Kaluga
| Kaluga (English) Калуга (Russian) | |
|---|---|
  Location of Kaluga on the map of Russia | |
| Coordinates Coordinates: | |
| Coat of Arms | Flag |
 |
 |
| City Day: Second Saturday of September | |
| Administrative status | |
| Federal subject In jurisdiction of Administrative center of |
Kaluga Oblast Kaluga Oblast Kaluga Oblast |
| Local self-government | |
| Charter | Charter of Kaluga |
| Municipal status | Urban okrug |
| City Head | Nikolay Lyubimov |
| Legislative body | City Duma |
| Area | |
| Area | n/a |
| Population (as of the 2002 Census) | |
| Population - Rank - Density |
334,751 inhabitants 53rd n/a |
| Events | |
| Founded | 1371 |
| Other information | |
| Postal code | 248xxx |
| Dialing code | +7 4842 |
| Official website | |
| http://www.kaluga-gov.ru/ | |
Kaluga (Russian: Калу́га) is a city in western Russia, located on the Oka River 188 km southwest of Moscow. It is the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast[1]. Population: 334,751 (2002 Census);[2] 311,319 (1989 Census).[3] It is served by Kaluga Grabtsevo Airport.
History
Kaluga was founded in the mid-14th century as a border fortress on the southwestern borders of the Muscovy. It was first mentioned by its present name in 1371. In the Middle Ages, Kaluga was a minor settlement owned by the Princes Vorotynsky. The ancestral home of these princes is located south-west from the modern city.
Kaluga is connected to Moscow by a railway line and the ancient roadway (E105 International highway) which is known as the Kaluga road. This road was the favoured escape route from the Moscow trap for Napoleon in the fall of 1812. But General Kutuzov repelled Napoleon's advances in this direction and forced the retreating French army onto the old Smolensk road, previously devastated by the French during their invasion of Russia.
Kaluga was occupied by the Nazi armies in 1941.
Kaluga is known for its most famous resident, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a rocket science pioneer who worked here as a school teacher. There is a museum in Kaluga dedicated to his theoretical achievements and their practical implementations for modern space research, hence the motto on the city's coat of arms: "The Cradle of Space Exploration".
Economy
In recent years Kaluga has become one of the centers of the Russian automotive industry, with a number of foreign companies opening assembly plants in the area.
In May 2007, Volkswagen announced a new assembly plant in Kaluga, to be finished by 2009. It is expected that the investment will surpass 370 million Euro. The plant will begin assembly of the Skoda Octavia in 2008, and by 2009 production will begin with the models Passat, Touareg and Polo. At its peak, the VW Kaluga plant is planned to produce 115,000 vehicles per year.
On October 15, 2007, the Volvo Group broke ground on a new truck assembly plant, scheduled to be finished in early 2009. Once completed the plant is expected to have yearly capacity of 10,000 Volvo and 5,000 Renault trucks.[4]
On December 12, 2007, PSA Peugeot Citroën announced its decision to build a new assembly plant in Kaluga, scheduled to be finished in 2010. The plant is slated to produce midsize passenger vehicles.[5]
On December 28, 2007, Mitsubishi Motors announced its intent to build an assembly plan in Kaluga with the initial annual production capacity of 50,000 cars.[6]
Notable people
- Vadim Kosmatschof (born in 1938 in Kaluga), sculptor and painter
- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
- Imam Shamil
- Georgy Zhukov
External links
- Article in German about Kaluga plant
- Regional Information
- Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, official website
- Forum Kaluga
References
- О Калуге, Официальный сайт Городской Управы г. Калуга (Russian)
- Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000) (Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
- Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров. (All Union Population Census of 1989. Present population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and okrugs, krais, oblasts, districts, urban settlements, and villages serving as district administrative centers.) (Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics (1989). Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
- New Volvo Group assembly plant in Kaluga, Volvo Group corporate news, October 15, 2007
- PSA Peugeot Citroën to Build Plant in Kaluga, Russia, PSA Peugeot Citroën press release, December 12, 2007
- Mitsubishi signs contract to build plant in Kalug, RIA Novosti, December 28, 2007
| Cities and towns in Kaluga Oblast | ||
|---|---|---|
| Administrative center: Kaluga | ||
 |
Balabanovo · Borovsk · Kirov · Kondrovo · Kozelsk · Lyudinovo · Maloyaroslavets · Medyn · Meshchovsk · Mosalsk · Obninsk · Sosensky · Spas-Demensk · Sukhinichi · Tarusa · Yukhnov · Zhizdra · Zhukov |  |
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Kaluga". Image Credit.
