Karaganda, Industrial metropolis in Central Kazakhstan
Karaganda is a city in the Qaraghandy region of central Kazakhstan, spreading across a large steppe area. The urban structure divides into the organized New Town and scattered Old Town districts.
A small mining settlement from 1856 grew into a major industrial site during World War II when production facilities relocated from the occupied Donets Basin. The city then developed into an important coal and metallurgy center of the Soviet Union.
The Miners' Palace of Culture hosts theater, concerts and exhibitions in a building that reflects the city's ties to mining. The institution organizes regular events that visitors can experience and which shape local identity.
The city experiences extreme temperature shifts with hot summers and very cold winters, so travelers should bring clothing for both conditions. The New Town offers easier navigation than the scattered older areas that spread across wide distances.
Cosmonauts land in the surrounding area after return missions from space and spend their first days of recovery here. The region supported the return of Valentina Tereshkova after her spaceflight in 1963, among others.
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