Perm city overview
Perm is a city in the eastern part of Russia, near the Urals mountains, an administrative center of Permsky krai (region), a port on the river Kama. Perm city is a large industrial, scientific, cultural and logistic center of Ural region of Russia.
The city of Perm is the third of most extensive cities after Moscow and Sochi and the third after Saint-Petersburg and Moscow by the area it occupies.
According to Russian linguist academician D.V.Bubrih’s version the word “perm” derives from a Vepsian word “perama” meaning “far-away land”.
Perm city population is about 986,000 (2009); land area - 800 sq. km.
Perm city phone code is +7 342; postal codes are 614000-614xxx.
Perm city history
The date of Perm founding is considered the day when construction of Yegoshinsky copper melting plant began - May 4th, 1723. In 1780 Catherine II signed her order on founding a city of Perm on the plant basis as well as Permsky vice-gerency in Permskaya and Tobolskaya provinces.
In 1780-1781 the buildings for official institutions were being constructed, Kazansky and Sibirsky roads were opened. Perm and the gerency were opened in 1781. On August 24th, 1878 the Ural railway from Perm to Chusovaya was opened. The end of XIX century was a period of intensive railway construction.
At the end of XIX century institutions of arts and culture were intensely developed in Perm. In 1874 the construction of Opera and Ballet Theater began. In 1886 the first cinema “Illusion” opened. In early XX century the population of Perm city was about 100,000.
Russian Civil War, military communism together with economic dislocation led to degradation of Perm city economy. At the same time the administrative center of Ural was transferred from Perm to Sverdlovsk.
According to the census of 1926 the population of Perm was 84 804. By 1939 it grew over three times and was 306 000. From 1940 till October 2nd, 1957, the city was called Molotov after V.M.Molotov, the chairman of USSR government in 1930-1941. Permskaya oblast became one of the regions accepting evacuated people and plants during the World War II.
In 1955 the construction of Kama power station was over. In 1958 the first part of Permsky oil processing plant began operating. In 1967 the construction of Communal Bridge was over, it connected the center of the city with the right bank of the Kama river.
In 1990s a football club “Amkar” and basketball club “Ural-Great” were founded, in 2000s they achieved success in Russian football and basketball leagues.
Perm city facts
Perm is located on the banks of the river Kama, the largest left tributary of the Volga, to the south of the river Chusovaya’s mouth. Kama river is a sort of Perm city formation axis. Perm stretches 70 km along the river and 40 km far from it.
Perm city is a large scientific center, where a number of institutes of the Ural branch of Russian Academy of Science are located as well as tens of research and project institutes, 7 Universities doing various scientific research of applied and fundamental types.
Perm city economics
Perm is the main economic center of Permsky krai and one of the largest economic centers of Russia. The economy of the city is first of all heavy industry.
Leading industries are as follows: power energy, oil- and gas-processing, machine-building, chemistry and oil chemistry, wood processing, polygraphic and food industries.
Perm is the first city in Ural region in total volume of output, leaving behind such larger cities as Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Ufa.
Perm city transportation system
Perm city is a large transportation junction. The city has a good geographical location - in the center of Russia at the crossroad from Europe and Asia (Trans-Siberian railway). The railway goes in 4 directions: Kirov - Nizhny Novgorod - Moscow, Ugleuralskaya - Solikamsk, Chusovaya - Nizhny Tagil, Kugul - Ekaterinburg. The railway from Perm to Arkhangelsk will be constructed.
A lot of trains cross the city of Perm connecting Central, North-Western, Volgo-Vyatsky region of Russia with the Urals, Siberia and Far East, Moscow - with the capitals of Mongolia and China, Saint-Petersburg - with the capital of Kazakhstan.
The international airport Bolshoye Savino is an “air gate” of Perm city: flights to Moscow, Anapa, Adler, Volgograd, Baku, Dushanbe, Yerevan, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Naryan-Mar, Nizhnevartovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Sochi, Surgut, Syktyvkar, Frankfurt-on-Main and others.
The federal highway Kazan - Perm - Ekaterinburg crosses the city. The river Kama flowing through Perm city is an important item of water system in European part of Russia, which is connected with water ways of European countries. Two the most eastern river ports of Europe are located in Perm: port Perm and port Lyovshino.
From Perm cargoes are delivered to the ports of the Baltic, White, Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, to river ports of the Great European Ring.
Tourist routes connect Perm with Saint-Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Astrakhan.
