Regional Profile

Togliatti is the second largest city of Samara region with the population of about 800 thousand, and the largest city in Russia which does not serve as an administrative center of a federal subject. Being a compact but extremely attractive market with one of the highest rates of purchasing capacity all over Russia, Togliatti has become a Mecca for retailers expanding their business outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg in the last few years.

History

It was founded in 1737 as a fortress named Stavropol-on-Volga by the Russian politician Vasily Tatishchev. During the construction of Volga Hydroelectrical Power Plant in the 1950s, the old settlement fell into the flooding zone of the Kuybyshev dam on the Volga River and was completely rebuilt on a new site. In 1964, the city was renamed Togliatti (after Palmiro Togliatti, Italian politician).

Economy

The city is known primarily for the automobile production plants of AVTOVAZ and GM-AVTOVAZ (since 2001). However, because of its well suited geographical location (near major sources of electricity and water) many other plants are hosted in the city. Chemical industry is most represented here - major corporations include "TogliattiAzot" (Russian biggest ammonia manufacturer), "KuybyshevAzot" (specializes in nitrogen fertilizers), "Phosphor" (phosphate-based production). Other industries are represented as well: building materials production, ship repair, electric technology.

It is well –known that the main specialization of the Samara region is manufacturing. Thus, the construction of industrial park “Zhygulivs’ka Valley” has  begun. Creating a technology park in the high-tech “Zhygulivs’ka Valley” is a part of comprehensive investment plan for upgrading the urban district of Togliatti, calculated for the period from 2010 to 2020-th and approved by the regional government. Technopark will enhance the investment attractiveness of the region, economic growth and development. In addition, the enterprises of the region will be able to enter the Russian and international chain of innovation.
Estimated volume of investments for creation of industrial park from the federal budget for the period from 2010 to 2014 will be 2,1 billion rubles, from the regional – 1,55 billion rubles, from extra-budgetary sources – 350 million rubles.
In 2014 the industrial park will create over 3 thousand new jobs for highly qualified specialists engaged in innovation activities and up to 7,5 thousand new positions for others. It is also expected to create approximately 12.7 thousand additional job positions in the area, introducing innovative performance of industrial park, and about 1 thousand people will be employed during the construction.

Culture and sports

As most of city history was destroyed in the flood of the 1950s, almost every cultural point of interest here is related to Soviet period, such as Victory Park located in Avtozavodsky district. However, city government builds new monuments and cathedrals. One of the most notable events was opening of Vasily Tatishchev monument near the Volga. Orthodox  Preobrazhensky Sobor, which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, was build here in 2003.

There are six theaters in Togliatti: Drama Theater “Koleso”, Puppet Theater “Pilgrim”, Youth Drama Theater, theater of puppets and masks “Buratino” and others. “Koleso” theater was established during Perestroika time in 1988, and since then has become one of the leading theaters in the Volga Riva region. It has toured in Bulgaria, Slovakia, the USA, the United Kingdom and etc. Drama Theater “Koleso” is the home to several national and international festivals, including “Our Shakespeare” and “He and She” festivals.

Togliatti has become the home of many athletes, including the Olympic Champion Alexei Nemov. Togliatti has several major sports facilities: gymnasiums, swimming pools, ice arenas, football and racing stadiums.

Togliatti is represented in almost every kind of team sports. Ice Hockey Club Lada Togliatti is one of the leading teams in Russian hockey. Women football team "Lada" became the Russian Champion several times. Women handball team "Lada", Russian and European Champion, is the core for National Women Handball team of Russia. Men's football, basketball and handball team are the participants of national championships as well. Togliatti sailing team is one of the leading teams in Russia.