Nyazepetrovsk

Nyazepetrovsk grew beside an ironworks on the Nyazya, a tributary of the Ufa. The Balakhna merchant Pyotr Osokin began construction in 1744 on lands leased from Bashkir communities, bringing skilled workers from his other plants to build the dam and workshops. An account by the historian Pyotr Rychkov described the works as established in 1747 and later owned by the Masalov family. It had a blast furnace and eight hammers, while the settlement contained houses and a church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.