Karabash

Year of foundation - 1822

Territory - 1822 sq.km

Nearest railway station - Pirit

Distance to the region center - 135 km

Population - 15,9 thousand people

City status from 20.06.1933

Karabash is situated in the South Ural, 90 km to the north-west from Chelyabinsk.

The city history began in 1822, when prospectors started searching for gold on the taiga river Sak-Elga. Soon new rich deposits of copper-sulfer gold-bearing ores were found in the valley. In 1834 the first Soimanovski copper-smelting plant was opened, in 1907 the second plant was opened and the construction of the third plant began near mount Karabash (from Turkic "kara" meaning "black" and "bash"- "top"). In 1911 the modern copper-smelting plant was founded.

Decades of exstraction of copper ore and non-ferrous metal smelting wan the city recognition but also a sad name of "the black point of the planet". Karabash is declared to be the zone of ecological emergency situation. Todays revival of the open joint stock company "Karabashmed" is considered to be the possible decision of difficult ecological problems by the city residents. 

Sights

Regional museum

City's economy

The leading branches of industry are non-ferrous metallurgy, machine-building and metal-working.

In 2001 industry comprised 94,5%, building - 3,2% and public catering - 0,2% in the structure of production. 

The biggest enterprise - Copper-smelting industrial complex.

Dairy and meat farming prevails in agriculture. Potato-growing is developed.