Ufa

Ufa (Russian: Уфа; IPA: [ʊˈfa]; Bashkir: Өфө, Öfö; IPA: [ʏ̞ˈfʏ̞],  pronunciation ) is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic. Population: 1,062,319 (2010 Census); 1,042,437 (2002 Census); 1,082,052 (1989 Census).

History

The city began as a fortress built on the orders of Ivan the Terrible in 1574, and originally bore the name of the hill it stood on, Tura-Tau. After the outbreak of the Pugachev's Rebellion, it went through the most brutal events in its early history, the fortress and the city were in the middle of the military actions. For several months during the winter of 1773â€"1774, Ufa was under siege by Cossack and Bashkir insurgents until they were fought off by the arrived government forces.

Before becoming the seat of a separate Ufa Governorate in 1781, the city, along with the rest of the Bashkir lands, was under the jurisdiction of the Orenburg governors. And even though the 1796 reform reunited Orenburg and Ufa again, in 1802 the city of Ufa became a new center of the entire Orenburg Governorate that included large territories of modern-day Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenburg Oblast, and Chelyabinsk Oblast. During the 1800-1810s, Scottish Russian architect William Heste developed a general city plan for Ufa as a regional capital shaping the modern outline of its historical center.

The Belaya River Waterway (1870) and the Samara-Zlatoust Railroad (1890) connected the city to the European part of the Russian Empire and stimulated development of the city's light industry. As a result, in 1913 the population of Ufa grew to 100,000.

During World War II, following eastward Soviet retreat in 1941, a number of industrial enterprises of the western parts of the Soviet Union were evacuated to Ufa. The city also became the wartime seat of the Soviet Ukrainian government.

Administrative and municipal status

Ufa is the capital of the republic and, within the framework of the administrative divisions, it also serves as the administrative center of Ufimsky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is, together with twenty-four rural localities, incorporated separately as the city of republic significance of Ufaâ€"an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the city of republic significance of Ufa is incorporated as Ufa Urban Okrug.

Economy

Industry

Many urban enterprises engaged in oil refining, chemistry, mechanical engineering reside in Ufa. Additionally, the economy of Ufa is composed of many fuel, energy and engineering complexes.

The value of goods, services, and manufacturing in Ufa totaled 185.0 billion rubles in 2009 ((DB regions of the Volga district))

Ufa is home to about 200 large and medium industrial enterprises.

Some important enterprises in Ufa include:

• Ufimsky petrochemical Plant (control the Bashneft)
• Novo-Ufimsky refinery plant (control the Bashneft)
• Ufimsky refinery plant (control the Bashneft)
• Bashkir Trolleybus Plant :trolley manufacturer

Finance

Ufa is a donor of the republic's and federal budgets. About 62.8% of tax revenues accumulated on the territory of Ufa City municipal district of Bashkortostan Republic are directed to the federal budget and 29% to the republic's budget.

Transportation

Ufa is linked by railways to the rest of Russia, having a railway station on a historic branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Ufa is the only city connected to Moscow by more than one federal highway. The M7 motorway links the city to Kazan and Moscow and the M5 motorway links Ufa to Moscow and to the Asian part of Russia.

The Ufa International Airport has international flights to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, as well as domestic flights to many Russian cities and towns.

The Ufa Metro is a planned and oft-delayed subway system, discussed since the late 1980s. On May 30, 1996, there was a ceremony marking the beginning of preparatory construction work, attended by then-President Boris Yeltsin.

Public transportation in Ufa includes trams (since 1937) and trolleybuses (since 1962) systems, as well as bus and marshrutka (routed cabs) lines.

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition of the Capital of Republic of Bashkortostan was:

Other ethnicities include Armenians (2,822 people), Germans (2,213 people), Jews (2,082 people), and Azeris (2,075 people).

Geography and climate

Ufa is situated in eastern Europe near its land boundary with Asia, at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa Rivers, on low hills forming the Ufa Plateau to the west of the southern Urals.

Government and administration

Local government

The bodies of local self-government of Ufa are:

• Council, a representative body. Formed of 35 deputies for 4 years.
• Chairman of the Board â€" the head of the urban okrug. Term of 4 years.
• Urban Okrug Administration. The structure of the administration approved by the Council on the proposal of the Head of the Administration.
• Head of the Administration manages the administration on the principles of unity of command. He is appointed under a contract entered into by the results of the competition. Term of office of the Head of the Administration limited to the period of office of the Council of the convocation.

Sports

Education and science

Educational institutions include:

• Bashkir State University
• Ufa State Aviation Technical University
• Ufa State Petroleum Technological University
• Bashkir State Medical University

Graduate universities and Law Schools:

• Ural State Law Academy Ufa's campus

Scientific institutions include:

• Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Bashkortostan
• Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Science (USC RAS)

Religion

The main religious confessions in the city are Islam (Sunni) and Orthodox Christianity.

