Sights of Miass
The city of Miass is the regional center of the Chelyabinsk region. It is located at the foot of a whole group of ridges of the Southern Urals, they are called the Ilmen Mountains. The name of the city comes from the name of the Miass River.
In 1773, merchant Larion Luginin organized a settlement in this place in connection with the construction of a copper smelter.
Subsequently, gold deposits were developed in the valley of the Miass River. In 1824, even Emperor Alexander 1 came to the gold mines. This mine was called Tsarevo-Alexandrovsky.
About the history of the city of Miass
A settlement in the vicinity of present-day Miass appeared in 1773, when the enterprising merchant Luginin Larion started the construction of a copper smelter in this area.
Due to the outbreak of the Pugachev People's War, the construction of the plant was significantly delayed. But in August 1777 it started working. Gradually, the copper deposits dried up, and in 1798, Luginin’s heirs sold the enterprise to the treasury. By the middle of the 19th century, the maintenance of the plant became unprofitable, and it was closed.
But the workers' freedom remained. This was facilitated by the development of gold deposits. In the nineteenth century, the entire valley of the Miass River became a huge gold mine.
The most “advanced” mine was the Tsarevo-Alexandrovsky (later Leninsky) mine. Tsar Alexander I came here during his travels around the country.
This mine had no equal in the region in terms of the number and wealth of gold nuggets found. In 1842, craftsman Nikifor Syutkin found here one of the largest nuggets in the world - the “Big Triangle”, weighing 36.21 kg.
Egor Mitrofanovich Simonov, who went from an ordinary prospector to the owner of mines and became the richest man in the city, became widely known and had a prominent position in the city.
Gold mining remained the main city-forming industry in Miass until Soviet times. Under the USSR, other industries were created here.
In 1891, from Miass and Vladivostok simultaneously, towards each other, they began to build the Trans-Siberian Railway. This most famous section of the Trans-Siberian Railway “from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean” was built from 1891 to 1916. In 1903, the first train St. Petersburg - Moscow - Vladivostok passed along the Trans-Siberian Railway. From Moscow to Miass by rail it is exactly 2 thousand kilometers.
City center in the old days
This unique role of Miass in the history of our country is recalled by a memorial sign at the Miass-1 station, erected in honor of the 100th anniversary of the start of construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
In December 1919, Miass received city status. In 1923, the local city council was going to rename the city Tukhachevsk - in honor of the famous Red commander Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who took the city into civilian rule. But the authorities rejected this initiative.
In the 1930s, along with gold mining, the city began to seriously develop the timber industry, and then mechanical engineering.
At the end of 1941, automobile production was established on the basis of the workshops of the Stalin Automobile Plant in Miass that were evacuated from the capital. First they produced engines and gearboxes, then ZiS-5 trucks. And after the war, they started producing their own models - the famous Ural trucks.
Defense and rocketry design bureaus in Mashgorodok also became important enterprises.
Since the late 1950s, beautiful roads and sidewalks, well-groomed alleys and squares, flower beds, special design of hotel buildings, a swimming pool, cafes and shops, pine and linden alleys have appeared in this microdistrict of the city. A group of architects received a State Prize for this residential area.
Since the 1970s, a large-panel house-building plant has been operating in the city. In addition to the industrial sector, the resort and sanatorium and tourism sectors began to actively develop (resorts on Lake Turgoyak, ski slopes, tours to the most picturesque places of the Southern Urals).
An annual event that has become widely known is the Ilmen Art Song Festival, which takes place in mid-June.
History of Miass
The city arose on the Miass River, from which it received its name. The name of the river could come from the Turkic language, meaning “small swamp”.
In 1773, the Tula merchant, founder of the Zlatoust plant I.I. Luginin received permission to build a copper smelter on the Miass River. However, due to the outbreak of the Peasant War, construction stopped. The plant was launched only on August 12, 1777. It became part of the Zlatoust mountain district and changed owners along with it. In 1798, the heir to the founder of the plant, I.M. Luginin sold the enterprise to the treasury. In the 19th century, copper production declined, the plant became unprofitable and closed. Administratively, the Miass plant was part of the Troitsky district of the Orenburg province.
A new milestone in the development of Miass is associated with gold. In the 1820s, rich gold deposits were discovered here, and many gold mines appeared in the valley of the Miass River. For example, in 1836, 54 mines and 23 gold deposits were developed here.
The richest and most famous mine in the vicinity of Miass turned out to be Tsarevo-Alexandrovsky (in Soviet times it was renamed Leninsky), discovered in 1824 by the master of charge Medzher. It is noteworthy that Emperor Alexander I visited this mine during his trip to the Urals and tried to mine gold himself.
In 1842, a young prospector Nikifor Syutkin found a nugget here weighing 36 kg 21 g. The length of the nugget was 39 cm, height - 28 cm. The nugget was called the “Big Triangle” for its shape. This is the largest gold nugget in Russia and the world that has survived to this day (larger finds are also known, but they were melted down). The “Big Triangle” is kept in the Kremlin Diamond Fund in Moscow. For the find, the prospector was paid a huge reward for those times of 1,200 rubles in silver (in parts). However, as they say, Syutkin quickly became an alcoholic and squandered everything, dying in poverty.
In general, this mine was distinguished by numerous finds of large nuggets. For almost half a century, the Miass Valley was the main gold depository of Russia. Miass turned into a wealthy settlement.
In 1839, Gustav Rose named a new discovered rock - miaskite - in honor of the Miass plant. It is found on the Ilmensky, Ishkulsky and Saitovsky ridges. In Miass there is the only building in the world lined with miaskite - the old station.
Miass is the birthplace of the famous Ural photographer V.L. Metenkova. It is also associated with the names of famous scientists L.A. Kulika, A.E. Fersman, V.I. Vernadsky.
