Chapaevsk on the map of Russia: geography, nature and climate
Chapaevsk is located 43 kilometers from the regional center - Samara, on the right bank of the Chapaevka River , a left tributary of the Volga .
The city stretches for 9 kilometers from north to south and 7.5 kilometers from west to east, the total area of the urban district is more than 200 square meters. km. On the territory of Chapaevsk there are several reservoirs (lakes and ponds) - in particular, these are lakes Ilmen , Gusinoe and Gusinka . A satellite map of Chapaevsk proves that the city does not have enough green park areas. The forests are predominantly mixed.
The climate in Chapaevsk is continental: however, it is arid and variable from year to year. Summer is predominantly warm, with possible dry periods; winter – with frosts, snow cover can reach half a meter.
Routes on the map of Chapaevsk. Transport infrastructure
There are two major highways near the city - “Samara-Volgograd (Novokuibyshevsk-2)” and “Samara-Pugachev-Engels-Volgograd” . All urban areas are connected by a single system of streets and roads.
There is a bus station in Chapaevsk (Chapayevsk, Privokzalnaya Square, 5A), from which flights depart to nearby cities (including the regional center - Samara). There is also a railway station, since the Moscow-Samara-Chelyabinsk highway passes through the city.
Public urban transport is represented by 12 main and 3 seasonal routes.
City of Chapaevsk (Samara region)
Sergievsky explosives plant in the village of Ivashchenkovo, now Chapaevsk. Photo 1917
TNT capital of Russia
Chapaevsk is an industrial city (72 thousand inhabitants) an hour’s drive from Samara. The city limits include the former village of Ivashchenkovo, the villages of Titovka, Gubashevo, Bolshoye Tomylovo and the suburban villages of Nagorny and Sadovo-Dachny. Located on the banks of the Chapaevka River (a tributary of the Volga), 43 km southwest of Samara. Chapaevsk is the leader in population decline in the Volga Federal District among cities from 50 to 100 thousand people - by 2015, the city's population decreased by 26.1%. The population for 2021 is 72,944 people.
Samara-Sergievsky Explosives Plant
The factory village next to the defense plant arose on the eve of the First World War. At this time, a new type of weapons was being mastered in Russia; several similar cities were founded in different parts of the country, and, for example, Kotovsk in the Tambov region, which was built directly during the war.
There is no consensus on the founding date of the city; it is usually called 1909. In the winter of 1909-1910, preparatory and excavation work was carried out, and with the onset of spring, construction of production, energy, administrative and residential buildings began. The groundbreaking of the state enterprise for the production of explosives and the consecration of the construction took place on May 27, 1910.
Major General Vladimir Porfirievich Ivashchenko was appointed head of construction, who was also entrusted with the duties of the military commandant of the region and the head of the local military garrison. Before that, he already had extensive experience working in military production. For safety reasons, the distances between workshops were planned to be at least 25 fathoms, in contrast to the crowded wooden buildings at the Okhtinsky plant. At the same time, particularly risky operations had to be isolated from other industries, and explosive buildings had to be protected by earth embankment. Forced ventilation installations are planned in the workshops, as well as bathrooms and showers for staff.
In 1912, the Sergievsky Explosives Plant produced its first products. It received its name from Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who oversaw the construction. But the factory village was named Ivashchenkovo in honor of the chief engineer of the plant, Vladimir Porfiryevich Ivashchenko, who is considered the founder of the city.
On the site adjacent to the economic area of the plant at the 75th verst of the Batraki-Samara railway, between the Kriki and Tomylovo stations, a railway siding was put into operation on September 22, 1911.
Opening of the Ivashchenkovo crossing of the Samara-Zlatoust Railway. In the center is General V.P. Ivashchenko, September 22, 1911
By the fall, 39 stone industrial buildings, 24 stone auxiliary buildings and 61 wooden buildings had been built - of which 25 were residential buildings. The opening of the new plant and its consecration took place on September 15, 1911 with the participation of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich and military personnel representing the artillery leadership of Russia. The Sergievsky plant became the first domestic state enterprise to produce the latest explosives for that time - TNT and tetryl.
By the highest decree of January 1, 1912 and order for plant No. 7 of January 26, 1912, the Samara Explosives Plant was given the name Sergievsky in honor of the Inspector General of Artillery, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.
At the Samara-Sergievsky Explosives Plant
The village initially consisted of one-story brick and wooden houses built in 1910-1913. Residential areas were located between the plant and the line of the Samara-Zlatoust railway between modern Krasnoarmeyskaya and Komsomolskaya streets. Later, four, six and ten-apartment one-story houses were built on the site between modern Proletarskaya and Volodarsky streets. On the other side of the Samara-Zlatoust railway, opposite the administrative village, cottages were erected for families of lower ranks (“white houses”), behind them a workers’ village of individually built houses arose.
