Baykalsk was founded in 1961[3] concomitant with the building of a paper mill there, called Baykalsk Paper and Pulp Mills. In 1966 the mill became operational, and the settlement received "city" status. At its peak, the mill employed about 3,500 people.[11]
In the late 2000s, Baykalsk faced a series of well-documented economic crises stemming from its status as a monotown entirely dependent on the declining and then closed paper mill.[11]
Baykalsk Paper and Pulp Mills was a major source of pollution of Lake Baikal.[12] About 3,500 people were directly employed by the plant. The plant was closed in 2009 after new expensive waste water treatment equipment made the factory unprofitable after the global economic downturn.[12][13] In Soviet times, the factory management was primarily responsible for the town's maintenance. The town and plant administrations were independent from one another but 95% of the town's budget used to come from the plant in the form of taxes. In January 2010, following disturbances, the Russian government with the cooperation of its private owner reopened the factory and exempted it from pollution rules but lowered the workers' wages.[14]
In September 2013, the mill underwent a final bankruptcy, with the last eight hundred workers slated to lose their jobs by December 28, 2013.[15]
Infrastructure
There are nine kindergartens, three theaters, and a new sports center in the town. The residential parts mostly consist of three- and five-story apartment blocks due to high risk of an earthquake in the town.
^ abRegistry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations of Irkutsk Oblast
^ ab"Байкальск". Энциклопедия Города России [Encyclopedia of Russian Cities] (in Russian). Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 32. ISBN5-7107-7399-9. OCLC1170463062.
Законодательное Собрание Иркутской области. Постановление №9/5-ЗС от 15 апреля 2009 г. «Устав Иркутской области», в ред. Закона №2-У от 14 декабря 2017 г. «О поправках к Уставу Иркутской области». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Областная", №45, 24 апреля 2009 г. (Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast. Resolution #9/5-ZS of April 15, 2009 Charter of Irkutsk Oblast, as amended by the Law #2-U of December 14, 2017 On the Amendments to the Charter of Irkutsk Oblast. Effective as of the day following a ten-day period after the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное Собрание Иркутской области. Закон №72-оз от 2 декабря 2004 г. «О статусе и границах муниципальных образований Слюдянского района Иркутской области», в ред. Закона №11-ОЗ от 14 января 2014 г. «О преобразовании рабочего посёлка Байкал (порт) Слюдянского района Иркутской области, распространении действия Закона "О статусе и границах муниципальных образований Слюдянского района Иркутской области" на всю территорию нового субъекта Российской Федерации — Иркутской области и внесении в него изменений». Вступил в силу с 31 декабря 2004 г., но не ранее чем через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Восточно-Сибирская правда", №248–249, 14 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast. Law #72-oz of December 2, 2004 On the Status and Borders of the Municipal Formations of Slyudyansky District of Irkutsk Oblast, as amended by the Law #11-OZ of January 14, 2014 On Transforming the Work Settlement of Baykal (port) in Slyudyansky District of Irkutsk Oblast, on Expanding the Scope of the Law of Irkutsk Oblast "On the Status and Borders of the Municipal Formations of Slyudyansky District of Irkutsk Oblast" to the Whole Territory of the New Federal Subject of the Russian Federation—Irkutsk Oblast—and on Amending It. Effective as of December 31, 2004, but not earlier than 10 days after the official publication date.).
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