How did Svetlogorsk, the most German of Russian cities, appear?

If you ask yourself how I would get a job in the city with 3 million rubles, then I myself am interested in how this could be done in Svetlogorsk (Kaliningrad region). After all, it is endowed with the status of a “resort city”, and all resorts, as you know, have not only great “advantages”, but also no less “minuses”.

Let's work together to try to get a family of three: dad, mom, child - to get permanent residence in Svetlogorsk.

Svetlogorsk, water tower-mud baths. Photo by vetcka (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/vetcka)

A little bit of history

It is clear that all the cities in the Kaliningrad region were previously German, so they all have names “before” and “after”. Svetlogorsk was called “Rauschen” (Rauschen - “murmur”, “ring” in German). It was (and still is) considered a hospital, a health resort. The sea, pine forests, climate, air, mineral and mud springs, lack of industrial production - all this makes the city truly unique in environmental terms.

Considering that at one time the city was surrendered without a fight, here, in some places, the indescribable flavor of German architecture of the last century has been preserved.

Economy

Winding of heat-resistant Arselon thread produced by OJSC SvetlogorskKhimvolokno.
Largest enterprises:

• OJSC "SvetlogorskKhimvolokno"
• Svetlogorsk Pulp and Cardboard Mill (SPCC) bleached sulphate pulp plant (new)

The Svetlogorsk Machine-Building Plant is located in the village of Sosnovy Bor, 15 km south of Svetlogorsk[41].

Looking closely: The location of the city. Conditions

Of course, history is good, but I have 3 million rubles in my pocket and I have to arrange my life here, which does not consist only of admiring the sea and inhaling the tart pine aroma.

The city is located 37 km north of the regional center on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Transport connections: train, bus, minibuses. The duration of the trip is from 45 minutes. by minibus up to 1 hour. 10 min. railway transport. Ticket price: 62 rubles/70 rubles one way. A new high-speed highway, the Primorskoe Ring, also approaches Svetlogorsk, which connects Kaliningrad with resort cities. The permitted speed here is 110 km/h and you can sometimes get to Svetlogorsk in your car in 13 minutes on a weekday. In the summer, in the heat, such “happiness”, of course, does not happen - there is too much vacationer flow.

Svetlogorsk is the center of the municipality, which includes seven more nearby settlements: Otradnoye, Primorye, Donskoye - these are more or less “large”, with a population of 1 thousand to 3 thousand people, located up to 10 km from the city. Svetlogorsk itself is home to 12 thousand people.

The city is divided into two, as it were, “sub-cities”: Svetlogorsk -1 and Svetlogorsk - 2. Stopping points on public transport are also called, and the ticket prices are different: Svetlogorsk-2 is a little more expensive - it is the final, dead-end station. For reference: a monthly train pass costs 2,200 rubles.

Content

• 1 Geography 1.1 Ecology

Svetlogorsk-1

Svetlogorsk-1 station, Kaliningrad region. Photo by maslopoop (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/maslopoop)

If you look at the map, then that part of the city that is located to the left of the railway line and the city’s central Lake Tikhoe is Svetlogorsk-1. If you enter the city by car, then this will be the first thing you come across after the sign "Svetlogorsk". This part can be called the industrial center of the resort. It is here that active construction work is being carried out to expand the city; more than half of the city’s infrastructure is located here: kindergartens, schools, new buildings. There is also a new sports and recreation complex “Svetlogorsky” with an ice skating rink, a swimming pool and all sorts of other additions: saunas, indoor volleyball and basketball courts, billiards, a cinema. Indeed, a very cool center for such a small town. Even from Kaliningrad people come here, especially in winter: to take a walk along the winter embankment and to the sauna, then to the cinema. In summer, on the contrary, you can “get fried” on the sea sand and go ice skating. By the way, the cost of an hour at the skating rink is 150 rubles, renting skates is 70 rubles.