Group of workers at the Ushkova plant 1916
Soon after the end of the Civil War, Germany made a secret proposal to create a joint production of new types of chemical weapons. The production and testing of toxic substances was supposed to be carried out on Soviet territory, so as not to violate the Treaty of Versailles. The result of secret negotiations was the signing of an agreement between the USSR and Germany on May 14, 1923. According to it, in the village of Trotsk, at the former Ushkov chemical plant, it was planned to launch the production of mustard gas (installation “T”) and phosgene (installation “N”), as well as to create lines for filling toxic substances into artillery shells. On the German side, on behalf of the Reichswehr, the U. concern took part in the work. Stolzenberg." On September 30, 1923, an agreement was signed on the creation of a mixed Soviet-German joint stock company “Bersol”.
Three years later, the Soviet side decided to make this production completely independent. The secret resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, adopted in 1926, emphasized that it became possible to build a plant for the production of toxic substances without the participation of German specialists. The Soviet-German agreement was terminated, the plant in Trotsk was included in the VSNKh system under the name “State Chemical Plant No. 2”. In 1927, the company began producing chlorine and phosgene.
In 1918, Samara provincial authorities decided to rename Ivashchenkovo to the village of Trotsk in honor of the military people's commissar Leon Trotsky. In 1927, the expanded village became a city, which in 1929 was renamed in honor of the participant in the First World War and the Civil War, the commander of the Red Army Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev. Accordingly, the river flowing through the city with the dubious name Mocha (albeit with an emphasis on the first syllable) was renamed Chamaevka.
Temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1919
The landmark of the city is the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, built 1916-1919. according to the project of the Samara architect Dmitry Aleksandrovich Werner in the neo-Russian style with motifs of Russian architecture of the 16th-17th centuries, as well as elements of Art Nouveau. The facade is richly decorated with ceramic facade tiles, limestone, tiles, majolica and floral designs. Majolica panels depict saints and cherubs. On the pediment there is a large majolica panel depicting Sergius of Radonezh blessing Dmitry Donskoy, based on the painting by A. N. Novoskoltsev “St. Sergius blesses Dmitry Donskoy for battle and releases two monks with him.”
In 1926, the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Chapaevsk was converted into a House of Defense, with a shooting gallery installed inside
This is one of the few churches consecrated after the October Revolution. It operated until 1926 and was transferred to the House of Defense with appropriate architectural changes. During the Great Patriotic War it was used as an ammunition depot, then as a vegetable storehouse.
Palace of Pioneers in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Chapaevsk, 1950s
In 1952-1990 The Pioneer House was located in the church building. In 1990, the church was returned to believers. Architectural monument of federal significance.
Temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, modern photo
Among the architectural monuments of the Soviet era, the Commune House stands out, occupying an entire block on Ordzhonikidze Street, built in 1929. The four-story unplastered building in the shape of an even parallelepiped has small cell-rooms inside, alternating with common kitchens and bathrooms, as well as a long corridor through the entire building. The communal house is the only one in the Samara region, although similar projects have been developed for all cities in the region. The fact is that the construction of communal houses was condemned by the decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of May 16, 1930 “On the work of restructuring everyday life” and the projects already started were curtailed.
Communal house in Chapaevsk. Modern photo
In 1934, the Chapaevsky artillery range of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry was created in the village of Nagorny. Its basis was the control and testing department of the Totsk district artillery range of the PriVO. During the war, shells, mines and aerial bombs were tested here.
In subsequent decades, the city developed as several settlements at chemical plants and testing grounds, the largest of which remained Ivashchenkovo at the former Sergievsky plant, renamed Prosmintez.
Chapaevsk, construction of the Social City
The city-forming enterprises of Chapaevsk in the Soviet period were plant No. 15 (now JSC Polymer), plant No. 309 (now FSUE Metallist), where for several decades they produced chemical warfare agents - mustard gas, lewisite, phosgene), Chapaevsky artillery test testing ground (at the end of the 20th century “Chapaevsky Experimental Plant of Measuring Instruments”, now FKP “Volga State Ammunition Test Site”), FKP “Chapaevsky Mechanical Plant”.
The history of the FKP Chapaevsky Mechanical Plant began with a capsule factory, founded in 1913 next to the Sergievsky Explosives Plant; for a long time the plant operated as part of it as the “first production”. In May 1939 it was not transformed into an independent plant No. 309.
During the Great Patriotic War, military production in the city expanded. At plant No. 102, the number of employees during the first year of the war increased from 1,672 to 2,379 people. Men were replaced by women, including those evacuated from the western regions of the country (by the end of 1941, women made up more than 70% of all workers. Students from technical schools and the Kuibyshev Industrial Institute were sent to plants No. 15 and 309. During these years, Chapaevsky Plant No. 15 became an enterprise where the entire range of explosives necessary for the army was produced.
Compared to pre-war 1940, during the war years the volume of production at the Chapaevsky Mechanical Plant in 1941 increased 2.5 times, in 1942 4 times, and in 1943 almost five times with an increase in the number of workers by 60%. It also produced cartridges and rockets for BM-8 rocket artillery combat vehicles and aviation.
