Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast

History

An urban settlement was established here between 1659 and 1662 as Tsaryovo Gorodishche (Царёво Городи́ще, meaning Imperial Citadel) by Timofey Nevezhin, a farmer from Tyumen. In the ensuing years it was developed as a fortress town. It served as a frontier post and its fortified position enabled it to defend other Russian settlements from nomad attacks. Nevertheless, it was itself not always able to withstand such attacks, and was sometimes plundered and burnt down.

The city was granted city privileges by the Empress Catherine the Great in 1782, which is when it acquired its present name and became the seat of an uyezd. The present name is taken from a large kurgan (burial mound) close to the original settlement.

Its coat of arms was granted on 17 March 1785, and it became the administrative center of Kurgan Oblast in 1943. Kurgan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1982.

Administrative and municipal status

Kurgan is the administrative center of the oblast. Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as Kurgan City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, Kurgan City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Kurgan Urban Okrug.

Economy and military

Kurgan stands on the Trans-Siberian Railway line, between Yekaterinburg and Omsk. It is served by two railway stations and the Kurgan Airport, and it was home to the Kurgan West air base during the Cold War. It is also home to Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics, KAvZ autobus plant, and the machine building company Kurganmashzavod which produces the widely known BMP-1, BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.

Climate

Kurgan has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Influenced by the Siberian High, it is a relatively dry climate. Winters are cold, although not severe by Siberian standards. Summers are variable but relatively moderate, even though heat waves can bring temperatures well above the 26 C average July highs. |Jan record high C = 4.3 |Feb record high C = 8.0 |Mar record high C = 17.3 |Apr record high C = 31.3 |May record high C = 36.6 |Jun record high C = 38.5 |Jul record high C = 41.2 |Aug record high C = 38.5 |Sep record high C = 35.8 |Oct record high C = 24.6 |Nov record high C = 14.2 |Dec record high C = 5.8 |year record high C = |Jan record low C = −47.9 |Feb record low C = −47.9 |Mar record low C = −44.3 |Apr record low C = −27.2 |May record low C = −10.5 |Jun record low C = -3.5 |Jul record low C = 2.8 |Aug record low C = -1.6 |Sep record low C = −7.7 |Oct record low C = −24.8 |Nov record low C = −38.8 |Dec record low C = −46.4 |year record low C = −47.9 |Jan snow depth cm = 24 |Feb snow depth cm = 30 |Mar snow depth cm = 26 |Apr snow depth cm = 4 |May snow depth cm = 0 |Jun snow depth cm = 0 |Jul snow depth cm = 0 |Aug snow depth cm = 0 |Sep snow depth cm = 0 |Oct snow depth cm = 1 |Nov snow depth cm = 6 |Dec snow depth cm = 18 |year snow depth cm = 30 | access-date = 8 November 2021}} | access-date = 7 November 2021

Educational facilities

• Agricultural academy
• Kurgan State University
• Kurgan International University
• Military Academy
• Railroad Academy
• Various theaters
• Academy of Labor and Social Relations

Gallery

Kurgan. Lenin Square (WR).tif| Marshal Golikov avenue Kurgan.jpg|Marshal Golikov avenue Philarmony Kurgan.jpg| Drama theatre Kurgan.jpg| Г. Курган - panoramio (60).jpg|Cinema "Rossiya" Куйбышева 19 Дом Кюхельбекера.JPG|Wilhelm Küchelbecker house museum Theotokos of Port Arthur church Kurgan.jpg|Russian Orthodox Church Theotokos of Port Arthur church Храм Александра Невского. Город Курган.jpg|Russian Orthodox Church Г. Курган - panoramio (59).jpg|Main post office Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, Russia - panoramio (2).jpg|Kurgan Airport Вокзал станции Курган.JPG| Г. Курган - panoramio (1).jpg|Central market РНЦ ВТО им. Елизарова - panoramio.jpg|Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics Главная проходная КМЗ - panoramio.jpg|Kurganmashzavod Kurgan 2014 5.jpg|City center of culture and leisure Климова 47 Дом Дунаева.JPG|Children's art school Авиамузей. Су-25 и Ил-14. Курган - panoramio.jpg| Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast, Russia - panoramio.jpg|River Tobol

Notable people

• Oleg Bogomolov (born 1950), governor of Kurgan Oblast
• Dmitri Bushmanov (born 1978), association football player
• Maxim Fadeev (born 1968), singer-songwriter, composer and producer
• Yuri Galtsev (born 1961), Honored Artist of the Russian Federation
• Gavriil Ilizarov (1921–1992), physician, known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones
• Vyacheslav Kamoltsev (born 1971), association football player
• Larisa Korobeynikova (born 1987), fencer
• Evgeni Krasilnikov (1965–2014), volleyball player
• Leonid Krasin (1870–1926), politician and diplomat
• Ivan Kurpishev (born 1969), powerlifter
• Dmitri Loskov (born 1974), association football player
• Aleksey Markovsky (born 1957), swimmer
• Aleksandr Menshchikov (born 1973), wrestler
• Yana Romanova (born 1983), biathlete
• Sergei Rublevsky (born 1974), chess grandmaster
• Yulia Savicheva (born 1987), singer
• Alexander Solonik (1960–1997), Russian mobster and hitman
• Elena Temnikova (born 1985), singer
• Sergei Teryayev (born 1994), professional ice hockey defenceman
• Alexander Vinogradov (1930–2011), journalist and writer
• Sergey Vinogradov (1958–2010), journalist, translator, and writer
• Sergei Yakovlev (1925–1996), actor
• Mikhail Znamensky (1833–1892), writer, memoirist, painter, caricaturist, archeologist and ethnographer
• Vitaly Goryaev (1910–1982), painter, graphic illustrator, caricaturist
• Evgeny Yaroslavlev (born 1994), professional ice hockey player

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Twin towns and sister cities

Kurgan is twinned with:

• United States Appleton, United States
• Italy Rufina, Italy

References

Notes

Sources

References

1. [http://www.kurgan-city.ru/duma КУРГАНСКАЯ ГОРОДСКАЯ ДУМА (из Устава города Кургана)]
2. "Паспорт муниципального образования Курганской области город Курган". City of Kurgan.
3. {{ru-pop-ref. 2010Census
4. Law #316
5. Law #419
6. (1969). "Большая советская энциклопедия".
7. "Sister Cities".