History
It was founded in 1930 as a work settlement of Ostyako-Vogulsk (Остяко-Вогульск) after the obsolete names of Ostyaks and Voguls for the Khants and Mansi peoples. In 1940, it was renamed Khanty-Mansiysk, and it was granted town status in 1950, merging with the village of Samarovo, known since the 16th century, along the way.
Today Khanty-Mansiysk is a flourishing town, which in recent years has received considerable foreign investment. For example, in 2007, the English architect Norman Foster signed an agreement to build a 280-meter (920 ft) high skyscraper in an attractive part of the town. When it is built, the Crystal Skyscraper will be one of the tallest buildings in Russia. Besides this, the Dutch architect Erick Van Egeraat is planning to build a business complex in the town center.
The city includes the Ugra Chess Academy, which has been the venue of the World Chess Olympiad in 2010 and the Women's World Chess Championship 2012. In 2010, the Olympic Hotel was built just to house the players in the Olympiad.
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—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)