Ryazan

Ryazan (Рязань) is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River 196 km southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport. Major industries in the city include electronics and oil refining.

History
It is argued that the Ryazan kremlin was founded in 800, by Slavic settlers, as a part of their drive into territory previously populated by Finnic peoples. Initially it was built of wood, gradually replaced by masonry. The oldest preserved part of the kremlin dates back to the 12th century.

However, the first written mention of the city, under the name of Pereslavl, dates to 1095. At that time the city was part of the independent Ryazan Principality, which had existed since 1078 and which was centered on the old city of Ryazan. The first ruler of Ryazan was supposedly Yaroslav Sviatoslavich, Prince of Ryazan and Murom (cities of Kievan Rus').

The lands of Ryazan, situated on the border of forest and steppe, suffered numerous invasions from the south as well as from the north, carried out by a variety of military forces including Cumans, but particularly the Principality was in a conflict with Vladimir-Suzdal. By the end of XII the capital of Duchy was burnt couple of times by the armies of Suzdal. Ryazan was the first Russian city to be sacked by the Mongol horde of Batu Khan. On December 21, 1237 it was thoroughly devastated and never fully recovered. As result of the sack, the seat of the principality was moved about 55 km to the town of Pereslavl-Ryazanskii, which subsequently took the name of the destroyed capital. The site of the old capital now carries the name of Staraya Ryazan (Old Ryazan), close to Spassk-Ryazanskiy.

In the 1380 during the Battle of Kulikovo the Grand Prince of Ryazan Oleg and his men came under a coalition of Mamai, a strongman of the Tartar Golden Horde, and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, against the armies under the command of the Grand Prince of Vladimir, Dmitri Ivanovich of Moscow.

Late in the 13th century the Princes of Ryazan moved their capital to Pereslavl, which is known as Ryazan from the 16th century (officially renamed in 1778). The principality was finally incorporated into that of Moscow in 1521.

In September 1999, Ryazan was one of the cities involved in the Russian apartment bombings episode, though did not actually experience a successful bomb attack.

Administrative divisions
The city of Ryazan is divided into four administrative districts: Moskovsky, Oktyabrsky, Sovetsky, and Zheleznodorozhny.

Education
An economically important educational institution in the city is the State Radiotechnical University. The Higher Paratrooper Command Academy used to be Russia's only military school training officers for the airborne forces, giving Ryazan the reputation as "paratroopers capital". However, in 2010 the institution discontinued enrollment to its paratrooper program, and now focuses on training professional sergeants for the armed forces.

Economy
Ryazan has a reputation of being one Russia's electronics hubs. Around a quarter of the city's population is affected by the electronics industry. The most notable company in this sector is Plazma (company), which produces plasma screens for products including tanks and locomotives. In 1994, the company created a 50-50 research and development joint-venture with the South Korean company Orion PDP. Plazma's expertise helped Orion PDP become one of the world's leading manufacturers of plasma television panels. In addition to plasma technology, Plazma produces LCD screens, industrial gas lasers and medical lasers. The company exports its products to foreign countries, including to the United States, China and Israel.

Another key industry in the city is oil refining. The Ryazan Oil Refinery, owned by TNK-BP, is one of the city's largest employers. The plant can refine 17 million metric tons of oil per year.

The economy of Ryazan benefits from a large number of skilled engineers graduating from the State Radiotechnical University, and from the city's close proximity to Moscow, which can be reached in 90 minutes by car.

Sights of Ryazan

 * Ryazan Kremlin
 * Pavlov Museum
 * Architectural Museum
 * Art Museum
 * Art Gallery "At The Old Crossroad" are situated in the historical and cultural monument of the 18 century "Gostiniy Dvor"
 * Drama Theater
 * Puppet Theater
 * Children's Circus
 * Pyaniy Park ("Drunk" Park)

Notable people

 * Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, Russian Soviet composer; wrote the music for the national anthem of the Soviet Union, which, in 2001, became the anthem of Russia (with new lyrics)
 * Alexander Pirogov, a Russian bass opera singer
 * Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, a Russian and Soviet novelist and dramatist
 * Andrey Markov, the mathematician who pioneered work on Markov chains
 * Erast Garin, one of the leading comic actors of the Soviet cinema
 * Irina Meleshina, a Russian long jumper
 * Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin, a practitioner selectionist
 * Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, the famous psychologist and founder of classical conditioning
 * Kirill Sosunov, a Russian long jumper
 * Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky, the Russian Soviet writer nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 1965
 * Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, one of the inventors of the space rocket
 * Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin, a major Russian satirist of the 19th century (Deputy Governor of Ryazan in 1858-1860)
 * Sergei Yesenin, a poet, for whom the Ryazan State University is named
 * Yakov Petrovich Polonsky, a Russian poet and writer

Twin towns — Sister cities
Ryazan is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Bressuire, France
 * 🇷🇸 Kruševac, Serbia
 * 🇧🇬 Lovech, Bulgaria
 * 🇩🇪 Münster, Germany
 * New Athos, Abkhazia
 * 🇭🇷 Omiš, Croatia
 * 🇵🇱 Ostrów Mazowiecka, Poland
 * Xuzhou, China