Orenburg is a city with more than half a million population, located on the Ural River near the Kazakh border, and is a regional center. The history of Orenburg is relatively young, the first fortification on the site of the modern city was erected at the end of the summer of 1735 at the intersection of the Ural and Ori rivers. A Russian scientist, historian, a great specialist in cartography, as well as a personal assistant to Peter the Great, Ivan Kirilov, selected a place for the future city, the purpose of which was to open a trade route to the Bukhara Khanate.
After Kirilov's death, Vasily Tatishchev became the leader of the expedition, who postponed the construction of a new city downstream of the Urals, however, this place did not fit due to the increased rockiness and excessive distance from the forest and water, and construction did not have time to begin. Admiral Ivan Ivanovich Neplyuev, being appointed the new head of the expedition, decided to found a city not far from the Krasnogorsk tract on the site of the Berdsk fortress that once stood here. That is why the history of Orenburg sounds like this: conceived three times, born once.
The mystery of the name of the city
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the city, the most common one says that it is associated with a fortress that stood on the Ori river. According to another version, the name Orenburg was invented by Ivan Kirilov during the development of a plan for a trade expedition to Asian countries.
Orenburg province
In 1744, Orenburg became the direct center of the province, the city was built as a fortress with military departments, barracks and gunpowder stores. From the fall of 1773 to the spring of 1774, the city was captured by the armed forces of Yemelyan Pugachev. After the suppression of the revolt, Emperor Paul the First issued a decree on the reorganization of the district and giving it the status of the Orenburg province.
After 1851, Orenburg became the largest center of trade with the countries of Central Asia, mainly the oil-processing, grain and leather industries developed. 1939 - the then famous Orenburg factory of downy shawls opens in the city. 1979 - the discovery of an oil and natural gas field, the development of which begins a year later. In 2005, a church of St. Sergius of Radonezh was built in the city.
Currently, the city's infrastructure is actively developing, a new stadium, an indoor ice palace and a museum complex have been built.
