Balashikha

**Balashikha** () is a ceety in Moscow Oblast, Roushie, locatit on the Pekhorka River  east o Moscow. Population:    92,400 (1970).

## Etymologie
Balashikha is an unuisual name in Roushie an several legends exist as tae why it wis chosen as the name o this conurbation. The wird *balash* is Turkic an can be translatit as *an inn*, i.e., a place o temporar respite for travelers. Anither accoont tells o a walthy Tatar, namit Balash, a stryndant o Genghis Khan o the Gowden Horde who haed his residence on this steid. Maist uisual explanation is that it derivit frae the wird *balakh*, which means caltha palustris plant. Anither version: in [Finno-Ugric leids Bala-shika means ''laund o celebrations, laund o laughter an fun.'' Before [Slavs in this aurie lived Finno-Ugric fowks.

## History
Balashikha wis establisht in 1830. It grantit toun status in 1939. Several landwart hamlets haed existit lang afore on the steid o the modren ceety.

The ceety staunds on the famous Vladimir Heich-gate, which led oot o Moscow tae the east. This wis the route alang which convictit creeminals wur mairched tae forcit labor camps in Siberie. The road wis renamit Gorky Heich-gate in the Soviet era. The failur o the Dizembrist Revolt against Tsar Nicholas I led tae the execution o its ringleaders an the exile o mony nobles tae Siberie. Soviet-era schuilchilder wur tauld that the preesoners wur mairched in chains alang this road follaeed bi thair wives. In truth, the Dizembrist preesoners wur sent frae St.&nbsp;Petersburg, then the caipital o Roushie, throu Yaroslavl, an no throu Moscow an Balashikha, an the story wis inventit as pairt o celebrations o the 100t anniversary o the event in 1925.

Atween 1830 an 1870, a cotton factory wis in operation in the aurie, wi its fabric cried Balashikha. A railwey station wis biggit at the end o the 19t century, again cried Balashikha Station.

As it grew, Balashikha absorbit ither veelages, includin Gorenki, a suburban estate o Coont Andrey Razumovsky, an Pekhra-Yakovlevskoye, an estate o Prince Galitzine, the latter bein in uise for 250 years frae 1591 tae 1828. This is the steid o a stane kirk, biggit frae 1777 tae 1782.

Saltykovka, a pairt o Balashikha, haes lang been kent for its attractions tae the airtistic commonty. Isaak Levitan, the famous landscape painter, livit thare in 1879. Lev Tolstoy wis anither frequent visitor.

### Soviet period
Several institutions wur foondit in Balashikha efter the October Revolution, includin ane dedicatit tae the production of fur.

Durin the Soviet era, Balashikha became a major industrial centre wi industries in metallurgie, aviation industrie, cryogenic technologie, machinery, an ither fields.

Balashikha sent mony o its sons tae the front tae fecht the Germans durin Warld War II. Amang those who focht an dee'd wis Ivan Fleorov who commandit a Katyusha rocket diveesion an is remembered bi several monuments an museums in the aurie.

Alang wi mony ither Roushie Orthodox Kirks, the Cathedral o Saunt Alexander Nevsky wis demolisht bi the govrenment. The Cathedral wis blown up in the 1960s but wis rebuilt, on its oreeginal steid, in 2002 efter the collapse o communism.

Balashikha is the steid o a lairge Roushie Airmy base an wis closed tae foreigners durin the Soviet era. It wis the heidquairters o the 1st Corps o the Soviet Air Defence Forces an is nou tae acome the heidquairters o the Operational-Strategic Command for Missile-Space Defence.

It is hame tae several muisic schuils an aw, includin the Sviridov Schuil o Airts.

### Modrenity

The Balashikha Maternity Hoose wis designatit on 1 Julie 2003, tae be the Moscow Oblast Perinatal Center. This facility will nou function as a regional perinatal care facility for heich-risk mithers an infants an a perinatal halth eddication centre for Moscow Oblast.

Awtho no pairt o the extensive Moscow subwey seestem, Balashikha is hame tae mony office wirkers who commute tae Moscow each day.  It haes several thrivin mercats an retail centers an is quickly modrenizin.  It is surroondit bi attractive firthland an kintraside.

Source: "Balashikha in stories" (Балашиха в очерках и зарисовках) - А. Галанин и др.

## Geografie
The ceety is kent for its unique river an watterwey seestem. The Pekhorka River seestem covers an aurie o  frae north tae sooth an  frae east tae wast, an mony sma lakes an ponds wur creatit bi dammin tae provide watter power for the cotton mills in the 19t century.

## Admeenistrative an municipal status
Athin the framewirk o admeenistrative diveesions, it is, thegither wi twal landwart localities, incorporatit as **Balashikha [[Ceety o federal subject significance|Ceety Unner Oblast Jurisdiction]]**—an admeenistrative unit wi the status equal tae that o the destricts. As a municipal diveesion, Balashikha Ceety Unner Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporatit as **Balashikha Urban Okrug**.

In the past, Balashikha served as the admeenistrative centre o Balashikhinsky District. On 1 Januar 2011, the destrict wis abolisht.

## Attractions
*Balashikha Arena
*Moscow Radio Center 13

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns an sister ceeties
Balashikha is twinned wi:
* Yangzhou, Cheenae

## References
### Notes

### Sources
*
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## Freemit airtins
*Offeecial wabsteid o Balashikha  
*Unoffeecial wabsteid o Balashikha