Watch the video. City of Chapaevsk, Samara region
It was during the war years that the production of chemical weapons peaked. From 1941 to 1945 In the USSR, about 122,500 tons of chemical warfare agents were produced, including over 76,800 tons of mustard gas, more than 20,300 tons of lewisite, 11,100 tons of hydrocyanic acid, from 7,800 to 8,300 tons of phosgene, about 6,100 tons of adamsite. Among the largest enterprises for the production of chemical weapons was the plant in Chapaevsk (now the Chapaevsky Chemical Fertilizer Plant, according to wartime documents - plant No. 102).
During the war years, manual labor prevailed at defense enterprises with a 10-12 hour working day without weekends and holidays. Technological errors were accompanied by accidents - five major explosions occurred at production, which killed 108 people. The victims of a major accident on February 16, 1944 were 84 people - workers of plants No. 15 and 309, as well as firefighters of the OVPO NKVD plant No. 15.
In total, from 1911 to 1941, 32 accidents accompanied by explosions occurred at Chapaevsky plant No. 15; during the Great Patriotic War - 14 accidents, 69 fires and 18 explosions, and in the post-war period - 26 such incidents. After 1940, more than 560 people were injured in incidents, of whom 175 died.
Chapaevsk, May Day demonstration in 1957
Recreation park on Lake Ilmen in Chapaevsk, 1962
Since the 1950s large-scale rearmament of the city's defense enterprises began. In 1955, a special design bureau was created at the Chapaevsky Mechanical Plant to develop means of mechanization and automation of technological processes. In the following decades, a large amount of equipment, machine tools, technological equipment, mechanization and automation equipment was developed.
Chapaevsk, 1960s
Despite technological innovations, the production of explosives continued to be an area of increased danger. On January 27, 1955, at the Chapaevsky plant, an explosion in the nitration workshop No. 808a completely destroyed the production building, killing seven people. On August 4, 1958, an accident occurred in workshop No. 455 at the production of rock ammonite; as a result of the explosion, the workshop building was completely destroyed, killing the entire work shift of 17 people.
A whole series of explosions of catastrophic proportions, causing great destruction, occurred at the plant on December 5, 1984. The fire started due to a malfunction in the conveyor, which caused one of the units to heat up. The explosion completely destroyed workshop No. 709a, followed by the detonation of a carriage standing on the railway tracks, which at that moment contained 140 tons of TNT. At the site of the explosions, craters with a diameter of up to 40 and a depth of up to 13 meters were formed. The fire that started without detonation destroyed the neighboring warehouse No. 107, which at that moment contained another 266 tons of TNT. Then a car with TNT (48 tons) and a car with ammonite (56 tons) caught fire. Surprisingly, there were no deaths during this incident, although 26 people received injuries of varying degrees of severity, five of them were serious.
It was not possible to avoid casualties during the accident on July 8, 1985. The explosion occurred in workshop No. 707a (remote-controlled nitration), a brick building with concrete interfloor ceilings on metal beams was completely destroyed. About 30 tons of TNT detonated, resulting in 26 injuries, of which nine died.
Chemical Weapons Destruction Plant
At the end of the 1980s. near the city, the construction of the Chapaevsky plant for the destruction of chemical weapons began (the “chemical site” facility or Chapaevsk-11). The territory of military unit No. 42731 near the village was chosen for construction. Pokrovka, where since the 1940s. There were warehouses for chemical weapons. In particular, specialized warehouse No. 433 of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR, where, after the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War at the end of 1941, chemical weapons were transported from military plant No. 102 (later the Middle Volga Chemical Fertilizer Plant of Chapaevsk) and the Moscow warehouse (Ochakovo, NPO warehouse No. 136 ). The object was assigned the code "1212".
Chapaevsk, picket against the construction of the Chapaevsky chemical weapons destruction plant, 1989
Military construction battalions were transferred here from the Far East in 1986. The operation of the facility, the protection and safety of the enterprise was entrusted to the chemical defense troops. The size of the industrial zone was about 18 hectares. It was planned to destroy 4.7 tons of chemical warfare agents in 1989, about 100 tons in 1990, and 350 tons of organophosphorus toxic substances per year since 1991. The equipment manufacturer was Novocheboksarsky. It was planned to import chemical weapons along a railway line from the Chapaevsk station through the city center. It was planned to transport the liquid masses by rail tankers to another plant for processing combat toxins in Chuvashia.
However, the difficult environmental situation due to the city’s overload with chemical production, as well as shortcomings in the technology for destroying chemical weapons, caused mass protests among residents of Chapaevsk. As a result, the country's leadership decided to repurpose the chemical weapons destruction plant into a training center, and transfer the main work on the destruction of chemical weapons to a specialized plant in Udmurtia. At the moment, the facility near Chapaevsk “1212” is mothballed.
The territory of the former Middle Volga chemical fertilizer plant today remains one of the main environmental problems of Chapaevsk. State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology in 2011-2012. Engineering and environmental surveys were carried out on the areas of the former plant. As studies have shown, throughout the territory of the North-Eastern Farming Farm there are toxins that require deep disposal
After the war, at the ammunition test site near Chapaevsk, tests were carried out on artillery shells, mines, missiles and their components - mechanical and radio fuses, remote tubes, igniter caps and detonators. Ammunition was received for testing from 24 factories in the Volga region and the Urals for ground, anti-aircraft, naval artillery, airplanes and helicopters. Units for launch vehicles and spacecraft, emergency cosmonaut rescue systems for manned Soyuz spacecraft, etc. were tested at the test site.
