Baykalsk ( rus, Байкальск, p=bɐjˈkalʲsk) is a town in

Slyudyansky District Slyudyansky District (russian: Слюдя́нский райо́н) is an administrative district, one of the administrative divisions of Irkutsk Oblast, thirty-three in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.Charter of Irkutsk Oblast Subdivisions of Russia#Munici ...

of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located from

Slyudyanka Slyudyanka ( rus, Слюдянка, p=slʲʉˈdʲankə) is a town and the administrative center of Slyudyansky District of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located at the southern tip of Lake Baikal, south of Irkutsk, the administrative center of the ...

, the administrative center of the district. Population:

History

Baykalsk was founded in 1961 concomitant with the building of a

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

there, called Baykalsk Paper and Pulp Mills. In 1966 the mill became operational, and the settlement received "city" status. At its peak, the mill employed about 3,500 people. In the late 2000s, Baykalsk faced a series of well-documented economic crises stemming from its status as a

monotown A monotown (a calque from Russian моногород, ''monogorod''; ''gorod'' meaning "town") is a city/town whose economy is dominated by a single industry or company. This means that most employments (except for service to residents like sch ...

entirely dependent on the declining and then closed paper mill.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Baykalsk is subordinated to

.''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations of Irkutsk Oblast'' As a municipal division, the town of Baykalsk, together with two rural localities in Slyudyansky District, is incorporated within Slyudyansky Municipal District as Baykalskoye Urban Settlement.Law #72-oz

Economy

Baykalsk Paper and Pulp Mills was a major source of pollution of

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

. About 3,500 people were directly employed by the plant. The plant was closed in 2009 after new expensive waste water treatment equipment made the factory unprofitable after the global economic downturn. In Soviet times, the factory management was primarily responsible for the town's maintenance. The town and plant administrations were independent from one another but 95% of the town's budget used to come from the plant in the form of taxes. In January 2010, following disturbances, the Russian government with the cooperation of its private owner reopened the factory and exempted it from pollution rules but lowered the workers' wages. In September 2013, the mill underwent a final bankruptcy, with the last eight hundred workers slated to lose their jobs by December 28, 2013.

Infrastructure

There are nine kindergartens, three theaters, and a new sports center in the town. The residential parts mostly consist of three- and five-story apartment blocks.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *
Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations of Irkutsk Oblast
'

External links

Official website of Baykalsk

Directory of organizations in Baykalsk
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast Populated places established in 1961 Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union Monotowns in Russia Populated places on Lake Baikal