Notable people

Famous citizens of Ufa include:

• Sergey Aksakov (1791â€"1859), writer and literary critic, born and raised in Ufa
• Vera Timanova (1855â€"1942), pianist, born and grew up in Ufa
• Mikhail Nesterov (1862â€"1942), painter, one of the main figure of the Symbolist artist movement, born and raised in Ufa
• Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), opera singer, spent early years of his career in Ufa
• Valerian Albanov (1882â€"1919), Arctic explorer, born in Ufa
• Jaroslav HaÅ¡ek (1883â€"1923), Czech writer and journalist, lived in Ufa during the Civil War, worked in local newspapers
• Natalya Kovshova (1920â€"1942), World War II sniper, born in Ufa
• Gabdulkhay Akhatov (1927â€"1986), linguist, turkologist, Bashkir University professor
• Rudolf Nureyev (1938â€"1993), ballet dancer, grew up in Ufa
• Boris Kolker (born 1939), linguist, esperantologist, lived in Ufa
• Sergei Dovlatov (1941â€"1990), writer and journalist, born in Ufa
• Vladimir Spivakov (born 1944), conductor and violinist, born in Ufa
• Vladimir Vinogradov (1955â€"2008), banker, one of the first Russian billionaires of the post-Soviet era, born in Ufa
• Yuriy Shevchuk (born 1957), rock musician, DDT frontman, grew up and started his career in Ufa
• Elvira Nabiullina (born 1963), Governor of the Bank of Russia and former Minister of Economic Development of Russia, born and grew up in Ufa
• Igor Kravchuk (born 1966), Alexander Semak (born 1966), Andrei Zyuzin (born 1978), Andrei Zubarev (born 1987), ice hockey players
• Andrey Gubin (born 1974), pop singer, born in Ufa
• Zemfira (born 1976), rock musician, born, grew up and made her career in Ufa
• Ildar Abdrazakov (born 1976), Grammy Award-winning bass opera singer, born in Ufa, Ufa Academy of Arts graduate
• Maxim Tchoudov (born 1982), biathlete, grew up in Ufa
• Sophie Milman (born 1983), jazz singer, born in Ufa
• Alexei Vasilevsky (ice hockey) (born 1993), Russian ice hockey defenceman
• Daniil Kvyat (born 1994), Red Bull Racing Formula 1 driver, born in Ufa
• Dimitry Vassiliev (born 1979), ski jumper, born in Ufa

Monuments of Ufa

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Ufa is twinned with:

See also

• Ufa Metro
• Ufa train disaster

References

Notes

Sources

• Правительство Республики Ð'ашкортостан. Постановление №391 от 29 декабря 2006 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц и населÑ'нных пунктов Республики Ð'ашкортостан», в ред. Постановления â„–61 от 26 февраля 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в реестр административно-территориальных единиц и населÑ'нных пунктов Республики Ð'ашкортостан». Опубликован: "Ð'едомости Ð"осударственного Собрания â€" Курултая, Президента и Правительства Республики Ð'ашкортостан", â„–5 (251), ст. 239, 12 марта 2007 г. (Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Resolution #391 of December 29, 2006 On Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Entities and Inhabited Localities of the Republic of Bashkortostan, as amended by the Resolution #61 of February 26, 2013 On Amending the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Entities and Inhabited Localities of the Republic of Bashkortostan. ).
• Ð"осударственное Собрание â€"Курултай Республики Ð'ашкортостан. Закон №162-з от 17 декабря 2004 г. «О границах, статусе и административных центрах муниципальных образований в Республике Ð'ашкортостан», в ред. Закона â„–572-з от 17 июля 2012 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 2 Закона Республики Ð'ашкортостан "О границах, статусе и административных центрах муниципальных образований в Республике Ð'ашкортостан"». Ð'ступил в силу в соответствии со статьÑ'й 33. Опубликован: "Республика Ð'ашкортостан", â„–52 (25785), 22 марта 2005 г. (State Assembly of Bashkortostanâ€"El Kurultai. Law #162-z of December 17, 2004 On the Borders, Status, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations in the Republic of Bashkortostan, as amended by the Law #572-z of July 17, 2012 On Amending Article 2 of the Law of the Republic of Bashkortostan "On the Borders, Status, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations in the Republic of Bashkortostan". Effective as of the date established in accordance with the provisions of Article 33.).

External links

• Official website of Ufa
• Official website of Ufa (Russian)
• Ufa virtual tour
• 360 Panoramas of Ufa
• Ufa pictures at skyscraper city.com
• Photos of Ufa