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Barnaul| City in the Russian Federation, on the River Ob in southwestern Siberia, 210 km/130 mi south of Novosibirsk; population (2002) 600,700. Barnaul is the capital of Altai krai (territory) and its economic and cultural centre. There are large textile, engineering, chemical, and food industries in the city. |
| Founded in 1739 as a fortress and silver-smelting plant, Barnaul became a town in 1771 and for a century was the administrative centre of the Altai mining region. In the second half of the 19th century, it was the chief trading centre of the most important agricultural region in Siberia. The construction of the Turksib railway and relocation of industry here during World War II gave new impetus to its commercial development. |
| Barnaul contains the oldest local museum in Siberia, founded in 1823. |
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