The Mountain Factory of Peter the Third

The Voskresensk copper-smelting plant was built in 1734 and by 1745 became one of Russia’s largest industrial enterprises. In just its first year, the plant produced over 15 thousand poods of copper. In 1760, the plant had 7 copper-smelting furnaces; it also had 320 households and one church. By the amount of copper produced, the Voskresensk plant ranked first not only in the Southern Urals, but across Russia. About a quarter of all output was shipped abroad. The rise of the copper-smelting plant was cut short by the Pugachev uprising. The plant was seized by the rebels and they started casting cannons there. In the audiobook “Peter the Third’s Mountain Factory,” you’ll hear an exciting account of these events, which became a major turning point in the history of Russia.