Mingachevir

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Mingachevir (Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir; also, Mengechaur, Mingächevir, Mingechaur, Mingechaurges, and Mingelchaur), sometimes spelled Mingecevir, is the fourth-biggest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 100,000. It is known as city of lights because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which splits the city in half. The Kur is the biggest river in Azerbaijan, and the artificial lake behind the Mingechevir dam is the biggest lake in the country. The area has been settled for thousands of years, but the current city was founded in 1948, partly by German soldiers who were taken prisoner during World War II. Mingechevir is also home to Mingechevir Polytechnic Institute. The city forms an administrative division of Azerbaijan.