Engels, Industrial center on Volga River, Russia
Engels sits on the left bank of the Volga opposite Saratov and is a city with residential neighborhoods, factory complexes and warehouses stretching several kilometers along the river. The main streets run parallel to the waterfront, while cross streets connect the different districts.
The settlement began in 1747 as Pokrovskaya sloboda and grew into a center for German immigrants along the Volga. Between 1922 and 1941 it served as the capital of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
The place was named after the German philosopher whose connection to the Russian revolutionary movement remains visible through street names and public monuments. Today most residents speak Russian, though the German past is still recognizable in the architecture of some older churches and houses.
The city center is walkable, with most facilities located near the waterfront road. Visitors coming from Saratov on the opposite bank cross the bridge and reach the city directly via the main road.
The road bridge opened in 1965 was one of the longest in the entire Soviet Union at the time. To this day thousands of commuters use this link daily to travel between both sides of the Volga.
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