a city and center of Amur Oblast, RSFSR, located on the bank of the Amur, at its confluence with the Zeia River. Blagoveshchensk has a port, and it is the terminal on a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Population, 128,000 (1970; 59,000 in 1939). Major industrial enterprises include the Amurskii Metallist Plant, producing equipment for the mining and gold-extraction industries; the Amurelektropribor Plant, producing electric appliances; another electric appliances plant; a machine-repair plant; a repair-operation base and a shipyard; a paper mill; and furniture, garment, and match factories. It is also a center for processing agricultural raw materials, with a vodka distillery, vegetable oil mill, flour mill, and meat combine. There are institutes of agriculture, pedagogy, and medicine; the general technical department of the Khabarovsk Polytechnical Institute; and 12 specialized secondary schools.
Blagoveshchensk has a drama theater, a puppet theater, and a museum of local lore. The city was founded in 1856 as the Ust’-Zeia military post and was reorganized into a city in 1858. Blagoveshchensk has broad, straight, tree-lined streets. The center of the city is being rebuilt, and blocks of new houses are under construction northwest of the city.
a town and center of Blagoveshchensk Raion, Bashkir ASSR. It has a landing on the right bank of the Belaia River (tributary of the Kama), 48 km north of Ufa. Blagoveshchensk is crossed by the Ufa-Birsk-Ianaul motor highway. Population, 14,000 (1967). The town grew up around a small copper works begun in 1756, which was converted to iron casting and metal processing in the 19th century. There is also a fittings plant and a wire and nail factory. Blagoveshchensk has a pedagogical school.