In Svetlogorsk-1 there is General Education School No. 1 - it is also the last one. Yes, there is only one school for 12 thousand people. The first classes are staffed by 30 people, teaching in two shifts. There are 7 kindergartens. Average cost in government Preschool educational institution - from 1200 rubles. up to 1800 rub. / month This is if my child does not attend additional classes - a separate fee is charged for this. Older children can be sent to a sports school, a dance studio - some “circles” are financed from the municipal budget, so the parental fee will be purely symbolic. But studying at an art school will require constant investment.

Also here, in Svetlogorsk-1, there are all sorts of shops and shops from the Victoria supermarket to stalls with household chemicals and a laundry. It’s difficult to calculate the grocery basket now, but on average, per month for a family of three people, it would cost me 12,000 - 15,000 rubles here.

Residential building in Svetlogorsk-1. Photo by westmeister (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/westmeister)

The housing in this part is varied, consisting of old pre-war private houses - 20%, Soviet-built houses - 40% and new buildings - high-rise buildings - 30%, modern cottages - 10%. It is clear that in a resort town the cost of housing will be tied to the distance from the sea. But here, too, not everything is so simple. For example: a two-room apartment in a five-story building in Svetlogorsk 1 on the street. Prigorodnaya, Pionerskaya, (20 min walk from the sea), costs up to 3 million rubles, and a “gray key” in new buildings: “Golden Sands” or “Alpen Park” (40-50 min walk) from 3 million rubles. and higher. The following principles work here: 1. I live in a resort town, in a new apartment, next to a pine forest, a little far from the sea, but I can walk. Or 2. I live in a resort town, in an old “Khrushcheb”, next to the railway line, but the sea is just a piece of cake for me.

But I noticed that for those who live in the city permanently, the sea is gradually disappearing as a criterion for attractiveness. It is indicated as a “plus” only when they want to sell their home. Rent a one-room apartment of 35 sq.m. will cost from 15,000 rubles.

Authorities

Representative body

is
the Svetlogorsk District Council of Deputies
.
It consists of 40 people and is elected by residents in single-member constituencies. The term of office is 4 years. The Council of Deputies of the 28th convocation was elected on February 18, 2022. The chairman of the council is Lyudmila Filippovna Velichko. The executive and administrative authority
is
the Svetlogorsk District Executive Committee
. On September 14, 2022, the President of the Republic of Belarus agreed to the appointment of Dmitry Vadimovich Aleinikov as chairman of the Svetlogorsk regional executive committee.

Svetlogorsk - 2

Svetlogorsk-2. Collage of landmarks. Photo by iren.koroleva2012 (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/iren-koroleva2012)

This part, in fact, is the resort itself - everything here is focused on the recreation industry. It is full of boarding houses, hotels, restaurants, cafes and more. But there are no schools or kindergartens here - there are a couple of private ones.

Housing is expensive: for example, a two-room apartment of 60 sq. m. in a new building it will cost about 5 million rubles. But it happens that you might get lucky and be able to buy something for 2 million - 2.5 million rubles in an old, still German housing stock.

Renting housing in this part of Svetlogorsk is a pleasure for visiting holidaymakers. The cost is usually charged daily: from 2300 rubles. up to 4000 rub. If you rent for a long time, then the average price for a two-room apartment will be from 20,000 rubles. up to 50,000 rub/month. In winter, prices drop by about 20%.

Rent, as a rule, includes housing and communal services. A gas pipeline has been laid in Svetlogorsk, the cost of natural gas per cubic meter. — 7.83 rub. The average amount for a communal apartment in the summer is 1,800 rubles. in winter −2600 rub. (with autonomous heating) - 5240 rubles (with central heating).

Work: where, by whom?

As I already indicated above - Svetlogorsk is a resort city - there are no industries here, so the job market is focused mainly on the service sector and seasonal services for vacationers. In the summer there is an increased demand for: waiters, cleaners, maids, sellers in tents, animators in children's health centers, cooks. Average salaries from 9500 rub. up to 20,000 rub.