In 2013, Chapaevsk became famous because shells detonated near it at an ammunition test site in the village of Nagorny. The explosions thundered for more than a day, six and a half thousand people were evacuated from the village. More than fifty were injured.
Currently, the basis of the economy of Chapaevsk is still defense factories, as well as enterprises in the construction industry.
Sights of Chapaevsk
Chapaevsk is a relatively young city: it received this status less than 100 years ago. Despite this, there are a number of attractions here that you should pay attention to:
- Temple in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
- Monument to Ivashchenko V.P. - the person who founded this settlement.
- Monument to Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev , in whose honor the city is named today.
- The monumental ensemble “Eternal Flame” and a monument to fellow countrymen.
Chapaevsk
Ivashchenkovo – Trotsk – Chapaevsk
The boundaries of modern Chapaevsk include the former village of Ivashchenkovo, the villages of Titovka, Gubashevo, Bolshoye Tomylovo, and the villages of Nagorny and Sadovo-Dachny. For a long time the city remained a military secret. It wasn't on any map. Local businesses only had post office box numbers. Every resident of Chapaevsk considered it his duty to protect the military secrets of his native city.
Chapaevsk began its history from the village of Ivashchenkovo. Then, from 1927, the settlement began to be called Trotsky - in honor of the Bolshevik leader Trotsky. In the same 1927, the village received city status. Since 1929 the city has been called Chapaevsk.
In 1909, the tsarist government decided to build an explosives plant. For a long time they could not find a suitable territory for the construction of the enterprise. Finally, she was found near the Tomylovo station. The territory turned out to be suitable for several reasons. First of all, it was sparsely populated, therefore there was no need to resettle the local residents. One of the favorable factors for the construction of the enterprise was the presence of a railway, which should have significantly facilitated the transportation of building materials. The third reason why they decided to build the plant on this site was the presence of minerals. The clay and sand found here were later used in production. The new plant was named Sergievsky.
Major General Vladimir Ivashchenko was appointed head of the construction of the enterprise. The railway siding near the plant and the village would later be named after him. Construction proceeded at a rapid pace. On September 15, 1911, the enterprise was inaugurated in the presence of the project curator, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich Romanov. The plant was named Sergievsky in his honor. September 15, 1911 is considered the city's birthday. Some sources consider 1909 to be the year of foundation of Chapaevsk. In mid-1913, a chemical plant was opened on the other side of the railroad, producing sulfuric acid and sulfates for explosives.
During the First World War, the front needed a huge amount of shells, of which the Sergievsky plant became one of the main suppliers. Trade union committees of workers were formed at the enterprise. The trade unions managed to achieve a lot: paid sick leave, annual paid vacations, etc. In addition, the trade unions controlled unemployment in the village and layoffs. In November 1917, power was transferred peacefully to the Ivashchenkovsky Council. During the Civil War, the White Czechs tried to take the plant’s machines and qualified specialists to Siberia, to which the plant’s workers responded with armed resistance. The battle for the plant continued for six days. The casualties were numerous: about ten thousand killed.
The Great Patriotic War
Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, in 1934, in the village of Nagorny, the Chapaevsky artillery range of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry was created on the basis of the control and testing department of the Trotsky district artillery range of the PriVO. The production of explosives claimed no less human lives than the struggle for the enterprise with the White Czechs. Every enterprise in Chapaevsk has an obelisk erected in memory of those killed at work.
During the Great Patriotic War, 13-14 year old teenagers were accepted into the plant. Adult employees were in a barracks position and lived right on the territory of the enterprise. In addition to shells, the plant produced toxic substances of mass destruction. During the war years, workers of Chapaev enterprises donated about one hundred million rubles to the front. 18 thousand men went to the front. During the war years, working conditions at the defense enterprises of Chapaevsk were extremely difficult. Factories often lacked working equipment. Manual labor predominated in enterprises. Workers were forced to work 10–12 hours a day, without weekends or holidays. High physical stress led to a decrease in the vigilance of factory workers. Technological errors often led to major accidents. During the 4 years of the war, several explosions occurred at Chapaevsk enterprises, as a result of which more than a hundred people died.
During the harsh war years, not only men, but also women were taken to the front. In April 1942, a decree “On the mobilization of women into the Red Army” was issued. To carry out the mobilization, it was decided to create a regional commission, which was supposed to approve the distribution for all settlements in the region. The Osoaviakhim organization was founded in Chapaevsk. In the first quarter of 1942, the organization trained 27 tank destroyers, 38 machine gunners and more than two hundred riflemen. Chapaev enterprises needed reliable camouflage, which began in May 1942. New workers were brought from rural areas to the cities to work in factories. More than two hundred people deserted the enterprises within five months of their arrival. The reason for desertion was the fear of getting tetryl (that is, yellow) coloring of hair and skin. In addition, rural residents did not have the necessary qualifications to work at the factory.
