Rezh is a town on the eastern side of the Middle Ural area, located 83 km north-east of Ekaterinburg.

The town took its name after the Rezh river that is located at the confluence of the Ayat and Bolshoy Sap rivers.

The area of the town is 198 square km.

Rezh is the smallest town in Ural and a typical factory town.

In May 22nd 1773 manufacturer Savva Yakovlev was allowed to build a factory producing iron and cast iron on the Rezh river. This event is considered to be the date of the town foundation.

By Savva Yakovlev’s efforts the factory became the largest and the most modern in Ural. The settlement grew together with the development of the factory. According to the census of the population of 1897, the population of the settlement was 6045 citizens. In 1916 Rezh became a railway station on the Ekaterinburg-Yegorshino railway.

Monument to the city founders

In 1933 a typical rural settlement Rezh became a factory settlement. Further development of the town was firstly connected with the growth of new factories such as a nickel factory. In February 5th 1943 the factory settlement got the town status.

With the development of Rezh three town centers and community areas appeared. The nickel factory built and developed the “Gavan” neighborhood, chemical factory – the “Bistrinsky” neighborhood, mechanical plant – the “Sem Vetrov” neighborhood.

In 1995 a state nature reserve “Rezhevskoy” was established in the Sverdlovsk region. Unique samples of minerals from Rezh deposits are exhibited in the Louvre and in museums of London, Rome and Venice.

Rezh achieved worldwide fame for its mineral tourmaline. Such green minerals as beryl, chrysopra, tourmaline, serpentinite and uncommon green jasper are abundant in Rezh.

A palace of culture. This building is an example of a typical Soviet architecture style

The monuments of the first century in the history of Rezh are the building of the two-grade school, the Ioann-Predtechensky Monastery, the Epiphany Monastery. The second century in the history of the town is marked with the building of community centers “Gorizont” and “Metallurg”, the Statue of Rezh craftsmen – the founders of the town.

In 1991 the Ioann-Predtechensky Monastery on Orlovaya mountain was reconstructed. The Monastery of Saint John of Kronstadt with a Subbath school is also opened for visitors. Ancient wooden houses still remained in Rezh.

In 1960 the museum of history and literature was opened in Cheremisskoye village where more than 3000 books, letters, photos are exhibited.

View to Rezh from Orel Mountain, beginning of the XX century

A nature monument Kukuisky spring, the Pyat Bratyev rocks, a pond with many mountain springs are among the other places of interest.

Near the mouth of the Bobrovka river a race track for trucks and motocycles is built. In winter the snowmobile racing is held on the Rezhevsky pond.

The so-called "Plotinka" or city dam. On the right: a factory chimney. On the left: an old factory that was turned into museum.

Orlovaya mountain, the highest point of the town, is located on the right bank of the Rezh river. As the legend says the mountain is called after a robbers’ chief nicknamed Orel.

A lot of outstanding people known all over Russia lived in Rezh.

A craftsman Danila Zverev (1858-1936) from Koltashi village is one of them. He became the prototype of Trofim from one of the famous Ural writer Pavel Bazhov’s fairytales. And since 1993 one of the streets in Ekaterinburg is called after him. Another street is called after Lazar Lukin who was a commander of Red Army during the Civil War.

How to get to Rezh:

By train: Any suburban electric train that goes from the Railway Station to Egorshino direction, stop “Rezh”
By car: Rezhevsky highway, follow the road sign “Rezh” (Реж)
By bus: buses №№ 527, 527Э from the South Bus Terminal

Monument of labor, honor & glory in World War II

Information of the Rezh museum of history and literature is used