Kungur

Kungur is a city in the Perm Krai. It is the administrative centre of the Kungur District. The city is located between the rivers Sylva and Iren 80 km south-east of Perm.
Total population is 68 thousand people.

This old Russian city is a historical and architectural reserve.
The famous Kungur ice cave is located within the city bounds.

Historical reference

Kungur was founded in 1648 on the Kungurka river. In 1662, during the Seit revolt, the city was destroyed. In 1663, following the order of the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, it was rebuilt at a new location - at the confluence of the rivers Sylva and Iren.

Mayor Roman Koksharov

For the nine months of 2008 (January to September) the volume of locally manufactured goods shipped, works completed and services provided by large and medium-sized companies of the city in all sectors of economy was 6 billion roubles. The growth in comparison to the year 2007 was 27.5%.

In January-September 2008 the volume of capital investments was 406 million roubles. The largest investments were made into the construction of industrial buildings and into the modernization of the existing and the purchasing of new equipment.
The retail turnover in this period amounted to 2.7 billion roubles. The growth in comparison to the year 2007 was 34.6%.

The city has several large food processing companies (a dairy plant, a meat processing factory, a flour mill) and a shoe factory.
Former mechanics' training workshops and a vocational school served as the foundation for the establishment of the engineering works that specializes in oil production equipment (drilling rigs, downhole mud motors).
A significant number of companies are involved in the consumer goods manufacturing. These include a furniture factory, a clothes factory, and a musical instruments factory. There are several construction and transportation organizations, and the mechanical repair works.
Kungur is a major transportation node on several highways and railroads of federal and regional significance.
The extensive network of retail outlets, some of which are located in the renovated XIX century historic buildings, makes Kungur the commercial centre of the south-east of the Perm Krai.

Culture & Education

In 1970 the city was added to the list of small provincial historic cities of the Russian Federation. Within the city there are 4 cultural heritage sites of nationwide significance and 54 sites of regional importance. There also are 4 worshipping Orthodox churches. The historical and natural heritage of the city is presented in the expositions of the History and the Art Museums, as well as the Museum of Stone.
The Museum of the Russian Merchants' History - a first of its kind in Russia - was opened in Kungur in 2007.

The city is the home to a unique geological landmark: the Kungur ice cave - one of the largest karst caves in the European part of Russia. The total length of the explored part of the cave is 5.7 kilometres, the tourist route is 1.5 kilometres. There is a crystal-clear water lake inside the cave. According to the researchers' estimates, this cave is about 10-12 thousand years old. This ice cave is one of the very few in the world and the only one of its kind in Russia; it is studied and researched by scientists on a regular basis.
Every year Kungur hosts the hot air balloon festival - the Sky Fair, which is the only air balloon festival in the Urals.

The city has several colleges - automotive, agricultural, teacher training, crafts, industrial technology, management, and design, as well as the Forestry College and a branch of the Perm Technical University.