Since 1891, the Trans-Siberian Railway (Transsib) was built in Russia - the longest railway in the world (more than 9 thousand km). She passed through Miass. Construction officially began on May 19 (31), 1891 near Vladivostok. Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Nicholas II, was present at the laying of the road. However, in fact, construction started earlier - in early March 1891, when construction of the Miass - Chelyabinsk section began. The first train (working, with building materials) was met in Miass on July 5, 1892, and the first passenger train from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok passed in 1903.
After the outbreak of the First World War, in 1915, the sawtooth was evacuated from Riga to Miass. He gave birth to the Miass sawing (tool) factory. In Soviet times, the plant produced a wide range of notched and threaded products: from large files to manicure files. Its products were exported to more than 40 countries. In 1981, the billionth (!) file was produced. To transport such a quantity of products, 34,000 wagons would be needed, and their length would be 400 km.
The civil war swept across Miass, claiming lives. The beginning of the civil war on the territory of Miass was the mutiny of the Czechoslovak corps. On May 27, 1918, the Miass Red Guard detachment was sent to suppress the rebellion in Zlatoust, and on May 29, a counter-revolutionary coup was carried out in Miass; a company of White Czechs entered the city. The offensive operation of the Reds under the leadership of N.I. Podvoisky and I.M. Malysheva failed. On June 1, they were defeated at Mount Mokhovaya. The captured soldiers and local Bolshevik leaders were shot. In 1919, after the fighting, the city was liberated from the whites.
In 1919 (according to other sources, in 1926) Miass received the status of a county town. In 1923, the Miass City Council proposed renaming the city Tukhachevsk (in honor of the military leader M.N. Tukhachevsky, who led the fighting in the Miass region during the liberation of the area from the Whites), but the petition was rejected.
During Soviet times, gold mining continued and dredges appeared on the river. Since 1988, dredge No. 5 has been operating at Miassok Pond. One of the large placer deposits has almost been mined here, and about 2 tons of gold have been mined. Nuggets were rarely found here.
In 1941, due to the outbreak of war, the Moscow Automobile Plant was evacuated to Miass. On its basis, the Miass Automobile Plant was founded in 1943. At first, the plant produced engines and gearboxes, and on July 8, 1944, the first Ural car ZIS-5 rolled off the assembly line (in honor of this event, one of the central streets was named 8 July Street). The cars were sent to the front, and the famous Katyushas were installed on them. After the war, the automobile plant continued to operate, producing various models of Ural trucks. It was named the Ural Automobile. The enterprise still operates today (under the name automobile).
In the 1950s, the missile design bureau (SKB-385) was transferred to Miass from Zlatoust, now it is the State Missile Bureau. It was engaged in the development of serial production of missiles developed by OKB-1, which was headed by S.P. Korolev. So in the northern part of the city a new (and youngest) district arose - Mashgorodok.
In the 1980s, trolleybuses began to operate in Miass. There are fewer and fewer cities with trolleybus traffic in the Urals every year, but they still operate in Miass. Our reader, Viktor Denisov, told an interesting fact. It turns out that in the late 1990s and early 2000s, travel on public transport was free for all citizens and guests of Miass.
“I don’t remember anything like this in any city in Russia or even in the world, although I’ve traveled almost the whole world. Everywhere they collect fares, but in Miass travel on buses and trolleybuses was free. For travel, money was transferred from enterprises in the city of Miass. It was nice to travel far and for free. There were no conductors or controllers. The city is very stretched along the Miass River and the Ilmen-Tau mountain range, and the trips are just as long.”
The city of Miass is very extended. It stretched out in a rather narrow and long (about 30 km) strip along the river. It occupies an area of 111.9 km², the total length of roads is 454 km. Currently, the population of Miass is 151 thousand people (it is in 4th place in the Chelyabinsk region after Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk and Zlatoust).
Museum of Local Lore
The Miass Museum of Local Lore is one of the oldest in the Urals. Back in the 19th century, a museum exhibition was set up in one of the rooms of the plant management building. In 1920, the city local history museum was founded in the format of a large cultural institution.
In 1995, the local history museum moved to an old building - the mansion of the wealthy gold miner Simonov, which he had already occupied in the 1920s.
Museum of Local Lore
The exhibition halls of the museum display exhibitions that clearly and interestingly tell about the history of the region since ancient times, about the life of the workers of the Miass plant and their families. The museum collections reflect all aspects of the social and cultural development of Miass and the territories adjacent to this city.
The museum owns not only a remarkable 19th-century building, but also a courtyard and garden. In the summer, this territory becomes an arena for children's master classes, games, quest trips, theatrical and costume events.
Address: st. Pushkina, 8.
Simonov Estate
The estate of gold miner E. M. Simonov is an object of cultural heritage of Miass. Previously, the Chashikhina estate was located here, which Simonov acquired in 1879. From the previous complex, only a 2-story residential building was left, since other buildings were built taking into account the same stylistic principles.
Simonov's house is located on a cliff. The building surprises with its richly decorated facade, and it was built in an unusual “brick style”. To date, only the main staircase has survived from the rich interior.
Currently, the Simonov estate houses an exhibition dedicated to Miass.
Location: Pushkin street - 8.
UralAZ Museum
The Museum of the Glorious Enterprise has been operating since 1969. It introduces visitors to the history of the Ural Automobile Plant. The museum’s exposition opens with the section “Evacuation from the Moscow Stalin Plant.” The display cases contain authentic documents, things and objects from 1941-1942.
In the “First Products” section, products are displayed, the production of which was associated with the initial period of work; it tells how a working team was formed from employees who came from Moscow and indigenous residents of the Urals.
The section “The first car to the front” tells the story of the transformation of an automobile engine plant into a car plant and the production in 1944 of the first Ural truck, the ZiS-5. The section “Automobile Plant Workers on the Fronts of the Great Patriotic War” is dedicated to the labor and military exploits of the automobile plant workers.
The section “Labor in the post-war period” contains documents, photographs, and models of cars from the period of restoration of the national economy.
UralAZ Museum
The seventh special section of the museum shows how the Oktyabrsky village was transformed into a modern industrial city with all possible infrastructure.
