Urals Federal District of Russia
Kurgan, Kurgan Oblast was the capital of what from 1782 to Nov 1923?
Kurgan , Kurgan Oblast The city of Kurgan ( ) functions as the administrative center of Kurgan Oblast in the south of the Urals Federal District of Russia . Population : . Until 1782 Kurgan bore the name Tsaryovo Gorodishche . History . An urban settlement was established here between 1659 and 1662 as Tsaryovo Gorodishche ( ) by Timofey Nevezhin , a farmer from Tyumen . In the ensuing years it was developed as a fortress town . It served as a frontier post and its fortified position enabled it to defend other Russian settlements from nomad attacks . Nevertheless , it was itself not always able to withstand such attacks , and was sometimes plundered and burnt down . The city was granted city privileges by the Empress Catherine the Great in 1782 , which is when it acquired its present name and became the seat of an uyezd . The present name is taken from a large kurgan ( burial mound ) close to the original settlement . Its coat of arms was granted on 17 March 1785 , and it became the administrative center of Kurgan Oblast in 1943 . Kurgan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1982 . Administrative and municipal status . Kurgan is the administrative center of the oblast . Within the framework of administrative divisions , it is incorporated as Kurgan City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts . As a municipal division , Kurgan City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Kurgan Urban Okrug . Economy and military . Kurgan stands on the Trans-Siberian Railway line , between Yekaterinburg and Omsk . It is served by two railway stations and the Kurgan Airport , and it was home to the Kurgan West air base during the Cold War . It is also home to Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics , KAvZ autobus plant , and the machine building company Kurganmashzavod which produces the widely known BMP-1 , BMP-2 and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles . Climate . Kurgan has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) . Influenced by the Siberian High , it is a relatively dry climate . Winters are cold , although not severe by Siberian standards . Summers are variable but relatively moderate , even though heat waves can bring temperatures well above the average July highs . Educational facilities . - Agricultural academy - Kurgan State University - Kurgan International University - Military Academy - Railroad Academy - Various theaters - Academy of Labor and Social Relations Notable people . - Oleg Bogomolov ( born 1950 ) , governor of Kurgan Oblast - Dmitri Bushmanov ( born 1978 ) , association football player - Maxim Fadeev ( born 1968 ) , singer-songwriter , composer and producer - Sergej Marulin ( born 1971 ) , composer and guitar player - Gavriil Ilizarov ( 1921–1992 ) , physician - Vyacheslav Kamoltsev ( born 1971 ) , association football player - Larisa Korobeynikova ( born 1987 ) , fencer - Evgeni Krasilnikov ( 1965–2014 ) , volleyball player - Leonid Krasin ( 1870–1926 ) , politician and diplomat - Ivan Kurpishev ( born 1969 ) , powerlifter - Dmitri Loskov ( born 1974 ) , association football player - Aleksey Markovsky ( born 1957 ) , swimmer - Yana Romanova ( born 1983 ) , biathlete - Sergei Rublevsky ( born 1974 ) , chess grandmaster - Yulia Savicheva ( born 1987 ) , singer - Alexander Solonik ( 1960–1997 ) , hitman - Elena Temnikova ( born 1985 ) , singer - Sergei Teryayev ( born 1994 ) , professional ice hockey defenceman - Alexander Vinogradov ( 1930–2011 ) , journalist and writer - Sergey Vinogradov ( 1958–2010 ) , journalist , translator , and writer - Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov ( Russian : Гавриил Абрамович Илизаров ; 15 June 1921 – 24 July 1992 ) was a Soviet physician , known for inventing the Ilizarov apparatus for lengthening limb bones and for the method of surgery named after him , the Ilizarov surgery . International relations . Twin towns and sister cities . Kurgan is twinned with : - Appleton , United States - Rufina , Italy External links . - Official website of Kurgan - Kurgan news portal - Cultural heritage of Kurgan