It was founded in 1912 in conjunction with the construction of the Amur Railway[2] (the Trans-Siberian Railway's "bypass" route, which was to provide a railway connection from European Russia to the Pacific entirely over the Russian soil, without crossing the north-eastern China[citation needed]). It was originally named Alexeyevsk (Алексеевск), in honor of the then crown prince Alexey.[2] In 1917, the town was renamed Svobodny,[2] Russian for "free".
During the chaos of the Russian Civil War, the Russian Far East became a base for several Korean militias and political groups opposed to the Japanese colonization of Korea. They moved into Svobodny in early 1921, but in the summer factional disputes within the Korean Communist Party and the wider Korean nationalist movement broke out into open warfare, the Free City Incident. The Red Army besieged and then destroyed the town, securing victory for its preferred faction.[10][11]
During the Stalin era, the BAMLag forced labor camp of the Gulag was built in Svobodny, with the intention of providing forced labor for the planned construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The camp became one of the largest in Gulag system; its peak headcount was about 201,000 (1938). In 1938 it was dismantled into several camps.[12]
The town is home to factories producing machinery and furniture, as well as the administrative center for mining operations in the region, including the gold mining concern Amurzoloto.
Transportation
The town is an important transportation hub for both rail and river traffic, with two railway stations on the Trans-Siberian Railway including rolling-stock repair facilities, and a river port on the Zeya.
Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №127-ОЗ от 23 декабря 2005 г. «О порядке решения вопросов административно-территориального устройства Амурской области», в ред. Закона №272-ОЗ от 11 ноября 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Амурской области "О порядке решения вопросов административно-территориального устройства Амурской области"». Вступил в силу со дня первого официального опубликования, за исключением подпункта "б" пункта 2 статьи 7, вступающего в силу с 1 января 2006 г. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №11, 24 января 2006 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #127-OZ of December 23, 2005 On the Procedures of Handling the Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Amur Oblast, as amended by the Law #272-OZ of November 11, 2013 On Amending the Law of Amur Oblast "On the Procedures of Handling the Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Amur Oblast". Effective as of the day of the first official publication, with the exception of subitem "b" of item 2 of Article 7, which is effective January 1, 2006.).
Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №402-ОЗ от 30 декабря 2004 г. «О наделении муниципального образования города Свободного статусом городского округа и об установлении его границ». Вступил в силу со дня первого официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №8, 15 января 2005 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #402-OZ of December 30, 2004 On Granting the Municipal Formation of the Town of Svobodny the Urban Okrug Status and on Establishing Its Borders. Effective as of the day of the first official publication.).
Амурский областной Совет народных депутатов. Закон №31-ОЗ от 2 августа 2005 г. «Об установлении границ и наделении соответствующим статусом муниципального образования Свободненского района и муниципальных образований в его составе», в ред. Закона №488-ОЗ от 10 февраля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты по вопросам административно-территориального устройства области». Вступил в силу в соответствии со статьёй 3. Опубликован: "Амурская правда", №168, 26 августа 2005 г. (Amur Oblast Council of People's Deputies. Law #31-OZ of August 2, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of and Granting a Corresponding Municipal Formation Status to Svobodnensky District and to the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Law #488-OZ of February 10, 2015 On Amending Various Legislative Acts on the Issues of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Oblast. Effective as of the date set forth in accordance with the provisions of Article 3.).
Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.) Москва, "Русские словари", 1993.