The Kaliningrad region has big plans for Svetlogorsk, and there has been a bit of a construction boom going on lately. Therefore, specialists in this field are welcome: concrete workers, masons - 20,000 rubles, painters - 15,000 rubles, tilers - 18,000 rubles, forklift drivers - 18,000 rubles.

Medical workers in dispensaries and hospitals are in demand all year round: nurse - 9,500 rubles / 12,000 rubles, doctors of a narrow focus - 16,000 rubles.

In winter, when even mediocre shops close due to unprofitability, most of the population goes to work in Kaliningrad.

Priority expenses

So, I buy in Svetlogorsk, for example, an attic of 42 sq. m. on Kaliningradsky Prospekt in an old, two-story German house 500 meters from the sea. I’ll spend, say, 2,400,000 rubles on this. What are the advantages? Such houses, as a rule, are provided with a small plot of land (up to 4 acres). This will allow you to grow some greens and vegetables in the spring and summer, which will allow you to partially save on food. I will try to buy an apartment in the winter, when prices are lower, and I will move in the spring so that I have time to plant a vegetable garden.

Houses in Svetlogorsk. Photo by YampA (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/yampa)

• Registration of a purchase and sale transaction, obtaining a certificate of ownership, re-registration of gas equipment, personal accounts, registration will take approximately another 7,000 rubles from me.
• If I move from Russia, then delivery of a container with things will cost me about 40,000 rubles.
• Next, I will set aside money “for food” for a maximum period of 1 year - at the rate of 20,000 rubles / month - and to pay for housing and communal services (gas according to the meter) - 3,000 rubles / month. Taking into account inflation, I will do it this way: I will buy 1300 euros, 1500 dollars, and leave the rest in rubles. I may lose something, but I can also win. This means that I will subtract from the total amount the untouchable “reserve” - 280,000 rubles.
• I will do some minor repairs on my own, spending no more than 100,000 rubles on it.
• I will connect the Internet from: the connection itself is free, payment per month. — 500 rub. Per year - 6000 rubles.
• Mobile connection. "Megafon" - unlimited tariff. — 1000 rub./month. for two. Per year - 12,000 rubles.
• I won’t buy a car - at first, until we find a job and adapt, we don’t need it: it will only require additional maintenance costs. It’s better to buy three bicycles, spending 50,000 rubles on them. and special bicycle bags for them - about 4,000 rubles, a child's bicycle seat - 1,000 rubles. The mild climate in the city makes it possible to ride a bicycle almost all year round. In addition, this will allow you to take your child to kindergarten in Svetlogorsk-1, go shopping at the Victoria supermarket, and have picnics in nature. This leads to savings: on public transport (18 rubles for one trip around the city), by taxi (100 rubles around the city), on fitness (subscription about 3,000 rubles/month). I spend 55,000 rubles on bicycle transport.

As a result, 2.9 million rubles were spent. I have: 100,000 rubles left. You can relax.

Notes

1. Executive Committee Leadership
2. Decision of the Gomel Regional Council of Deputies dated September 27, 2011 No. 137 On establishing the boundaries of the city of Svetlogorsk, Gomel Region
3. ↑ 123
   Population as of January 1, 2022 and the average annual population for 2022 in the Republic of Belarus by regions, districts, cities, urban-type settlements (Russian). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus. Date accessed: July 9, 2022. Archived April 18, 2022.
4. Svetlogorsk - list of streets. (unspecified)
   (inaccessible link). Access date: September 19, 2009. Archived October 18, 2015.
5. ↑ 1 2
   Residents of Svetlogorsk fear a sharp deterioration in the environmental situation in the region (Russian).
   TUT.BY.
   _ Access date: June 27, 2022. Archived April 20, 2012.
6. Germanovich A.
   The authorities are trying to convince the population that the pulp plant stinks within normal limits (Russian) (January 10, 2018).
7. Why does Svetlogorsk stink again? Official response from the representative of the Central Control Commission (Russian). lovesun.by
   (July 31, 2018).
8. Vasilevskaya A.
   “The stench gets stronger every day.” The scandal over the plant in Svetlogorsk is gaining momentum, the director “does not smell” (Russian) (inaccessible link). TUT.BY (September 15, 2018). Date accessed: June 27, 2022. Archived November 5, 2022.
9. Germanovich A.
   “Smelly” plant in Svetlogorsk pours some nasty stuff into the lake (Russian) (January 21, 2019).
10. Objects from antiquity were found in Svetlogorsk inaccessible
    link). Access date: December 21, 2009. Archived March 4, 2016.
11. Rassadin S.E.
    About some finds of 2008 on Shatilinsky Island // Studies on the history of Eastern Europe: scientific collection. - Mn., 2008. - P. 234-236.
12. ↑ 12
    Zhuchkevich, 1974, p. 336.
13. From the history of Shatsilavich (unspecified)
    (inaccessible link). Access date: June 4, 2010. Archived April 11, 2012.
14. Maslyuko T.V.
    From the history of Shatsilavich // Gomelshchyna: old minutes. - Gomel, 1996. - pp. 22-26.
15. Belor. Shats is a good, beautiful place, in V.I. Dahl’s dictionary it means “a mountain of medium size.”
16. Kernazhytskiy K.
    Agrarian reform in the Babruisk eldership and the economic development of the population from the 17th to the 19th century. - Mn., 1931.
17. Shatsilavichs // The Great Principality of Lithuania: Encyclopedia. U 3 vol. - Mn., 2005. - T. 2. - P. 754. - ISBN 985-11-0378-0.
18. Blinova T. B.
    Babruisk Jesuit Residence // Encyclopedic history of Belarus. U 6 vol. - Mn., 1993. - T. 1. - P. 255. - ISBN 5-85700-074-2.
19. Maslyuko T. V.
    Attempted storage of cascel on Nizhnyaya Byarezina // Shatsilka's readings: materials of the 2nd historical conference (and 450-year-old Shatsilak) at Svetlagorsk, 15 beautiful 2 010 - Svetlagorsk, 2011. - P. 38-50.
20. Diecezja Wilenska, 1744 // Suwalskie Towarzystwo Genealogiczne im. prof. J. Wisniewskiego. (Polish)
21. ↑ 1 2 Duleba G. I., Kurylovich G. M.
    Svetlagorsk // Memory: Svetlagorsk. Svetlagorsk district. At 2 books. Book 2. - Mn., 2003. - P. 741-742. — ISBN 985-01-0255-1.
22. Recorded church of Svetlagorshchyny // Memory: Svetlagorsk. Svetlagorsk district. At 2 books. Book 1. - Mn., 2000. - P. 77-85. — ISBN 985-01-0254-3.
23. Jelski A.
    Szaciłki // Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich. - Warszawa, 1890. - S. 755.
24. Kishtymov A.
    Stages of railway construction in Belarus // Gistarychny Almanac. - 2002. - T. 7.
25. Stages of railway construction in Belarus (unspecified)
