An ancient patriarchal city that has retained its originality and good provincial charm. One of the first Russian towns in Bashkiria, which today is recognized as a historical and cultural monument. The city was built on the site of a village that was burned down during the Bashkir uprising. Recently, the population of Birsk celebrated the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city.
General information
The city is located in the southern part of the Cis-Urals, on the right mountainous bank of the Belaya River (a tributary of the Kama), near the confluence of the small river Bir. This is a forest-steppe zone on the Pribelskaya undulating plain.
Received city status in 1781. Birsk is the administrative center (since August 20, 1930) of the district of the same name and the urban settlement of the Republic of Bashkortostan. To the capital of the republic, the city of Ufa - 100 km. Nearby is the highway of regional importance Ufa - Birsk - Yanaul.
The city has historical and religious buildings that create a unique atmosphere of a provincial Russian town. Architectural monuments include Holy Trinity Cathedral,St. Nicholas Church, Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk and Intercession Church. One-story buildings of the 19th century are well preserved.
Origin of the name
The famous Russian historian Tatishchev believed that the name of the city, which he received along the Bir River, comes from the Tatar word "bir", which translates as "first". The historian wrote that the Tatars gave this name because it was the first Russian fortress built in these places. Tatishchev also noted that the Russians themselves in 1555 called their settlement Chelyadin, after the name of the first builder of the city.
The generally accepted version - Birsk got its name from the corresponding hydronym. The local population, Tatars and Bashkirs, call the river Bir-su (or Bire-suu), which translates as "wolf water". In addition, the old-timers, in accordance with urban legends, say that the city was called Arkhangelsk in former times, after the name of the first church in the name of the Archangel Michael, then built in it.
Foundation of the city
The history of the city begins in 1663, when the construction of the Birsk fortress began. Soon a settlement was built outside its walls, in which agriculture and crafts flourished, bringing considerable income. The convenient location on the tributary of the Kama contributed a lot to the successful development of the village. In 1774, the settlement, along with the fortress, was burned by the troops of Pugachev. In 1782, Birsk became the county center.
The city grew around Trinity Square, on which was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, built in 1842year. In 1882, a foreign teacher's school was built, in which the Tatar and Bashkir population of Birsk could study. For a long time the city was completely built up only with wooden buildings. In the 20th century, the construction of stone buildings began. The real school, the women's gymnasium and the trade school were the first to appear, and stone sidewalks were also laid.
In the first years after the revolution, only enterprises for processing agricultural products worked in the city - a winery, a mill, and some handicraft industries. In the 1930s, a pedagogical, medical and cooperative school was organized in Birsk. During the war, evacuees lived in the buildings of educational institutions, of which there were about 4 thousand in the city.
Post-war development
An important catalyst for the development of the city is the opening in the 50s of the Bashvostoknefterazvedka trust, which managed to explore more than fifty hydrocarbon deposits in the region. A significant amount of exploration work has attracted a large number of labor resources from other regions of the country to the city. By 1967, the population of Birsk had grown to 32,000 people.
In the 70s, the drilling department was organized, the development and development of oil fields began. Oil production stimulated the development of the region's economy, the city began to improve, new residential microdistricts, cultural and he alth institutions were built. The population of Birsk according to the last Soviet census was 34,881 inhabitants.
Modernity
Thanks to the oil workers, quarters 160 and 165 were built up, schools, kindergartens, a club, and the Neftyanik shopping center were built. A gas pipeline was extended to the city and a gas distribution station was organized. In post-Soviet times, the city's economy continued to develop successfully, thanks to hydrocarbon production and high oil prices. In the first year of independence, the population of Birsk reached 36,100 people.
Birsk Drilling Department was privatized, now the company belongs to Lukoil.
The population growth of the city of Birsk continued until the 2008 global economic crisis. Then 43,809 people lived in the city. In the next three years, the number of citizens decreased slightly due to natural causes. The city had a population of 41,635 in 2010.
In terms of ethnic composition, Russians accounted for the largest share - 53.6%, Tatars were the second largest group - 16.8%. Next came the Bashkirs - 14.6%, and the Mari - 13.1%. After the economic recovery in 2012, the number of city residents continued to grow. The population peaked at 46,330 in 2017.
