Yerofey Markov. Photo: Beryozovsky official web-page

The town is situated on the Eastern Slope of the Middle Ural on the Beryozovka River (right tributary of the Pyshma River). It is 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) north-east of Ekaterinburg.

Beryozovsky is one of Ekaterinburg’s satellite towns with many commuters commuting to work in Ekaterinburg.

Here, in 1745, Yerofey Markov discovered a gold ore deposit. Three months after his discovery, the Shartash Mine was founded. In 1752, the Beryozovsky Mine was opened and later the gold-washing works were built. The first workers and citizens were convicts of the Ekaterinburg jail, fugitive soldiers, recruits, and serfs. By 1804, there were already 64 mines in the Beryozovsky goldfields.

In 1752, the village of Beryozovsky, named for the Beryozovka River, was founded.

The gold mining industry in Russia has its origins in the Beryozovsky deposit.

Sandpit. Photo: Hisoka @ E1.RU

Over the period of two hundred years, precious metals were mined at the Beryozovsky works. This industry was of primary importance for the mining town.

In September 1814, a local miner Brusnitsyn discovered that it was possible to produce gold by washing the sand of the Beryozovka River. This discovery triggered not only intensive development of Beryozovsky goldfields but also the development of the whole gold-mining industry in Russia.

By 1845, Russia was the world’s leader in the gold-mining industry.

Old house in Beryozovsky suburbs. Photo Haha2000 @ E1.RU

During the first Soviet five-year plans, peat industry was actively developed along with gold-mining. Peat excavations began near Beryozovsky. Thanks to this, a lot of new settlements began to appear on the territory of the present-day district. Beryozovsky was officially declared a town in 1938.

The construction industry boomed in the town during the years of World War II, and was at its peak in the early 1950s, due to extensive construction of heating power plants. Gravel and sand dumps that remained from ore excavations served as raw materials for the new industry. Today gold is still mined in the Beryozovsky deposit.

Today, the population of the town and nearby settlements counts 65 thousand people. A number of enterprises work in the urban district of Beryozovsky, which includes the town itself and 16 villages.

A total of 16 large enterprises contribute to the foundation of the local economy.

The key local industries are: production of building materials, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, gold mining, extraction of peat, and timber industry.

The Ekaterinburg — Tavda railway goes across the Beryozovsky district, and links Ekaterinburg to the north-eastern part of the oblast, the European and Asian parts of Russia, and connects highways going to Southern, Eastern and Northern regions of the country.

The history of the town begins with the discovery of gold in Russia and the first person who struck gold was Yerofey Markov. The monument to Markov is situated near the town on the Rezh highway.

In the museum of history of the gold and platinum industry in the Urals, visitors may enjoy rocks, diggers’ tools, maquettes of gold mines, and exhibits telling the local history.

One of the sights of the town is the Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary (Tserkov Uspeniya) which was built in 1874.

How to get to Beryozovsky:

By car: Rezhevskoy highway till you see the road sign "Beryozovsky" (Березовский)
By bus: many buses and mini-buses ("marshrutka") go daily to Beryozovsky from Ekaterinburg railway station, the Circus , Ploshсhad Tysyacha Devyatsot Pyatogo Goda (Square of 1905) and other main city points. You may ask a busdriver or follow a notice seen on a bus.