Svobodny () 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 ...
in
Amur Oblast
Amur Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya rivers in the Russian Far East. The oblast borders Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the south.
The administrati ...
, Russia, located on the right bank of the
Zeya River
The Zeya (; from indigenous Evenki word "djee" (blade); zh, 结雅; mnc, m= , Mölendroff: jingkiri bira) is a northern, left tributary of the Amur in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . The average flow of the rive ...
, north of
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...
, 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 ...
of the
oblast
An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
. Population: 63,889 (
2002 Census);
History
It was founded in 1912 in conjunction with the construction of the Amur Railway
[Pospelov, p. 26] (the
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...
's "bypass" route, which was to provide a railway connection from European Russia to the Pacific entirely over the Russian soil, without
crossing the north-eastern China). It was originally named ''Alexeyevsk'' (), in honor of the then
crown prince Alexey.
In 1917, the town was renamed Svobodny,
Russian for "free".
During the chaos of the
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
, the Russian Far East became a base for several Korean militias and political groups opposed to the
Japanese colonization of Korea. They moved into Svobodny in early 1921, but in the summer factional disputes within the
Korean Communist Party and the wider Korean nationalist movement broke out into open warfare, the
Free City Incident. The
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
besieged and then destroyed the town, securing victory for its preferred faction.
During the
Stalin era
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, the
BAMLag forced
labor camp
A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
of the
Gulag
The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
was built in Svobodny, with the intention of providing
forced labor
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...
for the planned construction of the
Baikal-Amur Mainline. The camp became one of the largest in Gulag system; its peak headcount was about 201,000 (1938). In 1938 it was dismantled into several camps.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Svodobny 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 ...
of
Svobodnensky District,
[Law #31-OZ] even though it is not a part of it.
As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Svobodny
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 ...
.
[Law #127-OZ] As a
municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.
[Law #402-OZ]
Economy
The town is home to factories producing machinery and furniture, as well as the administrative center for mining operations in the region, including the gold mining concern ''Amurzoloto''.
Transportation
The town is an important transportation hub for both rail and river traffic, with two railway stations on the
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...
including rolling-stock repair facilities, and a river port on the
Zeya.
It is served by the
Svobodny Airport and is near the
Orlovka interceptor air base and other locations maintained by the
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...
.
Geography
The town is located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 kilometers (104 mi) north of
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...
, the administrative center of the oblast.
Climate
Svobodny has a
warm-summer 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 cold ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Dwb'') with bitterly cold, very dry winters and very warm, wet summers.
Notable people
The town is the birthplace of the movie director
Leonid Gaidai
Leonid Iovich Gaidai (30 January 192319 November 1993) was a Soviet comedy film director, screenwriter and actor who enjoyed immense popularity and broad public recognition in the former Soviet Union. His films broke theatre attendance records a ...
, whose memorial was unveiled in September 2006.
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (''City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.'') Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Amur Oblast
Populated places established in 1912
1912 establishments in the Russian Empire
Monotowns in Russia