In August 1942, a major accident occurred at Chapaevsky plant No. 15. One of the workers was killed and three were seriously injured. The accident was caused by equipment malfunction, as well as safety violations and indiscipline of the company's workers. During the war years, cases of anti-Soviet propaganda were recorded in Chapaevsk. Several rebel leaflets were found in the buildings of the passport office and the registry office. The flyers were handwritten. On the back of each of them was a swastika.
At the beginning of 1943, a meeting of the party and economic activists took place in Chapaevsk, at which the results of the work of 1942 were summed up. As it turned out, the quality of the products of the Chapaev factories produced in 1942 decreased by 10% compared to 1941. 2 weeks after the meeting, a rally of Stakhanovites took place in the city. In February 1943, about a thousand Uzbeks were brought to plant No. 309 as part of mobilization. Of these, 622 people were suitable for work. Most of the new employees of the enterprise did not speak Russian. 478 new workers from Uzbekistan were brought to plant No. 102, most of whom also did not understand Russian.
At the beginning of March 1943, a district commission was created to organize the ten-day festival from March 10 to 20. The goal of the decade was to help military families. During the event, fuel procurement and delivery, supply of vegetables to families, employment, placement of children in kindergarten and nursery, apartment renovation, supply of linen, clothing and shoes, etc. were carried out.
In September 1943, an explosion occurred at plant No. 309. 10 workshop workers died. During the investigation, it was established that the cause of the explosion was the combined storage of flammable materials and explosive substances, which, according to safety regulations, is completely unacceptable. The next accident was recorded in mid-February 1944. A TNT explosion occurred at plant No. 15. The explosion killed 30 people and disabled the workshop. Several people were injured. The explosion was so strong that some city buildings and the neighboring plant No. 309 were damaged. In April 1944, there was a threat of enemy terrorists and saboteurs landing near military industrial facilities. In this regard, a platoon of an armed combat mobile group consisting of 28 people was created.
Post-war years
In the 50s, Chapaev enterprises were tasked with producing large volumes of civilian and defense products. To improve the quality of products, it was decided to carry out technical re-equipment of the Chapaev factories. In 1955, by order of the Ministry, a special design bureau was created, whose tasks included the development of means of mechanization and automation of technological processes. Thanks to the active work of the SKB team over several post-war decades, a huge amount of new equipment, mechanization and automation equipment, technological equipment and machine tools was created. The emergence of new, more advanced and safe equipment had a beneficial effect on labor productivity and the quality of products.
From perestroika to the present day
The most difficult period for Chapaevsk was perestroika. The new state did not need shells. In the 90s, the city was declared an environmental disaster zone. Over the long years of their existence, local enterprises have thoroughly poisoned the soil and air. Chapaevites often suffered from skin diseases. Residents of the city used TNT as one of the healing agents. It was believed that if the explosive was mixed with sunflower oil and applied to the skin, one could get rid of the disease.
In the press, Chapaevsk was often called a “poison city” or “death city,” despite the fact that an independent German examination found that the concentration of toxic substances in the soil and air did not exceed the norm. There have been repeated proposals to resettle the Chapaevites to safer settlements and destroy the city itself. However, local residents continued to live and work in their hometown, despite the fact that there were fewer and fewer jobs. Unemployment did not frighten local residents. Jobs began to be found in neighboring cities, most often in Samara. 10 thousand people leave their hometown every day to go to work.
By its centenary, Chapaevsk has undergone a significant transformation. Many new houses were built. Some old buildings (for example, one of the oldest city schools near the Commune House) were renovated. In May 2009, a new children's hospital with 60 beds was opened with a children's clinic for 200 visits per shift. A new microdistrict “Novostroika” has appeared in the city. The houses in this microdistrict were built for young families and those displaced from dilapidated housing. A bust of V.P. Ivashchenko, who is considered the founder of the city, was installed on Kuibyshev Street. One of the city's attractions, the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, is under reconstruction. This temple is unique in its kind: it was completed after the revolution. Construction of the temple was completed in 1918. After 8 years it became the House of Defense. They wanted to blow up the temple, but changed their minds and built the Palace of Pioneers in it in the 50s. In 1991, the Palace again became a temple.
Main streets of Chapaevsk
A map of Chapaevsk with streets allows you to get the following information:
- Stroitelnaya Street is located in the central part of the city. It is located between Ordzhonikidze and 1st Ovrazhnaya streets. In addition to three public transport stops, there is a post office, shops, a kindergarten and residential buildings.
- Dorozhnaya Street is an important transport hub. It is located on the outskirts of Chapaevsk and connects the city with the Samara-Volgograd (Novokuibyshevsk-2) and Samara-Pugachev-Engels-Volgograd highways. Along the streets there are new and old cemeteries, as well as a garden area of the Michurin North-Eastern Farming Plant.
- Kuibysheva Street is a small area between Zheleznodorozhnaya and Proizvodstvennaya streets. Nearby is the Chapaev Park, the Central Library, as well as a school named after Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.
