Buzuluk, Orenburg Oblast

Buzuluk (Бузулу́к) is a town in Orenburg Region, Russia, located on the Samara, Buzuluk, and Domashka Rivers, 246 km northwest of Orenburg and 170 km southeast of Samara. Population:

History
It was founded in 1736 as the fortress of Buzulukskaya (Бузулу́кская) by a Polish Noble on the Samara River near the mouth of the Buzuluk River along Russia's southern frontier. It was later moved to its current place near the source of the Domashka River. It was granted town status in 1781.

An important development was the opening, in 1877, of the railway line connecting Samara with Orenburg. Buzuluk was a principal stop along the line, and it is from this period that the town's first power station dates, along with its first schools and libraries. Supported by the rail link and other new infrastructure developments, it now became an important rail-terminal for the transportation of wheat. By 1880, it had a population of 16,340. The population almost doubled between the end of the nineteenth century and 1926.

During World War II, in 1941, the command and staff of the newly formed Polish Anders' Army was based in Buzuluk, and in 1942, the First Czechoslovak Independent Field Battalion was based there. Both formations afterwards fought against Nazi Germany.

Economy
Economic activity is now focused on the extraction and refining of oil.

Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Buzuluk serves as the administrative center of Buzuluksky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the Town of Buzuluk —an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the Town of Buzuluk is incorporated as Buzuluk Urban Okrug.