Balashikha - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balashikha
Балашиха
Clockwise: Lenina Avenue, Balashikha-Arena, Balashikha railway station. Balashikha cotton mill #1
Clockwise: Lenina Avenue, Balashikha-Arena, Balashikha railway station. Balashikha cotton mill #1
Flag of Balashikha
Coat of arms of Balashikha
Location of Balashikha
Map
Balashikha is located in Russia
Balashikha
Balashikha
Location of Balashikha
Balashikha is located in Moscow Oblast
Balashikha
Balashikha
Balashikha (Moscow Oblast)
Coordinates: 55°49′N 37°58′E / 55.817°N 37.967°E / 55.817; 37.967
CountryRussia
Federal subjectMoscow Oblast[1]
Founded1830[2]
City status since1939
Government
 • BodyCouncil of Deputies
 • HeadSergey Yurov
Area
 • Total244.18 km2 (94.28 sq mi)
Elevation
150 m (490 ft)
Population
 • Total215,494
 • Rank86th in 2010
 • Density880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
 • Subordinated toBalashikha City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
 • Capital ofBalashikha City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
 • Urban okrugBalashikha Urban Okrug[3]
 • Capital ofBalashikha Urban Okrug[3]
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[5])
Postal code(s)[6]
143xxx
Dialing code(s)+7 495
OKTMO ID46704000001
Twin townsPernik, Martin, YangzhouEdit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.balashiha.ru

Balashikha (Russian: Балашиха, IPA: [bəlɐˈʂɨxə]) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is on the Pekhorka River 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) east of the Moscow Ring Road.

Name origin

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In Finno-Ugric languages, Bala-shika means land of celebrations, land of laughter and fun.[7] Finnic peoples lived in this area before Slavs.

Geography

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The city is known for its unique river and waterway system. The Pekhorka River system covers an area of 40 kilometers (25 mi) from north to south and 20 kilometers (12 mi) from east to west. Many small lakes and ponds were created by damming to provide water power for the cotton mills in the 19th century.

Balashikha was established in 1830.[2] It was given town status in 1939.[8]

The city is on the famous Vladimir Highway. This was the route that convicted criminals were forced to take to get to labor camps in Siberia.

Military

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Balashikha is the site of a large Russian Army base. It was closed to foreigners during the Soviet era. It was the headquarters of the 1st Corps of the Soviet Air Defense Forces and is now to become the headquarters of the Operational-Strategic Command for Missile-Space Defense. Balashikha is also a base for ODON (Internal security division). Balashikha is home to Military Unit 35690, which is a training facility used by the Federal Security Service.[9]

Notable people

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Twin towns – sister cities

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Balashikha is twinned with:[10][11]

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Law #11/2013-OZ
  2. 2.0 2.1 Энциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 35. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Law #208/2014-OZ
  4. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  5. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). 3 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  6. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
  7. "Топонимия Балашихи". Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  8. Balashikha. Official page. History.
  9. Bellingcat Investigation Team (February 17, 2020). ""V" For "Vympel": FSB's Secretive Department "V" Behind Assassination of Georgian Asylum Seeker in Germany". bellingcat. Most frequent were Krasikov's visits to FSB's highly secure Special Operations Center in Balashiha, a suburb just outside Moscow. This heavily guarded facility, known as Military Unit 35690, was the original military base for the KGB's Vympel Spetsnaz unit, and now serves as headquarters for the FSB's CSO, as well the home-base of the elite and secretive Departments V and A.
  10. "Сергей Юров предложил создать группу по работе с городами-побратимами". balashiha.ru (in Russian). Balashikha. 2017-09-09. Archived from the original on 2019-03-14. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  11. "Балашиха и китайский Янчжоу будут сотрудничать в экономике и культуре". balashiha.ru (in Russian). Balashikha. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-02-04.[permanent dead link]

Other websites

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