- Lenin Street practically crosses Chapaevsk. The main attraction of the street is the Temple in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh.
- Krestyanskaya Street is located in the western part of the city. A map of Chapaevsk with houses shows that along it there are many private courtyard buildings. Public stops provide access to the city center.
Tourist community
The construction of a gunpowder factory in 1909 gave rise to the city of Chapaevsk. The plant was headed by Major General Vladimir Ivashchenko, and the workers' village around the plant was named Ivashchenkovo. The opening of the plant took place in 1911... It was the first enterprise in Russia to produce explosives - TNT. In 1927, the village of Ivashchenkovo received the status of a city and another name - Trotsk. Two years later the city was renamed Chapaevsk. During the Soviet period, local enterprises produced artillery shells, cartridges, mines, torpedoes, explosives, and chemical warfare agents - mustard gas, lewisite, phosgene.
Today, some chemical enterprises are closed and since 2005 the status of “city of environmental disaster” has been removed from Chapaevsk.
Photo. Abandoned factory
The city center is clean. Neat asphalt streets with whitewashed curbs, green spaces and painted building facades create an atmosphere of comfort. Among the attractions is a unique architectural structure - the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh , built in pre-revolutionary times - in 1915. The temple is wonderfully decorated with unusual decorative elements and colorful mosaics depicting biblical motifs. This religious building is rightfully a historical and cultural monument of federal significance. In 1926, the temple was closed and repurposed as the House of Defense; after the Great Patriotic War and until the 1990s, the building housed the city House of Pioneers; in the late 1990s, the temple was returned to the church, restored and resumed operation.
Photo Temple
It's not difficult to find. From the station, walk along Zheleznodorozhnaya Street to Komsomolskaya Square for 5 – 10 minutes. And, of course, in the city you will see several monuments to V.I. Chapaev. The main sculpture to the hero of the civil war is located in the central recreation park named after Chapaev. When creating a monument to sculptor V.P. Chapaev's son posed for Akimov. The park is located next to Komsomolskaya Square.
Photo. Monument to Chapaev
After seeing the sights of the city center, you can go to the Country Park and Lake Ilmen. To do this, you will need to cross the railway bridge to the other side of the city (the city is divided into two parts by a railway line), walk to the street. Ordzhonikidze on the street. Vokzalnaya. At the Zapravka stop, take the 16th route bus and get to the stop. Folk. Here begins the bridge over the Chapaevka River, leading to the green area of the country park.
Photo. Bridge over river
Unfortunately or fortunately, until mid-June the river floods so much that it floods the bridge along almost its entire length. This does not confuse or stop the local residents. Someone swims across to the other side, someone simply swims on the bridge and sunbathes on the shore, and someone catches crayfish. The main thing is that there is enough space for everyone.
Photo. Water crossing
If the river flood did not stop you and you reached the end of the bridge, then after 1.5 km. paved road You come to the gates of an abandoned Country Park.
Photo. entrance to the park
In April 1937, a summer recreation center for workers was created near Lake Ilmen. 24 hectares. The green zone around the lake was equipped with a country park with a restaurant, dance floor, volleyball and basketball areas with a summer theater. Unfortunately, in our time, only the gate with the loud name “City Park” has survived, and the ruins of the summer theater, traces of a football and basketball court. The shores of the lake are overgrown with reeds, the bottom, once sandy, is mostly silted. But numerous ducks swim in the lake, and there is a feeling of the pristine and grandeur of nature.
Photo. Lake Ilmen
There is another amazing place in Chapaevsk. Popularly called the “blue Danube”. This is a tributary of the Volga River - the Chapaevka River, which meanders, makes a sharp turn, and forms an oxbow lake with surprisingly clear, blue water. Huge seagulls circle and scream over the lake. In the middle of the island on the river they have a large nest. Seagulls dive into the water every now and then for fish.
Photo "Blue Danube".
If you turn right near the park gate, then follow the country road after 1 km. You will come to the sandy beach of the river. Local children spend their holidays and weekends here.
Photo Blue Danube Beach
There is a path along the river, which is a pleasure to walk along. On the right are the blue waters of the Chapaevka River, on the left are unmown meadows with fragrant herbs: bluebells, shepherd’s purse, rapeseed and a huge swaying “sea” of feather grass.
Photo. Steppe feather grass
After 1 km. paths, including through the wooded territory of the park, and you are again near the main gate of the park and you can go back. Don’t forget to look around and you will see unique ducks on the lake, huge herons, and soaring kites. Good luck on your journey!
Economy and industry of Chapaevsk
Chapaevsk is an industrial center, the main strength of which lies in four large enterprises of the defense complex and the chemical industry. We can mention such enterprises as JSC Promsintez - production of explosives; FPK "Chapaevsky Mechanical Plant" - production of initiation and explosion means for the mining and oil industries; LLC "Promperforator" - production of shaped charges for industries related to oil and gas production.
Among the total number of enterprises operating in Chapaevsk, the following areas are represented in the largest number: manufacturing; construction; trade; real estate; provision of utility, social and personal services.