The section “A New Era in the Life of the Plant” tells about the reconstruction of the plant, the creation in the shortest possible time of a new three-axle off-road truck Ural-375D and the development of its production. A separate stand is dedicated to the development of Ural car models and their creators - the designers of the enterprise.
The construction of new production buildings and the creation of new modifications of cars are also reflected. Of course, there is an extensive collection of scale models of cars of various modifications, as well as an exhibition of cups won by the car plant team in international truck trial competitions.
Visitors are offered sightseeing and thematic excursions, watching interesting videos about car testing and truck trial competitions.
Address: Avtozavodtsev Ave., 1.
Museum of the Ilmen State Mineralogical Reserve
This museum has existed since 1925. In 1936, the first wooden museum building with an area of 300 square meters was built specifically to house its collections. m, which housed 2 departments: geological and zoological.
The modern museum building has been welcoming visitors since 1990. The area of its exhibition halls is 4500 square meters. m.
Museum of the Ilmen State Mineralogical Reserve
Most of the exhibits characterize the mineral diversity of the Ilmen Mountains. All collections are carefully grouped by field and presented in a very interesting way.
The Biological Hall presents the flora and fauna of the Ilmensky Nature Reserve and the South of the Urals. The central part of the hall is occupied by the “Seasons” diorama, 33 m long, viewing which, visitors on an imaginary journey cross the Ilmensky ridge from west to east, changing different seasons of the year. Small dioramas and showcases show the entire diversity of flora and fauna of the natural zones of the Chelyabinsk region.
Address: Ilmensky Reserve, 1.
Holy Trinity Church
To this day, we have managed to preserve the Holy Trinity Church, which was previously included in 24 churches in the Miass district. The foundation stone for the religious landmark took place in 1887, and its consecration took place in 1889.
The Holy Trinity Church is a cemetery church, built thanks to the local merchants. Despite the small size of the object, one can note the beauty of the external and internal decoration, created on the basis of marble, amber, carved oak, and English iron.
In 1936, the church was converted into a workers' dormitory. After 8 years, the object was returned to believers. Since 1994, a Sunday school has been operating at the church.
Location: Kolesova street - 21.
Dumpling Museum
The city’s museum is not only interesting, but also delicious, which tells adults and children about the history of the traditional Siberian delicacy, invites them to take part in master classes on making dumplings and, of course, tastings.
The museum exposition tells about forty different types of dishes, which we are accustomed to consider as originally Russian, but which also exist in the culinary traditions of other countries. The exhibition presents models of dumplings from different countries, each of which has its own shape and manufacturing secret.
Dumpling Museum
The museum has existed since 2014, when the empty and decaying ancient building was purchased by a private individual and restored. At the same time, the facade was preserved in its original form.
In the restored house of merchant Smirnov, in addition to the dumpling museum, there is also a family leisure center, craft workshops, a children's theater, a cafe and a sports complex.
Address: st. Proletarskaya, 5, “House of Merchant Smirnov.”
State Missile Museum
The Museum of the History of the State Missile Center named after Academician Makeev was organized in the 90s, and people began to talk openly about the missile center as one of the enterprises of the country’s defense complex.
State Missile Museum
It is located, among other things, on the premises of the former office of the first general designer, Academician Makeev, which in itself is very valuable. In three exhibition halls, models of various rockets are displayed, clearly demonstrating the rich history of the GRC.
Address: Turgoyak highway, 1.
Church of the Epiphany
The Church of the Epiphany is located in the central part of Miass. This temple is considered one of the most important in the entire city. The religious site has four chapters and a bell tower.
Construction activities started in 1994. However, construction was temporarily suspended due to lack of funds. In 2007, financial problems were resolved. As a result, in 2012 it was possible to complete construction, carry out interior decoration, and hold a consecration ceremony.
Location: Kolesova street - 21.
Memorial "Grieving Mother"
The memorial sculptural group, installed in memory of those killed on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, was installed on November 4, 1967 on the main square of Miass, next to the administration building.
The square is framed by a semicircular wall of 150 marble slabs, with the names of fellow countrymen who died in the war engraved on them. In the center there is a stele with an outline of a warrior carved on stone, a sculpture of the Sorrowful Mother and the Eternal Flame.
Memorial "Grieving Mother"
Over the years, to the plates with the names of those killed in the Great Patriotic War, the names of those killed in Afghanistan, then in Chechnya, were also added. A monument to the victims of political repression, a monument to the dead border guards, and to all the soldiers of the city who died in the line of duty, wherever.
Address: Central Square.
Park of giant stationery figures "Bureaucrat"
Thanks to these extraordinary art objects, Miass was included in the Guinness Book of Records. After all, only here you can see such office supplies: a huge two-meter button, a 2.5-meter high ruler, a nine-meter paper clip, four-meter scissors.
Park of giant stationery figures "Bureaucrat"
On the information stands located nearby, you can read the interesting history of each stationery item.
Address: Oktyabrya Ave., 7.
IN AND. Lenin is an honorary whipper
The monument to the leader of the revolution, the founder of the USSR was laid on the territory of the Miass sawmill on January 27, 1924 - the day of the official farewell to Lenin.
IN AND. Lenin is an honorary whipper
This is due to the fact that on May 1, 1923, at a general meeting of workers, the chairman of the trade union committee proposed making Lenin an honorary member of the factory team. Until the collapse of the USSR (1991), Ilyich was officially listed in the plant’s staff as a 3rd category worker: he was a member of the trade union, he received a salary that went towards organizing cultural events, for children’s recreation, and during the war years - for the needs of the Red Army. Childlessness tax was deducted from “Lenin’s salary” and trade union dues were paid. The plant was equipped with a “Leninist workplace”, where it was considered an honor to work.
Address: st. Proletarskaya, 1.
Monument to those killed during the Civil War
This memorial was erected in 1957 at a mass grave where Red Guards who died in the battles for the liberation of the city from Kolchak were buried, as well as Soviet activists shot during the White Terror.
