The young Ural city, in which the Russian nuclear shield is forged, is not going through the best of times. One of the first Soviet technopolises more than once in history became the cause of environmental incidents. In this connection, the health of the population of Ozersk is exposed to significant dangers.
General information
Ozersk is a closed administrative-territorial entity, the administrative center of the city district of the same name. The population of the city of Ozersk has permanent permits. Nonresident friends and relatives of residents for visiting can issue temporary passes. The population of Ozersk of the Chelyabinsk region in 2017 was 79, 265 people.
The city-forming enterprise is the Mayak Production Association. It produces fuel for nuclear power plants, weapons-grade plutonium, and processes nuclear fuel from submarines and icebreakers. In addition, the city has more than 50 industrial enterprises.
You can drive to other regions by car; recently, with special permission, owners of yachts and boats can sail outside the city limits.
The railway connection to the Kyshtym station is only cargo.
Geographic information
Ozersk was built on a large cape, which is located on the southern shore of Lake Irtyash. The urban district, surrounded on three sides by water, practically represents a peninsula. The nearest cities are Kyshtym and Kasli, between which it is located. Among several dozens of large lakes in the Irtyash region, it occupies the third place in terms of water volume and has a surface area of 32 square meters. km On the opposite bank of the city is the Kyshtym-Kasli highway and recreation areas are located. In addition, the city is surrounded by lakes Big and Malaya Nanoga. Within the city limits is the Kyzyl-Tash Lake, in the northeast the Techa River.
The territory of the city is located in the zone of sharply continental climate, in the subzone of pine-deciduous forests. The hottest month is August, the officially recorded maximum is plus 37 ° C. The coldest month is January, the absolute minimum is minus 47 ° C. The average annual rainfall is 393 mm, mainly in warm weather.
Settlement foundation
In 1945, the search began for a site for the construction of the country's first nuclear reactor. As a result, an area was chosen between the cities of Kyshtym and Kasli, where there was enough water for industrial use. On a large cape were pioneer camps and subsidiary plots. The first group of builders arrived here on November 9 of that year. This date is considered since then the birthday of the city.
In November, a master plan was developed and the construction of a chemical plant and a working village began, at that time they were called District No. 11 and Plant No. 817. Initially, the construction plan for the weapons-grade plutonium production plant provided for the construction of a village for the future Ozersk population for 5, 000 people.
City and plant construction
In 1946, a construction regiment was relocated to the region, the first camp for prisoners for 4, 000 people was prepared, dugouts were still built, the construction area was surrounded by barbed wire and declared a restricted area.
By the end of the year, 11, 000 soldiers and 40, 000 civilians worked on the construction: 9, 000 prisoners, 3, 000 internees (Soviet citizens returned from German captivity), 15, 000 special migrants and labor soldiers (Germans from the Volga region), about 5, 000 criminals (convicted of petty hooliganism and released), about 1, 000 "looters" (front-line officers convicted after the war).
Civilian administrative and technical personnel, engineers and workers, with a total number of 3219 people, also worked at the construction site. In the same year, the first large group of workers of the future chemical plant arrived. The population of Ozersk during the construction years reached 50, 000 people.
In 1948, the first reactor was launched, and by 1952 six were already operating. By this time, the first streets of the village, a school, a club, a shop and a bathhouse were built. In 1954, the village was given the status of a city. In September 1957, a plant with radioactive waste exploded at a plant, a significant area was exposed to radiation infection. In the Soviet years, Ozersk turned into a modern comfortable city, new residential districts, healthcare, culture and sports facilities were built.
