Coat of arms Flag Federal subject Amur Oblast Urban okrug Svobodny Urban Okrug Local time Sunday 8:35 AM | Country Russia Administratively subordinated to Svobodny Urban Okrug Area 225 km² | |
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Administrative center of Svobodny Urban Okrug, Svobodnensky District Weather 3°C, Wind N at 24 km/h, 73% Humidity | ||
Svobodny (Russian: Свобо́дный) is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 kilometers (104 mi) north of Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 58,778 (2010 Census); 63,889 (2002 Census); 80,006 (1989 Census).
Contents
- Map of Svobodny Amur Oblast Russia
- History
- Administrative and municipal status
- Economy
- Transportation
- Notable people
- References
Map of Svobodny, Amur Oblast, Russia
History
It was founded in 1912 in conjunction with the construction of the Amur Railway (the Trans-Siberian 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 (Алексе́евск), in honor of the then crown prince Alexey. In 1917, the town was renamed Svobodny, Russian for free.
During the Stalin era, the BAMLag prison camp was built in Svobodny, with the intention of providing forced labor for the planned construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The camp became one of the largest in the gulag system, with ca. 190,300 convicts in October 1935. The camp claimed the lives of thousands of political and clerical prisoners.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Svodobny serves as the administrative center of Svobodnensky District, 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. As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.
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 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.
Notable people
The town is the birthplace of the movie director Leonid Gayday, whose memorial was unveiled in September 2006.