Svobodny (Russian: Свободный) is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 kilometers (104 mi) north of Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 58,778 (2010 Census);[3] 63,889 (2002 Census);[8] 80,006 (1989 Soviet census).[9]

Svobodny
Свободный
Railway college in Svobodny
Railway college in Svobodny
Flag of Svobodny
Coat of arms of Svobodny
Location of Svobodny
Map
Svobodny is located in Russia
Svobodny
Svobodny
Location of Svobodny
Svobodny is located in Amur Oblast
Svobodny
Svobodny
Svobodny (Amur Oblast)
Coordinates: 51°24′N 128°06′E / 51.400°N 128.100°E / 51.400; 128.100
CountryRussia
Federal subjectAmur Oblast[1]
Founded1912[2]
Elevation
190 m (620 ft)
Population
 • Total
58,778
 • Rank281st in 2010
 • Subordinated toSvobodny Urban Okrug[1]
 • Capital ofSvobodny Urban Okrug,[1] Svobodnensky District[1][4]
 • Urban okrugSvobodny Urban Okrug[5]
 • Capital ofSvobodny Urban Okrug,[5] Svobodnensky Municipal District[4]
Time zoneUTC+9 (MSK+6 Edit this on Wikidata[6])
Postal code(s)[7]
676450
Dialing code(s)+7 41643
OKTMO ID10730000001
Websitewww.svobnews.amur.ru

History

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It was founded in 1912 in conjunction with the construction of the Amur Railway[2] (the Trans-Siberian Railway's "bypass" route, which was to provide a railway connection from European Russia to the Pacific entirely over the Russian soil, without crossing the north-eastern China[citation needed]). It was originally named Alexeyevsk (Алексеевск), in honor of the then crown prince Alexey.[2] In 1917, the town was renamed Svobodny,[2] Russian for "free".

During the chaos of the Russian Civil War, the Russian Far East became a base for several Korean militias and political groups opposed to the Japanese colonization of Korea. They moved into Svobodny in early 1921, but in the summer factional disputes within the Korean Communist Party and the wider Korean nationalist movement broke out into open warfare, the Free City Incident. The Red Army besieged and then destroyed the town, securing victory for its preferred faction.[10][11]

During the Stalin era, the BAMLag forced labor camp of the Gulag was built in Svobodny, with the intention of providing forced labor for the planned construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The camp became one of the largest in Gulag system; its peak headcount was about 201,000 (1938). In 1938 it was dismantled into several camps.[12]

Administrative and municipal status

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Within the framework of administrative divisions, Svodobny serves as the administrative center of Svobodnensky District,[4] even though it is not a part of it.[1] As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Svobodny Urban Okrug—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.[5]

Economy

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The town is home to factories producing machinery and furniture, as well as the administrative center for mining operations in the region, including the gold mining concern Amurzoloto.

Transportation

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The town is an important transportation hub for both rail and river traffic, with two railway stations on the Trans-Siberian Railway including rolling-stock repair facilities, and a river port on the Zeya.

It is served by the Svobodny Airport and is near the Orlovka interceptor air base and other locations maintained by the Russian Air Force.

Geography

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The town is located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 kilometers (104 mi) north of Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the oblast.

Climate

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Svobodny has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwb) with bitterly cold, very dry winters and very warm, wet summers.

Climate data for Svobodny (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1939-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 0.0
(32.0)
4.1
(39.4)
16.4
(61.5)
32.1
(89.8)
35.2
(95.4)
42.0
(107.6)
38.0
(100.4)
34.7
(94.5)
29.8
(85.6)
26.3
(79.3)
11.6
(52.9)
−0.2
(31.6)
42.0
(107.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −17.4
(0.7)
−11.4
(11.5)
−2.0
(28.4)
9.9
(49.8)
18.9
(66.0)
24.7
(76.5)
26.9
(80.4)
24.4
(75.9)
18.2
(64.8)
7.6
(45.7)
−7.2
(19.0)
−17.6
(0.3)
6.3
(43.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −24.4
(−11.9)
−19.3
(−2.7)
−9.1
(15.6)
3.2
(37.8)
11.7
(53.1)
17.8
(64.0)
20.7
(69.3)
18.1
(64.6)
11.1
(52.0)
0.9
(33.6)
−13.7
(7.3)
−23.8
(−10.8)
−0.6
(31.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −29.9
(−21.8)
−26.2
(−15.2)
−16.5
(2.3)
−3.7
(25.3)
4.1
(39.4)
10.8
(51.4)
14.9
(58.8)
12.5
(54.5)
4.8
(40.6)
−4.9
(23.2)
−19.1
(−2.4)
−28.8
(−19.8)
−6.8
(19.7)
Record low °C (°F) −50.0
(−58.0)
−45.0
(−49.0)
−40.0
(−40.0)
−23.4
(−10.1)
−11.8
(10.8)
−0.9
(30.4)
2.3
(36.1)
0.2
(32.4)
−8.3
(17.1)
−25.5
(−13.9)
−52.1
(−61.8)
−47.2
(−53.0)
−52.1
(−61.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 6.9
(0.27)
6.0
(0.24)
11.0
(0.43)
27.0
(1.06)
63.5
(2.50)
82.8
(3.26)
143.8
(5.66)
114.3
(4.50)
66.0
(2.60)
31.3
(1.23)
16.7
(0.66)
9.6
(0.38)
578.9
(22.79)
Source: [13]

Notable people

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The town is the birthplace of the movie director Leonid Gaidai, whose memorial was unveiled in September 2006.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Law #127-OZ
  2. ^ a b c d e Pospelov, p. 26
  3. ^ a b Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  4. ^ a b c Law #31-OZ
  5. ^ a b c Law #402-OZ
  6. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  8. ^ Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  9. ^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
  10. ^ Scalpino, Robert A.; Lee, Chong-Sik (1960). "The Origins of the Korean Communist Movement (I)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 20 (1): 25–28. JSTOR 2050069. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via JSTOR.
  11. ^ Kho, Songmoo (1987). "I. History of Movement" (PDF). Koreans in Soviet Central Asia. Studia Orientalia. Vol. 61. Helsinki: Finnish Oriental Society. pp. 38–39. ISSN 0039-3282. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  12. ^ "Байкало-Амурский исправительно-трудовой лагерь" [Baikal-Amur forced labor camp] (in Russian). Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "pogodaiklimat.ru". Retrieved December 17, 2016.

Sources

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  • Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №127-ОЗ от 23 декабря 2005 г. «О порядке решения вопросов административно-территориального устройства Амурской области», в ред. Закона №272-ОЗ от 11 ноября 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Амурской области "О порядке решения вопросов административно-территориального устройства Амурской области"». Вступил в силу со дня первого официального опубликования, за исключением подпункта "б" пункта 2 статьи 7, вступающего в силу с 1 января 2006 г. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №11, 24 января 2006 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #127-OZ of December 23, 2005 On the Procedures of Handling the Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Amur Oblast, as amended by the Law #272-OZ of November 11, 2013 On Amending the Law of Amur Oblast "On the Procedures of Handling the Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Amur Oblast". Effective as of the day of the first official publication, with the exception of subitem "b" of item 2 of Article 7, which is effective January 1, 2006.).
  • Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №402-ОЗ от 30 декабря 2004 г. «О наделении муниципального образования города Свободного статусом городского округа и об установлении его границ». Вступил в силу со дня первого официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №8, 15 января 2005 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #402-OZ of December 30, 2004 On Granting the Municipal Formation of the Town of Svobodny the Urban Okrug Status and on Establishing Its Borders. Effective as of the day of the first official publication.).
  • Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №31-ОЗ от 2 августа 2005 г. «Об установлении границ и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципального образования Свободненского района и муниципальных образований в его составе», в ред. Закона №488-ОЗ от 10 февраля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты по вопросам административно-территориального устройства области». Вступил в силу в соответствии со статьёй 3. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №168, 26 августа 2005 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #31-OZ of August 2, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of and Granting a Corresponding Municipal Formation Status to Svobodnensky District and to the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Law #488-OZ of February 10, 2015 On Amending Various Legislative Acts on the Issues of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Oblast. Effective as of the date set forth in accordance with the provisions of Article 3.).
  • Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.) Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.