Orenburg

On October 10 (21), 1715, a significant part of the assembly of Kazakh elders headed by Abulkhair Khan supported the adoption of an act on the voluntary accession of the Younger Juz of Kazakhs to the Russian Empire. In 1734 he sent with the Russian diplomat A. I. Tevkelev to the court of Empress Anna Ioannovna an embassy headed by his son Yerali, who undertook on behalf of his father to protect the security of Russian borders adjacent to the lands of his horde, to protect Russian merchant caravans as they passed through the Kazakh steppes, to give, like the Bashkirs and Kalmyks, in case of need an auxiliary army and to pay yasak with animal pelts. As a reward for this, Abulkhair Khan asked to confirm in his lineage the khan's succession to the throne for eternal times and to build a city with a fortress on the river Or where he could find refuge in case of danger.

On August 31, 1735 at the confluence of the rivers Or and Yaik the Orenburg fortress was founded by such people as A. I. Tevkelev, G. P. Kovalenko. However, the place was recognized inconvenient for construction. In 1739 preparations for the construction of a new city with the former name downstream of the Yaik, on Krasnaya Gora. On the afternoon of August 6, 1741 it was laid. The old settlement became the Orsk fortress (the present city of Orsk), but the construction of the city did not begin. The chosen place on Krasnaya Gora was treeless, stony and remote from the river. As a result, it turned out to be unsuitable for the construction of the city. In 1742, a new place was chosen for the foundation of the city at the confluence of the Sakmara River into the Yaik. Now it is the historical center of the city. The fortress built on Krasnaya Gora was named Krasnogorskaya Fortress.

The city was built as a fortress city, a stronghold of the fortress lines along the Yaik, Samara and Sakmara rivers that guarded the southeastern border of Russia. At the same time, the city was to serve as a center of economic and economic interaction with the peoples of the East, which, first of all, implied trade, so the city had both military and commercial importance.

In 1744 the city became the center of the Orenburg province. The governor, his office and other institutions were located in Orenburg.

From October 5, 1773 to March 23, 1774 Orenburg was besieged by the army of Emelyan Pugachev. After the defeat of the Pugachev rebellion, Empress Catherine II renamed the Yaitsk Cossacks into the Ural Cossacks, the Yaitsk town into Uralsk, the Yaik River into the Ural, and gave the townspeople the Cross of St. Andrew the First-Called (X), now depicted on the flag and coat of arms of the city, for their participation in the uprising.

In 1782, the Ufa viceroyalty was formed from two provinces: Ufa and Orenburg, with Orenburg as the main city. It was reorganized in 1796 by Emperor Paul I into the Orenburg Province.

In 1850-1881 Orenburg was the center of the governor-general's office. Since 1859 - the administrative center of the region of the Orenburg Kirghiz (Russians originally called the Kazakhs "Kirghiz"). Until 1868 here were the institutions in charge of border affairs, administration of the Younger Juz Kazakhs. Since 1868 - the seat of the governor of the Turgai region.

The city was a major center of trade of the Russian Empire with Central Asia. The industry, mainly flour milling, lard milling, tannery and butter milling, began to develop rapidly with the construction of the Samara-Orenburg railroad in 1877. Since 1880 the export of steamed and frozen meat, Siberian ghee, lard, leather, wool, goat's down to Moscow and St. Petersburg was started. The city became a large trading and distribution center of cattle and meat coming from the Kazakh steppes, in 1894 the city slaughterhouses were opened. In 1881, the first Russian condensed milk factory began operating in Orenburg. In 1894, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral was completed, which became one of the main symbols of the city until its destruction in the 1930s. In 1905, the construction of the Tashkent Railway, which opened the way to Central Asia, was completed and the main railroad workshops were built, making the city an important transportation hub.

On July 21-28, 1917 the First All-Kazakh Congress was held here, where the political party "Alash" was established, forms of state administration, autonomy of Kazakh regions, land issue were discussed, deputies to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly and to the Congress of Muslims of Russia "Shurai-Islam" were elected.

In July-August 1917, the I and II All-Bashkir Congresses (kurultais) were held in parallel, where it was decided to establish a "democratic republic on national-territorial principles" within federative Russia. The central council of the Bashkurd government (shuro) worked in Orenburg in the Bashkir inn Caravanserai.

December 5-13, 1917 the Second All-Kazakh Congress was held in the city, Alash autonomy within Russia was proclaimed on the territory of the Ural, Bukeev, Turgai, Akmola, Semipalatinsk regions and part of the Orenburg province, the government "Alash-Orda" was elected.

On December 8-20, 1917, at the III All-Bashkir Congress (kurultai), the Bashkir shuro headed by Sharif Manatov proclaimed the national autonomy of Bashkurdistan (Bashkortostan) on the territory of parts of the Orenburg, Samara, Ufa and Perm provinces, where Bashkirs also historically lived.

On January 31, 1918, Blucher's Red Army units knocked out the Cossack formations from the city. The ataman left for the Turgai steppes. On April 4, 1918 White Cossacks of Nezhinskaya stanitsa led by Ataman Lukin made a night raid on the Orenburg City Council, which was in the Junkers' College (until recently - the Orenburg Higher Anti-Aircraft Missile Command School named after G. K. Ordzhonikidze). G. K. Ordzhonikidze), where they slaughtered the entire staff of the first council, together with women and children from the families of city council workers. A total of 129 people. On July 3, 1918 Orenburg was taken by the Cossacks. Cossack formations in November 1918 became part of Admiral Kolchak's Siberian Army.

