Svobodny, Amur Oblast

Svobodny (Свободный) is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 km north of Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 63,889 (2002 Census);

History
It was founded in 1912 in conjunction with the construction of the Amur Railway (the Trans-Siberian Railway's "bypass" route, which was to provide a railway connection from European Russia to the Pacific entirely over the Russian soil, without crossing the north-eastern China). It was originally named Alexeyevsk (Алексеевск), in honor of the then crown prince Alexey. In 1917, the town was renamed Svobodny, Russian for "free".

During the chaos of the Russian Civil War, the Russian Far East became a base for several Korean militias and political groups opposed to the Japanese colonization of Korea. They moved into Svobodny in early 1921, but in the summer factional disputes within the Korean Communist Party and the wider Korean nationalist movement broke out into open warfare, the Free City Incident. The Red Army besieged and then destroyed the town, securing victory for its preferred faction.

During the Stalin era, the BAMLag forced labor camp of the Gulag was built in Svobodny, with the intention of providing forced labor for the planned construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The camp became one of the largest in Gulag system; its peak headcount was about 201,000 (1938). In 1938 it was dismantled into several camps.

Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Svodobny serves as the administrative center of Svobodnensky District, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Svobodny Urban Okrug—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.

Economy
The town is home to factories producing machinery and furniture, as well as the administrative center for mining operations in the region, including the gold mining concern Amurzoloto.

Transportation
The town is an important transportation hub for both rail and river traffic, with two railway stations on the Trans-Siberian Railway including rolling-stock repair facilities, and a river port on the Zeya.

It is served by the Svobodny Airport and is near the Orlovka interceptor air base and other locations maintained by the Russian Air Force.

Geography
The town is located on the right bank of the Zeya River, 167 kilometers (104 mi) north of Blagoveshchensk, the administrative center of the oblast.

Climate
Svobodny has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwb) with bitterly cold, very dry winters and very warm, wet summers.

Notable people
The town is the birthplace of the movie director Leonid Gaidai, whose memorial was unveiled in September 2006.