Historically a major center for
Volga Germans, the city was known jointly as Pokrovsk (Pokrovskaya
sloboda (until 1914), Pokrovsk (until 1931)) in
Russian and as Kosakenstadt in
German, until it was renamed after German
Marxist theoretician
Friedrich Engels in 1931. Engels served as the capital of the
Volga German ASSR from 1918 until its abolition in 1941.
History
What would become the city was founded as a
sloboda named Pokrovskaya Sloboda by
UkrainianChumak settlers in 1747. During the reign of
Catherine the Great, ethnic
Germans were encouraged to settle in the
Volga region and many moved into the town, making it a major center of the
Volga German culture. It was granted official town status and renamed Pokrovsk (Покровск) in 1914.[9] At that time, the town was commonly known as Kosakenstadt ("
Cossacks' Town") in
German, alongside its official Russian name. During the
Russian Civil War, the region came under control of the
BolshevikRussian SFSR, and in 1918 it became the capital of the newly established
Volga German ASSR within the Russian SFSR. Pokrovsk/Kosakenstadt was renamed Engels in 1931[citation needed], after German communist philosopher
Friedrich Engels. The Volga German ASSR was abolished in 1941 with the
German invasion of Russia serving as a pretext, and the city became part of
Saratov Oblast. Its German inhabitants suffered persecution as Soviet authorities accused them of being
spies for
Nazi Germany. All Germans were
deported from Engels, with most being sent to far away in
Siberia and the
Kazakh SSR. On August 26, 2011, a monument in honor of the
Russian-German victims of repression within the
Soviet Union was unveiled in the city.
Engels is an industrial city. The
Trolza factory manufactures
trolleybuses for Russia's public transportation networks. The Engelssky factory of transport mechanical engineering produces rolling stock for railways. The Bosch-Saratov plant, previously Autotractor Spark Plugs, produces spark plugs, and the German
Henkel company operates a factory producing domestic
laundry detergent and chemical products for the auto-industry. The Engelssky pipe factory makes steel electro-welded pipes, steel water pipeline, and profile pipes.
In August 2015, a prototype 1520 mm gauge
Bombardier Traxx F120MS locomotive was unveiled at a ceremony to mark the inauguration of First Locomotive Company's factory at Engels.[11]
Саратовская областная Дума. Закон №46-ЗСО от 2 июня 2005 г. «Устав (Основной Закон) Саратовской области», в ред. Закона №54-ЗСО от 28 апреля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Устав (Основной Закон) Саратовской области». Вступил в силу после официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Неделя области", Спецвыпуск, №38 (156), 4 июня 2005 г. (Saratov Oblast Duma. Law #46-ZSO of June 2, 2005 Charter (Basic Law) of Saratov Oblast, as amended by the Law #54-ZSO of April 28, 2015 On Amending the Charter (Basic Law) of Saratov Oblast. Effective as of after the official publication.).
Саратовская областная Дума. Закон №79-ЗСО от 23 декабря 2004 г «О городских округах». Вступил в силу с 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Саратов — столица Поволжья", №264 (1215), 24 декабря 2004 г. (Saratov Oblast Duma. Law #79-ZSO of December 23, 2004 On the Urban Okrugs. Effective as of January 1, 2005.).
Саратовская областная Дума. Закон №106-ЗСО от 27 декабря 2004 г. «О муниципальных образованиях, входящих в состав Энгельсского муниципального района», в ред. Закона №71-ЗСО от 16 мая 2013 г. «О преобразовании Коминтерновского и Новопушкинского муниципальных образований Энгельсского муниципального района Саратовской области и о внесении изменений в Закон Саратовской области "О муниципальных образованиях, входящих в состав Энгельсского муниципального района"». Вступил в силу с 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Саратов — столица Поволжья", №7–8 (1230–1231), 18 января 2005 г. (Saratov Oblast Duma. Law #106-ZSO of December 27, 2004 On the Municipal Formations Constituting Engelssky Municipal District, as amended by the Law #71-ZSO of May 16, 2013 On the Transformation of Kominternovskoye and Novopushkinskoye Municipal Formations in Engelssky Municipal District of Saratov Oblast and on Amending the Law of Saratov Oblast "On the Municipal Formations Constituting Engelssky Municipal District". Effective as of January 1, 2005.).