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Overview
Pavlodar region belongs to the northern region of Kazakhstan, bordering Russia in the north and east.
Compared to other regions, its area is rather small - 124.8 thousand square kilometers taking the 11th place in the country. The population density is 6 people per 1 square kilometer, which is close to the average in Kazakhstan.
As of February 1, 2023, the population of the region was 754.9 thousand people. 70.6% of residents of Pavlodar region live in urban areas and 29.4% are rural.
The prevailing ethnic group is Kazakhs, taking up 54.2% of the total population. In second place is Russians, 34.1%, in third place are Ukrainians - 3.9%.
Administrative Structure
The regional center is Pavlodar with a population of 367.4 thousand people.
Besides Pavlodar, there is Ekibastuz with a population of 145.4 thousand people and Aksu with a population of 72.3 thousand people.
The Pavlodar region is divided into 10 rural districts. Besides three large cities, there are 3 villages and 352 settlements.
History
The history of Pavlodar, a city located on the banks of the Irtysh River, is very rich and is closely connected with the Irtysh.
It dates back to 1720, the year it was decided to build a new outpost within the Irtysh military fortress. The fortress was named Koryakovsk in honor of the centurion of the Russian Cossacks Nikita Koryakov. This name was also given to the nearby salt-producing lake.
A hundred years later, the outpost was renamed Koryakovsk station, and since 1861 Pavlodar has received the status of an autonomous city. This name was given in honor of the newborn Prince Pavel, the son of Emperor Alexander II.
Later, the city began its robust development, turning into the county center of the Semipalatinsk region. A river port has been built in the city to establish shipping along the Irtysh. A railway connection has been established to transport coal and salt and contribute to increasing the economic potential of the region. Merchants who settled in the city witnessed the growth. The city built majestic wooden houses, mosques and churches. These buildings still adorn the old part of the city.
Even after the establishment of Soviet power, Pavlodar retained its economic and political importance. The Pavlodar region was established on January 15, 1938. Pavlodar has been its administrative center ever since.
In the mid-1950s, the Pavlodar region was one of the virgin-land regions of the country. The Virgin Lands campaign took place from 1950 to 1960 in the Soviet Union to improve agricultural performance by plowing previously uncultivated lands. This brought a new momentum to the development of the region.
The development of the mining industry was actively underway in the region. In 1957, the Pavlodar-Ekibastuz Regional Production Facility was established here. It focused on coal and electricity production, and the development of the manufacturing industry.
Today, Pavlodar region has a high industrial potential with a diversified agriculture that provides the country with most of the essential products.
Culture and Art
The Pavlodar region has a great cultural potential. There are hundreds of libraries, two professional theaters, dozens of museums, and many historical and architectural monuments. The largest libraries of Pavlodar are the Toraighyrov Regional Library, the Republican Scientific and Technical Library, the Regional Special Library for Blind and Visually Impaired Citizens, the P. Vasiliev Central Library, the A. Gaidar Central Library for Children, the Network of Central Libraries of Pavlodar, the National Book Library, the Library of Kazakh Literature and 12 large libraries in the region.
Currently, the Toraighyrov Library is one of the best libraries in the country. Its funds hold hundreds of educational, scientific, artistic and local history literature of the Pavlodar region. During the year, 32 thousand people visit the library gaining access to 900 thousand copies of magazines and books. To date, the library consists of 14 departments working on information and library services, and culture and education.
Museums
The Pavlodar Regional Museum of History and Local Lore was established in 1942 as part of the regional branch of the Kazakhstan Scientific Society. In 1959, the museum was named after G. Potanin.
This cultural institution in Pavlodar commenced its work in the trying years of the Great Patriotic War. The Zhambyl Kazakh State Philharmonic gradually began to open its branches in regional centers. Authorized representatives of the Kazakh State Philharmonic have been appointed.
So, in April 1946, the branch of the Kazakh Philharmonic was reorganized into the Pavlodar Concert and Variety Bureau.
The D. P. Bagaev Memorial House-Museum was opened on January 30, 2001. The museum consists of eight halls containing exhibits on history and culture of the region. The museum includes archaeological, paleontological, ethnographic, numismatic, photographic, documentary, natural science, industrial, and weapons collections.
This museum is a branch of the G. Potanin Pavlodar Regional Museum of Local Lore. A local historian, chronicler of the Pavlodar region, founder and first director of the regional Museum of Local Lore, famous photographer Dmitry Bagaev who lived and worked not only from Kazakhstan, but also abroad. This is the only memorial museum in Pavlodar and the only photographer's museum in Kazakhstan. The museum consists of a complex: a three-room house, an unusual photo pavilion, a nature reserve. The museum's exposition presents the items of the master of the early twentieth century, photographic equipment of the past years and, importantly, photographs reflecting the history of the region.
Shamsutdinova House of Music Art
Maira Shamsutdinova House of Music Art is a branch of the G. Potanin Pavlodar Regional Museum of Local Lore. The museum opened on January 30, 2011. The museum consists of two halls. The first exhibition hall introduces visitors to the life and work of the famous singer and composer of the 20s of the last century Maira Shamsutdinova. It exhibits documents and photographs describing the life and creative path of the singer. Museum visitors are particularly interested in Maira's personal belongings: a large cup and her red silk robe. There is also Kazyna Subekova’s harmonica dated 1916 on display in the hall. In the same hall, another unusual exhibit attracts the attention of visitors. This is a large oven, popularly called “kontramarka”.
