Barnaul

Barnaul (Russian: Барнаул; IPA: [bərnɐˈul]) is a city and the administrative center of Altai Krai, Russia, located along the Ob River in the West Siberian Plain. At the end of 2015, the city had a population above 700,000 people. The population of the Barnaul metropolitan area is estimated to be over 1.14 million.

Geography

Barnaul is the closest major city to the Altai Mountains to the south. The city is also situated relatively close to the border with the countries of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China.

History

Ancient History

The area around the city has been inhabited by Modern Humans, Neanderthals & Denisovans, for hundreds of thousands of years. In the late BC millennia, the locality was the centre of activity for Scythians and various Turkic peoples.

Russian Empire

Barnaul was founded in 1730. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy Demidov family in the 1730s. In addition to the copper which had originally attracted the Demidovs, substantial deposits of silver were soon found as well. In 1747, the Demidovs' factories were taken over by the Crown, and soon became the center of silver production in the Russian Empire.

Barnaul (disambiguation)

Barnaul is a city and the administrative center of Altai Krai, Russia.

Barnaul may also refer to:

Barnaul (inhabited locality)

Barnaul (Russian: Барнаул) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.