Monument to those killed during the Civil War
The monument stands on a square concrete platform and is approached by a wide flight of stairs. On three sides of the stele there are marble memorial slabs with the names of the 97 victims.
Address: Southern District of Miass, Revolution Square.
Ski resort Sun Valley
The ski resort is located at the foot of the majestic Mount Known near Miass. The mountain is included in the Ural mountain range.
Sunny Valley has been successfully operating since 2001. Every tourist has the opportunity to enjoy their holiday from November to April, since it is at this time of year that all tourists can appreciate the protection from the wind.
In summer, tourists are also offered extreme entertainment:
- Rope park.
- Skate park.
- Excursions to Mt.
However, in winter there are even more opportunities for extreme sports:
- Skiing.
- Half lip.
- Alpine sleigh.
- Slopestyle.
Sun Valley is a place where brave people should visit.
Location: Romanenko street - 50A.
Memorial “To the Victorious People! To the Creator People!
This sculptural and architectural composition, installed in 1985, consists of a concave parabolic wall lined with concrete slabs. In front of the wall, full-length sculptural compositions are installed on low stylobates. On the left side is a worker with a banner in his hand. Next to him is a bugler.
Memorial “To the Victorious People! To the Creator People!
On the right side is an astronaut raising his hand in greeting, to his left is a girl holding a laurel branch above her head. In the center are a worker and a girl handing a sword to a soldier. These figures are made of decorative concrete. Between them is an inscription in voluminous steel letters: “To the people – the Winner, to the people – the Creator.”
Address: st. Molodezhnaya, Memory Square, behind the Prometheus Palace of Culture.
Monument to the First Ural Automobile
Not far from the UralAZ plant, a memorial complex dedicated to the products of this plant was built. In the center of a large area, in front of a high stele, and on a pedestal, there is a ZiS-5 car, from which the history of UralAZ began in the menacing 40s.
Monument to the First Ural Automobile
Along the perimeter of the site there are steles in a semicircle with images of different models of trucks produced at the Miass UralAZ plant throughout its history. They are installed in chronological order.
Address: Predzavodskaya Square.
Churches and temples of Miass
Church of the Epiphany , on the street. Kolesova, 21, is a new church, the construction of which took 18 years and was completed in 2012.
Church of the Holy Trinity , on Oktyabrya Avenue, 3, is the only ancient temple in the city of Miass that has survived to this day. It was opened back in 1889. During the Soviet period, the church was preserved because it was a cemetery, and the dead were buried there. From 1936 to 1944 the temple was closed, but they did not destroy it.
Church of the Holy Trinity
Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary , on the street. Gottwald 37a is a new temple built between 2007 and 2017. The church is located in one of the most picturesque places in the city, on the banks of the Miass River.
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel in the village of Turgoyak was built in the 2000s, on the site of an old church that had existed since 1885. It was closed in 1930, turned into a warehouse, and in 1934 it was destroyed.
Later, on the site of the temple, the Luch cinema was built, which operated until the early 2000s. When the question of reviving the temple arose, they tried to recreate it in the cinema building. But it was eventually declared unsafe, so it was demolished, and a new beautiful church was built from scratch. Address: st. Comintern, 39, Turgoyak village.
Intercession Church of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church
Intercession Church of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church on the street. Malysheva, 38.
The Old Believer community existed in Miass from the very foundation of the city. In 1895, when the government made some relaxations in the legislation in relation to the Old Believers, the city residents built a stone church, but without a cross at the top. In 1936, it was taken from the believers and adapted for a printing house, and then dismantled. Services were held in a prayer house on Berezovskaya Street. The current temple was built in 1995-1999.
Sights of Miass
Below I tried to answer as fully as possible the question of what you can see in Miass (and there are plenty of interesting sights here). If any worthy place is left outside the scope of the review, write in the comments. All places described in the review are marked on the map, which you will find below.
The old part of the city is located in the area of the Miass Pond dam . The buildings of the 19th – early 20th centuries have been preserved here. The architectural and industrial complex of the copper smelter has also partially reached, but it’s not so easy to get to the territory of the former enterprise. The pond dam has been reconstructed several times. Nothing remains of the former hydraulic structure, built in the 18th century.
It is better to start your acquaintance with Miass with the local history museum . It is located in the former two-story mansion of gold miner E.M. Simonova . In total, on the territory of the former estate of E.M. Simonov there are three buildings: a house with a mezzanine (Pushkina St., 6, now owned by a private individual), a large two-story house (Pushkina St., 8, it houses a museum) and a one-story outbuilding (utility building) between them.
Yegor Mitrofanovich Simonov was able to rise from the very bottom and become a wealthy gold miner. However, wealth did not go to his head. Contemporaries spoke of him as a kind, open person. In 1879, Simonov bought a large plot of land in the dammed part of the city from the widow of the titular councilor, Chashikhina. From Chashikhina's old buildings, he preserved a residential building with a mezzanine, built by an unknown architect. In the 1880s, Simonov built a new large brick house nearby with a beautifully decorated facade in the eclectic style. After the revolution, in different years the house housed a local history museum, a pedagogical college, an auxiliary school, etc.
Miass Local History Museum (Pushkina St., 8; tel.) was founded in 1920. Over its almost century-long history, the museum has replaced several buildings. It has been located in Simonov's house since 1995. Of the interior decoration, only a marble staircase with cast-iron railings, elements of stucco molding and a stuffed bear greeting guests remained from the owner. The museum has sections “Settlement of the Urals by the Bashkirs”, “Foundation of a copper smelter and the history of the development of gold mining”, “Prospector’s hut”, “Road to the temple”, “Office of a mining engineer”, “Miass sawmill”.
After getting acquainted with the museum, you should go towards the pond dam. To the right of the dam you can see the house of Dunaev (Pushkina St., 2), which owned the mill that operated here. It is interesting that Dunaev was the first in the city to install electricity and loved to demonstrate this “miracle” to guests. Later, the house was bought by brothers Vasily and Timofey Yurkin, who moved to Miass from the Moscow region after 1871. And the house next door with a mezzanine, which belonged to the Romanovsky sisters, has been virtually destroyed these days. Meanwhile, the Romanovskys were famous philanthropists of the city; the first women's gymnasium in Miass was built with their funds.
