Semey, Abai Oblast, Kazakhstan

The first Russian settlement in this area dates back to 1718 when a Russian fort was constructed on the site of an ancient Buddhist monastery.

Volga German families settled in Semipalatinsk even before the 1941 Deportation. In Semipalatinsk, there was a sustantial community of Volga Germans who followed the Seventh Day Adventist faith practice.

The city was known as Semipalatinsk until 2007 when its name was changed to Semey.

In 1949, the Soviet Union began construction of the Semipalatinsk Test Site for atomic bombs – located about 150 kilometers west of the city. Between 1949 and 1989, 456 nuclear tests, including 340 underground and 116 atmospheric tests, took place there.