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The city of Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk from 1924 to 1991), an administrative, industrial, cultural, scientific and research center of the Urals Region, has the status of the center of the Urals Federal District. Situated on the border between Europe and Asia in the Mid-Urals, the city is a strategic center of Russia, connecting the country’s European and Asian parts.
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Yekaterinburg has more than 600 historic and cultural monuments. The city is home to the Presidium of the Urals Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 45 research institutions and 20 government-owned higher education institutions.
The city’s history dates back to the 18th century. In 1723, the construction of Russia’s largest iron works began on the Iset River banks pursuant to the decree issued by Emperor Peter I. The fortress was named Yekaterinburg in honor of Empress Catherine I, the spouse of Peter I. The city was erected as the capital of the mining territory. In the first years of its operation, the Yekaterinburg works left behind the remaining domestic and global iron and steel manufacturers in terms of technology.
Yekaterinburg has been a large industrial center since it was founded. Mechanical engineering originated in Yekaterinburg in the early 19th century; heavy engineering, during the 20th-century industrialization period. 220 large and medium enterprises, including businesses specialized in the development and production of relay protection and automation devices, are currently registered in Yekaterinburg. Yekaterinburg hosts the Integrated Dispatching Office of the Urals Power Systems, a Branch of SO UPS.
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