Balashikha

Balashikha () is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is on the Pekhorka River  east of the Moscow Ring Road.

 Name origin 
In Finno-Ugric languages, Bala-shika means land of celebrations, land of laughter and fun. Finnic peoples lived in this area before Slavs.

 Geography 
The city is known for its unique river and waterway system. The Pekhorka River system covers an area of  from north to south and  from east to west. Many small lakes and ponds were created by damming to provide water power for the cotton mills in the 19th century.

 History 
Balashikha was established in 1830. It was given town status in 1939.Balashikha. Official page. History.

The city is on the famous Vladimir Highway. This was the route that convicted criminals were forced to take to get to labor camps in Siberia.

 Military 
Balashikha is the site of a large Russian Army base. It was closed to foreigners during the Soviet era. It was the headquarters of the 1st Corps of the Soviet Air Defense Forces and is now to become the headquarters of the Operational-Strategic Command for Missile-Space Defense. Balashikha is also a base for ODON (Internal security division). Balashikha is home to Military Unit 35690, which is a training facility used by the Federal Security Service.

 Notable people 

 Yuri Lyapkin (born 1945), ice hockey player
 Nikolay Baskov, tenor singer
 Dmitry Klokov, Honored Master of Sports in weightlifting
 Andrey Kuznetsov, tennis player
 Artyom Avanesyan, Armenian footballer

 Twin towns – sister cities 

Balashikha is twinned with:

  Martin, Slovakia
  Pernik, Bulgaria
  Yangzhou, China

 References 

 Other websites 

 Official website of Balashikha  
 Directory of organizations in Balashikha 

Category:Cities and towns in Moscow Oblast
Category:1830 establishments in Europe