    (inaccessible link). Access date: June 2, 2010. Archived September 16, 2011.
26. Kaminski M. I., Pyatrosava A. Yu.
    Svetlagorsk // Collection of memories of the history and culture of Belarus. Gomel region. - Mn., 1985. - P. 334.
27. ↑ 1 2 Duleba G. I., Kurylovich G. M.
    Ab settlements that are no longer known and renamed // Memory: Svetlagorsk. Svetlagorsk district. At 2 books. Book 2. - Mn., 2003. - P. 742-748. — ISBN 985-01-0255-1.
28. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the BSSR dated July 29, 1961 “On the transformation of the urban village of Shatilki into a city of regional subordination and the renaming of the Parichsky district of the Gomel region.” (Russian) (inaccessible link). Access date: July 23, 2010. Archived December 24, 2013.
29. Ramantsov V.
    Known Land. - Mn., 2011. - P. 72-73. — ISBN 978-985-6906-52-0.
30. Khomich A. M., Rabyanok P. P.
    Svetlagorsk at the Ryshtavannyakh // Memory: Svetlagorsk. Svetlagorsk district. At 2 books. Book 2. - Mn., 2003. - P. 541-555. — ISBN 985-01-0255-1.
31. The actual population of cities and other settlements, districts, regional centers and large rural settlements as of January 15, 1959 by republic, territory and region. Byelorussian SSR. (Russian) (inaccessible link). Access date: June 6, 2010. Archived May 30, 2010.
32. Svetlogorsk // Brief geographical encyclopedia. - M., 1962. - T. 3.
33. ↑ 123
    Svetlagorsk // Belarusian Encyclopedia: U 18 vol. T. 14: Rele - Slayavina (Belarusian) / Editorial: G. P. Pashkov and others. - Mn.: BelEn, 2002. - P. 253. - 10,000 copies. — ISBN 985-11-0238-5.
34. Svetlogorsk
    - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
35. Svetlogorsk // Big Encyclopedic Dictionary (Russian). - 2000.
36. ↑ 123456
    Statistical yearbook of the Gomel region. - Mn.: National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, 2022. - P. 47.
37. Statistical yearbook of the Gomel region 2022.
38. Population as of January 1, 2022 for the Republic of Belarus by regions, districts, cities, urban-type settlements (Russian). National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus.
39. Demographic Yearbook, 2022, p. 164-166.
40. Demographic Yearbook, 2022, p. 157-174.
41. Shcherbakov Z.
    Svetlogorsk Machine-Building Plant wants to leave the Gomselmash holding (Russian) (inaccessible link). BelaPAN (June 18, 2015). Retrieved June 27, 2022. Archived June 27, 2022.
42. Svetlagorsk industrial technical school // Belarusian Encyclopedia: U 18 vol. T. 14: Relay - Slayavina (Belarus) / Editorial: G. P. Pashkov and others. - Mn.: BelEn, 2002. - P. 253. - 10,000 copies. — ISBN 985-11-0238-5.
43. https://svetlib.gomel.by/ (Russian) (undefined)
    . Access date: August 30, 2022.
44. ↑ 1 2
    toy museum of the world (Russian)
    (undefined)
    . Access date: August 30, 2022.
45. Ranak.me page with contact details (Russian) (undefined)
    .
46. Website page of the newspaper “Svetlagorskaya naviny” with contact information (Russian) (undefined)
    .
47. About the regionality of the site lovesun.by (Russian) (undefined)
    .
48. Svetlagorsk - parish of the Uzvyshennya Svyatoga Kryzha (Belarusian). Access date: June 27, 2010.
49. Hotel Svetoch (Russian). Housing and communal services of the Gomel region. Date of access: August 25, 2022. Archived September 15, 2016.
50. Hotel OJSC "SvetlogorskKhimvolokno" - OJSC "SvetlogorskKhimvolokno" (Russian). Date accessed: August 3, 2018.
51. Hotel ZhBIiK (Russian). Date accessed: August 25, 2022. Archived November 5, 2022.
52. A five-story hotel is up for auction in Svetlogorsk (Russian). Interfax-West (January 12, 2020).

