Izhevsk is the recognized capital of Russian small arms. The city became famous thanks to the master inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov. The models of machines he created are considered the best in the world. Military equipment and weapons have become the hallmark of the city.
Izhevsk enterprises also produce high-quality steel, automobile and motorcycle equipment, radio components and communication systems. The city is one of the largest industrial centers in Russia. In addition, it serves as the capital of the Udmurt Republic.
Location
Tourists who do not know the administrative structure of Russia well may ask the question in which region Izhevsk is located. In fact, the city, home to almost 700 thousand people, is the capital of Udmurtia. To answer the question of inquisitive travelers, where is Izhevsk, it is worth taking a look at the capital of Tatarstan, well known to tourists. Approximately 275 km separate the main city of Udmurtia from Kazan.
Izhevsk is located in a picturesque place between the Kama and Vyatka - two rivers flowing through the territory of European Russia. The distance from Izhevsk to the Russian capital is 1193 km, if you travel by road. A trip by car from Moscow lasts at least 14 hours. Motorists will be interested to know the distances from the Udmurt capital to nearby cities:
- Naberezhnye Chelny – 190 km;
- Neftekamsk – 130 km;
- Perm – 280 km;
- Kazan – 380 km.
Investments
Izhevsk is a steadily developing city, so a lot of investment projects are being implemented here in various fields of activity:
- residential construction (mainly multi-family housing);
- construction of a plant for the production of cable joints;
- reconstruction of sections of heating mains;
- reconstruction of overhead power lines;
- modernization of facilities to create production of the LADA2191 car;
- creation of production of springs with increased service life;
- expansion of steel radiator production;
- increasing the production of sporting and hunting weapons;
- creation of specialized production of gyroscopes;
- creation of lines for the production of insulating tapes and acrylic adhesive tapes;
- creation of production for anodizing aluminum profiles.
In addition, there are a number of projects that could be implemented if additional funding is found:
- expansion of paint and varnish production;
- creation of the Scientific and Production Center “Cryogenic Technologies”;
- low-rise microdistrict;
- creation of a biotesting and biomonitoring laboratory;
- remediation of solid waste landfill;
- creation of production of light-emitting diodes;
- technical re-equipment of the boiler room.
Geography
The territory in which Izhevsk is located is a flat area with low hills scattered across it. The capital of Udmurtia stretches for 27.4 km from south to north and 17.4 km from east to west. On the territory of Izhevsk – 315.5 sq. km – three cities such as Tver or Tula can fit. The capital of Udmurtia is approximately 6.5 times smaller than Moscow.
Izh, a tributary of the Kama, divides Izhevsk into two almost equal parts. The city lives according to Samara time, which is one hour ahead of Moscow. The capital of Udmurtia includes 5 urban districts. Its location in the Volga region has a beneficial effect on the economic development of the city. The republic, of which Izhevsk became the capital in 1934, borders on four constituent entities of the Russian Federation:
- with the Perm region;
- Tatarstan;
- Kirov region;
- Bashkortostan
Population gain or loss according to the census
The total and official population of the city of Izhevsk, how many people live in it as of January 1, 2022, the number of people in each individual city district and municipality, further in the second table.
| Year | Growth/decrease population city of Izhevsk |
| 2017 | ↗646,277 people |
| 2018 | ↗648,213 people |
| 2019 | ↗648,944 people |
| 2020 | ↘648 146 people |
| 2021 | ↘646,468 people |
| 2022 |
Climate and nature
Izhevsk is a green city, surrounded by meadows and dense mixed forests. The climate of the city, like that of the entire republic, is characterized as temperate continental. Winter is characterized by severe frosts. Summer is short and warm. Air temperature indicators at night and during the day depend on the specific month:
- January: – 14.2; – 11.8;
- February: – 13.3; – 9.3;
- March: – 7.9; – 3.0;
- April: + 1.1; + 5.6;
- May: + 9.6; + 17.6;
- June: + 13.8; + 21.9;
- July: + 15.3; + 25.4;
- August: + 14.0; + 23.8;
- September: + 8.7; + 15.4;
- October: + 1.6; + 5.0;
- November: – 4.5; – 2.5;
- December: – 10.2; – 8.5.
The first number in the list is the average temperature at night, the second is the average temperature during the day. It rains more often in the summer months, in April and September. The most sunny days are in May and summer. Calm weather is typical for July.
The city's flora is represented by 1,700 plant species. In Izhevsk and its suburbs you can see Siberian fir, Finnish spruce, bird cherry, larches, cedars and other trees and shrubs. The local forests, groves and meadows are inhabited by golden eagles, foxes, wood grouse, badgers, eagle owls, black storks, martens, orioles, moose, hawk owls and other animals and birds.
In addition to Izh, 12 rivers flow through the city. In the north-west of the Udmurt capital there is Izhevsky Pond, stretching for 11.6 km. Width – from 788 m to 2.56 km. In the south of Izhevsk there are two more small ponds: Pirogovsky and Sepychevsky.