Pavlodar Regional Art Museum
The Pavlodar Regional Art Museum was opened in 1964. This is the second art museum founded in Kazakhstan. Before that, such a museum was only the G. T. Shevchenko Kazakh State Art Gallery in Almaty. On December 18, 1965, the museum opened to the public. At that time, there were 369 exhibits. In 1979, the museum moved to a new building where it is located to this day. The Pavlodar Regional Art Museum has a unique collection of works of art, graphics, sculpture, decorative and applied art. There are more than 5,500 exhibits in the museum's collection. Every year, the museum presents more than 15 expositions.
Bukhar Zhyrau Museum of Literature and Art
The Bukhar Zhyrau Museum of Literature and Art was opened in 1992. The museum's exposition is located in eight halls.
Pavel Vasiliev Memorial House
The grand opening of the Pavel Vasiliev Memorial House took place on December 23, 1994, in honor of the birthday of Pavel Vasiliev. Most of the exhibits of the new museum were ordered by E.A. Vyalova, the daughter of the poet N.P. Furman, and her brother V.N. Vasiliev. In subsequent years, the Memorial House’s fund was replenished with documents and materials shedding light on the life and work of not only Pavel Vasiliev, but also his contemporaries. Pavlodar residents call the Memorial House the “Vasiliev Reserve”, and the museum hosts literary and musical evenings for poetry lovers, meetings with famous writers, and meetings of the Literary Society named after Pavel Vasiliev. The Memorial House had guests from the U.S., France, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. The works of Pavel Vasiliev have been translated into many languages.
Shafer's House
Shafer's House is the only gramophone museum in Kazakhstan. It was opened on February 21, 2001 to display the unique collection of Naum Shafer, professor of the Pavlodar State Pedagogical Institute, musicologist, researcher of I. Dunayevsky, musician. The collection includes 25,000 records, 1,500 tape reels and 1,500 audio cassettes. There are more than 500,000 cards in the card index (sorted by musicians and performers). On Fridays, the Shafer House concert hall hosts recording evenings and literary and musical evenings with the participation of Pavlodar writers, musicians, and artists.
The region also has the Museum of Local History in Ekibastuz, the Museum of Local History in Aksu, and K. Satpayev Memorial Museum.
The Aimauytov Regional Drama Theater and the Chekhov Drama Theater are one of the largest theaters in Pavlodar. The creative director of the theater is Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, member of the Board of the Union of Theatrical Figures of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences Viktor Avvakumov.
Chekhov Drama Theater is the largest theater in Pavlodar. Theater puts on performances of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, Chekhov’s “The Seagull”', and Patrick Gabridge’s “Ship of Fools” and others. The Pavlodar Regional Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater named after Aimauytov opened on April 1, 1990. Director is Manap Mukhtarkhan, Honored Artist of the Kazakh SSR, graduate of the Moscow Theater School named after M. S. Shchelkin. The current repertoire of the theater consists of 78 performances. From 2007 to 2011, the theater staged 35 new performances. The theater puts on 7 performances a year.
The history of the Promen Theater begins in the Catholic church of Pavlodar in a theater club run by nuns from 2000 to 2003 and by Olga Derkulskaya and Denis Averyanov since 2003. On January 5, 2009, Promen moved to the Community Center where it remains to this day.
Recreation and Concerts
Astana Ice Palace
The Astana Ice Palace is a unique building with an area of 1,800 square meters. It provides an artificial skating rink for 250 skaters. The surface of artificial ice is covered with a unique polymer so that the rink can be used as a sports hall for basketball, volleyball, and other competitions. The capacity of the hall is 2,800 people.
The House of Friendship was opened in the fall of 2008 in Pavlodar. The House of Friendship was coveted by all ethno-cultural formations of the Regional Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. The opening ceremony was attended by the President Nursultan Nazarbayev. All ethno-cultural associations of the city and the region are located here.
The Shanyrak Cultural and Leisure Center is the regional center of folk art of the Department of Culture of the Pavlodar region.
Pavlodar also has the Estay Palace of Culture, Dostyk Concert Hall, the Kolos children's cultural and leisure center and 3D Cinema named after Shaken Aimanov which is a three-room cinema equipped with a projection system and DOLBY DIGITAL sound system. Pavlodar residents especially respect the monuments of history and culture of their people. Many of them are located in Pavlodar, the regional center on the banks of the Irtysh, the largest river in Kazakhstan. The wide streets of the city, parks and alleys, flower beds and fountains are charmingly beautiful. The city is clean and comfortable. The attractions include natural, historical, architectural and religious buildings. The Pavlodar region is rich in both archaeological monuments (there are many sites, burial grounds, burial mounds, settlements in the region) and cultural recreation places.