Having crossed the dam of the pond dam to the other side, notice an abandoned two-story house standing near the pond. This is the former house of the plant manager (Proletarskaya St., 2). The building was built at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century. This was the first stone building in the city. A garden was laid out around it, fenced with a cast-iron lattice, there was a greenhouse, and marble steps went down to the pond. Now nothing remains of its former splendor.
Across the road is the factory office building (Proletarskaya St., 1). It was built in the style of mature classicism in the 1820s. It was originally built as a knife factory for the Zlatoust arms factory, but was never used for its intended purpose. When gold was discovered in 1823, the office of the Miass plant and gold mines . Since 1915, the administration of the sawing (tool) factory settled here. At the time of our visit to Miass, the building was in disrepair. Good news came recently. In 2022, through the efforts of the Miass Garment Factory and local philanthropists, the building was completely restored and reconstructed. A cultural and exhibition center was opened here with a cinema, exhibition halls, an art salon for original works and gifts, a jewelry salon and a virtual reality club. The Gold Museum is due to open here in 2022.
On the right is the entrance to the former Miass Tool Plant. Behind the barrier you can see the monument to V.I. Lenin - honorary whipper . At a festive meeting on May 1, 1923, the chairman of the trade union committee A.V. Zhdanov proposed to enlist Vladimir Ilyich Lenin on the plant’s staff. The workers supported the proposal. Lenin was officially appointed to the position of honorary whipper of the third category. A notcher was a worker who made notches on files. Vladimir Ilyich received his salary. It was transferred to various funds, for the organization of cultural events, for children's recreation, and during the war it went to the needs of the army. This monument was also placed on it. The leader of the world proletariat was paid until 1991. Thus, according to the papers, Vladimir Ilyich worked at the Miass enterprise for 68 years, although he was destined to live only 54 years...
And on the other side of the office building begins Labor Square (formerly Church Square) - the main square of old Miass. There are many old merchant houses from the 19th – early 20th centuries around. Celebrations took place on this square, trade was conducted, and life was in full swing. Previously, the Peter and Paul Church stood on Church Square. The first stone church of Miass began to be built in 1808 and was consecrated in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul in 1815. The massive one-story church had features of a pseudo-Byzantine style. In 1825, a three-tier bell tower was built. The church was closed in 1932 and demolished in 1939. Nowadays there is a monument to Lenin in this place.
To the side of the square is the building of the former Gostiny Dvor (Proletarskaya St. 1/2). Now there are numerous shops and offices renting space there. The building is disfigured by reconstruction, siding and advertising. The fact that this was once a guest courtyard is only reminiscent of the shape of the windows on the first floor.
On the left there is a fire department building with a characteristic tower-tower (they were also covered with siding), and behind it is the house of the priest Malyshev . The house is very beautiful, it’s worth going up to it and admiring the remains of its former magnificent decor. Even mosaic elements have been preserved. Alas, the abandoned house is deteriorating and is about to collapse. It can no longer be restored.
The best preserved complex of merchant houses is on Proletarskaya Street. On the corner with Truda Square stands the house of the merchant and gold miner Zharov (Proletarskaya St., 1). The building was built at the end of the 19th century in Art Nouveau style. In 1918, the 1st City Committee of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies was located here, as a memorial plaque reminds. Nowadays various shops have settled here.
Next door is the complex of houses of the merchant Smirnov (Proletarskaya St., 5). Smirnov was the manager of Bakakin's trading house, amassing good capital. The house was built in the second half of the 19th century so that the façade faces the main street, and the warehouses face the parallel street on the other side. After the revolution, the sawmill club was located in the building.
For a long time, Smirnov’s house stood abandoned, but he was lucky. The building recently fell into good hands and was restored by a local businessman. Now there is a store, a cafe, a culinary shop, and also a dumpling museum . The entrance to the museum is from Sporta Street, where a monument to dumplings .
Across the road stands the building of the former trading house A.F. Bakakina (Proletarskaya St., 12). The building was built in Art Nouveau style. At that time, it looked very modern: large windows with blinds that closed at the top, rich decoration of the facade with stucco molding, carved doors, and an elegant roof topped with forged iron grilles with ornaments. Above the main entrance there was a stucco inscription “A.F. BAKAKIN." After the revolution, the building housed a gold buying store, which is why the windows were blocked. Since the 1950s, the City House of Culture has been located here.
Next door is a beautiful pharmacy building , which performed these functions even before the revolution.
At the three-point intersection of Proletarskaya, Lenin and Detsky lanes there is a corner building of the former trading house of the Elabuga merchant I.G. Stakheev (Lenina St., 2), built in 1912 on the site of a wooden volost government building that had previously stood here. There was a store on the ground floor, and a restaurant on the second floor.
Turning onto Lenin, you can see several more beautiful merchant houses. Among them, the most interesting is the house of the merchant A.F. Bakakina (Lenin St., 12). However, this beautiful mansion was built in the second half of the 19th century by another merchant - V.I. Kuznetsov, who owned a mill. After the death of V.I. Kuznetsov, his heirs sold the house to Troitsk merchant and gold miner Alexander Fedorovich Bakakin. The house belonged to him until the 1917 revolution. In Soviet times, this mansion housed first the UKOM, and then the city party committee and the city executive committee, a children's clinic, and a skin dispensary. It is interesting that in 1957, the Sverdlovsk Film Studio filmed scenes of the film “In the Power of Gold” based on the works of D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak. At the end of the 1970s, the building was transferred to the city museum. Over the course of several years, repairs and restoration were carried out, but later the commission, after assessing the condition of the house, concluded that the building would not withstand the excursion load. At the end of 1983, the building was transferred to UZHKH. However, this organization operated only the outbuildings and the yard. At that time, the Kasli cast fireplace disappeared, the fireplaces with stucco and tiles were destroyed, the decor was knocked down, and the carriage house in the yard was destroyed. Later, a construction company bought the mansion for an office and renovated it, but today the building is abandoned again.
