Yelabuga

Yelabuga Елабуга
Town[1]
Other transcription(s)
• Tatar	Алабуга
Aerial view of Yelabuga
Coat of arms
Location of Yelabuga
Yelabuga Location of Yelabuga Show map of Russia Yelabuga Yelabuga (Tatarstan) Show map of Tatarstan
Coordinates: 55°46′N 52°05′E / 55.767°N 52.083°E / 55.767; 52.083
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tatarstan[1]
Founded	1051
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[2]
• Total	70,728
• Estimate  (2021)[3]	73,630
• Rank	222nd in 2010
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	town of republic significance of Yelabuga[1]
• Capital of	town of republic significance of Yelabuga,[1] Yelabuzhsky District[1]
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Yelabuzhsky Municipal District[4]
• Urban settlement	Yelabuga Urban Settlement[4]
• Capital of	Yelabuzhsky Municipal District,[4] Yelabuga Urban Settlement[4]
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [5])
Postal code(s)[6]	423600
Dialing code(s)	+7 85557
OKTMO ID	92626101001

Yelabuga (also spelled Elabuga;^[7] Russian: Елабуга; Tatar: Алабуга) is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the right bank of the Kama River and 200 kilometers (120 mi) east from Kazan. Population: 70,728 (2010 Census);^[2] 68,663 (2002 Census);^[8] 53,537 (1989 Soviet census).^[9]

The name of the city of Yelabuga comes from the Turkic personal name Alabuga (literally — "mottled bull", where buga — "bull" symbolizes the strength and power of the bearer of the name). According to another version, the name comes from the Tatar name of the nearby lake Alabuga (translated as "perch").^[10]

At the end of the XVI century, in official documents, in addition to the main name — Yelabuga, the church name Tresvyatskoye or Tresvyatskoye also began to be added. This name should not be confused with the village of Trekhsvyatskoye, which was founded near Yelabuga in 1851. The last mention of Yelabuga with the addition of the church name "Tresvyatskoye" in official documents dates back to 1701. After that, and before Yelabuga was given the status of a county town, this settlement was called exclusively the palace village of Yelabuga.^[11]

In the local history literature of the XIX century, the past of Elabuga was associated with the ancient cities of Gelon and Bryakhimov.^[12] However, these claims have been refuted by modern science. ^[13]

It is located on the high right bank of the Kama River at the confluence of the Toyma River, 215 km east of the capital of the republic, Kazan. The area of the city is 41.1 km2. Begishevo International Airport is 40 km from Yelabuga.^[14]

The former name of the city was Alabuga. Its history dates back to the 10th century, when a Volga Bulgar border castle, the so-called Alamir-Sultan castle was built by Bulgar Khan Ibrahim in 985 CE. The castle was built on the place of the legendary tomb of Alamir-Sultan (Alexander the Great "Macedonian")^[vague]. The name 'Alabuga' originally referred to the tower of the castle, later the whole city was named Alabuga. The castle was later abandoned, and its remains are now known as Shaytan kalasy (Shaytan's castle). In the second half of the 16th century, a Russian village was founded on the same spot.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2024 it was reported that drone strikes, claimed to be from Ukraine, had injured 12 people in the town where drones are produced.^[16]

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Yelabuga serves as the administrative center of Yelabuzhsky District, even though it is not a part of it.^[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with the selo of Tarlovka, incorporated separately as the town of republic significance of Yelabuga—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[1] As a municipal division, the town of republic significance of Yelabuga is incorporated within Yelabuzhsky Municipal District as Yelabuga Urban Settlement.^[4]

Oil industry is present in the town.^{[citation needed]} In the 1990s, a Ford assembly plant operated in the town. In 2008, Sollers JSC built a new factory to produce the Fiat Ducato, and from 2021, started to assemble a luxury vehicle called the Aurus Senat, for the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute in Moscow (NAMI).^[17][18][19] There is also a factory for the production of household appliances: domestic oil electric heaters, electric meat grinders Italian group De'Longhi.

Public transportation needs are served by a bus and taxi networks. Plans for a trolleybus route are being discussed.^{[citation needed]}

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, shortcomings in the equipment of the Russian forces with drones became apparent, and a factory for the production of different drone types was built in Yelabuga. Based on satellite imagery, the facilities covered the size of ten football fields in late 2023. Some 6000 drones per year, including the Geran 2, are supposed to be built in Yelabuga for the Russian Army.^[20]

The town is the birthplace of painter Ivan Shishkin. Nadezhda Durova, who, disguised as a man, was a highly decorated cavalry officer during the Napoleonic Wars died there in 1866. It is also where the Russian poet Marina Tsvetayeva committed suicide in 1941. The poet is buried at the municipal cemetery.

Near Yelabuga is the Nizhnyaya Kama National Park.

Yelabuga is twinned with:

• Safranbolu, Turkey
• Aleksin, Russia
• Beryozovsky, Russia
• Weilheim in Oberbayern, Germany

• Министерство юстиции Республики Татарстан. Приказ №01-02/9 от 4 февраля 2014 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц и населённых пунктов в Республике Татарстан», в ред. Приказа №01-02/160 от 11 марта 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Приказ Министерства юстиции Республики Татарстан от 04.02.2014 №01-02/9 "Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц и населённых пунктов в Республике Татарстан"». Опубликован: Официальный сайт правовой информации Министерства юстиции Республики Татарстан (http://pravo.tatarstan.ru), 27 февраля 2014 г. (Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tatarstan. Order #01-02/9 of February 4, 2014 On the Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units and Inhabited Localities in the Republic of Tatarstan, as amended by the Order #01-02/160 of March 11, 2015 On Amending the Order of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tatarstan #01-02/9 of February 4, 2014 "On the Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units and Inhabited Localities in the Republic of Tatarstan". ).
• Государственный Совет Республики Татарстан. Закон №22-ЗРТ от 31 января 2005 г. «Об установлении границ территорий и статусе муниципального образования "Елабужский муниципальный район" и муниципальных образований в его составе», в ред. Закона №145-ЗРТ от 30 декабря 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Республики Татарстан "Об установлении границ территорий и статусе муниципального образования "Елабужский муниципальный район" и муниципальных образований в его составе"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Республика Татарстан", №№18–19, 1 февраля 2005 г. (State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan. Law #22-ZRT of January 31, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of the Territories and the Status of the Municipal Formation of "Yelabuzhsky Municipal District" and of the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Law #145-ZRT of December 30, 2014 On Amending the Law of the Republic of Tatarstan "On Establishing the Borders of the Territories and the Status of the Municipal Formation of "Yelabuzhsky Municipal District" and of the Municipal Formations It Comprises". Effective as of the official publication date.).

• Unofficial website of Yelabuga (in Russian)
• Unofficial website of Yelabuga (in English)
• Website about Yelabuga (in Russian)
• Article about Yelabuga, Nizhnekamsk and the surrounding area (in English)
• Population of Yelabuga by mother tongue in 1897 (in English)