Balashikha () is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is on the Pekhorka River east of the Moscow Ring Road.
Name origin
In Finno-Ugric languages, Bala-shika means land of celebrations, land of laughter and fun. Finnic peoples lived in this area before Slavs.
Geography
The city is known for its unique river and waterway system. The Pekhorka River system covers an area of from north to south and from east to west. Many small lakes and ponds were created by damming to provide water power for the cotton mills in the 19th century.
History
Balashikha was established in 1830. It was given town status in 1939.
The city is on the famous Vladimir Highway. This was the route that convicted criminals were forced to take to get to labor camps in Siberia.
Military
Balashikha is the site of a large Russian Army base. It was closed to foreigners during the Soviet era. It was the headquarters of the 1st Corps of the Soviet Air Defense Forces and is now to become the headquarters of the Operational-Strategic Command for Missile-Space Defense. Balashikha is also a base for ODON (Internal security division). Balashikha is home to Military Unit 35690, which is a training facility used by the Federal Security Service.
Notable people
Yuri Lyapkin (born 1945), ice hockey player
Nikolay Baskov, tenor singer
Dmitry Klokov, Honored Master of Sports in weightlifting
Andrey Kuznetsov, tennis player
Artyom Avanesyan, Armenian footballer
Twin towns – sister cities
Balashikha is twinned with: