gorod Alapaevsk: Industrial and Railway History

In 1702, an iron and copper smelting works was established on the Alapaikha River by order of Peter I. The Alapayevsk Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum includes an open-air exhibition and an exhibition on the second floor of the locomotive depot’s electric building. Napolnaya School was a place of exile for members of the Russian Imperial House in 1918; a memorial room opened there in 2003, and a museum exhibition was created in 2018.

The historical starting point is precisely dated: in 1702, an iron and copper smelting works was established on the Alapaikha River by order of Peter I. The location, the order, and the two metals named provide a clear framework for this early industrial history. It is distinct from the later connections to the railway museum and Napolnaya School, which illuminate other chapters in the area’s history.

The museum has two exhibition venues: an open-air exhibition and an exhibition on the second floor of the locomotive depot’s electric building. This identifies both the outdoor setting and a specific part of a building. The exhibitions belong to the Alapayevsk Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum, distinguishing their subject clearly from the area’s general industrial history and the memorial sites at the school.

From May 20 to July 18, 1918, Napolnaya School in Alapayevsk was a place of exile for members of the Russian Imperial House. Later forms of remembrance are separate from that period: in 2003, a memorial room for Saint Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the Venerable Martyr, opened in the school building. In 2018, a museum exhibition about the deaths and life stories of the Martyrs of Alapayevsk was created at Napolnaya School. Thus, a historical event and two later forms of remembrance are presented side by side.

The wider destination of Sverdlovsk Oblast includes the Museum Complex for Civilian and Military Equipment in Verkhnyaya Pyshma. It contains more than 15,000 exhibits, including more than 2,000 civilian and military vehicles; collection figures may change.

A list of approved routes published in 2026 names three autotourism routes in Sverdlovsk Oblast: the Demidov Route between Yekaterinburg, Nevyansk, and Nizhny Tagil; “Along the Iset to the Sound of the Bell: A Trip to Kamensk-Uralsky” between Yekaterinburg and Kamensk-Uralsky; and “Discovering the Urals: Nature, History, Legends” between Yekaterinburg, Irbit, Turinsk, and Tavda. Check the latest route information before setting off.

Discover more destinations: gorod Artemovskiy, Prigorodnyy rayon, gorod Degtyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Resch, gorod Polevskoy, Beloyarsky Rajon and Ekaterinburg.

What happened on the Alapaikha River in 1702?

An iron and copper smelting works was established there by order of Peter I.

Where are the narrow-gauge railway museum exhibitions located?

One exhibition is outdoors; the other is on the second floor of the locomotive depot’s electric building.

Which dates are significant in the history of Napolnaya School?

It was a place of exile from May 20 to July 18, 1918; a memorial room opened in 2003, and a museum exhibition was created in 2018.

For the wider travel overview: Sverdlovsk Oblast.