Ridder, Kazakhstan

History

The fact that Altai Krai is rich in natural deposits was discovered during Empress Catherine the Great's reign. The history of Ridder started in 1786 when 9 troops of men were sent to the Altai region to search for natural resource deposits. One of these troops was headed by an officer, Philip Ridder. On May 31, 1786, he found a very rich deposit containing gold, silver and other metals.

The same year, in summer, the settlement was founded there and it was named Riddersky pit. This was how the city was founded. The unique ores of the Riddersky deposit were noted by specialists of various levels and commissions. The deposit became known far beyond Russia. In 1850, Riddersky ores received the highest appreciation at The Great Exhibition in London. In 1879 the samples were included into the museum collection of the Stockholm Royal Technical Institute.

During the early 20th century Ridder experienced a number of foreign concessions, revolution and Civil war. On February 10, 1934, the settlement of Ridder was designated a town. In 1941, just before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, the town of Ridder was renamed to Leninogorsk (in honour of Lenin).

During the Soviet period, Leninogorsk saw significant industrial growth. Several plants were constructed - the lead plant was one of the first plants for the non-ferrous industry in Kazakhstan, while Leninogorsky cascade hydro power station was the only one in Kazakhstan and the second one in Soviet Union. Several other mines and factories, including the zinc plant, were built and the college of mining and metallurgy was opened in this period.

During World War II Leninogorsk produced about 50% of the high-quality lead in the whole Soviet Union. In 2002 the city received back its original name - Ridder.

Economy

Ridder is a center of mining operations and processing of nonferrous metals. Other branches of industry include wood and textile industry, food production, and mechanical engineering.

Transport

The European route E40, originating in Calais, France, has its eastern terminus in Ridder. Over 8000 km long, it is the longest European route.

Climate

Ridder has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with mild summers and very cold winters. |Jan record high C = 12.6 |Feb record high C = 12.3 |Mar record high C = 21.1 |Apr record high C = 28.4 |May record high C = 34.2 |Jun record high C = 34.6 |Jul record high C = 37.0 |Aug record high C = 35.7 |Sep record high C = 34.3 |Oct record high C = 26.2 |Nov record high C = 20.7 |Dec record high C = 12.0 |year record high C = 37.0 |Jan record low C = −45.4 |Feb record low C = -41.0 |Mar record low C = −37.2 |Apr record low C = -24.0 |May record low C = -12.2 |Jun record low C = -2.8 |Jul record low C = 2.1 |Aug record low C = -2.0 |Sep record low C = -11.7 |Oct record low C = -23.3 |Nov record low C = −47.0 |Dec record low C = −40.9 |year record low C = -47.0 | access-date = 15 December 2021 | access-date = 5 January 2022}} Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1991-2001, daily sun 1961-1990) | access-date = September 17, 2016}}

Ethnic Composition

At the beginning of 2025, the population of the city within the territory of the city akimat was 50,874 people

• Russians — 37,395 (73.51%)
• Kazakhs — 10,606 (20.85%)
• Germans — 821 (1.61%)
• Tatars — 506 (0.99%)
• Ukrainians — 482 (0.95%)

Points of interest

Points of interest include a local museum and a botanical garden.

Sports

In March 2013, Ridder hosted the World Ski Orienteering Championships.

Notable person

• Oleg Boltin, professional wrestler

References

References

1. (2024-06-24). "Назначен новый аким Риддера".
2. "Ridder City, Kazakhstan". Britannica.com.
3. "Ridder City, Kazakhstan". AboutKazakhstan.com.
4. "Постановление ВЦИК от 10.02.1934 Об утверждении дополнительного списка городов и рабочих поселков Казакской АССР — Викитека".
5. (June 11, 2002). "Town of Leninogorsk, Kazakhstan to regain historic name - Ridder". [[Pravda]].
6. [https://stat.gov.kz/api/iblock/element/336996/file/en/ Document "Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan by selected ethnic groups"]