Historical City Tour

(Note: I was not a very good student on the city tour.  I did not take notes! I ask my Russian readers and friends to please forgive me for any inaccuracies or omissions in the text below and ask them to please send me any corrections I should make.)

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to go on a city tour of Orsk with students from the Institute.  It was organized by Professor Yelena (Helen in English) Leontyeva, an English teacher/teacher trainer at the Institute.  This is what I learned.

The Ural River divides Orsk between two continents:
Asia the left, and Europe on the right.

Orsk officially celebrated its 276th anniversary as a city this year, but its roots are much older than that.  Because it is located on the Ural River and was on the only trade route between Europe and Asia at the time, a fortress was built on the highest hill in 1735 on the Asian side of the river.  A settlement grew up around the fortress and a church was constructed.  The town changed hands over the years through the course of many battles and Orsk rose in prominence when gold was discovered, setting off a gold rush similar to the California gold rush in the United States.





Because of its isolated location (on the border of Asia and Europe, and on the border of what is today Kazakstan), far from any major population centers, it was a favorite location of both the Russian Czars and of Stalin to exile dissidents and intellectuals.  This contributed greatly to the cultural foundations of Orsk.  Some of the intellectuals who were exiled here created a school that was the predecessor of the Institute where I am guest teaching.  The city is also the home of some famous poets.
     

With the students in front of a culture center in the newer
part of the city.  The city name, Orsk, is OPCK in Russian.

The newer part of the city, on the European side of the river began during World War II when several factories were moved to Orsk from the large cities of Russia to escape the threat of bombings.  Housing was constructed for the workers and the industrial side of Orsk developed.  The city today has a population of slightly more than 250,000 inhabitants.





The original church fell into disrepair during the Soviet period, when many churches in Russian were closed  and/or destroyed.  Since that time, the church has been beautifully restored and expanded with new buildings and ornate towers added to the complex.

The main tower of the church, is the oldest structure in Orsk
built in 1735 and reconstructed in 1894 

The newest church in Orsk, nearing completion
on the European side of the city.

The eternal flame at the World War II memorial.
Tablets with the names of the fallen in the far rear.

Click here to see more photos.

Our tour concluded with a visit to a World War Two memorial for soldiers from Orsk who lost their lives in the war defending Russia.  They are honored there with an eternal flame and with row after row of tablets with their engraved names.

The world famous red star symbol
at the entrance to the memorial.