Medieval history from a
Jīn Dynasty grave now can be seen in Ussuriysk's central park The area of what now is Ussuriysk was settled by Yulou
Mohe tribes. From the mid-9th century, it became Solbin-bu of the
Balhae Kingdom. It is then populated by the Dōnghǎi
Jurchens, under control of
Liao dynasty. The city then become capital of
Jīn Dynasty's Sùpín circuit (速頻路). Then it went under control of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties respectively and known as ().
Modern era In 1866, the settlement of
Nikolskoye () was founded on the area of today's Ussuriysk, named after
Saint Nicholas. Due to its advantageous geographic location at the crossing of the transportation lines, the village experienced rapid growth during the 1870s, turning into a trade center. Its role increased after the railroad connecting
Khabarovsk and Vladivostok (now a part of the
Trans-Siberian Railway) was built, and in 1898 it was granted town status and renamed
Nikolsk-Ussuriysky (). By the beginning of the 20th century the town's population totaled 15,000 people, and the annual turnover of its trade enterprises was equal to three million
rubles. After the
Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Nikolsk-Ussuriysky became one of the most important commercial and economic centers of the
Russian Far East. In 1913, the city ranked fourth after Vladivostok,
Blagoveshchensk, and Khabarovsk in terms of population. Enterprises were established processing agricultural products such as
mills,
dairies,
soap-boiling plants, and
tanneries, as well as macaroni and sausage factories and
breweries.
Brick factories,
quarries, and
saw-mills were also built. The central part of the city began to be built up with two- and three-story
masonry buildings. In 1914, there were fourteen educational institutions, a theater, a circus, and three movie-theaters in Nikolsk-Ussuriysky. After the
October Revolution of 1917, the city's economy experienced rapid growth. The city specialized in processing agricultural products. The name of the city was changed to
Voroshilov in 1935 after
Kliment Voroshilov. With
Nikita Khrushchev's ascent to power after
Stalin's death the city's name was changed in 1957 to
Ussuriysk after the
Ussuri River, which is more than 140 km away. In 1993 the city administration erected a monument at the burial site of those shot during the
Great Terror. Until the 1980s, the city ranked second in the krai in population, having only recently yielded to
Nakhodka. Ussuriysk is still second only to
Vladivostok as a theatrical and higher-educational center (it is home to the Pedagogical and Agricultural Institutes, and the Higher Military School). ==Administrative and municipal status==