The merchant Bakakin also owned other buildings in Miass. Opposite is the building of the former store of the merchant Bakakin (Lenin St., 17). The Art Nouveau building was built at the beginning of the 20th century. After the revolution, the building was adapted into the Energia cinema; artists also performed here and lectures were held. Not only films were shown here, but also performances and concerts by local and visiting artists.
Away from the center (almost 1.5 km from here) at st. Lenina, 121 there is an architectural complex of stone barracks buildings , built in 1842 with funds from the Miass Gold Mining Partnership. 300 soldiers serving in the mines were stationed here. Among the buildings, the hospital - a beautiful one-story building with columns. Built in 1850-64 according to the design of the architect F.A. Telezhnikova. The hospital was designed for 80 patients. A large garden was laid out around it. The outbuildings housed a pharmacy and a doctor's apartment. Today, the building of a vocational school is located here.
But let's return to the center of the old city. There are several old houses on Sverdlov Street. The house of gold miner Zharov (Sverdlova St., 3) was built at the end of the 19th century in the eclectic style. The facade is decorated with stucco and forged metal. The building is decorated with a large balcony and parapet lattice, made by the famous blacksmiths the Dorofeev brothers. Zharov rented out the building. There was a merchant's club here, and since 1895 there was a trusteeship of people's sobriety, a reading hut.
On the neighboring house (Sverdlova St., 5) you can see a memorial plaque stating that revolutionary S.G. lived here. Uralov (Kislyakov).
At the address st. Pervomaiskaya, 10/1 the minaret of the mosque . It is a tall brick tower on a dilapidated cube-shaped base. Next to the minaret there was a mosque, a Muslim printing house, and a Muslim school. The mosque was opened at the end of the 19th century and belonged to Mullah Salah-Etdin Bashirov. In 1925, the mosque was closed and destroyed, leaving only the minaret. Now it has been fenced off, blocking free access.
Moving towards the new city center, pay attention to the Holy Trinity Church (October Square, 3). It was built on the cemetery in 1887-89 at the expense of local merchants and gold miners. No expense was spared. Built of red brick with decor in a pseudo-Russian style. The domes are covered with English iron, the floor is made of gray marble, the carved iconostasis was ordered in Moscow and made of solid polished oak, with fine carvings. In 1939 the church was closed, in 1941 there was a dormitory for workers, but already in 1944 the church was returned to the believers. This is the only surviving old church in Miass. In the past, the city already ended here.
Behind the church is the old Trinity Cemetery , where famous people are buried. For example, mining engineers and philanthropists Romanovsky; mining engineer, discoverer of the Chelyabinsk coal basin, caretaker at the Kaskinovsky and Muldakakevo mines, bergmeister of the Miass gold mines I. I. Redikortsev Sr., merchants Kuznetsov, Belyaev, parents of gold miner E.M. Simonov, families of clergy, Hero of the Soviet Union M. Kushnov, famous doctors G.K. Mavritsky, V.P. Klenkov, writer V.R. Graviskis and others.
Fedya Gorelov , was also buried here . He was born in 1901. As a child, he studied at a lower vocational school, then worked first at the Dunaev mill, and then at a sawmill. In December 1917, Fedya joined the ranks of the Red Guard and took part in the battle with the White Czechs near Mount Mokhovaya. The circumstances of his death are not precisely known. According to local writer V.R. Graviskis, which he expressed in the book “The Red Son of the Guard,” Fedya was executed by local rich people for participating in the seizure of valuables. Fedya was hanged from a roadside pine tree and was not allowed to be buried for a long time. During Soviet times, the street where Fedya Gorelov lived was named after him.
In another cemetery, a Muslim one (at the exit from the city in front of the railway line to Uchaly), there is the grave of the revered poet and educator Miftakhetdin Akmulla, who was killed in 1895 near Syrostan.
On Oktyabrskaya Square near the Holy Trinity Church there is a monument to the mass grave of 70 Bolsheviks and Red Guards executed by Kolchak’s troops during the Civil War. The dead were reburied on July 20, 1919, three days after the liberation of Miass from the whites. In 1920, the remains of the soldiers of the Turgoyak Red Guard detachment, shot by the White Czechs in 1918, as well as the ChON soldiers who died in 1920, were also reburied in a mass grave. In 1957, a concrete monument lined with marble was erected. The author of the project is architect N.P. Ipatov.
Another monument dedicated to the events of those years is on the outskirts of Miass, in the northern part of the Chashkovsky Mountains, where battles took place during the Civil War in the summer of 1919. Kolchak’s troops gained a foothold on a hill, and they were defeated only by coming from the rear with the help of guides from among the local residents. was erected here in honor of the liberation of the city . You can get to it along Shirokoy Lane. The memorial inscription on the monument reads: “Here on the Chashkovsky Mountains on July 17, 1919, units of the Red Army defeated Kolchak’s troops. Miass became a Soviet city forever.”
To the north of the historical center the city is crossed by a railway. Near the new railway station of the Miass-1 station (Akademika Pavlova St., 42a), built in 1981, there is a memorial sign reminding that construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began from Miass in 1892. It was installed in 1992 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the start of construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. In front of the station there is an art object “Golden Elk” - a symbol of Miass, installed in 2017. The author of the project was SUSU student Maria Ivanova, who won a grant of 300 thousand rubles to create a sculpture. They made the “moose” in Vologda, then delivered it to the Urals.
Viktor Denisov, whose father participated in the construction of the station, told an interesting local legend on our channel in Zen:
“The new Miass station was built backwards. The project came and we couldn’t figure out where the station was facing the railway and where it was facing the city. And since the facade differs little from the back side of the station, they confused the back with the front and built it that way.”
