Orenburg with children - for example, the Topol city park on the street. Postnikov, which is positioned as family-friendly. It offers a wide variety of children's attractions: “Roller Coaster”, “Airport”, “Air Hockey”, “Kangaroo” trampoline, “Railroad”, “Bells”, “Swans”, “Water Balloons”, “Boats”, “ Orbit”, “Solnyshko”, shooting ranges, including paintball and many others. And from the 31-meter-high Ferris wheel you can see Orenburg from a bird's eye view.

↑ 14. Garden named after. Frunze

In 1948, at the intersection of modern Burzyantsev, Kirov, Pushkinskaya and Chicherin streets, a garden named after. Frunze, connecting the old city with the suburbs. Previously, the Chernorechensky Garden was founded on this site in 1936, but during the war the green spaces disappeared. In 1973, the garden was reconstructed. In 2005, an open-air museum “Salute, Victory!” was opened in the garden, a visit to which will be interesting for both adults and children.

The garden is decorated with iron tulips and the St. George ribbon, and the Eternal Flame is located in its center. On the territory of the memorial complex, visitors can see monuments (“Come back with victory”), Soviet military and agricultural equipment: semi-trucks, tractors, a steam locomotive, mortars, anti-tank guns, a MiG-17 aircraft, tanks and even an intercontinental ballistic missile weighing 211 tons and more than 30 meters long.

↑ 15. People's Museum of Defenders of the Fatherland

In Orenburg on the street. Zwillinga, 92 in a building built by Japanese and German prisoners of war in 1948, there is the Museum of Defenders of the Fatherland. General Chernyaev. It received the name “folk” because its exhibition is replenished with the efforts of caring enthusiasts from the people, residents and guests of the city, and museum workers. The museum, opened in 2010, introduces visitors to the heroic pages of the history of Russia and the region in the 19th-21st centuries.

City districts

Orenburg is divided into Southern and Northern districts, as well as into 4 districts: Central, Industrial, Leninsky and Dzerzhinsky.

Leninsky district is considered the most prestigious among city residents; about 179.5 thousand people live here. Real estate prices in this area are the highest in the city, and almost no new housing is being built here due to the lack of available space.

The second most expensive housing area in the city is Central. About 99.7 thousand people live here. The area is characterized by a large number of administrative buildings and dense buildings.

The industrial area is characterized by chaotic development and a rather difficult crime situation. That is why he is not popular among the townspeople.

Dzerzhinsky district is the youngest district of Orenburg, home to about 165.6 thousand residents. The Dzherzhinsky district can without a doubt be called a residential area. Currently, it is being actively built up; more and more new microdistricts are appearing here, which are quickly filled with new buildings.

Attractions

Orenburg is a relatively young city, and therefore lovers of deep antiquity will have nothing to gain here. But, nevertheless, Orenburg is a beautiful and diverse city, because representatives of more than 100 nationalities live here.

The National Village is one of the most interesting attractions of Orenburg. The national village is a cultural complex and even a museum of the multinational population of the city; it is a symbol of friendship between peoples. Here everyone can get acquainted with the history, traditions and culture of different peoples. The National Village is a favorite vacation spot for both Orenburg residents and city guests.

Sovetskaya Street and the embankment of the Ural River are incredibly beautiful. Sovetskaya Street is a pedestrian street of the city; historical buildings are located here. The embankment of the Ural River is an equally interesting place, with views of the grove and the Urals.

Here you can cross the border between Europe and Asia, and also see the monument to the famous Chkalov.

Those who like to stroll through shopping centers should visit Armada; there are about 250 shopping pavilions, both small boutiques and hypermarkets.

Well, lovers of nightlife and nightclubs should check out the Coliseum, the best nightclub in the city. This is where popular DJs from Russia and all over the world play every weekend.

Orenburg is the administrative center of the Orenburg region. It is located on the banks of the mighty Ural River.

2. Like many other cities, Orenburg arose several centuries ago to protect and guard the borders of the Russian Empire, when the need arose to have a powerful fortress here.

3. A number of Kazakh elders voluntarily expressed a desire to join the Russian Empire. They took upon themselves the obligation to protect Russian borders and trade caravans, and in return they demanded that a fortress be built for them, which was done. In 1734, a package of government documents was developed on the founding of a fortress city at the confluence of the Ori and Ural rivers.

4. On June 7, 1734, Empress Anna Ioannovna signed the “Privilege for Orenburg.” And although the construction site of the main fortress of the region was later moved twice due to various inconveniences of the location downstream of the Urals, the name of the city, established by the Privilege, has been preserved to this day. In connection with this history of its founding, Orenburg is called a traveler city.

5. Simultaneously with security, the city was supposed to serve as a center of economic interaction with the peoples of the East, which, first of all, implied trade.