Rest

Entertainment in Svetlogorsk is modest. Mostly walking along the embankment and visiting numerous cafes. The most inexpensive establishment, in my opinion, is “Blinnaya” on the street. Oktyabrskaya. Although for 1,500 rubles, for two, you can have a delicious meal in the “Fisherman’s House” on the promenade.

Walking along the promenade. Photo by literatura-301(https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/literatura-301)

I'm moving on...

Then my husband and I will register at the employment center on the street. Sirenevoy 1. At the same time, we will look for work on our own.

I am an accountant by training and can work from home remotely. There is no great demand for economists in this city, but I don’t mind radically changing my specialty: for example, I’ll get a job as a nanny in a kindergarten. The salary is 9,000 rubles, but there will be a chance to enroll your child in kindergarten without waiting in line. So simply, in the order of “general waiting”, it is unlikely that you will be able to get in quickly: although the child is already 5 years old.

My husband is a musician by training, but this job is only profitable in the summer. Despite the fact that the “Variety Theater” has already been built in Svetlogorsk, and even this year the first Maslyakov’s “Voting KiViN” will be held here, there are enough musicians in Svetlogorsk. Therefore, the husband will get his driver’s license with categories “B”, “C”, “D” and will get a job as a driver. For example, the driver of the minibus Svetlogorsk - Kaliningrad - z. p. 20,000 rub. This is quite hard work, so there is a constant demand for personnel here, but my husband will be able to visit the regional center every day for free, where he can buy some food or building materials cheaper than in Svetlogorsk.

Culture

Railway station (formed in 1915)
The city operates:

• State cultural institution “Svetlogorsk regional network of libraries”
  https://svetlib.gomel.by/ [43] provides users with free and equal access to library collections and information resources, provides library, information and reference and bibliographic services to users, taking into account their needs, organizes cultural and educational work aimed at meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of members of society.
  Library services to the population
  are provided by 26 libraries, including 7 city, 2 city, and 17 rural.
  There are 22 non-stationary library points, and 27 settlements are served through the library bus. are computerized
  , 26 have Internet access.
  Four libraries provide user services in an automated manner. Users of the Svetlogorsk regional network of libraries are more than 31 thousand people, including 15 thousand children. The number of visits annually is more than 300 thousand, the number of books issued is 500 thousand copies.
  388 thousand copies
  are available to users fund, self-generated databases, electronic catalog with a volume of 124 thousand records. Libraries provide access
  to information resources of the largest libraries of the republic: NLB, RSTL, Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences named after. Y. Kolas, Gomel Regional Library, as well as the possibility of using virtual reference services and electronic delivery of documents. The Svetlogorsk regional network of libraries is included in the partner organizations of the National Library of Belarus. Legal information support for users is provided by 6 Legal Information Centers. Library institutions provide 50 types of additional paid services. The work of 34 amateur associations is organized, 26 of which are for children. The number of members of club associations is more than 600 people.
• Museum of Toys of the World
  at the branch "City Children's Library No. 3" https://svetlib.gomel.by/toy-museum-of-the-world[44]
• Corner of Japanese culture
  at the branch of the "Children's District Network of Libraries" https://svetlib.gomel.by/japanese-c[44]orner/
• City Museum of History and Local Lore
• House of Crafts
• City Art Gallery "Tradition" named after. G. Pryanishnikova
• Svetlogorsk Cultural Center (SCC)
• House of Culture for Power Engineers (DKE)
• State cultural institution "Svetlogorsk Folk Art Center" (SCNT)

Alternative option

If we absolutely cannot find work at our place of residence, we will have to go to Kaliningrad to the fish processing plant on the street. Apple. They take everyone there. The work is hard. Salary - 18,000 rubles. Expenses for two per month: travel card to Kaliningrad - 4,400 rubles, a work bus takes you to your place of work from the station - 0 rubles, lunch at the company - 3,200 rubles. Total - conditionally net we will earn - 28,400 rubles. Of these, for food - 15,000 rubles, housing and communal services, Internet, mobile communications - 9,600 rubles. payment for kindergarten - 1400 rubles. Total: 26,000 rub. Remains free - 2400 rub.

Afterword

All these calculations are, of course, approximate and approximate. In a good way, I would buy an apartment in Svetlogorsk for the same 2,400,000 rubles, rent it out, find a job in Kaliningrad, and enter into shared-equity construction: now there are a lot of apartments for sale in new buildings in the suburbs of Kaliningrad for 850,000 rubles. In a year or two I would buy an apartment in Kaliningrad and then move permanently to Svetlogorsk. At the same time, already renting out Kaliningrad housing. Because life near the sea is, of course, great, but children grow up and they need entertainment, education, and career growth.