5 ways to use filming in Chelyabinsk Region of Russia to Your advantage

Chelyabinsk, a city in the Ural Mountains is known in Russia as an industrial powerhouse with notorious ecology. The rest of the world remembers Chelyabinsk for the 2013 meteor crash videos, immortalized by YouTube.

Geography and Climate

Chelyabinsk is located almost in the center of Eurasia. Just 200 km to the north separate it from Ekaterinburg, another big city in the Urals. To the south-east, the region borders Kazakhstan. The climate is continental with pretty rough winter (average -15˚C/5˚F in January with drops down to -40˚C/F and lower) and short, moderate summer (average of 15˚C/60˚F in July).

Nature

Although the region has a few national parks, terrible ecology associates with Chelyabinsk more than beautiful scenery. The capital of the region has famously unbreathable air and a lot of smog due to a large number of plants.

Chelyabinsk often finds itself in the center of disasters, man-made and not. In 2011, bromine leaked from tankers at the city's main railway terminal. Over a hundred residents reported harm from the incident. In the fall of 2017, authorities in Europe and then Russia recorded abnormally high level of radioactive ruthenium-106 in the atmosphere and pointer finger at Mayak enterprise in Chelyabinsk region, dealing with the chemical. The management denied any connection.

On February 15, 2013, the biggest meteor since the 1908 Tunguska incident entered the atmosphere of Earth. Some of its biggest pieces fell on Chelyabinsk Region. Over 1,600 people were hurt, most of them by windows broken by the explosion. The shock wave traveled across the planet twice before fading out.

But most importantly, the blast gave birth to dozens of viral videos. Many commentators noted how unimpressed most Russian authors of the videos seemed to be.

History and Culture

Chelyabinsk was founded as a fortress in a Bashkir-dominated area in the middle of the 18th century. It had been a quiet provincial town before a rairoad connected the city with the rest of the country in the 1890's. Chelyabinsk became an important hub of bread, tea and meat trade. By the time of the Socialist revolution, Chelyabinsk was a big city with about 70,000 population.

Stalin's industrialization policy made Chelyabinsk the industrial backbone of the country. During the World War II, many industries and people were evacuated there. The city grew to house 650,000 Soviet citizens. Since the beginning of the war, Chelyabinsk got an alias "Tankograd" (Russian: Tank City), as it produced a significant part of the Red Army's machinery and weapons. 

Population and Cities

As of 2016, Chelyabinsk was Russia's 7th-biggest city with almost 1.2 million people. The whole region is home to about 3.5 million. Aside from Chelyabinsk, Magnitogorsk, Zlatoust and Miass are other notable cities.

Interesting Facts

  • A geographical border between Europe and Asia is marked by a monument in Chelyabinsk Region, near Zlatoust; 
  • The Russian Civil War started in 1918 in Chelyabinsk, when Czechoslovak troops that entered Russian service during WWI rebelled against the Soviet authorities;
  • In 1996, a creature that looked like a heavily deformed human fetus was found in Kyshtym of Chelyabinsk Region. Some of the locals claimed it was in fact an alien with enhanced mental abilities. The creature died and its mummy soon disappeared, giving birth to one of Russia's greatest urban legends. See a short documentary;
  • Russian humor stereotypes Chelyabinsk residents as tough-as-nails and a bit naive and straightforward industrial workers.
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Alexander Nevsky Church

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Alexander Nevsky Church in Aloye Pole, Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk at Night

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Chelyabinsk Panorama

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Nika Sculpture on Facade of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk
Palace of Culture

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Chelyabinsk City Center

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Chelyabinsk in Daylight

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Bridge Over Miass in Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk City Bus

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Lake Zuratkul in Southern Urals

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Lake Taganay in the winter

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Lake Turgoyak with Pure Drinkable Water

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Sunset on Lake Uvildy

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Verkhny Ufaley town

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Town of Kasli

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18th Century Dionysius The Areopagites Church in Muratovka, Chelyabinsk Region

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House on Lake Turgoyak

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Village House in Chelyabinsk Region

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Kaolin Quarry near Kyshtym

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Zyuratkul National Park

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Rocky Plateau in Urenga Ridge

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Urenga Mountain Ridge

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Remnants of Ancient Sanctuary Near Lake Bolshiye Allaki

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Karabash City
One of the most polluted cities in Russia thanks to a local copper plant

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Karabash Area

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Alexander Nevsky Church

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Alexander Nevsky Church in Aloye Pole, Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk at Night

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Chelyabinsk Panorama

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Nika Sculpture on Facade of South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk
Palace of Culture

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Chelyabinsk City Center

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Chelyabinsk in Daylight

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Bridge Over Miass in Chelyabinsk

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Chelyabinsk City Bus

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Lake Zuratkul in Southern Urals

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Lake Taganay in the winter

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Lake Turgoyak with Pure Drinkable Water

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Sunset on Lake Uvildy

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Verkhny Ufaley town

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Town of Kasli

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18th Century Dionysius The Areopagites Church in Muratovka, Chelyabinsk Region

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House on Lake Turgoyak

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Village House in Chelyabinsk Region

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Kaolin Quarry near Kyshtym

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Zyuratkul National Park

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Rocky Plateau in Urenga Ridge

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Urenga Mountain Ridge

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Remnants of Ancient Sanctuary Near Lake Bolshiye Allaki

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Karabash City
One of the most polluted cities in Russia thanks to a local copper plant

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Karabash Area