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Kudymkar

The city of Kudymkar is the centre of Komi-Permyatsky autonomous okrug of Permskaya oblast since 1938. The area is 25,3 sq. km, the population - 33,5 thousand. It is situated on the both banks of the river Inva (the tributary of Kama) and partly on the left bank of its tributary Kuva, in the most developed southern part of district on the highway Gainy - Mendeleyevo, 201 kms from Perm.

For the first time the city was mentioned in 1579. It is one of the centers of formation of the Komi-Permyatsky people in IX - X centuries. In 1472 Kudymkar with Perm the Great became a part of the Russian state. Since XVI century in the Inva river basin the Russians began to appear who settled down in Kudymkar. In XVII century Kudymkar became the centre. In 1908 Kudymkar population was 1192 inhabitants. It was a residence of the 3rd camp Chief of Solikamsky district of the Permskaya province with coverage of modern Kudymkarsky and adjoining part of Usvensky and Karagaisky districts. There was a 4-year city school, provincial female school, library, hospital, post office and veterinary station; a mill with a dam on Kuva, forestry, consumer society, orphanage, alms-house; besides 3 annual fairs and weekly trades were held here. In 1909 there was opened a postal telegraph office. Having become the administrative centre of Komi - Permyatsky autonomous okrug in 1925, Kudymkar concentrates administrative bodies and the national intellectuals. In 1931 the village Kudymkar was reorganized in the urban-type community.

In 1920 thanks to efforts of the Kudymkar native artist P.I. Subbotin-Permyak here were founded a museum, pedagogical school (at first it was a technical school) (1927), forestry technical school (1929) (at first as a branch of the technical school) and agricultural technical school (1930), medical school (1930); besides in 1926 there were based a district newspaper "Gesir" ("Plowman", in 1931 it was renamed "Along Lenin way", since 1992 - "Parma"), a district publishing house (1930), drama theatre (1931) (at first a studio), nowadays it is the Drama Theatre named after À.Ì. Gorky. In 1939-57 there performed the National Song and Dance Ensemble, in 1940-1956 - the Teacher-Training Institute, since 1944 - the Institute of Improvement of Teachers' Skill. In the post-war period a number of technical training colleges was opened in Kudymkar.

Kudymkar played a great role in formation of the national intellectuals. At the end of 20s and the first half of 30s here were based small enterprises for manufacture of products and goods for the local economy and population: iron foundry and forge enterprise, wood-working and flax, shoe, brick, butter-making, starch, confectionery, alcoholic and soft drinks factories, flour-grinding manufacture with a grain elevator and bakery in the settlement of Yurino near Kudymkar. In Kudymkar in 1936 was founded the trust "Komipermles" which became the base for the Central mechanical-repair workshops (1937), now it is a plant. In 1931-94 there was built the gravel highway Mendeleyevo-Kudymkar that linked the city to the railway.

The population.

64 % of the population is the Komi - Permyaks, but the business and household language is Russian (33 % of the Russians). Number of born a year - 390, and died - 561. Natural increase is negative - 171. Number of registered marriages - 136, divorces - 90. Birth rate - 11,6 for 1000 inhabitants, death rate - 16,7, natural increase - 5,1. The national economy occupies 15,1 thousand people or 52 % of the whole population, out of this figure (in %): in industry - 23, construction - 13, transport - 10, sphere of service - 34, other - 20. People occupied in the industry (in %): in metal-working -48, food - 19, wood-working - 15, building materials - 5, light industry and other - 13.

Economy

The largest enterprises: electromechanical plant (branch of Perm instrument-making association) with staff of 1,2 thousand - 1/3 of employed in the Kudymkar industry; creamery and meat-packing plant, bakery, food, fruit growing enterprises in total give 2/3 of all production of Kudymkar in money terms. Financial position of enterprises of the city is better than in the countryside. Kudymkar is the distribution centre of electric power delivered from Perm and directed from local substations to the districts of okrug.

Retail commodity circulation, volume of realization of household services on average for a inhabitant is higher than in the oblast. The third part of all personal automobiles of the okrug is concentrated here.

Social sphere.

In Kudymkar there are 10 comprehensive schools, 4 licea, the children's arts school, 2 Houses of culture, 7 clubs, the cinema theatre "Komsomolets", the Park of rest and culture named after I.Y.Krivoshekov; the unigue Cultural centre with big auditorium and numerous premises for art collectives is built up. There are a district hospital, city and stomatologic polyclinics, ophthalmic, T.B. prophylactic, dermatovenerologic and physical-training dispensaries, female and children's clinics, district and city sanitary-and-epidemiologic stations, complex of ski springboards. Most of parameters in the field of public health service are higher than in the oblast. In 1988 in Kudymkar was established the Komi-Permyatsky Scientific and Research Department of Social Studies of the Institute of Language, Literature and History attached to the Komi Centre of Science of the Ural branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the groups: language, literature and folklore, archeology and ethnography, history. The complex program of development of Komi - Permyatskaya national culture and relations with the Scientific Institute of the Finno-Ugric Peoples are being developed now. Since 1992 the committee on TV and broadcasting affairs works on the basis of operating radio and television transmitters.

Among city architectural monuments is the building of former Stroganov office (1st half of 19 century) and Nikolsky Cathedral (1792-95, architect A.N.Voronikhin), apartment houses constructed by Komi - Permyatsky writer T.P.Fadeyev. Nature sanctuaries: the city park founded by I.Y. Krivoshekov; Red hill (ancient city centre).
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