6. And the Orenburg Cossacks not only guarded the borders of the Russian state, but also engaged in trade. Soon Orenburg became a merchant city and the largest intermediary between Russia and Central Asia. In winter, convoys loaded with frozen fish and Iletsk salt went to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

7. In 1744, Orenburg became the center of the huge Orenburg province, stretching from the Volga to Siberia, from the Kama to the Caspian Sea. In those years, no one imagined that in the future Russia would grow so much that Orenburg would be far from any border.

8. Over time, the state border moved further, and Orenburg from a border outpost turned into a vast city, while maintaining its special charm.

9. Now Orenburg has transformed from a border fortress into a prosperous city. It is one of the thirty largest cities in Russia, and continues to grow at a rapid pace.

10. It is not known exactly where the name of the city came from. But most researchers agree that it means “fortress on the Or River.”

11. It is known that the place for Orenburg was moved 3 times. On the site of the very first Orenburg fortress there is now the city of Orsk, and on the site of the second - Berdsky town.

12. The site where Orenburg was laid out for the third time is now its historical center.

13. Once there was a majestic cathedral here, but in the 30s of the last century it was blown up by the Bolsheviks. Now there is a park with a fountain on this site.

14. It is curious that the coat of arms of Orenburg appeared 9 years before the city itself was founded. It was captured on the document that sealed the agreement on the construction of the fortress.

15. During the years of Soviet power, the number of residents of Orenburg increased six times. And now more than 560 thousand people live here.

16. Representatives of more than 100 different nationalities live in the Orenburg region and its capital.

17. From 1973 to 1978, the director of the Orenburg gas processing plant was Viktor Chernomyrdin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation from 1992 to 1998.

18. Musa Jalil’s childhood and youth are connected with Orenburg. He was born in the village of Mustafino, Orenburg region, studied at the Khusainiya madrasah in Orenburg, and worked as an instructor for the Orenburg provincial Komsomol committee. In 1996, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of his birth, a monument to the outstanding Tatar poet was erected on Postnikov Street in Orenburg. The author is sculptor Kadym Zalitov (Kazan).

19.For a long time, Orenburg served as a place of exile for many political prisoners, including famous poets and composers. Composer A.A. suffered the hardships of exile here. Alyabyev, poets A.N. Pleshcheev and T.G. Shevchenko.

20. Taras Grigorievich Shevchenko visited this city several times. The last time in the solitary cell of the main Orenburg guardhouse was 15 days (from April 27 to May 12, 1850) - after the denunciation of warrant officer Isaev and the arrest of the exiled poet. Now, in the premises of the former guardhouse, the Memorial Museum of T.G. Shevchenko.

21. Orenburg is the only city where, on the initiative of the literary critic L.N. Bolshakov On March 27, 1993, the Taras Shevchenko Institute was created, which became a structural research unit of Orenburg State University.

22. Now, although the Taras Shevchenko Institute has ceased to exist in its previous format, the scientific research base that was created over the past years is fully used in different directions.

23. The Orenburg region is a kind of geographical bridge between Asia and Europe. It lies on the border not only of parts of the world - Asia and Europe, but also at the junction of natural zones - forests and steppes, mountains and plains.

24. From October 5, 1773 to March 23, 1774, Orenburg was besieged by the army of Emelyan Pugachev, that is, rebel troops besieged Orenburg for six months, but the townspeople withstood the siege.

25. For this resilience, after the defeat of the Pugachev rebellion, Empress Catherine II gave the city the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called, which can now be seen on both the Orenburg flag and the coat of arms. Catherine also renamed the Yaitsky Cossacks to the Ural Cossacks, the Yaitsky town to Uralsk, and the Yaik River to the Ural.

26. Among all Russian cities, Orenburg ranks second in the number of parks and squares.

ORENBURG DOWN SCARF

27. Orenburg is widely known even outside of Russia thanks to local craftsmen who create amazingly soft and warm down scarves from the fluff of a special breed of goats.

28. Unique animals were bought by entrepreneurs from other countries, but goat wool lost its properties after just a couple of years of the animals’ life in a foreign land.

29. Real fame for the Orenburg down scarf came back in the 19th century. After all, such scarves have been produced by hand for a long time. Village needlewomen began to receive international awards. And in 1939, a factory of down scarves opened here.

30. Overseas merchants came to the distant Russian province for the down of the famous goats. Foreign companies tried to establish down production in Europe and even South America. Goats were taken thousands of kilometers away, but already 2-3 years after the relocation, the goats lost their best properties and brought fluff, not much different from the fluff of ordinary goats. It turns out that only the frosty Ural climate was good for Orenburg goats.

ORENBURG DOWN SCARF IS ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF RUSSIA

31. Orenburg downy scarf is one of the symbols of Russia. Who doesn’t know the song “Orenburg Down Shawl”. The author of the text is Bokov V.F., composer Ponomarenko G.F., performer Lyudmila Zykina.

