Izhevsk

The pioneer settlements on the territory where modern Izhevsk now stands were founded by Udmurts in the 5th century. There were two fortified settlements situated on the banks of the Karlutka River. Later this territory joined the Khanate of Kazan. In 1552, Russia conquered the Khanate and, in 1582, Ivan the Terrible conferred the lands by the Karlutka and Izh Rivers on Bagish Yaushev, a Tatar morza. The quit-rent had been imposed on the Udmurt population ever since. The Yaushevs owned the land until the reign of Peter the Great (1682–1721). On September 15, 1757, Count Pyotr Shuvalov, owner of seven factories in the Urals, bought land in the Kama Region and got permission from Empress Elizabeth to build three ironworks there. In those days, ironworks were powered with steam, and wood was the only fuel. …

Izhevsk has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Summers are quite a bit warmer than at corresponding latitudes in Western Europe, courtesy of the city's far inland location. Winters are a lot colder than said areas, also due to the distance from the North Atlantic, which results in limited temperature moderation. Even so, winters are a lot less severe than those in Russian cities east of the Ural Mountains. An extreme July temperature of +37.0 °C (98.6 °F) was recorded during the 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves, although the highest temperature recorded is +38.1 °C (100.6 °F) in August 2021.

Izhevsk is the scientific and cultural center of the Udmurt Republic. Early on, the state took a leading role in childcare and education. 320 Public kindergartens/ preschools provide affordable childcare for 32,000 children. 100 public schools provide free general education to over 100,000 Izhevsk students. A wide variety of technical colleges and two-year professional schools award associate degrees, most notably in medical assistance, performing arts and teaching. The Ural department of the Russian Scientific Academy is represented in Izhevsk by several institutions, specializing in physics, applied mechanics and technical sciences, and economics, and the Institute of History, Language and Literature of Udmurtia does the same. …