The town of Volchansk, Sverdlovsk region: description, photo

The town of Volchansk in the Sverdlovsk Region is a small town in the Russian Federation. It is located quite far from Ekaterinburg, at a distance of 450 kilometers. The city began with a small village on the Volchanka River and had then the same name. At present, it is the administrative center of the same-named district, which includes three settlements.

Who among us has not heard about the Ural Mountains, which Russia is so famous for, the Sverdlovsk Region? Volchansk is a city that is located on the eastern slope of their main ridge.

How was the city formed?

The village was established thanks to fur dealers, who settled there in 1850. Ten years after the establishment of the settlement, a group of gold prospectors discovered a brown coal deposit nearby.

In the next 50 years, the study and development of this point was conducted. Subsequently, the development of minerals began. Due to this location, the settlement of Volchansk (Sverdlovsk region) has developed rapidly enough. By 1950, the construction of a coal mine for an aluminum plant was started. And in six years the settlement will be transformed into a city named Volchansk. In 1966, it received the status of a city of regional significance.

Stages of development

Volchansk (Sverdlovsk region) developed precisely because of coal deposits. As a result, in a recent small settlement even acquires the status of regional importance. There were opened various factories, including car repair and consumer products.

In the peak period of development in Volchansk lived about 25 000 people. Unfortunately, today only 9.3 thousand people live there (statistics of 2015). The bulk of the population of the city is now working at the city-forming enterprise. This settlement is listed as a so-called mono-city.

Transport

The unique city of Volchansk (Sverdlovsk Region) makes it the smallest settlement in Russia where the tram runs. Several interesting stories are connected with this mode of transport. You can start with the fact that the tramway in Volchansk appeared before he received the status of the city. The population then reached almost 30 thousand people.

The tram line was opened as a gift for the New Year, December 31, 1951. Previously, the transport network consisted of two routes. One of them led to the coal mine, and the second to the Forest Lupus. Unfortunately, due to the frequent theft of wires, the way to the mine was dismantled. There was even a route to the city of Karpinsk. But he was also taken out of service.

Now the tram line has a length of 8 kilometers. There is only one tram running through it, consisting of one car. The state of the whole line is rather deplorable these days.

Legends

Nevertheless, residents of Volchansk liked to tell the story before, that their city is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest in the world, having a tram network. Unfortunately, it was not so.

But in 2008, to restore justice, the head collected the necessary amount, summoned the experts and ensured that the city was included in the record book. Volchansk (Sverdlovsk region) was recognized as the smallest settlement with tram routes, but not in the whole world, but only in Russia. Nevertheless, the moderators of the city site continue to erroneously mention the world record.

Let's sum up the results

Unfortunately, the population of Volchansk decreases every year. Most likely, this is due to the fact that young people, graduating from school, are eager to enter higher education institutions in large cities. But this is the fate of almost all small towns, and especially those in which there are no universities.