Sysert is the administrative center of Sysertsky District, Sverdlovsk region. It lies on steep slopes of the deep valley of the river Sysert (the river Ob’s basin), at the foot of Mountain Besenkovaya, 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) from Ekaterinburg.

From Komi-Zyryanski dialect the name “Sysert” could be translated “river with a narrow wooden valley”.

The first settlement was founded here in 1732, when construction of the metallurgical and iron-smelting factory began. In 1680, peasants from the village Aramilskaya Sloboda discovered iron ore in the bank of the river Sysert. The ore was needed as raw material for the factory. In those days, small furnaces were used to produce.

Sysert in XIX century, on the front: the dam and the factory building

For a long time, Sysert mountain district included Sysertsky, Polevskoy, Seversky, Verkhnesysertsky, and Iljinsky factories. At the same time, factory ponds appeared on the river Sysert. 1,458 workers, 545 dependable workers, and about 1,000 civilians worked in the Sysert factory.

In 1848, machine shops were built to maintain the whole group of factories and mines of Sysert.

The construction works of the dam were held at the confluence of the rivers Sysert and Tchernaya River (Black River). In those days, the dam was the largest hydro-engineering construction in the Ural. The Sysertskaya dam is unique both in its size and in the way it was constructed. The body of the dam was filled with marsh clay, which doesn’t dissolve in water and stays viscous. That is why since 1732, it has never been leaked.

The Sysertskaya dam and an old machine from the local factory

At the beginning of the XXth century, Sysert was a typical working settlement with schools including a high school, and a school for orphans, a small hospital, and several churches. It gained the status of a town in 1946.

Over 10 industrial enterprises function in Sysert now: an electrotechnical production facility, a wood-working factory, and a porcelain factory. Products of these factories are known all over Russia. The Uralgidromash factory is the only Russia’s biggest producer of big propeller pumps and centrifugal pumps.

In 1879, the Ural writer Pavel Bazhov was born here. In many Bazhov’s tales, sketches, and short stories, Sysert was mentioned as the center of the big mountain district.

Among the city sights are a local history museum and the Bazhov’s museum – a house where Pavel Bazhov was born.

The building of the local history museum was constructed in 1779 by the merchant Alexey Turchaninov. The exhibits of this museum tell the history of Sysert from the very foundation to the present day. Among the exhibits are archaeological finds, factory-made goods, including examples of copper tableware, Ural precious stones, cannons of the 1800s, and old pictures of Sysert factories. Exhibits of the Bazhov’s museum include the Russian bath (banya), stable, barn, and wing – house. Garments of characters from Bazhov’s tales is also presented here.

The factory was turned into museum in XX century

There are two well-known monuments in the town: Bazhov’s monument and the monument in honor of Sysert workers who died during the Russian Civil war.

In the historic center of the town, a part of the XIX century Sysert factory is preserved.

Among national historic landmarks are the Church of Saint Simeon and Anne, which was founded in 1788, and the old building of the factory workers’ school founded in 1735, and merchants Turchaninovs and Solomirskys wooden houses.

Six kilometers (about 4 miles) to the northwest from the town, Lake Talkov Kamien is located. It is a small lake at the place of the former talc mine. It is surrounded by green-and-white talc stone.

How to get there:

By train: any suburban electric train that goes daily from the Railway Station to Verkhny Ufaley direction.
By bus: buses №№ 160, 160Э from the South Bus Terminal (“Yuzhny Avtovokzal”)
By car: keep the Chelyabinsk highway following road signs (Sysert, Rus. – Сысерть). There is a road police post near the turn to Sysert, so you may ask a policeman to show you the right way if you get lost.

The Bazhov’s museum. Here you may enjoy XIX century utensils and Pavel Bazhov's personal belongings