32. Products made from Orenburg down - shawls and webs - are especially delicate and soft. The down of Orenburg goats is the thinnest in the world: the thickness of the down of Orenburg goats is 16-18 microns, that of Angora goats (mohair) is 22-24 microns. At the same time, this down is very durable - stronger than wool.

MONUMENT TO A. S. PUSHKIN IN ORENBURG

33. A. S. Pushkin visited Orenburg in 1833, here he collected materials for the “history of Pugachev” and “The Captain's Daughter”. In honor of this great event, a monument to A.S. Pushkin was erected on the banks of the Ural River, where the poet loved to visit.

34. A. S. Pushkin’s guide on the Orenburg journey was an official on special assignments under the governor, Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, the author of the famous “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language.”

35. In the period from 1938 to 1957, Orenburg bore the name Chkalov, in honor of the famous Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov, although Chkalov not only was not born and did not live in Orenburg, but had never even been to this city.

SCULPTURE OF V. P. CHKALOV

36. In honor of the 50th anniversary of his birth in 1954, a bronze sculpture of V.P. Chkalov six meters high on a seven-meter pedestal was installed on the Boulevard (embankment of the Ural River, the so-called “Belovka”).

37. During the Great Patriotic War, 44 different enterprises important for the defense and economy of the Soviet Union were evacuated to Orenburg.

38. The Ural River flows near Orenburg, the right bank of which is in Europe, and the left bank is in Asia. Both banks are connected by several bridges, so within one day you can visit two parts of the world of our planet many times.

39.On the pedestrian bridge in Orenburg across the Ural River there is a symbolic sign of the border between Europe and Asia. True, modern geographers draw the border between Asia and Europe in a completely different place.

ELIZABETHIN GATE ON THE EMBANKMENT IN ORENBURG

40. Orenburg residents claim that for lovers to have a future happy marriage, it is enough to take a photo under the Elizabeth Gate on the Ural embankment. The gate, installed at the end of the 18th century, is a symbolic passage from Europe to Asia.

41. It is known that Leo Tolstoy also visited Orenburg for a short time. On September 4, 1876, Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, traveling around Russia, sent a telegram from Samara to his wife, in which he said that he would probably take a trip “along the newly opened railway line to Orenburg.” On the railway to Orenburg, Tolstoy was one of the first passengers.

42. But little is known in detail about his trip. Leo Tolstoy did not leave any letters about Orenburg, except for the remark “very interesting”. The writer also did not leave a single note about this trip.

43. A record-breakingly large cake in the shape and colors of the Russian flag was baked in Orenburg.

44. In 2003, Maurice Druon and his wife spent four days in the Orenburg region. He met the Governor of the Orenburg region Alexei Chernyshev, met with the creative intelligentsia of the region, teachers and students of universities, visited the Institute of Arts. Rostropovich and at the invitation of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin visited the Black Spur.

MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH

45.The famous Soviet musician and composer Mstislav Rostropovich is an honorary citizen of Orenburg.

46. ​​In 1941, the family of the outstanding Russian cellist, conductor, People's Artist of the USSR Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was evacuated to the city of Chkalov (Orenburg).

47. The house in which the Rostropovich family lived during the evacuation in 1941-1943 has now become the museum-apartment of the Rostropovich family. The museum has been operating since November 14, 2001.

48. The first cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin studied and graduated from a flight school in Orenburg.

49.This is one of the oldest educational institutions in the Air Force. After the collapse of the USSR, the school closed in 1993.

50. In Orenburg, Yuri Gagarin married Valentina Ivanovna Goryacheva. The wedding took place on October 27, 1957.

51. In Orenburg, in the house where Valentina’s family lived, on April 12, 1971, the Apartment Museum of Yuri and Valentina Gagarin was opened.

MONUMENT TO Y. A. GAGARIN

52. In Orenburg, an avenue and an airport were named in honor of the astronaut and a monument was erected.

53. Many famous people are also associated with Orenburg: Russian statesman Sergei Witte, strongman, circus performer Alexander Zass, Soviet animator director Harry Bardin, Soviet songwriter Alexei Fatyanov, Soviet songwriter Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy, founder of a German student group Resistance "White Rose" Alexander Shmorell, People's Artist of the USSR Lev Durov, Soviet and Russian poet, playwright, songwriter Yuri Entin, Soviet composer and songwriter Ian Frenkel.

54.And also Soviet state and party leader Georgy Malenkov, Soviet and Russian theater and film actor Leonid Bronevoy, Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Georgy Martynyuk, Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, screenwriter Yuri Ryashentsev, family of the first president RF Boris Yeltsin, Soviet and Russian theater and film actress Larisa Guzeeva, Soviet and Russian singer, lead singer of the group “Tender May” Yuri Shatunov.

55. Every year they began to celebrate the city day in Orenburg only at the end of the 20th century. Before this, only anniversaries were celebrated here.

photo from open sources