Boksitogorsk is located on slopes of Tikhvin Ridge, on the banks of River Pyardomlya (basin of the Syas River), 20 km away from the Bolshoy Dvor railway station (on the railway line St. Petersburg - Vologda), 245 km to the east of St. Petersburg.

The town with the area of 213 sq.km has the population of 16 137 people (as of 2013).

History of Boksitogorsk

First mentions of local bright red clays were recorded in 1869. In 1916 the engineer T. P. Timofeev from the town of Tikhvin delivered samples of aluminum ore with high silicon dioxide content (the Tikhvin field) to the Geological Committee of St. Petersburg.

In 1929 construction of bauxite mines was started in vicinities of Tikhvin and thus workers’ quarters appeared there.

From 1935 it was the Bauxites construction camp, which turned into Boksitogorsk township in 1950.

Sights

There is the Nativity of the Mother of God Church (16th century) situated in Listvenka Village 140 km away from Boksitogorsk.

30 km away from Boksitogorsk, near the Rudnaya Gorka Village there is a nature sanctuary – Ragusha River that is hiding underground through numerous limestone sinkholes for 1.5 - 2 km.