Barnaul
Barnaul was founded by the family of Demidov, who intended to develop the production of copper and silver of Russia, which continued after the factories were taken over by the Crown of Russia. Barnaul became a major center of silver in Russia. Barnaul's city status was founded in 1771. In 1738 a silver-refining works was established and Barnaul became the original hub of the Altai mining region of Russia. It was a major trade centre in 1850. Barnaul has good communications by Ob River, by the South Siberian, Turk-Sib, and Omsk-Barnaul railways, and by roads to the Kolyvan-Rubtsovsk mining area and Novosibirsk. As a result after that, its industrial importance has increased and its range of products grown wider. Barnaul's engineering industries produce boilers, presses, diesel motors, and radios; other industries make cotton textiles, chemical fibres, cellophane, tires, and lumber and forest products. There is also a range of consumer-goods industries. Barnaul has a research institute of agriculture, livestock husbandry, institutes for engineering, teacher training, and medicine.