The recreational resource of Chapaevsk is reduced to a minimum, since the environmental situation in the city leaves much to be desired.
Chapaevsk. The city that "produced death"
Chapaevsk, Samara region, gained both fame and its problems thanks to chemical weapons factories. Its population has decreased by a quarter over the past 25 years. The lack of jobs and low wages added to the state of environmental disaster in post-Soviet times. In November, the mayor was replaced, and Chapaevites habitually expect solutions to city problems from the new authorities. But some residents still remember the proposal of ex-mayor Nikolai Malakhov: to completely liquidate the city and resettle all its inhabitants.
From the very foundation, the history of Chapaevsk is connected with the military-industrial complex. Even before the revolution, they began to build an explosives factory here, around which a settlement arose. There is still debate about the founding date of the city: work on the site of the plant began in 1909, the foundation of the plant took place in 1910, and the opening in 1911. By this time, the first residential buildings were built, and the village received the name Ivashchenkovo, which would subsequently change more than once. Provincial newspapers of that time described the new settlement as a “well-appointed city”, the straight alleys of which were pleasantly landscaped.
From the very beginning of its life, the city “produced death”
After the revolution, the village (since 1927 - a city) began to be called Trotsky. Of course, when the former People's Commissar for Military Affairs fell into disgrace, the city was renamed, and in 1929 it received its current name.
From the very beginning of its life, the city “produced death.” At first, even before the revolution, it was sulfuric acid, necessary for the production of TNT. But in Soviet times, the Chapaev industry mastered the production of other deadly substances - components of chemical weapons. It is precisely this specificity of the local industry that the townspeople still owe their environmental problems to.
The chemical industry with military specifics began to develop in the city almost immediately after the end of the civil war. The Germans helped with technology. Under the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, Germany, which lost World War I, lost the right to produce and test chemical weapons. But then few people believed that in the upcoming wars it was possible to do without him. As a result, the Germans found an ideal partner in the isolated Soviet Republic to “bypass sanctions.” This is how a Soviet-German enterprise for the production of toxic substances appeared in Chapaevsk. True, the Soviet side soon decided to do without foreign partners and continued to develop the deadly industrial center on its own.
Even then, the problems of contamination of the surrounding area became apparent. So, it turned out that the German partner of the Soviet authorities, the U. Stolzenberg” does not have effective mustard gas production technologies. As a result, as was written in the reports, “there is a constant flow of liquid “T” into the soil and its accumulation in it with the absolute possibility of ending up in the river, which is unsafe for the surrounding population, and no devices are provided to neutralize “T.”
During Soviet times, defense factories formed the basis of the city's economy. Both shells and explosives were produced here, but the city gained fame thanks to mustard gas, phosgene and lewisite - chemical warfare agents.
Working conditions at the chemical plants of Chapaevsk were never considered favorable. During the Great Patriotic War alone, 108 people died directly as a result of accidents. Another 175 after it. Even during the war years, according to the recollections of veterans of the Chapaev industry, manual labor was common at local factories at various stages of the production process, including when filling shells with toxic substances. Working in such conditions could lead to disability, or even death, for several years.
“I don’t know what happened during the war,” says Tatyana, a native of Chapaevsk, who recently reached retirement age and lived in the city almost all her life, “but in the 80s I worked at these factories. Production technologies were followed, but, of course, there were emissions. I think it was mainly a problem with the 102nd [chemical plant], it was always more messy there. I worked in the epicenter of these emissions and, it seems, I adapted to them, I just stopped thinking about them.”
The content of arsenic and its toxic compounds on the surface of the soil of former chemical weapons workshops is 8000 times higher than the permissible concentrations
Chemical plants didn't just cause trouble for their workers. Chemical production waste polluted the surrounding area. The soil in the city is saturated with poisons; the content of arsenic and its toxic compounds on the surface of the soil of former chemical weapons workshops is 8,000 times higher than the permissible concentrations. The work carried out in the early 2000s to remove soil and replace it with clean soil did not solve the problem and was not widely used. The Chapaevka River, relatively clean upstream from the city and extremely polluted after it, was and is used as a recreation area by townspeople. Air from the workshops of factories producing chemical weapons and toxic substances entered the city's atmosphere. At the same time, residential buildings are located in close proximity to the factories.
“Emissions were carried out regularly during Soviet times. Sometimes you go outside and you smell gas,” Tatyana continues. “We never knew what these emissions were caused by; no one told us whether they were doing this on purpose or because of accidents. Maybe there's an emergency. Maybe some kind of stagnation constantly arose and it was necessary to get rid of what had accumulated. Nobody informed us. We went out, took a breath, locked ourselves in, went home, and this could happen several times a month, or even more often. Sometimes there was a very strong smell and a sharp cough.”