On January 10, 1919 the Red offensive on Orenburg began. On January 22, 1919, two units of the Red Army joined in the city: the Turkestan Army and the 1st Revolutionary Army.

In September 1919, the Orenburg Cossack army besieging Orenburg was defeated by Red Army forces.

By the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of July 10, 1919, the Kirghiz krai was established. Orenburg became the administrative center of the region.

On August 26, 1920 VTsIK and SNK RSFSR adopted the decree signed by M. I. Kalinin and V. I. Lenin "On the formation of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic" on the same territory within the RSFSR with the capital in Orenburg (in Kazakh transcription: Orynbor). The first (Constituent) Congress of Soviets of Kazakhstan was held in Orenburg on October 4-12, 1920. Red Commissar Seytkali Mendeshev became the first chairman of the Kirtsik.

Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of July 6, 1925 in connection with the transfer of the capital of Kazakhstan to the south, in the city of Ak-Mechet (later Perovsk), on the Syr Darya, on this occasion renamed Kzyl-Orda (Kaz. Kyzylorda, Russian. Red Horde), and Orenburg with the province was incorporated directly into the RSFSR. In 1928, the Orenburg province was abolished. In December 1934, Orenburg became the center of the Orenburg region.

On December 26, 1938 the city was renamed Chkalov in honor of the fallen test pilot V. P. Chkalov.

During the Great Patriotic War, when factories were evacuated to the rear, Orenburg became an industrial city. This gave a powerful impetus to its development, and it was based on the Metalist, Sverl, Radiator and Silk Factory plants evacuated from the west at the beginning of the war.

In the fall of 1941, Plant No. 174 was evacuated from Leningrad. At the new location it continued production of T-50 light tanks, having assembled the last 25 vehicles by the end of winter 1942. In the spring of 1942, the plant was moved to Omsk.

In 1941, Aircraft Repair Plant No. 47 (PO 936) was evacuated from Leningrad. On the basis of this plant, the Chkalovsky Machine-Building Plant (now PO Strela) was established. During the war years it produced UT-2, UT-2M airplanes, staff airplane Yak-6 designed by A. S. Yakovlev and transport and landing airplane Shche-2 designed by A. Y. Shcherbakov. A total of 1,595 airplanes were delivered to the front. In 1954-1958 the plant mass-produced Mi-1 helicopters. A total of 597 copies were produced. Starting from 1947, the plant produced sport gliders An-1 and An-2 by KB O. K. Antonov, landing gliders Tse-25 by designer P. V. Tsy-25. Antonov KB, landing gliders Tse-25 of designer P.V. Tsibin, Yak-14 of A.S. Yakovlev KB, Po-2 airplane in sanitary and passenger versions of N.N. Polikarpov KB were produced. The production of Il-10M attack-bomber aircraft was mastered by S. V. Ilyushin Design Bureau. In 1957-1958 the serial production of unmanned airplane-destroyer of A. Y. Bereznyak design bureau was ensured. In 1950-1980 the plant fulfilled orders for production of 8K11 missiles, 8K63 medium-range single-stage ballistic missiles, 8K84, 15A20 intercontinental ballistic missiles, sea-based anti-ship missiles.. Starting from 1999 PO Strela has been participating in military-technical cooperation for the production of supersonic cruise missiles, production of Ka-226 helicopters is underway.

From December 1, 1941 to January 15, 1958 the headquarters of the South Ural Military District was located in Chkalov.

In the 1950s, the Gidropress plant was opened to produce forging and pressing equipment.

On May 2, 1953, the first trolleybus ran on route No. 1 Boulevard - Railway Station.

In 1956 the plant of reinforced concrete products "Stepnoy" was opened.

On December 4, 1957, the city was returned to its historical name of Orenburg.

In November 1966, the unique Orenburg oil and gas condensate field was discovered on the left bank of the Ural River.

In 1969 Sakmarskaya CHPP was put into operation, providing the city with heat for 80 %.

In the 1970s, the Orenburg Locomotive Repair Plant and Remputmash were modernized, and the Orenburg Oil and Oil Refinery was built to produce plastic and preservative greases, thin-film, protective coatings, wax compositions, cooling lubricants and lubricating oils for a wide range of purposes..

In 1972, a second trolleybus depot was opened at 14 Lesopaschitnaya Street.

In 1974, the Orenburg-Zainsk gas pipeline and the first stage of the gas processing plant were commissioned.

In 1975, a research institute for the protection and rational use of natural resources was opened.

In 1978, a helium plant complex was commissioned, which became the main supplier of solar gas for the needs of various industries.

In 1979, the Soyuz gas pipeline built in 1975-79 jointly by the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia was put into operation.

In 1979-1982 Kuibyshevgidrostroy was building the Orenburg plant of complete switchgear (now the Inverter plant) to produce the main types of electrical equipment for nuclear power plants.

In 1981 the plant for repair of technological equipment was put into operation.

After the collapse of the USSR, Orenburg experienced depopulation in the 1990s, but since the beginning of the 21st century there has been stabilization and development of the city, associated primarily with the activities of Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg, the most successful enterprise in the realities of the post-socialist economy.

The Orenburg University got new buildings, the Gazovik stadium, the Zvezdny ice palace and other sports facilities were built, the memorial complex-museum "Salute, Victory!" was modernized, the park-museum ethno-complex "National Village" was created.

In 1998, the Orenburg Troop Cossack Society was established.

At the end of the 20th century, Gazprom built one of the first cottage settlements in Russia outside the capital Rostoshi, which became one of Orenburg's business cards.