Karabash, Chelyabinsk Oblast

Karabasch (Russian Карабаш ) is a city in Chelyabinsk Oblast (Russia) with 13,152 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 ).

Geography

The city is located on the eastern edge of the Southern Urals about 90 km northwest of Chelyabinsk Oblasthauptstadt.

Karabasch the Oblast is administratively subordinated directly.

The city is connected by a branch line from the station Pirit with the 45 km distant Kyschtym on the railway line opened in 1896 Yekaterinburg - Chelyabinsk. It is a former, opened in 1910 narrow- gauge railway, which was rebuilt after 1945 on broad gauge.

History

Karabasch was created in 1822 as a gold prospector settlement. 1834 gold-bearing chalcopyrite deposit was discovered and built on the basis of the copper smelter Soimanowski Sawod nearby. 1907 a second copper smelter was opened and the construction of another on the mountain Karabasch ( turksprachig for black head, with respect to the nearby mountain ).

On 20 June 1933, the city received city rights.

Demographics

Note: Census data (1939 rounded)

Culture and sights

Karabasch has a local history museum.

Economy

City -forming enterprise is the copper smelter ( Karabaschmed AG), which was responsible in the past for severe pollution. Thus, the location on the eastern outskirts mountain has lost all vegetation by acid rain.