Chistopol (; ; , ''Çistay'') is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located on the left bank of the

Kuybyshev Reservoir Kuybyshev Reservoir or Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir () is a reservoir of the middle Volga and lower Kama in Chuvashia, Mari El Republic, Republic of Tatarstan, Samara Oblast and Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is sometimes called as Samara Reservoir an ...

, on the

Kama River The Kama ( , ; ; ), also known as the Chulman ( ; ), is a long«Река КАМА»
Russian St ...

. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 60,755.

History

At the end of the 19th century, Chistopol became a major center of trade for grain. Prior to 1917, it was the second largest town (after Kazan) in

Kazan Governorate Kazan Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR from 1708 to 1920, with its capital in Kazan. History Kazan Governorate, together with seven other ...

. During the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

, Chistopol become a shelter for the

Union of Soviet Writers The Union of Soviet Writers, USSR Union of Writers, or Soviet Union of Writers () was a creative union of professional writers in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1934 on the initiative of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (1932) a ...

, which included

Boris Pasternak Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (30 May 1960) was a Russian and Soviet poet, novelist, composer, and literary translator. Composed in 1917, Pasternak's first book of poems, ''My Sister, Life'', was published in Berlin in 1922 and soon became an imp ...

Leonid Leonov Leonid Maksimovich Leonov (; — 8 August 1994) was a Soviet novelist and playwright of socialist realism. His works have been compared with Dostoevsky's deep psychological torment. Early life Leonov was born in Moscow in 1899. His father, Ma ...

and other notables. The town is notable for its

Vostok watches Vostok Watch Makers, Inc. (; literally meaning "East") is a Russian watch brand and manufacturer based in Chistopol, Tatarstan, Russia. The company produces mainly ruggedized mechanical watches, namely the ''Komandirskie'' and ''Amfibia'' models. ...

factory, which was founded in 1942. Chistopol was ranked first among Category III cities (population up to 100,000) in the 2015 edition of Most Comfortable City in Russia. In the year 1781, Empress Catherine the Great established the center of the “Chistopol District of the Kazan Governorate” (Rusmania). In the 19th century, the city flourished in grain production. Nearly half of its lands were used for grain production along with trade. Its location and docks allowed for many resources and in due time, it became the second largest city in the Kazan Governorate (Rusmania). Following World War 2, many acclaimed writers were placed in Chistopol. Not long after this, a crucial watch factory was also transferred to the city in 1942. ‘Vostok’ watches are now very prominent in the town. Since then, the city has preserved its 19th century feel and remains a historical center.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Chistopol serves as the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Chistopolsky District Chistopolsky District (; ) is a Administrative divisions of the Republic of Tatarstan, territorial administrative unit and Municipal divisions of Russia, municipal district of the Tatarstan, Republic of Tatarstan within the Russia, Russian Federat ...

, even though it is not a part of it.Order #01-02/9 As an administrative division, it is, together with one

rural locality In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...

(the settlement of Yeryklinsky), incorporated separately as the town of republic significance of Chistopol—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 ...

. As a municipal division, the town of republic significance of Chistopol is incorporated within Chistopolsky Municipal District as Chistopol Urban Settlement.Law #44-ZRT

Transportation

The town is served by

Chistopol Airport Chistopol was an airport in Russia located 7 km southwest of Chistopol. It was a small airport, with a single tarmac runway with one building. Overhead imagery from Google Earth shows a structure, equipment and materials on the runway, b ...

Notable people

Alexander Butlerov Alexander Mikhaylovich Butlerov (; 15 September 1828 – 17 August 1886) was a Russian chemist, one of the principal creators of the theory of chemical structure (1857–1861), the first to incorporate double bonds into structural form ...

, born in Chistopol, chemist *

Sofia Gubaidulina Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina (24 October 1931 – 13 March 2025) was a Soviet and Russian composer of Modernism (music), modernist Holy minimalism, sacred music. She was highly prolific, producing numerous Chamber music, chamber, Orchestra, orch ...

, born in Chistopol, composer *

Nikolay Likhachyov Nikolay Petrovich Likhachyov (), alternatively transliterated as Likhachev (12 April 1862 – 14 April 1936) was the first and foremost Russian sigillographer (that is, an expert on seals) who also contributed significantly to an array of auxi ...

, born in Chistopol, scientist *

Anatoly Marchenko Anatoly Tikhonovich Marchenko (, 23 January 1938 – 8 December 1986) was a Soviet dissident, author, and human rights campaigner, who became one of the first two recipients (along with Nelson Mandela) of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thou ...

, died in Chistopol, dissident *

, evacuated to Chistopol during the second world war, writer *

Vazif Meylanov Vazif Sirazhutdinovich Meylanov (, 15 May 1940 – 11 January 2015) was a Soviet mathematician, social philosopher, writer, Soviet dissident, and political prisoner (1980–1989). He became renowned for his critical works on the theory of soci ...

, incarcerated in Chistopol, dissident

References

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

Official website of Chistopol

Chistopol Business Directory
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Tatarstan Chistopolsky Uyezd Populated places on the Kama River