Gorno-Altaysk (russian: Го́рно-Алта́йск, a=Горно-Алтайск.ogg, r=Gorno-Altaysk, p=ˈgornə ɐlˈtajsk; ; historically, pre-1932: Ulala) is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of the

Altai Republic The Altai Republic (; russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay, ; Altai: , ''Altay Respublika''), also known as Gorno-Altai Republic, and colloquially, and primarily referred to in Russian to distinguish from the neighbour ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. The population stands at around 64,000 people as of 2020 with steady growth over the recent years. In the past the town was known as ''Ulala'' (up until June 23, 1932) and then ''Oyrot-Tura'' (June 23, 1932 - January 7, 1948).

History

The '' selo'' of Ulala () was established in 1824 when migrants moved to this area from

Biysk Biysk ( rus, Бийск, p=bʲijsk) is a city in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the Biya River not far from its confluence with the Katun River. It is the second largest city of the krai (after Barnaul, the administrative center of the krai). Pop ...

.Charter of Gorno-Altaysk, Article 2 When Oirot Autonomous Oblast was established on June 1, 1922, Ulala became its

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...

. On February 27, 1928, Ulala was granted town status and on June 23, 1932, it was renamed Oyrot-Tura (). The present name was given to the town on January 7, 1948.

Climate

Gorno-Altaysk has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') characterised by frigid winters and warm to very warm summers. Precipitation is moderate and is much higher in the hotter summer months than in the frigid winter season, when it falls entirely as low-water-content snow.

Administrative and municipal status

Gorno-Altaysk is the

of the republic.Constitution of the Altai Republic, Article 145 Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as Gorno-Altaysk Urban Okrug—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

.Law #101-RZ As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.Law #10-RZ

Transportation

The town is served by the

Gorno-Altaysk Airport Gorno-Altaysk Airport () is an airport in Russia located 9 km west of Gorno-Altaysk. It services small airliners. In 2019, 102,338 passengers passed through this airport. New terminal and new runway In 2011, the construction of a new term ...

, with regular flights to the city of Moscow and a few other major Russian cities. Highway M52 passes through Gorno-Altaysk, connecting it with

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...

in the north and the Mongolian border in the south. The closest railway station is from Gorno-Altaysk. It is located in the city of

Culture, sports and education

The town hosts a theater as well as several cinemas, the

Gorno-Altaisk State University History Gorno-Altaisk State University was founded in 1949 as the Pedagogical Institute. It is located in Gorno-Altaisk, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Nort ...

, and the

Anokhin Museum The Anokhin Museum () is a national museum located in Gorno-Altaysk, Altai Republic, Russia. General Information The Anokhin Museum is the national museum of the republic, located in Gorno-Altaysk, the capital city of Altai Republic, in the Chinese ...

. The mountains located within the town's boundaries are a magnet for skiing as well as backpacking. Several football fields with artificial grass are available to the public for free.

Infrastructure condition

Only the most vital streets in Gorno-Altaysk are kept in good condition as of 2020. The rivers are safe to swim in and the tap water is safe to drink. Most of the buildings have central heating, usually powered by a gas burning station serving either one or several buildings.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Official website of Gorno-Altaysk
*Gorno-Altaysk Business Director
jsprav.ru

Official website of the Gorno-Altaysk State University
{{Authority control Tomsk Governorate Populated places established in 1824