The museum complex of the Severskaya Blast Furnace Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK), located at the Seversk Pipe Plant (STZ) in the city of Polevskoye, Sverdlovsk region, was recognized as the property of the Middle Urals following the results of the eponymous competition, which is annually held by the Public Chamber of the Sverdlovsk Region. 13.7 thousand people voted for the Blast furnace.
The competition has been running since 2022, and this year 107 candidates took part in it, from which the Civic Chamber selected 15 finalists. The winner was chosen by the residents of the region through the Gosuslugi portal — everyone could mark five applicants. The number of people who voted in 2024 has almost tripled and exceeded 158 thousand people, compared with 67 thousand people a year earlier.
"This year's competition was held for the third time, but it has already become truly popular. An exciting struggle unfolded for obtaining the honorary status, which was followed with great interest by the Uralians. I would like to thank the organizers once again for this important and timely initiative. It really helps to emphasize the uniqueness of our region, its rich cultural, historical and natural heritage, and, of course, contributes to the preservation of traditional spiritual and moral values," said Evgeny Kuyvashev, Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region.
Severskaya Domna participated in the competition for the second year in a row and in 2024 significantly improved the result, rising from 12th to sixth place in the overall rating and significantly exceeding the arithmetic average of the votes cast - this condition is necessary for victory.
"It is important for TMK to maintain and strengthen the interest of residents of the regions where it operates in their history, which in many of our cities is closely linked to the legacy of the metallurgical industry. As a unique monument of Ural factory architecture, Severskaya Blast Furnace helps us introduce people of all ages to the technologies and labor features of 19th-century metallurgists who laid the foundation for the modern power of industrial enterprises. Today, the museum complex also plays the role of a cultural center and contributes not only to the formation of cultural identity, but also to the popularization of art and science. Thanks to this, the company contributes to solving the challenges facing the region — improving the quality of life and prestige of working professions, creating conditions for further development," said Sergey Chikalov, CEO of TMK.
The STZ Museum was established in 1970 and in 2009 it was opened to the public in an updated format as the Severskaya Domna Museum Complex. It is based on a blast furnace, the only masterpiece of Ural industrial architecture of the mid—19th century, which has remained almost intact to the present day. The building of the blast furnace shop has hardly changed since 1860 and is an object of cultural heritage.