When the Soviet Union abandoned the production of chemical warfare agents in 1987, new bleak prospects arose for the city. Now huge reserves of Soviet chemical weapons needed to be destroyed, and the vicinity of Chapaevsk was chosen as the place for their destruction. A plant for the destruction of chemical weapons began to be built in the village of Pokrovka, 12 km from the center of Chapaevsk. The construction of a dangerous enterprise in the densely populated Kuibyshev region, on the outskirts of a city of 100 thousand, was cynically justified by the equidistance of Chapaevsk from the main warehouses of Soviet chemical weapons, which was favorable for their transportation. The Americans, busy destroying their chemical weapons, were apparently guided by other factors and carried out operations on an uninhabited atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
There was no such division between rich and poor, I think that’s why everyone went to rallies together
However, this was the time of early perestroika, when the accumulated politicization of people began to spill out primarily into the ecological channel. And such a decision by the country’s leadership excited both the Chapaevites and all the Kuibyshevites. An initiative group emerged, Chapaevsk and Kuibyshev were rocked by numerous rallies and pickets, and actions of civil disobedience.
“A lot of people took part in the protests. People were more united then. There was no such division between rich and poor, I think that’s why everyone went to rallies together,” Tatyana describes those events.
The resistance movement against the construction of a plant for the destruction of chemical weapons near Chapaevsk became one of the largest milestones in the development of the Kuibyshev democratic movement: protests were held throughout the region and became overgrown with political demands. As a result, civil society won and the plant was mothballed in 1989.
True, the city's problems did not end there. The closure of some factories and the reduction in the intensity of work of others after the collapse of the USSR did not completely solve environmental problems. The soil and environment have been poisoned for many years, and waste and sludge reservoirs have remained on the territory of the factories. One of the draft decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation, prepared at the turn of the 1990s-2000s, states: “The territory of the city of Chapaevsk, Samara Region, due to the state of public health, surface waters and soils ... should be classified as a zone of environmental emergency.” In 2000, Chapaevsk received the status of “city of environmental disaster.” In the 1990s and early 2000s, programs for environmental rehabilitation of urban areas were actively developed. However, in 2005, Chapaevsk was deprived of its “distressed” status.
From a population of nearly 100,000 in 1990, only just over 70,000 now remain
Environmental problems today have faded into the background for local residents. Not only because chemical plants that are closed and operating at less than full capacity pollute the air less, but also because they provide fewer jobs. Economic problems became a priority in the eyes of city residents. Many Chapaevites work in Samara, located 50 minutes away by train. Others have solved the problem more radically: from a population of almost 100,000 in 1990, there are now only just over 70,000 left.
My children have an income of 25,000 for a family of four
Tatyana, who worked at a defense chemical plant for 20 years, was laid off in the 1990s and has since worked in the service sector, despite having a higher engineering education. “People are leaving now not because of the environment. No work, low wages. My children have an income of 25,000 for a family of four. And the population decreased due to people leaving. Our birth rate is now normal - people are without a head, they give birth, but it is not clear how to feed, how to live. Those who cannot leave completely or who are too lazy to do so work in Samara. Electric trains are packed in the morning and evening. Where to work here? We have no work."
Leaving the city is not so easy: real estate prices here are one and a half times lower than in nearby Novokuibyshevsk, not to mention Samara. “Probably even more people would leave, but it’s difficult,” says the young Chapaevite, “and going to Samara costs 15-20 thousand - you’ll spend more on trains and pies for lunch.”
The period of high oil prices did not spare Chapaevsk either. Moreover, according to the classic scheme for sitting on the “oil needle”: the city was improved, social payments and salaries for public sector employees were increased, but in fact the non-resource sectors that were important for Chapaevsk did not develop. Chapaevites speak well of the former mayor Dmitry Blynsky, who ruled the city during relatively prosperous years (since 2008). “Under Blynsky, the dilapidated buildings were more or less resettled,” says one local resident. “The city became clean, the mayor was very good. Trees were planted, garbage was removed,” says another. But the city’s economic problems and job creation issues have not been resolved.
Sometimes they release a cloud, your throat starts to itch, you cough violently
At the same time, the remaining chemical production, not providing the required number of jobs, continues to be a source of environmental problems for local residents. “Now there are emissions, but there are fewer of them than before. There is no such strong smell and they happen much less often,” says Elena, who worked for a long time at a chemical plant back in Soviet times. A young man of about 20 argues with her: “Where I live, Polimer [one of the factories] releases emissions almost every day. Sometimes they release a cloud, your throat starts to itch, and you cough violently.”
In 2008, at a meeting with State Duma deputies in Samara, the then mayor of Chapaevsk, Nikolai Malakhov, said: “The ideal solution to the environmental problem of Chapaevsk is the liquidation of the city and the resettlement of residents of more than 580 houses.”
There seem to be two cities like this in the world, one has already been razed to the ground, so Chapaevsk needs to be filled up
“People have already become attached to the place, how can you liquidate the city? He's not that bad. Probably, the bosses want to make a mark with bright statements. It seems unrealistic to me,” says Tatyana.
Young people have a different attitude. “The proposal is correct, there is no way to fix this,” says the 25-year-old Chapaevite, “but why is all this? Maybe we’ll also rebuild Chernobyl again? We need to leave here. There seem to be two cities like this in the world, one has already been razed to the ground, so Chapaevsk needs to be filled up.”
Subscribe to our channel on Telegram and be the first to know the main news.
