The military stronghold created by the Russians in 1593 on the site of the Khanty sŭmət wↄš, ’birch town’, played an important role in the history of the conquer of Siberia. The Russian settlement name (Berёzovo) also contains the word meaning ’birch’, referring to the birch grove nearby. The town is the administrative center of the northernmost region of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District today.

Berёzovo was built up on the bank of the Severnaja (Northern) Sos’va, a river originating in the Ural Mountains and flowing into the Ob’ 42 km from the settlement. The settlement has an ideal location at the junction of the big waterways and ancient commercial routes: the Obdorsk region can be reached on the back of the Ob’, the river Kazym is the trail of the famous fur hunters, and the third is the Northern Sos’va, which was the waterway towards Moscow for the abundant barrels of herrings headed towards the tsar’s court.