[POST]Industrial Urals: Karabash. The waste mountain

Looking closer at Karabash. The town that gained its evil reputation after numerous publications entitled "Karabash - the most polluted town in the world".

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SERGEY POTERYAEV

Karabash is a town in Chelyabinsk region (90 km from Chelyabinsk) with a population of 11,000.

Sergey Poteryaev

The town gained its evil reputation after numerous publications entitled "Karabash - the most polluted town in the world", based on a UNESCO report. In fact there's no documental evidence.

Sergey Poteryaev

These publications caused a tourist boom. Locals from Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk region come to Karabash to climb the mountain and see this impressive and frightening industrial view.

Sergey Poteryaev

The ecological situation in the region is still pretty alarming. Those who pass through Karabash, by train for example, can witness rainbow-colored streams, especially when the snow melts away.

Sergey Poteryaev

The name Karabash is translated from a regional Turkic language as "black head / peak"

Sergey Poteryaev

Karabash was founded in 1822 by Grigory Zotov. It all began with the little village of Soymanovsky at the foot of the Karabash mountain.

Sergey Poteryaev

The main industry for early dwellers was gold mining. Then a few large copper fields were found. The first copper-smelting plant began operation in 1837. It was renovated in 1910 and still works to this day.