The area of what now is Ussuriysk was settled by YulouMohe tribes. From the mid-9th century, it became Solbin-bu of theBalhae Kingdom. It is then populated by the DōnghǎiJurchens, under control ofLiao dynasty. The city then become capital ofJīn Dynasty's Sùpín circuit (速頻路). Then it went under control of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties respectively and known asShuangchengzi (Chinese:双城子;simplified Chinese:双城子;traditional Chinese:雙城子;pinyin:Shuāngchéngzi).
In 1866, the settlement ofNikolskoye (Нико́льское) was founded on the area of today's Ussuriysk, named afterSaint Nicholas. Due to its advantageous geographic location at the crossing of the transportation lines, the village experienced rapid growth during the 1870s, turning into a trade center. Its role increased after the railroad connectingKhabarovsk and Vladivostok (now a part of theTrans-Siberian Railway) was built, and in 1898 it was granted town status and renamedNikolsk-Ussuriysky (Нико́льск-Уссури́йский).
By the beginning of the 20th century the town's population totaled 15,000 people, and the annual turnover of its trade enterprises was equal to three millionrubles. After theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Nikolsk-Ussuriysky became one of the most important commercial and economic centers of theRussian Far East. In 1913, the city ranked fourth after Vladivostok,Blagoveshchensk, and Khabarovsk in terms of population.
Enterprises were established processing agricultural products such asmills,dairies,soap-boiling plants, andtanneries, as well as macaroni and sausage factories andbreweries.Brick factories,quarries, andsaw-mills were also built.
The central part of the city began to be built up with two- and three-storymasonry buildings. In 1914, there were fourteen educational institutions, a theater, a circus, and three movie-theaters in Nikolsk-Ussuriysky.
After theOctober Revolution of 1917, the city's economy experienced rapid growth. The city specialized in processing agricultural products. The name of the city was changed toVoroshilov in 1935 afterKliment Voroshilov. WithNikita Khrushchev's ascent to power afterStalin's death the city's name was changed in 1957 toUssuriysk after theUssuri River, which is more than 140 km away.
Until the 1980s, the city ranked second in the krai in population, having only recently yielded toNakhodka. Ussuriysk is still second only toVladivostok as a theatrical and higher-educational center (it is home to the Pedagogical and Agricultural Institutes, and the Higher Military School).
The city's industry is represented by twenty-eight enterprises, including twelve of thefood industry, two oflight industry, six ofmetal industry, and four ofconstruction industry. Ussuriysk has always specialized in the production ofconsumer goods. That is why at present it is in a more favorable situation as compared with other large cities ofPrimorye where enterprises ofwar industry prevailed.
The largest enterprises of light industry arePrimorsky Sakhar (which provides theRussian Far East withsugar, producing 160,000tonnes per year),Dalsoya (which producesvegetable oil,margarine, andsoap),Ussuriysky Balsam (24 kinds ofliqueur andvodka products, and balsams made of a blend of dozens of herbs). Five articles ofUssuriysky Balsam were given diplomas of the first and the second degrees at all-Russian competition of alcohol products.
One more economic feature of Ussuriysk is its wholesale trade. There are approximately thirty specialized and multipurpose trade bases, many of which had developed contacts with foreign partners before the external economic policy was liberalized in Russia.
Among the city's other enterprises are theGrado firm which annually produces up to 600,000 pairs offootwear, and the Locomotive Repairing Plant. The annual industrial output of Ussuriysk equals 8% of Primorsky Krai's production. Besides, the city is the crossing point of all major highways and railroads of the krai.
Ice hockey takes place at theLedovaya Arena, located on Krasnoznamennaya Ulitsa, 161а. The ice hockey teamPrimorye Ussuriysk played there from 2009 until they were dissolved in 2011.[7]
Ice speedway andmotorcycle speedway takes place at the Sergei Petrovich Shevchenko Stadium (other names, Patriot Stadium or Meliorator Stadium), located at Komsomol'skaya Ulitsa, 87А, which is adjacent on the south side of the Ledovaya Arena.[8] TheVladivostok Speedway team competed at the stadium during the 1990s in theRussian Team Speedway Championship, when their own stadium was unavailable.[9]
TheUssuriysk Drama Theater of theEastern Military District is located at #31 Sovyetskaya Street. The theater was founded in 1937 and is one of the two theaters of theRussian Army (the other is the Central Theater of the Russian Army inMoscow).
TheUssuriysk Drama Theater is located at #33 Volodarskogo Street. It was opened in 1937. The theater is of classical tendencies. Plays are staged both for adults and children. The hall can accommodate 428 people.
The central part of the city, including Lenina, Chicherina, Krasnoznamyonnaya, and Ageyeva Streets, is of historic value. The city's oldest hotel (#28 Lenina St.) was constructed in 1880.[citation needed] #53 Lenina St., which houses the city's oldest movie-theaterGrand-Illyuzion, was built in 1908.[citation needed]
On the central square there is a monument to theRed Guards andpartisans, who died in the battles at Ussuriysk in June 1918. A monument toVladimir Lenin is on the Railway Station Square.
Steam locomotive YeL 629 is set on plinth as a memorial to three Bolshevik revolutionaries (Lazo, Lutsky, and Sibirtsev) who were allegedly burned alive by theWhite Guards in its firebox in 1920.
Steam Locomotive YeL 629 in Ussuriysk
The Intercession Church at #80A Chicherina St. was built in 1914.[citation needed] It is the only religious building in thekrai that has been kept without any reconstruction since 1917 and is used for its original purpose.[citation needed]
The city's main Intercession Church. Built in 1914, it is one of the few churches in the region to have survived the revolution and Communist periods
Законодательное Собрание Приморского края. Закон №161-КЗ от 14 ноября 2001 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Приморского края», в ред. Закона №673-КЗ от 6 октября 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Приморского края "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Приморского края"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красное знамя Приморья", №69 (119), 29 ноября 2001 г. (Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai. Law #161-KZ of November 14, 2001On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Primorsky Krai, as amended by the Law #673-KZ of October 6, 2015On Amending the Law of Primorsky Krai "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Primorsky Krai". Effective as of the official publication date.).
Законодательное Собрание Приморского края. Закон №131-КЗ от 6 августа 2004 г. «Об Уссурийском городском округе», в ред. Закона №123-КЗ от 13 ноября 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Приморского края в связи с изменением наименований некоторых сельских населённых пунктов Приморского края». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости Законодательного Собрания Приморского края", №65, 9 августа 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai. Law #131-KZ of August 6, 2004On Ussuriysky Urban Okrug, as amended by the Law #123-KZ of November 13, 2012On Amending Various Legislative Acts of Primorsky Krai Due to the Changes of Names of Some Rural Inhabited Localities of Primorsky Krai. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
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