The history of the town, located in the north-east of Kazakhstan, at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, begins in 1786, when a prospecting party of mining officer Philip Ridder discovered a rich polymetallic deposit here.
No lifetime portrait of this man has survived. However, the face of the pioneer adorns the central square. The pedestal, on which the bronze Lenin stood, now holds a stone with a bas-relief of Flipp Ridder. But Ridder's main wealth is not in the deposits, but in the beauty of nature. Even a simple walk through the suburbs leaves unforgettable impressions, from raindrops on the needles of a cedar tree never seen before to the white stripes of mist over the forest tops. The city is situated in a beautiful valley at the foot of Ivanovsky Ridge. There are a few rivers flowing through it, but the Gromotukha River is considered to be Ridder's pride and ornament. Its water is amazingly clean and soft.
The distance from Ust-Kamenogorsk to Ridder in a straight line is 73 kilometers. You will have to drive 128 kilometers on the highway. You can also get from Ust-Kamenogorsk to Ridder by cab. This is one of the most expensive, but fast enough options. The most advantageous will be for group trips. Transfers are made by minibuses and passenger cars.
Ridder (Ridder), formerly Leninogorsk, is one of the four cities of regional subordination of the East Kazakhstan Region (EKR) of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The city is located at the western foot of the Ivanovsky Ridge on the lowered southwestern part of the Altai Mountains, called "Rudny Altai" near the Ulba River. The city is distant on 130 km from Ust-Kamenogorsk and on 960 km from Karaganda.
Ridder is the center of mining and processing of precious metals, lead and zinc.
The city is also one of the most important in the country in the direction of winter sports.