Cost of new buildings
Depending on the area, number of storeys, material and class of construction, the cost on the primary market of Izhevsk ranges from 50 to 60 thousand rubles per square meter.
Let's consider the average sale price depending on the number of rooms
- A one-room apartment will cost residents of Izhevsk around 2,296,634 rubles;
- A two-room apartment can be found for RUB 3,274,192;
- The cost of a three-room apartment ranges from 4,664,424 rubles.
Since most of the residential real estate put into operation belongs to the economy class, we bring to your attention the average market prices for the city districts. For convenience, we will arrange the areas in ascending order of price per square meter in a new building:
- Leninsky District offers apartments with an average price of 50 thousand rubles per square meter. The cheapness is due to the presence of a large number of industrial enterprises.
- Pervomaisky district is filled with housing costing from 55 thousand rubles per 1 m2. This price order can be found in all six residential neighborhoods.
- Ustinovsky district is a densely populated area. Its territory is the smallest in area among all the districts. Despite the dense development and the smallest amount of green territory, the average cost per square meter in a new building does not fall below 56 thousand rubles.
- The Industrial District finishes with the highest price in January for 1 m2 at 58 thousand rubles
Short story
On the territory of Izhevsk, archaeologists have discovered traces of ancient settlements, the age of which is estimated at 1800 years. From 1438 to 1552, the land on which the capital of Udmurtia later appeared belonged to the Kazan Khanate. After the capture of Kazan by the troops of Ivan IV in 1552, the Udmurt region became part of Russia. The further history of Izhevsk is marked by several fateful events:
- from 1582, the territory where the city appeared much later belonged to the Tatar volost;
- in 1734, iron ore deposits were discovered here;
- April 1760 - construction of the Izhevsk plant and the village around the enterprise began;
- 1763 – construction of a dam on the Izh River and the formation of the Izhevsk pond;
- 1774 - the plant was looted by rebels under the leadership of E. Pugachev;
- 1807 – the founding of an arms factory took place;
- XIX century - rapid development of production;
- February 1918 - the village received city status and began to be called Izhevsk;
- December 1934 - the city was given the status of the capital of an autonomous republic;
- 1940–1988 – a period of rapid development of industry in the city and expansion of its territory; 17 nearby towns and villages were annexed to Izhevsk;
- September 2010 – ceremonial events were held in the capital of Udmurtia on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the city.
Now Izhevsk is a large industrial center, home to over 90 nationalities. The largest peoples in number are Russians (69%), Tatars (9%) and Udmurts (15%).
Famous people
The lives of many famous people are connected with Izhevsk, but, of course, the most famous of them is Mikhail Kalashnikov. His brainchild, the machine gun of the same name, can even be seen on the flags of a number of countries. Among other celebrities of the city and the republic, the following personalities can be noted:
- Pyotr Shuvalov, count, founder of the city, famous statesman of the country;
- Grigory Vereshchagin, ethnographer;
- Vladimir Korolenko, famous human rights activist;
- Dmitry Zelenin, ethnographer;
- Hermann Weber, motorcycle designer;
- Alexander Belyanin, full Knight of St. George;
- Hugo Schmeisser, small arms designer;
- Ivan Bodalev, merchant, builder and philanthropist;
- Gennady Nikonov, weapons designer;
- Lyudmila Glazova, actress;
- Valery Medvedtsev, biathlete, Olympic champion;
- Anton Sychev, swimmer;
- Ivan Tcherezov, biathlete;
- Maria Gorban, actress.
The city's attractions
The capital of Udmurtia surprises with its wide variety and number of objects of interest to city guests. For art connoisseurs and history connoisseurs, the doors of 72 galleries and museums are open in Izhevsk. The city has 13 sacred buildings - chapels, cathedrals and churches - and more than 150 monuments.
The embankment is named after Semyon Dudin, a famous Udmurt architect
Guests of Izhevsk, like local residents, enjoy strolling along the 1300-meter embankment, named after Semyon Dudin, a famous Udmurt architect. According to the architect’s designs, 6 high-status buildings and 12 houses were built in the city, including the Alexander Nevsky Church, one of the buildings of the arms factory and the Trinity Church.
Since 2007, K. Marx Street has been decorated with the 67-meter red brick building of St. Michael's Cathedral. A staircase consisting of 300 steps leads to the entrance to the temple. The five gilded onion-shaped domes are clearly visible from different parts of the city. The building was built on the site of an old church, which was erected in 1915 and demolished in 1937.
About 800 m separate St. Michael's Cathedral from another famous sacred building in the city. The building of the Alexander Nevsky Church, decorated on the outside with 18 powerful columns, was built in the style of Russian classicism, characteristic of St. Petersburg and European capitals. The cathedral was built in 1823. Visitors to the temple see a building restored in 1993.
