Seversk

Seversk (Russian: Се́верск) is a closed city in Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) northwest of Tomsk on the right bank of the Tom River. Population: 108,590 (2010 Census); 109,106 (2002 Census);

History

Founded in 1949, it was known as Pyaty Pochtovy (Пя́тый Почто́вый, lit. the Fifth Postal) until 1954 and as Tomsk-7 (Томск-7) until 1992.^{[citation needed]} Town status was granted to it in 1956.^{[citation needed]}

Secret city

Central entry checkpoint

Seversk was a secret city in the Soviet Union until President Boris Yeltsin decreed in 1992 that such cities could use their historical names. The town appeared on no official maps until then. As it was the tradition with Soviet towns containing secret facilities, Tomsk-7 is actually a post office box number and implied that the place was located some distance from the city of Tomsk.

For many years, residents had restrictions on their ability to come and go from the city. Upon leaving Seversk, residents had to surrender their entry passes at the checkpoints and were forbidden from discussing where they worked or lived. However, in 1987 some restrictions were lifted due to the large number of residents who worked or studied in Tomsk.

Despite the order removing Seversk's secret status, the city still remains closed to non-residents. The city has six checkpoints where visitors must show entry documents. Permission to visit the city may only be granted by the appropriate authorities through the institution being visited, or through a private party such as a close relative. Prior to May 2007, visitors applied for entry passes at a special office in Tomsk. This regime has been modified and visitors apply for entry documents at the main checkpoint.

Tomsk-7 explosion

There was a nuclear accident at the Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex on April 6, 1993, when a tank exploded while being cleaned with nitric acid. The explosion released a cloud of radioactive gas. TIME magazine has identified the Tomsk-7 explosion as one of the 10 world's "worst nuclear disasters".

Culture

Nine municipal cultural and artistic institutions successfully work in Seversk, as well as four establishments of additional education for children of artistic and aesthetic focus and two organizations of other forms — a nonprofit organization "House of Culture in the name of N. Ostrovskiy" and a cinema called "Mir".