a city under oblast jurisdiction and administrative center of Podol’sk Raion, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR. Situated on the Pakhra River, a tributary of the Moskva, on the Moscow-Simferopol’ highway. Railroad station 43 km south of Moscow. Population, 183,000 in 1974 (72,000 in 1939; 129,000 in 1959).
Podol’sk was formed from the village of Podol, which in the 18th century belonged to the Danilov Monastery in Moscow. In 1781 it became a district capital. The Ul’ianov family lived there for a time, and V. I. Lenin visited the city several times. In 1900, Lenin conferred there with Social Democrats from Moscow and other cities about supporting the new newspaper Iskra.
Local industry has been developing since the late 19th century, when Podol’sk had a cement plant, a Singer sewing machine assembly plant, and other enterprises. Podol’sk is now a major industrial center of Moscow Oblast, with diverse industries, including the manufacture of sewing machines, steam boilers, petroleum refinery equipment, cables, and cement and other construction materials. Among the architectural monuments is the Troitskii Cathedral (1819–25), built in the Empire style. Intensive construction of residential and public buildings is under way. Podol’sk has a branch of the All-Union Correspondence Polytechnical Institute, industrial and construction technicums, and a medical school. The House-Museum of V. I. Lenin is also in the city. Podol’sk was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1971.