Balagansk

Balagansk was founded in 1654 on the left bank of the Angara River opposite to the mouth of the Unga River by the Cossack detachment led by Dmitry Firsov in the course of Russian colonization of Siberia. Its name is derived from the word "Bulagat", literally meaning sable hunters, a Buryat tribe. From 1655, mass settlement started in the area; eventually, a colony was built and iron mining developed.{{cite web|url=http://balagansk.adminbalagansk.ru/|script-title=ru:Историческая справка о Балаганском городском поселении с 1654—2007 гг.|publisher=Администрация посёлка Балаганск|language=ru|access-date=29 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812235941/http://balagansk.adminbalagansk.ru/|archive-date=12 August 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|last=Howorth|first=Henry Hoyle|title=History of the Mongols: The Mongols proper and the Kalmuks. With 2 maps by E. G. Ravenstein|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4PErdXlLhwC&pg=PA689|access-date=29 January 2013|date=1 January 2013|publisher=Cosimo, Inc.|isbn=978-1-60520-133-7|page=689}} In 1658, Ivan Pokhabov, the administrator (prikazchik) of Balagansk, caused an outbreak and many Russians were killed by them. Balagansk Fortress (ostrog) was built in Balagansk; the Buryats were attached to it and paid tributes to the Russians.{{cite book|last=Michael|first=Henry N.|title=Studies in Siberian ethnogenesis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrAKAQAAIAAJ|access-date=29 January 2013|year=1962|publisher=Published for the Arctic Institute of North America by University of Toronto Press|page=81}} Buryats grew to dominate the area and on April 1, 1818, seventeen clans of the Balagansk Buryats met and adopted a memorandum to submit to the Russian authorities. In their memorandum they raised six issues and also provided action to be taken on each of them which related to courts, private law, criminal law, the rights and duties of the chief Taisha and heads of clans.{{cite book|last=Sinor|first=Denis|title=Inner Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gGnJHqxPs-4C&pg=PA58|access-date=29 January 2013|year=1969|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7007-0380-7|page=58}}

In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included in Siberia Governorate. In 1764, Irkutsk Governorate split off, and in 1775, Balagansk became a town and the seat of Balagansky Uyezd of Irkutsk Governorate. In 1924, the uyezds were abolished, the governorate was split into districts, and Balagansk became a part of Ziminsky District. In 1925, it lost town status and was downgraded to a selo. In 1926, Balagansky District was established, and Balagansk became the district center.

In the 19th and the 20th centuries, Balagansk, along with all Siberian towns, was widely used for political exile. Catherine Breshkovsky, known as the Little Grandmother of The Russian Revolution, was sent to Balagansk, a place of her choice on exile, as she expressed that her health would be better protected here.{{cite book|title=The Survey: Social, Charitable, Civic : a Journal of Constructive Philanthropy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oikrAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 January 2013|year=1915|publisher=Charity Organization Society of the City of New York}}{{cite book|author=ALCE STONE BLACKWELL|title=The Little Grandmother Of The Russian Revolution Reminiscences And Letters Of Catherine Breshkovsky|url=https://archive.org/details/littlegrandmoth02blacgoog|access-date=3 January 2013|year=1918}} Joseph Stalin, when he tried to escape from exile in 1902, visited Balagansk. Balagansk Prison was used as one of the Siberian exile camps for dissidents, persecuted ethnic groups and criminals, and Stalin sent many Jews to the camp.{{cite book|last=Montefiore|first=Simon Sebag|title=Young Stalin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WnPKRK0zNVcC&pg=PT105|access-date=29 January 2013|date=27 May 2010|publisher=Orion|isbn=978-0-297-86384-7|page=105}} It was one of the oldest buildings in the city but has long been in a dilapidated state.{{cite book|last=Kennan|first=George|title=Siberia and the Exile System|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3zEts9Rgek4C&pg=PA526|access-date=29 January 2013|date=26 April 2012|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-04823-1|page=526}}