The old station building has also been preserved . You can get to it along Truda Street. The building was built in 1904 in Art Nouveau style. Signs with the name of the station are made in pre-revolutionary style. The station building is unique in that its walls are decorated with a rare rock called miaskite, named after the city of Miass. This is a rare type of granite, the deposit of which was first discovered in the surrounding area. The building is an architectural monument. After the construction of the new station, only electric trains stop at this station, and the station is also used as a cargo sorting station.
On the old station building you can see a plaque in memory of the railway workers who died here during the Civil War. However, tragedy has happened here before. In 1908, a mail train was raided at Miass station. There were about 17 invaders. They fought their way into the station building, where cashiers with valuables had barricaded themselves. The locked door was blown up using gunpowder. As a result of the raid, 7 guards and police were killed (according to other sources, there were 4 killed and 10 seriously wounded). The spoils of the invaders were several bank bags with money worth, according to various sources, from 60 to 86 thousand rubles, as well as more than 20 kg of gold. Having taken possession of the valuables, they seized a locomotive and rode it to the Syrostan station, near which they disembarked and went through the forest to the shelter. Later, some of the militants were detained and sent to hard labor (by the way, they were defended in court by lawyer A.F. Kerensky, who later became chairman of the Provisional Government).
Moving further along Truda Street and then along the highway to Chebarkul, you can get to the village of the Ilmensky State Mineralogical Reserve . The Institute of Mineralogy of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences operates here. On May 14, 1920, by decree of V.I. Lenin, the Ilmen Mountains (they stretch north from here along the entire city) were declared a mineralogical reserve, one of the first reserves created in Russia. Here, for the first time in the world, 18 minerals were discovered, among them: ilmenite, ilmenorutile, potassium-ferrisadanagaite, cancrinite, makarochkinite, monazite-(Ce), polyakovite-(Ce), samarskite-(Y), svyazvinite, ushkovite, fergusonite-beta -(Ce), fluoromagnesioarfvedsonite, fluororichterite, chiolite, chevkinite-(Ce), aeshinite-(Ce). In total, 264 minerals and more than 70 rocks are known here. There were over 400 mines in operation.
In 1930, on the initiative of A.E. Fersman, a mineralogical museum was created here. The Natural Science Museum of the Ilmensky Reserve is one of the five largest geological and mineralogical museums in the country. The museum has six halls on three floors, with a total area of 2050 meters. They present about 9 thousand exhibits. Next to the museum building there is a monument to Lenin, opened in 1940.
On the territory of the village, a house for scientists has been preserved, where geochemist A.E. worked. Fersman, mineralogist N.M. Fedorovsky and geologist A.N. Zavarnitsky. And at the address st. Shkolnaya, 14 (not far from the old station) there is a school building built at the beginning of the twentieth century, where in 1911-1917 the base of the radium expedition of the Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Academician V.I. Vernadsky. The participants of the expedition were mineralogists and geologists V.I. Kryzhanovsky, L.A. Kulik, N.M. Fedorovsky, D.S. Belyankin, A.E. Fersman. There is a memorial plaque on the building.
Below lies Lake Ilmenskoe (Ilmen) . It received its name from the Ilmen ridge, the name of which, in turn, is derived from the Bashkir “ilmen” - “safe, accessible”. Until recently, the largest and most famous art song festival in the Urals, Ilmensky (Ilmenka), named after the lake, was held on the shores of the lake.
Modern Miass began to grow from an automobile plant that arose during the Great Patriotic War. The central street of the city, Avtozavodtsev Avenue, branches off from it. 3-4 storey “Stalin” buildings predominate here, and there is also a beautiful Palace of Culture for Automobile Manufacturers. In 1985, a monument to the first car . The first Ural car "ZIS-5V" rolled off the assembly line on July 8, 1944. The car had a wooden cabin and welded bent fenders. At that time it was the best domestic car of this class. On July 20, 1944, the first batch of cars was sent to the front, and on September 30, 1944, the thousandth car had already rolled off the assembly line. There is a museum of the history of Ural cars in the plant management building.
Near the intersection of Avtozavodtsev Avenue and Mira Boulevard (near the city administration) you can find the art object “I Love Miass” . The red color of the heart in the composition symbolizes love, and the gear is taken from the coat of arms of Miass, being a symbol of the industrial city.
Nearby is the “Grieving Mother” memorial with an eternal flame - in memory of those killed on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. It was installed in 1967, sculptors V.P. Chertovikov, E.I. Makarov. There is also a monument to the victims of political repression.
On the other side of Avtozavodtsev Avenue, a small pedestrian zone “Wheel of Time” . At the entrance there are forged arches with a clock.
Even further north begins the Mashgorodok district, the construction of which began in 1955. The main attraction of this part of the city is the park of giant stationery figures “Bureaucrat” (7 Oktyabrya Ave., near the Medeo shopping center). It appeared in 2010, created with funds. According to the creators, this is a tribute to the work of ballistic missile developers living in Mashgorodok, for whom drawing and stationery items are of great importance. There are five figures in total: a compass, a paper clip, a button, scissors, and a stadiometer. There is also a wish tree. The area is fenced with a fence in the shape of colored pencils. In 2011, the paper clip installed here was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in the world. Its height is 9.28 m, width 2.72 m.
Another interesting place is the mini-park of fairy-tale figures “Bereginya” (October-Zhukovsky Avenue), which opened in 2017. Here you can see the heroes of Russian fairy tales. And in front of the Prometheus Palace of Culture (Makeeva Ave., 14) you can see the bust of Academician V.P. Makeev, who for a long time headed the design bureau, thanks to whose appearance this microdistrict appeared in Miass.
Miass city pond
The city pond is an artificial reservoir located within the city limits and made back in 1776. It was originally created to provide water to a copper smelter. In 1798, a gold mining factory began operating on its dam, which operated for more than two hundred years.
Miass city pond
Nowadays the city pond is simply a beautiful place for cultural recreation for citizens. It's nice to take a walk there with the whole family, enjoying the picturesque views.
The most beautiful and interesting places to visit
Each tourist can choose an excursion according to his interests.
