Town of Metallurgists. ASHA in Chelyabinsk Region of Russia

Town of Metallurgists. ASHA in Chelyabinsk Region of Russia

This is the town of Asha in Chelyabinsk Region. 
Here I am almost on the border of Chelyabinsk region and the Republic of Bashkortostan of 
Russia. When I was coming here, you know, just like 30 minutes ago, it was 
absolutely clear blue sky but now it’s foggy. But you know, it’s 
actually not too bad – after all such a foggy sky giving an equal soft 
lite. My name is Sergey Baklykov, you’re watching “All of Russia” on Baklykov. Live, 
I continue exploring Russia for you. Let’s go! So, welcome to the town of Asha! It is 
located in the Southern Urals on the Sim River at the foot of the Karatau Ridge, in one of 
the westernmost points of the Chelyabinsk region, not far from the border with the Republic of 
Bashkortostan, Russia, 377 km west of the main city of the Chelyabinsk region – Chelyabinsk. And 
Chelyabinsk, in turn, is located 1700 km east of Moscow. The population of Asha is 27,000 people.
And I started this trip from the top of a small mountain called Linden Mountain (Lipovaya Gora). 
From here, you can see almost the entire town. To get up there, you don’t need an off-road 
vehicle. You can drive up in the simplest sedan. This video from Asha is a wonderful continuation 
of my previous video from the Chelyabinsk region – one of the regions of Russia, which is 
rightfully considered the “Pantry of Russia.” The previous video I filmed in the Chelyabinsk region 
was from the small town of Minyar, where very large reserves of crushed stone are located.
The name Asha has two interpretations. One considers the toponym from the point of view of 
assessing local natural conditions, connecting it with the Turkic verb “ash,” “as,” meaning: 
to pass, to cross (through the mountains), that is, the river (Asha), breaking through 
the mountains. Another interpretation connects the name of the river with the Bashkir 
clan “assy,” “as,” “asha,” based on the name of the river in primary sources as Assy.
The town of Asha was founded in 1898 in connection with the construction of the Asha-Balashov 
Ironworks. In 1933 Asha received the status of a town.
The Asha-Balashov Ironworks has not only continued its operation for more than 127 years now, but it 
also remains the largest city-forming enterprise of the town. However, today it is called the Asha 
Metallurgical Plant (Public Joint Stock Company “Ashinsky Metallurgical Plant”). Listed on the 
stock exchange under the abbreviation “A.M.E.Z.” The plant was built in 1898 with a process 
based on blast furnace production. Later, in the early 20th century, following the blast 
furnaces, open-hearth furnaces were built, which supplied ingots to the rolling mills 
of first Minyar and later Zlatoust plants. Its own rolling production appeared in Asha 
only in the second half of the 20th century. In 1952, 1974 and 1986 three sheet-rolling 
shops were put into operation. In 1986, blast furnace production was shut down, one 
of four open-hearth furnaces was closed, and in the same year a stainless steel 
cookware shop started working, where the production of pots of various sizes, roasters 
and frying pans with aluminum heat-distributing bottoms was launched, and since 1993 – the 
production of stainless steel thermoses. In 1992, the enterprise was corporatized.
In 2005, a ladle furnace unit was put into operation. In 2007, a continuous 
casting machine was launched. In 2010, an electric arc furnace was put into operation.
The plant represents a metallurgical complex with a full production cycle, starting with the 
preparation of iron ore raw materials and ending with the deep processing of ferrous metals. The 
plant produces various grades of steel (including carbon, stainless, corrosion-resistant, 
heat-resistant, checkered, for alloying), nickel-based alloys, electrical strips, magnetic 
cores, cold-rolled strips, amorphous alloys; consumer goods from stainless steel for 
recreation and tourism, gardening tools. Also in Asha here is a lighting engineering plant. 
There is production of construction materials. An interesting fact: since 2014 a craft brewery 
Ostrovica has been operating in Asha. I note, it makes very good beer, which you can often 
find in craft beer shops all over Russia, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
As for education, in Asha here is an industrial technical school, and a 
branch of South Ural State University. There is a Museum of Nature, a local 
history museum and an exhibition center. Asha is home to the football club Metallurg 
(which is Russian for “Metallurgist”), founded in 1990. Of course, its general 
sponsor is the Asha Metallurgical Plant. FC Metallurg plays in the Third Division 
of Russia (Ural and Western Siberia zone). In Asha, the socio-political 
newspaper Stalnaya Iskra (Stell Sparkle) has been published since October 3, 1930.
Since 2000, the corporate publication of the Asha Metallurgical Plant Zavodskaya Gazeta 
(Plant’s Newspaper) has been issued, which later acquired the status of a 
town newspaper. It is an eight-page, full-color newspaper, distributed by subscription 
throughout the Asha municipal district. In the town here are two churches – the Church 
of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Church of Peter and Paul, and one mosque.
In Asha there is the Palace of Culture “Metallurg” (Metallurgist) – a beautiful 
palace in the best traditions of Stalinist neoclassicism, opened in 1955.
The Palace of Culture complex includes: a theater and concert hall for 500 seats, a small 
