Etymology

The name of the town literally means iron-water-place, as the mineral waters springing from the earth in Zheleznovodsk were believed to have high content of iron.

Geography

Zheleznovodsk is situated in the saddle between Mounts Beshtau and Zheleznaya, in what the locals refer to as aerodynamic tube, which attracts strong winds in the winter.

History

Zheleznovodsk was the place of signing the Zheleznovodsk Communiqué by Boris Yeltsin, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Ayaz Mutallibov, Levon Ter-Petrosyan on September 23, 1991.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with the settlement of Inozemtsevo, incorporated as the town of krai significance of Zheleznovodsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the town of krai significance of Zheleznovodsk is incorporated as Zheleznovodsk Urban Okrug.

Economy

Zheleznovodsk, along with Pyatigorsk, Yessentuki, Kislovodsk, and Mineralnye Vody, is a part of the Caucasus Mineral Waters, a renowned Russian spa resort. The town economy revolves around sanatoria, where dozens of thousands of people from all over Russia and former Soviet republics come year-around to vacation and rest, as well as prevent and treat stomach, kidney, and liver diseases. Dozens of spas operate in Russia's Caucasus Mountains region, exploiting the mineral springs in the area; colonic treatment is a specialty.

Miscellaneous

Over the past several years, Zheleznovodsk was the site of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival.