Zhigulevsk.

Zhigulevsk is situated on the right bank of Volga in northern part of Samarskaya Luka. With population of 62.5 thousand persons the city takes a territory in 60.7 km2.

Zhigulevsk borders on Togliatti and Stavropol district of the Samara region.

Zhigulevsk derived its name from Zhigulevskiye Mountains (Zhiguli) which surround the city. These Mountains known as Devi Gory until the end of XVIII century are now the unique museum of the nature, where the state natural park «Samarskaya Luka» has been formed.

Zhigulevskiye Mountains is a historical place. Here the outlaws of Yemelyan Pugachev, Stepan Razin and Fedor Sheludyak gathered. Some names keep the memory of these historical events: Sheludyak rock, Molodetsky barrow, Strelnaya mountain.

The history of the city began in 1952 when the settlement for workers built on a place of villages Morkvashi and Otvazhnoye have been transformed to a city of regional submission.

At that time development of the Devonian oil-field and construction of the Volga Hydroelectric Power Station named after V. Lenin (nowadays - Zhigulevsk Hydroelectric Power Station) was being conducted. This is what determined directions for the economic development of the city. The construction of the power station which was carried out by NKVD was finished in 1957. In 1950 - 1960th the large cement plant was constructed in village of Yablonevy Ovrag near Zhigulevsk.

In connection with building of the Volga Hydroelectric Power Station Zhigulevsk has been joined the Syzran railway hub and became one of parts of a ring road around Samarskaya Luka (Syzran-Zhigulevsk-Samara-Novokuybyshevsk-Chapaevsk-Oktyabrsk-Syzran). The city is connected with Moscow by railway; federal highway Moscow - Chelyabinsk runs also through Zhigulevsk.

Since 2006 Zhigulevsk has been a municipal entity given by the status of city district. The city district of Zhigulevsk includes such villages as Bakhilova Polyana, Zolnoe, Solnechnaya Polyana, Bogatyr, Shiryayevo and Yablonevy Ovrag which are located in most beautiful places of Samarskaya Luka.

In August of 2006 the whole territory of Samarskaya Luka, Zhigulevsk Nature Reserve, green belt in Togliatti and other vicinages were declared by UNESCO the biological reserve.

Among the sights of the city the Zhiguli Gate formed by mountains Tip-Tyav and Sernaya (the highest point of east Zhiguli), the mysterious Perevoloksky rocks, mountains Shishka and Mogutovaya which are rich in history and well-known house museum of Ilya Repin in village of Shiryayevo deserve a special attention.

Besides, Zhigulevsk is proud of its sportsmen. There is a strong boxing school in the city, its representatives have become Olympic champions, as well as champions of Russia, Europe and world (for example, Oleg Saitov who has got the gold both in 1996 and 2000, and bronze in 2004).

So, modern Zhigulevsk is the unique city abundant with primary resources and very picturesque nature.