For the majority of Russian commoners, Chelyabinsk became visible with the launching of the trans-Siberian railroad. At this time, a settler's town grew around the train station complete with a church, hospital, and living quarters. Reflecting a new role, as an important intermediate point of traffic, Chelyabinsk was actively supported by the state.
During the Civil War, bloodshed took place near the city in the so called "Chelyabinsk Battle" between the third division of the Red Army, under the command of Tykhacheskyi (future marshal), and Admiral Kolchak's army ending in a destructive victory for the "Reds".
In the 1930s, during the first five-year-plan, Chelyabinsk was on the mind of everyone in the country. Construction of the "giant industry" attracted various people to Chelyabinsk, from Stalin's cabinet ministers (Molotov, Voroshilov, Kaganovich, Bybnov) to entertainers and artists (as well, the rather well-known L. Aragon visited Chelyabinsk). Chelyabinsk played an important supporting role in WW II when many factories from the center of the country were evacuated and assigned to Chelyabinsk, such as the Leningradskyi Kirovskyi, Kharkovskyi Diesel, Kalibyir,a Moscow factory, and many others.
Today, unfortunately, the city cannot claim a great deal of historic or
cultural monuments. From pre-revolutionary architecture there is a fragment
of stone merchant buildings still standing on Kirova Ulitsa, giving us a
feel for the merchant city at the beginning of the twentieth century. As
well, there are religious edifices scattered throughout the city:
Alexsandrovskii Church, architect