Mountains of Bayanaul are the natural gardens combining beauty and nature. Tourist trails and the citizens will introduce you to the unique beautiful natural garden of Kazakhstan. The Bayanaul region is associated with the name of the Kazakh Juliet, a beautiful Kazakh girl who inspired a popular lyrical poem. 21 thousand square kilometers of land are named after the girl. According to Shokan Ualikhanov, the word Bayanaul (Bayan-Ola) means Bayand region, happiness and good luck. The objects of republican significance include the caves of Dravert, Jug, Aulie and Konyraulie, Auliebulak and Teleubulak, the gorges of Aymanbulak, Rakhai and Ushsala. The Kyzyltau state reserve is located in the south-west of the Bayanaul district, in the north-east of Saryarka. The total area is 60,000 hectares. Rare animals are taken care of to protect their habitat.
Monument to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War
The 16-meter steel monument is visible from the City Garden of Culture and Recreation in a wide lane. This monument was opened on May 8, 1970 as a tribute to the soldiers who did not return to the Ukrainian National Army on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Victory. The monument is depicted as a stele of many silver threads. A plate with a lily of the valley and a thank you inscription is attached to its front side.
Monument to Sultanmakhmut Toraighyrov
In 2000, a monument to the poet Sultanmakhmut Toraighyrov was erected in front of the Art Museum of Pavlodar and facing Toraighyrov Street.
In 2009, the Satpayev monument was erected and moved along Satpayev Street, 150 meters to the fountains. The Sculptor is an E. Sergebaev. The city also has a T-34 tank on a pedestal.
The Memorial of Glory was installed in Pavlodar in 1975 (on May 1st Street). The monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union K. Kamzin was erected in 1979 in Pavlodar at the intersection of Kamzin – Tolstoy streets.
Climate
Most of the Pavlodar region is located in the south of the West Siberian Plain in the middle reaches of the Irtysh River. The southwestern part of the region is located on Saryarka, or Kazakh Uplands.
The main water source is the Irtysh River, which flows from the southeast to the northwest of the region.
There are 140 small rivers in the region. The main source of drinking water for the region and the region of Northern and Central Kazakhstan as a whole is the Irtysh-Karaganda canal, which originates in the vicinity of Aksu.
The climate of the Pavlodar region is sharply continental with long cold winters and short but rather hot summers.
The Pavlodar region occupies a leading position in the mineral reserves of Kazakhstan. Most of the mineral reserves are of national importance. There are 142 deposits with proven mineral reserves in the region, with coal reserves (35.7% of the national balance sheet), table salt, nickel, gold, copper, and molybdenum.
Economy
The Pavlodar region has a diversified economy. 7.3% of the country's industrial production is located here. In 2015, industrial production amounted to 1.031 trillion tenge, ranking the fifth in the country.
In the economic structure of the region, priority is given to industry, 35.0%. Manufacturing industry – 24.2%, energy - 7.5%, mining industry – 2.7%.
The region accounts for 59.5% of coal mined in the country, 73.7% of ferroalloy production, 43.3% of gasoline and 99.9% of alumina and raw aluminum.
Kazakhstan Electrolysis Plant, Aluminum of Kazakhstan, Kazchrome, Bogatyr Access Komir, Eurasian Energy Corporation, and Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant are among the largest enterprises in the region.
The gross output of agriculture in the region is 128.4 billion tenge. The share of 36% falls on cattle breeding, followed by potato cultivation - 16.3% and grain crops - 8.8%.
The transport potential of the region is very strong. The South Siberian and Central Siberian railways and four major highways pass through the region. Shipping is well developed in the Irtysh region, and there is a well-functioning international airport.
There is a Pavlodar Special Economic Zone in the region with the main function to introduce a new export-oriented production. Currently, five projects are being actively implemented in the free economic zone.
The main trading partners of the region are Russia, China, Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy.
Tourism
The Pavlodar region has a vast potential to attract a variety of tourists.
The region is distinguished by its diverse and pristine nature.
First of all, it is worth noting the Bayanaul State National Park, which, bedies its beautiful nature, provides ethnographic and archaeological sites.
Tourists can visit the memorial museum of the famous geologist, academician Kanysh Satpayev. There are sections dedicated to famous figures of the region, philosopher Mashhur Zhusup Kopey, singer Zhayau Musa Bayzhanov, poet Sultanmakhmut Toraighyrov, archaeologist Alkey Margulan, film director Shaken Aimanov.
The natural attractions of the region include the Kyzyltau State Zoological Reserve, the Irtysh Forest Natural Forest Reserve, the Goose Flight Natural Paleontological Monument, and the Irtysh River Valley nature reserve.
The region’s industry is considered a tourist attraction. In Ekibastuz, there is a quarry of Bogatyr Access Komir with a width of 5 kilometers and a depth of 300 meters. There visitors can observe a giant excavator with a rotor up to 11 meters, shown through world-famous TV channels, as well as the chimney of Ekibastuz GRES-2 (420 m), listed in the Book of Records as the tallest chimney in the world.
Tourists arriving in the region can visit the mausoleums of Mashhur Zhusup Kopey, Isabek Ishan Hazrat, Gabduluahit Hazrat, and Konyr Aulie Cave.