File:Bratsk hydropower station 3.jpg which submerged the old town of Balagansk]]

During the construction of Bratsk Hydroelectric Power Station, Balagansk had to be evacuated as it was slated to be submerged under water. A new settlement, Novobalagansk (literally, New Balagansk), was founded in 1957 several dozens kilometers north of the original location of Balagansk to house the residents. The name passed to the new settlement, when it was renamed Balagansk and granted urban-type settlement status on June 5, 1962.{{cite web|url=http://nature.baikal.ru/text.shtml?id=113&sec=4|script-title=ru:Географические названия Восточной Сибири|last=Мельхеев|first=М.Н.|publisher=Природа Байкала|language=ru|access-date=2 February 2013}} In the same year, Balagansky District was abolished,{{cite journal |script-title=ru:Балаганский район: земля с сибирским характером |date=October 2, 2012|journal=Komsomolskaya Pravda|url=http://irk.kp.ru/daily/25958.5/2899479/|language=ru}} and the settlement was transferred to Zalarinsky District, in 1965 to Ust-Udinsky District, and in 1989 Balagansky District was established, and Balagansk became the administrative center of the district.

Balagansk is situated on the left bank of the Angara River at the average elevation of {{convert|427|m}}. A grotto is located near Balagansk. It is a natural cave or opening whose entrance is formed in a rock face that is {{convert|70|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} in height with a width of about {{convert|180|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}. When viewed from a distance, it appears to be ruins. In the large opening there are three caverns which lead into three large galleries, each of which is about {{convert|1050|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} in length. These join at the end to form a larger cavern which extends further for some distance and terminates at a dead end of a huge mass of ice.{{cite book|author1=Reuben Percy|author2=John Timbs|title=The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9fRZAAAAYAAJ|access-date=3 January 2013|year=1825|publisher=J. Limbird|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9fRZAAAAYAAJ/page/n361 351]–}}

During the Pleistocene period, the climate changes that occurred were severe, which caused changes in distribution patterns of flora and fauna. These changes which occurred between glacial and interglacial periods have been explained under the refugia theory propounded in 1969 by Jürgen Haffer. Balagansk, which is part of the eastern forest-steppes of Tulun-Irkutsk- Balagansk, is reported to possess a different type of Arboreal vegetation. These are mainly pine and larch. The area which is forested constitutes a much greater area than cultivated lands.{{cite book|author=Konstantin Pavlovich Gorshenin|title=The soils of southern Siberia: from the Urals to the Baikal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpY6AAAAMAAJ|access-date=3 January 2013|year=1961|publisher=Israel Program for Scientific Translations}}

Balagansk has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Winters are very cold and long while summers are warm and wet. Average monthly temperatures range from {{convert|+18.7|C}} in July to {{convert|-23.9|C}} in January. Precipitation is moderate and is significantly higher in summer than at other times of the year.

{{Weather box|location=Balagansk (normals 1953–2011)

