Balakovo

The city is located on the left bank of the Volga River, 161 km northeast of Saratov.

On December 14, 1762, Empress Catherine II of Russia issued a manifesto urging Old Believers to return from abroad to Russia. Returning Old Believers founded several new settlements, including the village of Balakovo.

Balakov’s historical past can be traced back to the first third of the eighteenth century: a document dated 1738 was discovered in the archives of St. Petersburg, which mentions the Cossack meadow possession of Balakov yurt, located two versts from the Volga. The decree on immigrants of Empress Catherine II of December 14, 1762 marked the beginning of mass settlement of the left bank of the Volga, by the end of the 18th century Balakovo was a Volga village that did not know landownership. In 1780, it became part of the Saratov Viceroyalty, and in May 1911, the Highest Decree was signed on assigning Balakov the status of a city with the rights of self-government.

In 1913, the village of Balakovo received the status of a city. At that time, the village had electric lighting of the central street, several churches, one of which, the largest Old Believer church in Russia, was built in 1906-1912 by the Maltsev brothers by the architect Fyodor Shekhtel (author of the Yaroslavl railway station in Moscow).

According to the results of the referendum on December 22, 1996, the Balakovo municipality was created, it includes the city of Balakovo and Balakovo district. Population: 189,829,000 (2018).

Industry: Balakovskaya NPP, Saratov HPP, Balakovskaya CHPP-4, Balakovo Carbon Production, Wagon-Building Plant, Balakovskaya Fiber Materials Plant, Balakovskaya Passenger Automobile Plant, Argon Plant (carbon fiber production), Balakovoresinotechnics, Balakovsk Branch of Apatit Joint Stock Company, Balakovsk Mineral Fillers Plant and other enterprises.

Education: several institutions of preschool education, secondary general education institutions, GAPOU SO "Balakovsky Industrial and Transport College named after N.V. Gribanov", GAPOU SO "Volga College of Technology and Management", branch of GPOU "Saratov Regional College of Arts" in Balakovo, GAPOU SO "Governmental Automotive and Electromechanical College", SPO "Balakovsky Medical College", GAPOU SO "Balakovsky Polytechnic College",