Penza

Penza, a town of Russia, capital of the government of the same name, 492 m. by rail S.E. from Moscow. It stands on a plateau 567 ft. above the sea, at the confluence of the Penza with the navigable Sura. Pop. (1897), 61,851. The older parts of the town are constructed of wood, but the newer parts are well built. The cathedral was erected in 1820-1821. Penza has technical schools, public libraries, a museum of antiquities, and a theatre which has played some part in the history of the Russian stage. The bulk of the inhabitants support themselves by agriculture or fishing in the Sura. An imperial botanical garden is situated within two miles of the town. Apart from paper-mills and steam flour-mills, the manufacturing establishments are small. There is a trade in corn, oil, tallow, timber and spirits, and two fairs where cattle and horses are sold.