Among the cultural institutions of the city, the National Museum, whose halls are located in the building of the Izhevsk Arsenal, is of greatest interest to tourists. More than 66 thousand historically valuable items are collected here. Visitors show particular interest in the collection of ancient weapons, household items of the peoples of Udmurtia and the bones of ancient animals that lived in the vicinity of Izhevsk.
“Ludorvay” – ethnographic museum-reserve
Approximately 17 km from the capital of the republic stretch the “possessions” of “Ludorvaya” - an ethnographic museum-reserve occupying an area of 59 hectares. Coming here, guests seem to find themselves in Udmurtia as it was 100–150 years ago. Visitors stroll among ancient manors, barns, windmills, barns and wooden houses. 23 buildings are collected here, with the help of which the appearance of an Udmurt village of the late 19th and early 20th centuries is recreated.
Entertainment in Izhevsk
Guests of the city will not have to suffer in search of varied leisure activities. In Izhevsk, visitors are welcomed by 19 theaters, 136 restaurants, 65 entertainment centers, 60 night clubs, 432 cafes, 18 cinemas, 9 concert halls and 160 bars. Among the variety of leisure places, guests of the Udmurt capital most often choose four most interesting objects:
- “Seti”, a skate park in Izhevsk located on University Square, was opened quite recently, in October 2022, but managed to quickly gain popularity among the capital’s youth. For extreme sports enthusiasts, there is a bicycle track made of counterslopes, bumps and holes, as well as four grounds: for training, a basketball court and two for skateboarding.
- Fans of dramatic art can visit two theaters whose productions are distinguished by high artistic skill: the National and the Russian. In the first of them, productions are mainly based on plays by Udmurt authors: R. Nikolaeva, I. Gavrilov, E. Zagrebin, A. Blinov, A. Grigoriev and others. The repertoire of the Russian Drama Theater includes 25 performances based on the works of a variety of authors, ranging from W. Shakespeare and A. Ostrovsky to I. Vyrypaev and L. Zorin.
- Fans of musical art happily fill the halls of the Opera and Ballet Theater and the Philharmonic. The latter institution attracts primarily with concerts of symphonic music, which feature works by P. Tchaikovsky, J. Brahms, N. Rimsky-Korsakov and other famous composers. The Opera and Ballet Theater delights audiences not only with classical works, but also with modern musicals.
- On August 18, 2022, a new park appeared on an abandoned plot of land surrounded by Northern Lane and the buildings of the City Administration, Rostelecom and the Supreme Court. The compact “Open Garden,” as this picturesque place was called, occupies an area of just over 8 thousand square meters. m. On the territory of the park there are benches, a cozy gazebo, an indoor stage and a spacious area for communication. Festivals, games, concerts by local musicians, lectures and competitions are held here.
“Forest Fairy Tale” – camp and recreation center
Young guests of Izhevsk can relax with their parents outside the city. About 19 km from the outskirts of the Udmurt capital, on the territory of the Botanical Garden, there is a “Forest Fairy Tale” - a camp and recreation center. This is a whole health complex, consisting of 6 buildings and located on an area of 28 hectares. Young guests of the camp will enjoy fun games, interactive quests, educational quizzes and competitions.
Tourists and city residents of all ages enjoy visiting the local zoo, built on the banks of Izhevsky Pond in 2008. 483 animals and birds live here in open enclosures. The most exotic “residents” of the zoo:
- Amur tiger;
- blue-tailed monitor lizard;
- Far Eastern leopard;
- Yemen chameleon;
- polar bear;
- flamingo;
- dwarf pig;
- black Wolf;
- jaguar;
- gibbon;
- alpaca;
- Japanese crane.
How to get to Izhevsk?
For those who prefer to travel to the Udmurt capital by train, it is important to know that in Moscow passenger trains depart from the Kazansky railway station. Travel time – from 16 hours 43 minutes. until 20:50 Trains arrive in Izhevsk at a modern station located on the street. Druzhba, 16. In the neighboring building (house 18) there is a post office (index - 426 960) and a sorting shop.
Planes depart to Izhevsk from three capital airports: Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo or Domodedovo. Travel time without transfers is from 1 hour 35 minutes. up to 2 hours 05 minutes In Izhevsk, the airport is located 16 km from the central quarters of the city. Tourists get to hotels by taxi or bus No. 331.
Ways to solve the problem
Naturally, there is no single solution to the problems associated with the deteriorating demographic situation, but in the conditions of Izhevsk you can take advantage of the following points.
Firstly, local authorities should focus on ideological propaganda of family values and the enormous role of motherhood in the formation of every person.
Secondly, it is necessary to improve the healthcare system, since the gradual aging of the population will inevitably lead to an increase in visits to doctors.
Thirdly, Izhevsk, whose population in Soviet times was distinguished by high scientific and industrial potential, should strive to attract people with high educational potential. The basis for this should be an increase in the level of educational services.
