Magnitogorsk

is an industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast on the Eastern side of the extreme Southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River.  The Ural Mountains divide Europe and Asia, and in Magnitogorsk when you are on the West bank of the Ural River you are in Europe and when you are on the East bank you are in Asia.  I had hoped to go into Asia on this trip but it did not work out.  I told R he'd just have to take me Asia!  Magnitogorsk is named after Magnitnaya Mountain which was nearly pure iron.  The main industry of Magnitogorsk is iron ore and steel.  The factories were modeled after US Steel plants in Gary IN and Pittsburg PA.  In 1937 Magnitogorsk was declared a closed city and was reopened during Perestroika.  Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburg Penguins and Nikolai Kulemin of the Toronto Mapleleafs are both from Magnitogorsk and played for the Magnitogorsk Metallurg.