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|Jan record high C = 0.1

|Feb record high C = 4.8

|Mar record high C = 13.6

|Apr record high C = 23.9

|May record high C = 30.7

|Jun record high C = 36.0

|Jul record high C = 36.2

|Aug record high C = 33.8

|Sep record high C = 28.9

|Oct record high C = 20.0

|Nov record high C = 10.6

|Dec record high C = 3.4

|Jan high C = −19.9

|Feb high C = −16.2

|Mar high C = -5.4

|Apr high C = 6.9

|May high C = 16.4

|Jun high C = 23.1

|Jul high C = 25.2

|Aug high C = 22.1

|Sep high C = 14.9

|Oct high C = 5.9

|Nov high C = -6.5

|Dec high C = −16.3

|year high C = 4.3

|Jan mean C = -24.9

|Feb mean C = -22.3

|Mar mean C = -12.5

|Apr mean C = 0.2

|May mean C = 8.5

|Jun mean C = 15.7

|Jul mean C = 18.5

|Aug mean C = 15.6

|Sep mean C = 8.4

|Oct mean C = 0.4

|Nov mean C =-11.1

|Dec mean C =-21.0

|year mean C = -1.9

|Jan low C = −29.4

|Feb low C = −27.5

|Mar low C = −18.5

|Apr low C = -5.2

|May low C = 1.8

|Jun low C = 9.1

|Jul low C = 12.7

|Aug low C = 10.2

|Sep low C = 3.4

|Oct low C = -3.9

|Nov low C = −15.4

|Dec low C = −25.5

|year low C = -7.2

|Jan record low C = −47.0

|Feb record low C = −45.5

|Mar record low C = −42.8

|Apr record low C = −33.4

|May record low C = −10.6

|Jun record low C = −3.9

|Jul record low C = 0.0

|Aug record low C = 0.0

|Sep record low C = −8.9

|Oct record low C = −24.0

|Nov record low C = −36.1

|Dec record low C = −48.9

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 27.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 28.4

|Mar precipitation mm = 32.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 22.6

|May precipitation mm = 37.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 45.4

|Jul precipitation mm = 72.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 62.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 38.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 21.3

|Nov precipitation mm = 17.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 23.0

|year precipitation mm = 428.9

|Jan humidity = 81.2

|Feb humidity = 79.9

|Mar humidity = 74.4

|Apr humidity = 64.2

|May humidity = 60.1

|Jun humidity = 69.5

|Jul humidity = 75.8

|Aug humidity = 78.3

|Sep humidity = 77.1

|Oct humidity = 74.4

|Nov humidity = 80.0

|Dec humidity = 83.7

|year humidity = 74.9

|Jan precipitation days = 16.3

|Feb precipitation days = 11.9

|Mar precipitation days = 8.9

|Apr precipitation days = 8.6

|May precipitation days = 9.6

|Jun precipitation days = 10.8

|Jul precipitation days = 9.0

|Aug precipitation days = 10.9

|Sep precipitation days = 11.9

|Oct precipitation days = 12.8

|Nov precipitation days = 17.1

|Dec precipitation days = 19.0

|year precipitation days = 146.8

|Jan sun = 102.3

|Feb sun = 134.4

|Mar sun = 220.1

|Apr sun = 255.0

|May sun = 272.8

|Jun sun = 273.0

|Jul sun = 251.1

|Aug sun = 241.8

|Sep sun = 189.0

|Oct sun = 136.4

|Nov sun = 93.0

|Dec sun = 74.4

|year sun = 2243.3

|source 1 =[http://climatebase.ru/station/30612/?lang=en Climatebase.ru]

}}

The economy of Balagansk is based on timber and food industries.{{cite web|url=http://sibir-letopisi.ucoz.ru/index/balaganskij_ostrog/0-16|script-title=ru:Балаганск|publisher=Сибирский летописец|language=ru|access-date=29 January 2013}} {{convert|2|km|mi}} south of Balagansk, there is a quarry which supplies clay for brick production.

The settlement is connected by road with Zalari, where it has access to the M53 highway, connecting Novosibirsk with Irkutsk. The closest accessible railway station is also in Zalari, which lies on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The Angara is navigable.

The tomb of Władysław Anielewski, a Polish social-democrat who died in 1898, at the old cemetery in Balagansk is protected as a cultural monument of federal significance.{{cite web|url=http://old.kulturnoe-nasledie.ru/monuments.php?id=3800000648|script-title=ru:Могила В. Анелевского - участника революционного движения в Польше, делегата на 1 конрессе Второго Интернационала от рабочих России|publisher=Минкультуры России|language=ru|access-date=29 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819004851/http://old.kulturnoe-nasledie.ru/monuments.php?id=3800000648|archive-date=19 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|irk|adm|law}}
• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|irk|mun|list|balagansky}}

{{Irkutsk Oblast}}

Category:Urban-type settlements in Irkutsk Oblast

Category:Irkutsk Governorate

Category:Populated places established in 1654

Category:1654 establishments in Russia