Kusa, human settlement in Kusinsky District, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia
Kusa is a small town in Chelyabinsk Region in southern Urals located on the right bank of the Ai River. The town originated as an iron smelting center with a foundry that later became known for artistic cast iron products.
The town was founded in 1778 when industrialists built an iron smelting operation with a dam and workshops on the Kusa River. In the 19th century it developed into a center for artistic cast iron manufacturing and won awards at international exhibitions.
The name Kusa comes from the Kusa River, whose name derives from Turkic or Iranian roots meaning to wander or settlement. The city still reflects its industrial past through buildings and monuments that mark its historical role as a center for artistic cast iron production.
The town sits on a railway line and is accessible by car via the M5 highway passing through Zlatoust. Visitors find a museum in the cultural palace in the center, monuments scattered through the neighborhoods, and the Argus rock formation on the Ai River accessible on foot or a short drive.
An abandoned statue of Stalin was recovered from the bottom of a dried reservoir in 2018 and restored and placed on private grounds in 2020. This unusual discovery reveals the city's complex relationship with its Soviet past.
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