Historically, cities were built along natural lines - rivers and roads, which ensured ease of communication and access to natural resources. This defines a predominantly elongated shape of a typical “city with history”.
With the development of transport, the advent of water supply and sewage, buildings began to acquire a more compact form, occupying an area close to the circle. This architecture has the majority of "young cities".
But there are exceptions. Compact old-timers are located; some "newcomers" have elongated outlines. I wonder which city in Russia is the longest? In our top 1o, we will get acquainted with the record holders in length.
10. Moscow (42 km)
The city is quite "old." It is believed that his annals have been kept since 1147 — but the first settlements discovered by archaeologists date back to the Neolithic period. Nevertheless, even on the first historical maps, its compact, rounded outlines are clearly visible.
Obviously, this is due to the fact that the winding Moscow River allowed compactly accommodating a significant number of farms in a small area. In addition, in order to defend against enemies it is easier and cheaper to build fortifications that are close in shape to a circle.
Although Moscow it is the largest city in Russia by population (it is more than 14 million people), it is a fairly compact city. It is believed that it has a length of about 42 km from the northwest to the southeast.
9. Novosibirsk (43 km)
The relatively young (1893) city has today a population of almost 1.7 million inhabitants. Occupying an area of 50 square meters. km, the city is noticeably extended from east to west, has a length greater than the diameter of Moscow - about 43 km.
This happened because the development of the city since its foundation was associated with the construction of the West Siberian Railway. Separate settlements arose around the railway stations and, growing, gradually merged into the city. By the way, this agglomerate received the status of a city only in 1904.
Special development Novosibirsk as an industrial center and a “city of scientists” began in 1957. Evacuation to the city of production, the construction of new factories and the development of scientific institutes led to the fact that Novosibirsk became a "city with a million people" in 1962.
8. Saint Petersburg (44 km)
The city, founded in 1703, is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, covering it with a crescent. Despite the fact that the number of inhabitants is the second city in Russia (about 5.5 million inhabitants), the population density is quite high. The crescent length along the north-south line is estimated at approximately 44 km.
This form and high building density is due to historical reasons. The city was originally planned as a fortress and a shipbuilding center. Therefore, buildings were grouped around shipyards and pressed to fortresses and forts, gradually compactly occupying the coast.
7. Omsk (45 km)
Just like Novosibirsk, Omsk located on the Trans-Siberian Railway. But its elongated shape is directed exactly across the path! The fact is that the city, founded two centuries earlier (in 1716), historically developed along the other transport artery of Siberia - along the banks of the Irtysh and Om rivers.
In the XVIII century, at the height of the development of the natural resources of Siberia, rivers were the most important transport routes. Supplies were delivered along them, and forage and gold mined were sent to the center of the state through them.
It was required to ensure a military presence. This led to the foundation of the fortress - Omsk prison. From 1918 to 1920, he even visited the capital of the Russian State.
The length of the Irtysh River in Omsk is about 25 km. But in fact, the diameter of the city with a population of about 1.2 million inhabitants, more and is approximately 45 km.
6. Samara (50 km)
Located on the Volga River, Samara It is a large industrial and cultural center in the Middle Volga region. The city was founded in 1586 and was supposed to serve as a watchtower. Mainly, the goal was to protect against nomads.
In addition, it was a base for the conquest of lands east of the Volga, as well as a stronghold of river trade. This was the most important highway connecting Astrakhan and Kazan.
Like Novosibirsk, Samara was one of the evacuation centers. The transfer of industrial production to it led to a 1.5-fold increase in the population. Now the population living on an area of 541 square meters. km, is about 1.17 million people. From north to south, the city spreads almost 50 km, from west to east - 20.
5. Ufa (54 km)
Ufa a city with an interesting history. It was founded on the banks of the Belaya River as early as 1574, and already in 1586 it became an important administrative center. Built as a fortress and administrative center at the request of the Bashkir people.
The Bashkirs complained to Ivan IV (Grozny) that carrying yasak (tax lodging) to Kazan was far and dangerous. In addition, they would like to have a fortress to protect against wild hordes of nomads.
So they did. The city developed quite classically, naturally growing along the banks of the Belaya, Ufa and Dema rivers. Today occupying an area of 708 square meters. km, the city with a population of 1.12 million inhabitants stretches from north to south for almost 55 km.
4. Perm (70 km)
Since ancient times, people have settled along the banks of the Kama River. But at the beginning of the XVIII century. the need to build copper smelters led to the establishment of a settlement on the orders of Peter the Great in the Chusovaya and Kama rivers. After the construction of the Yegoshikhinsky plant was started in 1723, the settlement received the official status of a city.
The development of the city was facilitated not only by the presence of copper ores. The Kama River allows you to send goods to five marine regions: to the Caspian Sea, to the Azov, to the Black Sea, to the White Sea basin, to the Baltic.
City today Permian, with a population of about 1.1 million people, stretches along the Kama River for almost 70 km.
3. Novy Urengoy (80 km)
As the name indicates, this is a very young city - founded in 1975 as a working village of oil workers, New Urengoy It acquired the status of a city only in 1980, and only in 1982 did the young city receive a railway connection "with the mainland."
The city is located in a swampy area (the polar tundra). In fact, it represents an agglomeration - the union of individual sections of industrial oil and gas production, residential neighborhoods and administrative complexes.
This division leads to the fact that with a population of only 117 thousand people, the city covers an area of 111 square meters. km, stretching from north to south for almost 80 km.
2. Volgograd (85 km)
The Volga Trade Route since the 10th century. connected Scandinavia and the Arab Caliphate. Not surprisingly, many trade and military settlements were founded along the Volga and the Dnieper.
The first mention of the border villages that protected the trade routes dates back to 1579. In 1589, on the site of the current Volgograd Cossack fortress was founded. This fortress guarded the most important part of the Volga way: the 70-km “Perevolok” - a place where ships with goods were dragged into the Don basin and back. Since 1780, the fortress became the administrative center of Tsaritsin County, receiving the full-fledged status of a city.
Growing industry quickly led to the expansion of the city. A large administrative and industrial center (population of about 1 million inhabitants) today covers an area of 860 square meters. km, stretching along the Volga for 85 km.
1. Sochi (145 km)
Sochi, "Resort city", stretches along the Black Sea coast for approximately 105 km, covering an area of 3.5 thousand square meters. Km! This is, in fact, an agglomeration of 81 settlements - microdistricts, towns, villages.
The winding relief with mountain passes leads to the fact that the length of the "main road" connecting the extreme points of the city with a population of 0.5 million people is as much as 145 km. However, recently the construction of new tunnels and driveways has reduced the path to 140 km.