Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow Oblast

Zheleznodorozhny (Железнодоро́жный) is an inhabited zone and city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 21 km east of Moscow. It was technically abolished and merged into the city of Balashikha in January 2015. Population: Its name means "Railway", and its flag and coat of arms both had lines resembling railway tracks.

History
Founded in 1861 to service the railway station of Obiralovka (Обира́ловка), the settlement became famous as the location where the main character of Leo Tolstoy's 1878 novel Anna Karenina committed suicide. It was renamed Zheleznodorozhny (Russian for "by the railway") in 1939 and granted town status in 1952. In the 1960s the settlements of Kuchino (Ку́чино), Savvino (Са́ввино), Temnikovo (Те́мниково), and Sergeyevka (Серге́евка) became part of Zheleznodorozhny. Kuchino is historically associated with the name of Andrei Bely, the Russian poet who lived there between 1925 and 1931.

In January 2015 Zheleznodorozhny was abolished and its territory merged into the city of Balashikha.

Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, it was incorporated as Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, Zheleznodorozhny City Under Oblast Jurisdiction was incorporated as Zheleznodorozhny Urban Okrug.

Transportation
The railway connecting Moscow and Vladimir runs through Zheleznodorozhny, which is served by Kuchino and Zheleznodorozhnaya railway stations of the Gorkovsky suburban railway line.

Notable people

 * Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, animated films director, lived here until her death in 1980.
 * Vasily Arkhipov, a Soviet Navy officer, lived in the city until his death in 1998.