| Seversk (English) Северск (Russian) |
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| — Inhabited locality — | |
 view of Kurchatov Street |
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.svg) Location of Tomsk Oblast on the map of Russia |
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  Location of Seversk on the map of Tomsk Oblast
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| Coordinates: 56°36′N 84°51′E / 56.6°N 84.85°ECoordinates: 56°36′N 84°51′E / 56.6°N 84.85°E | |
 Coat of arms |
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| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Tomsk Oblast |
| Municipal status | |
| Municipal Status | Urban okrug |
| Mayor[citation needed] | Nikolai Kuzmenko[citation needed] |
| Representative body | Seversk City Duma[citation needed] |
| Statistics | |
| Population (2002 Census) | 107,126 inhabitants[1] |
| - Rank | 145 |
| Time zone | OMST/OMSST (UTC+6/+7) |
| Founded | 1949[citation needed] |
| Postal code(s) | 6360xx[citation needed] |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 3823[citation needed] |
| Official website | http://seversknet.ru |
Coordinates: 56°37′N 84°50′E / 56.617°N 84.833°E
Seversk (Russian: Се́верск) is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located 15 kilometres (9 mi) northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom River. The population is 109,106 (2002 Census).[2] Founded in 1949, it was known as Pyaty Pochtovy (Пя́тый Почто́вый) until 1954 and as Tomsk-7 (Томск-7) until 1992. Town status was granted in 1956.
The current Chair of the City Duma and Mayor is Nikolay Kuzmenko, who has served since 1984. The current city manager is Anatoly Abramov, who has served since August 2007.[3]
Seversk is the site of the Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises, founded in 1954. It comprises several nuclear reactors and chemical plants for separation, enrichment, and reprocessing of uranium and plutonium. Following an agreement in March 2003 between Russia and the United States to shut down Russia's three remaining plutonium-producing reactors, two of the three plutonium producing reactors (the two that are sited at Seversk) have now been shut down.[4][5]
Nuclear warheads are produced and stored on the premises. One of the most serious nuclear accidents at SGCE occurred on 6 April 1993, when a tank containing a highly radioactive solution exploded.
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Secret city
Seversk was a secret city in the Soviet Union until President Boris Yeltsin decreed in 1992 that such cities could use their historical names. The town appeared on no official maps until then. As it was the tradition with Soviet towns containing secret facilities, Tomsk-7 is actually a P.O. Box number and implied that the place was located some distance from the city of Tomsk.
For many years, residents had restrictions on their ability to come and go from the city. Upon leaving Seversk, residents had to surrender their entry passes at the checkpoints and were forbidden from discussing where they worked or lived. However, in 1987 some restrictions were lifted due to the large number of residents who worked or studied in Tomsk.[6]
Despite the order removing Seversk's secret status, the city still remains closed to non-residents. The city has six checkpoints where visitors must show entry documents. Permission to visit to the city may only be granted by the appropriate authorities through the institution being visited, or through a private party such as a close relative. Prior to May 2007, visitors applied for entry passes at a special office in Tomsk. This regime has been modified and visitors apply for entry documents at the main checkpoint.[6]
Tomsk-7 explosion
There was a nuclear accident at the Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex on 6 April 1993, when a tank exploded while being cleaned with nitric acid. The explosion released a cloud of radioactive gas. TIME magazine has identified the Tomsk-7 explosion as one of the world's "worst nuclear disasters".[7]
Education
There is a major post-secondary school in the city, the Seversk State Technological Academy, a branch of Tomsk Polytechnic University.
References
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_01_04_1.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Grigoryeva, Svetlana (2007-08-30). "Борьба за голову. Северск выбрал сити-менеджера" (in Russian). Tomsk TV2. http://tv2.tomsk.ru/dot_news_print.php?id=1188479396. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "Russia shuts second plutonium-producing reactor at Seversk". World Nuclear News. 2008-06-06. http://world-nuclear-news.org/print.aspx?id=18136. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ The remaining operating production reactor is sited at Zheleznogorsk in Krasnoyarsk Krai.
- ^ a b "СХК закрывает бюро пропусков на улице Белинского с 22 мая" (in Russian). TOMSKNEWS.COM. 2007-05-18. http://tomsknews.com/news/?id=2997. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
- ^ "The Worst Nuclear Disasters". TIME. http://time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887705_1862269,00.html. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
External links
- Official website of Seversk
- Photo album of Seversk
- (Russian) Official website of the Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises
- Tomsk-7 on globalsecurity.org
- BISNIS report about SGCE
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