hall for 150 seats, a dance-disco foyer, a café, studios for amateur art activities. Today, the 
Palace of Culture “Metallurg” in Asha is one of the leading cultural institutions 
of the entire Chelyabinsk region. In Asha here is the Museum of Nature. The museum 
collection includes more than 800 exhibits. Among them are stuffed animals and birds, an 
insect collection, fish from local reservoirs preserved in special solution. Of great value 
are old maps and a mineral collection. The Museum of Nature also has a mini-zoo.
Here is also Museum of the World War II And the Museum of the Asha Metallurgical Plant.
In Asha here is a railway station “Asha,” which is located on the historical 
route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Unfortunately, the most tragic fact of the 
town’s history is connected with this railway, known as the Asha Train Disaster, or 
the Ufa Train Disaster. Curiously, in the world this tragedy is more widely known as 
the Ufa Train Disaster. I think this is explained by the fact that the small town of Asha is 
almost unknown in the world, while Ufa is one of the largest cities in Russia and the nearest 
big city to the catastrophe that happened here. So, the Asha Train Disaster (in the 
world more known as Ufa Train Disaster). Just 11 km from the Asha railway station, 
on the Asha – Ulu-Telyak section, on June 4, 1989, the largest railway disaster in the 
history of Russia and the USSR occurred. At the moment of the oncoming passage of two 
passenger trains – No. 211 Novosibirsk–Adler and No. 212 Adler–Novosibirsk – a powerful explosion 
of a cloud of light hydrocarbons occurred, which had formed as a result of an accident on a nearby 
pipeline “Western Siberia – Ural – Volga region.” 575 people died, 181 of them children, and another 
623 were injured. The disaster affected residents from 45 regions of Russia and eight Soviet 
republics. This was just a horrifying coincidence, when the pipeline exploded at the very moment 
when two passenger trains were passing through the epicenter of the blast. Not earlier, not 
later! The explosion was so powerful that both trains were almost completely destroyed. People 
were traveling to Adler and from Adler in June. This means that one train was carrying people 
to the seaside resort Adler, and the other was bringing people back from vacation in Adler. 
Adler is a part of the city of Sochi – since Soviet times, the main resort city of Russia.
The pipeline was not restored after the disaster and was dismantled. Moreover, 
afterwards all existing pipelines that intersected closely with active railways in 
Russia were relocated to a safe distance. Speaking about Asha, it is worth paying attention 
to the places in the surroundings of the town. The Asha Red Cliffs are located just a few 
kilometers from the town. These cliffs are composed of sandstone with a reddish hue. At 
different times of the day, depending on the angle of the sun’s rays on the mountain surface 
and the level of illumination, the cliffs either intensify their coloring or make it more subdued.
The Asha Cave Complex is ancient and one of the largest complexes of cascading caves 
in the Urals and Russia. It consists of 25 cave objects, and the total length 
of passages and grottoes is 224 meters. The Kiselevskaya Cave. This site is recognized 
as a geological and geomorphological natural monument of the Chelyabinsk region. The cave 
is located on the right bank of the Sim River, in the upper part of the Kiselevsky gully, on its 
eastern slope, approximately 80 meters above the Kiselevsky stream. The Kiselevskaya Cave is 
among the most extensive in the Chelyabinsk region. The total length of its explored passages 
is 1,260 meters. Its depth reaches 37 meters. The Shalashovsko-Minyar Plateau. A unique complex 
of diverse surface and underground karst forms, among which are caves, karst 
sinkholes, and stone bridges. Near Asha there is the ski resort “Adzhigardak” 
on Adzhigardak Ridge. Its infrastructure includes: hotels, specially equipped trails for skiing and 
snowboarding, ski lifts, rental points of sports equipment, catering facilities, parking lots, 
therapeutic and preventive institutions (mud and water treatment facilities, spa salons), 
entertainment and leisure facilities (cinemas, discos, bowling, game centers, etc.).
I hope you enjoyed this ride around Asha in Chelyabinsk region of Russia. My name is Sergey 
Baklykov, “All of Russia” channel, Baklykov.Live!

Riding around Asha, an industrial metallurgical town in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, where in 1989 the largest train disaster in the USSR and Russia took place.

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Watch also:
Chelyabinsk region:
Minyar – https://youtu.be/A1-K0u_Tybc

Moscow – https://youtu.be/G37HmJYc-uw
St Petersburg – https://youtu.be/QgbXYGQ9YMc
Zelenogorsk. St Petersburg – https://youtu.be/_lHlA2sbXCg

Leningrad region:
Vyborg – https://youtu.be/m_MxsIR93Fw
Kirishi – https://youtu.be/kdzq4eud81Y
Tosno – https://youtu.be/x8KSkHE2UYE
Murino – https://youtu.be/zyuVlknVTVE
Volkhov – https://youtu.be/BQrhHE3OR4o
Vyritsa – https://youtu.be/MmTVucnQHqg

Republic of Bashkortostan:
Ufa – https://youtu.be/DXLqIKZsr1I
Shulgantash Cave (with AY YOLA) – https://youtu.be/PRwksvxx4zw

Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan) – https://youtu.be/b7y-9WBebAg

Murom (Vladimir region) – https://youtu.be/grZJHhXYAMM
Arzamas (Nizhny Novgorod region) – https://youtu.be/USyAvNQGYt4