Krasnoyarsk, city in Russia, administrative center of Krasnoyarsk, located in southern Siberia. Krasnoyarsk is a port and rail center on the Yenisey. One of the chief industrial centers of Siberia, the city has shipyards, a huge hydroelectric facility, and factories producing farming and lumbering equipment, chemicals, forest products, aluminum, cement, and textiles. The city is the site of the Krasnoyarsk Museum and Historical Center, which opened in 1987 and is considered the cultural heart of southern Siberia. Founded in 1628 as a cossack fortress, Krasnoyarsk grew rapidly in the late 19th century after the discovery of gold nearby and the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Population 877,600 (1995).
