Korolyov (city)

Korolyov (city)
Name	Korolyov
Native name	Королёв
Coordinates	55, 55, N, 37...
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Russia
Subdivision type1	Federal subject
Subdivision name1	Moscow Oblast
Established title	Founded
Established date	1938
Leader title	Head
Leader name	Alexander Khodyrev
Area total km2	55.47
Population total	221797
Population as of	2010 Census
Timezone	Moscow Time

Korolyov (city). Korolyov is a major scientific city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, renowned globally as the historic center of the Soviet and Russian space program. Located northeast of Moscow, it is administratively part of the Moscow Oblast and is often called the "cradle of cosmonautics" due to its concentration of leading aerospace design bureaus. The city's identity is inextricably linked to the legacy of chief designer Sergei Korolev, for whom it was renamed in 1996, and it remains a closed city due to its strategic defense and space industry significance.

History

The area's modern history began with the establishment of a settlement around the Podlipki dachas in the late 19th century. In 1938, it was granted town status as Kaliningrad, named after Soviet leader Mikhail Kalinin, and became a center for artillery research. Following World War II, it was chosen as the headquarters for the nascent Soviet rocket program, with NII-88 (later TsNIIMash) established there under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. This institution, along with the adjacent OKB-1 design bureau, directed landmark achievements like the launch of Sputnik 1 and the flight of Yuri Gagarin. The city was renamed Korolyov by decree of Boris Yeltsin in 1996 to honor its chief designer, cementing its place in the history of the Space Race and the Cold War.

Geography

Korolyov is situated approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the center of Moscow, within the Moscow Oblast. It lies on the Klyazma River, a tributary of the Oka River, and is part of the broader Moscow metropolitan area. The city borders the Losiny Ostrov National Park to the south, one of the world's largest urban forests. Its topography is characterized by the flat plains typical of the Meshchera Lowlands, and it is well-connected by rail and road to the capital and other key settlements in the region like Mytishchi and Shchyolkovo.

Economy and industry

The economy of Korolyov is overwhelmingly dominated by the aerospace, defense, and high-technology sectors. It is the headquarters of RSC Energia, the prime contractor for the Russian segment of the International Space Station and the developer of the Soyuz spacecraft and Progress spacecraft. Other major enterprises include the Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash), the main research center for Roscosmos, and the Kompozit corporation specializing in advanced materials. The presence of these entities has fostered a cluster of supporting scientific, engineering, and software development firms, making it a critical node in Russia's military-industrial complex and space industry.

Culture and education

Cultural life in Korolyov is deeply infused with its space heritage, featuring institutions like the Korolyov Memorial House Museum and the RSC Energia Museum. The city hosts the annual City Day celebrations which prominently feature aerospace themes. Key educational institutions include branches of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University and the Moscow State University of Technology and Management, which train specialists for the local industries. The city also maintains several palaces of culture, theaters such as the Korolyov Drama Theatre, and numerous monuments dedicated to figures like Sergei Korolev, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and Yuri Gagarin.

Transportation

Korolyov is served by the Yaroslavsky railway line, with major stations including Podlipki-Dachnye and Bolshevo, providing frequent elektrichka commuter service to Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow. The city is connected to the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) and major highways like the M8 highway (Kholmogory). Public transportation within the city consists of an extensive network of buses and marshrutkas (fixed-route minibuses). While there is no Moscow Metro station within the city limits, the nearby VDNKh (Moscow Metro) and Medvedkovo (Moscow Metro) stations are accessible via bus connections.

Notable people

Many prominent figures in science and cosmonautics have lived and worked in Korolyov. Foremost among them is Sergei Korolev, the pioneering chief designer of the Soviet space program. Cosmonauts associated with the city include Alexei Leonov, the first person to conduct a spacewalk, and Svetlana Savitskaya, the first woman to perform a spacewalk. Other notable residents have been rocket engineers like Valentin Glushko, founder of the Energia (corporation) design bureau, and scientist Mstislav Keldysh, a former president of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

Category:Cities and towns in Moscow Oblast Category:Science cities in Russia Category:Closed cities in Russia