Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow Oblast

For other places with the same name, see Zheleznodorozhny, Russia.

Zheleznodorozhny (Russian: Железнодоро́жный) is an inhabited zone and city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 21 kilometers (13 mi) east of Moscow. It was technically abolished and merged into the city of Balashikha in January 2015.^[3] Population: 131,257 (2010 Census);^[5] 103,931 (2002 Census);^[8] 97,426 (1989 Soviet census).^[9] Its name means "Railway", and its flag and coat of arms both had lines resembling railway tracks.

Zheleznodorozhny Железнодорожный
City[1] (abolished)
Zheleznodorozhnaya railway station
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Zheleznodorozhny
Zheleznodorozhny Location of Zheleznodorozhny Show map of Russia Zheleznodorozhny Zheleznodorozhny (Moscow Oblast) Show map of Moscow Oblast
Coordinates: 55°45′N 38°01′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Moscow Oblast[1]
Founded	1861
City status since	1952[2]
Abolished	January 9, 2015[3]
Government
• Body	City Council[2]
• Mayor[4]	Yevgeny Zhirkov[4]
Elevation	145 m (476 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[5]
• Total	131,257
• Rank	126th in 2010
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
• Capital of	Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
Municipal status
• Urban okrug	Zheleznodorozhny Urban Okrug[3]
• Capital of	Zheleznodorozhny Urban Okrug[6]
Postal code(s)[7]	143980

History

Founded in 1861 to service the railway station of Obiralovka (Обира́ловка),^[2] the settlement became famous as the location where the main character of Leo Tolstoy's 1878 novel Anna Karenina committed suicide. It was renamed Zheleznodorozhny (Russian adjective meaning "railway"; example of use: "zheleznodorozhnaya stantsiya" "railway station") in 1939 and granted town status in 1952.^[10] In the 1960s the settlements of Kuchino (Ку́чино), Savvino (Са́ввино), Temnikovo (Те́мниково), and Sergeyevka (Серге́евка) became part of Zheleznodorozhny. Kuchino is historically associated with the name of Andrei Bely, the Russian poet who lived there between 1925 and 1931.

In January 2015 Zheleznodorozhny was abolished and its territory merged into the city of Balashikha.^[3]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it was incorporated as Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[1] As a municipal division, Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction was incorporated as Zheleznodorozhny Urban Okrug.^[6][3]

Transportation

The railway connecting Moscow and Vladimir runs through Zheleznodorozhny, which is served by Kuchino and Zheleznodorozhnaya railway stations of the Gorkovsky suburban railway line.

Notable people

• Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, animated films director, lived here until her death in 1980.
• Vasily Arkhipov, a retired Soviet Navy Vice Admiral, known for having prevented, as a Captain, the firing of a nuclear torpedo, thus preventing a potential escalation of the Cuban Missile Crisis into World War III, lived in the city until his death in 1998.