Mikhailovsky Palace
This is a large entertainment center located in the old part of the city. The building was built more than 200 years ago, and once housed a tool factory within its walls. The palace was recently restored. The designers were faced with the task of preserving not only elements of ancient architecture, but also things found during the work.
The renovated premises were given over to a cinema; on the ground floor there is a museum, the collection of which includes genuine military medals, replicas of state symbols, etc. It is planned to open a gold museum and a children's center.
You will also like: What a tourist should definitely see in Vladikavkaz
Mikhailovsky Palace after restoration.
Church of the Epiphany
This is the largest Orthodox church in the city. It took more than 18 years to build. Today, about 1000 people can visit the temple at the same time.
Guests of the city are attracted by the interior decoration of the church. When painting the altar, minerals mined in the local mountains, such as Miass lapis lazuli, were used.
The temple receives many pilgrims who come to venerate the relics of the righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye, Amphilochius and Job of Pochaev.
The Church of the Epiphany has a beautifully decorated iconostasis.
Ilmen Lake
The reservoir is located in the south-eastern outskirts of the city. Its area is just over 4.5 square meters. km, the depth does not exceed 6 m. The border of the Ilmensky Nature Reserve runs along the eastern shore, while the western shore is given over to a recreational area. There are recreation areas for townspeople and a children's health camp here.
Coastal areas are densely populated by fauna. Among them there are also rare ones - the river otter and some types of dragonflies.
Ilmen Lake has an area of 4.5 square meters. km.
Argazinskoye Reservoir
The man-made lake is located 50 km north of Miass. This is a favorite vacation spot for citizens and photographers who come here in search of picturesque landscapes. In summer, recreation centers and private accommodation are available.
The water in the Argazin reservoir is very clean.
Miass city pond
A beautiful body of water with picturesque bays, islands and bays appeared in 1776 as a result of the construction of a dam on the Miass River. The high water level was supposed to ensure the operation of the copper smelter's mechanisms. The dam still exists. It was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. The last renovation was carried out in 2011.
Miass city pond from a bird's eye view.
Railroad station
There are many old train stations in the Chelyabinsk region, but only in Miass is this building included in the list of cultural heritage sites. The architectural monument was erected at the end of the 19th century. Today it is not used for its intended purpose, but is of great interest to travelers.
The city's old railway station is a cultural heritage site.
Estate of gold miner Zharov
House built at the end of the 19th century. in an eclectic style, with a strict layout. After the revolution, the city council of deputies was located within its walls.
Until now, its premises are in good condition and today are given over to shops.
There is a legend that every person photographed against the backdrop of the estate will receive the wealth of the merchant Zharov.
House of merchant Zharov in Miass.
Ilmensky Reserve
A visit to the reserve will be interesting for lovers of flora, fauna and natural minerals. There are several lakes on the territory, surrounded by a mountain range.
You will also like: Tula what to see in one day on your own: where you can visit the Tula region by car, in two days, excursions
The hills are distinguished by a rich composition of rocks, including more than 260 types of minerals. Somewhere in the depths of the reserve, in impassable swamps, topaz and mica deposits have been preserved.
Travelers can walk through the forest, explore gem mines (there are 87 of them on the territory of the reserve) and visit the largest geological and mineralogical museum in the country. It has a unique collection of rocks.
The picturesque Ilmensky Nature Reserve in Miass.
Church of the Holy Trinity
The church was erected at the end of the 19th century at the expense of patrons - priests, merchants, discoverers and mining engineers. Among others, it was distinguished by an iconostasis made of solid polished oak. The church is active; in 1994, a Sunday school was opened for children and adult parishioners.
Beautiful Church of the Holy Trinity.
Intercession Church
The chapel, erected in 1819, became the only place of worship for the Old Believers. The initiator of its construction was the creator of the copper smelter I. Luginin. In the middle of the 20th century. the chapel was destroyed, but in 1999, with funds from benefactors, a new brick church was erected in its place.
Miass, located in a unique natural area, is a place that is well suited for relaxation. I recommend visiting it to people who are interested in the history, achievements, flora and fauna of the country.
Intercession Church for Old Believers.
Lake Turgoyak
This is a real natural monument and vacation spot. The purity of the water from this lake can be compared with that of Baikal. Picturesque mountain slopes, clean springs, and crystal air attract tourists here at any time of the year.
There are a dozen islands on the lake. One of them is the island of Vera, on which traces of ancient people were discovered: tombs, dolmens, menhirs.
Lake Turgoyak
Along the banks of Turgoyak there are comfortable beaches and recreation centers. You can go boating and explore the bottom of the lake with scuba gear.
Address: Turgoyak village.
How to get to Miass
By car from Chelyabinsk or Ufa, take the M5 highway, then turn at the sign for Miass. From Yekaterinburg go to Chelyabinsk, turn to Kasli, go through Kasli, Kyshtym, Karabash to Miass. Distance from Chelyabinsk - 100 km, from Ekaterinburg - 240 km, from Ufa - 330 km.
Easy to reach by public transport. Buses from Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and other cities go to Miass, and electric trains and passenger trains also pass through Miass.
When visiting Miass, you should definitely visit the nearby Lake Turgoyak, famous for its beauty and purity. It’s not for nothing that they call it Baikal’s younger brother. You can also get to the Ustinovsky canyon, Chashkovsky ridge, Aleksandrovskaya Sopka. Among the event tourism objects, one cannot fail to note the Ilmensky Art Song Festival, which takes place in June in the outskirts of the city - the largest and most famous in the Urals.
References:
Vicky MiassDobreitsina, L.E., Sannikova T.O. Historical cities of the Urals. Part 2. Historical cities of the Southern Urals: Republic of Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions. – Yekaterinburg, 2013. Miass – Wikipedia Miass – 2GIS Miass. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Deep Traditions
Pavel Raspopov
UraloVed.ru
See also:
- Village of Syrostan
- Miass gold placers and the discovery of the Great Triangle nugget (1843)
- Lake Turgoyak and Vera Island (video)
