Belsky District () is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (

raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...

), one of the thirty-six in

Tver Oblast Tver Oblast (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (). Population: Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much o ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It is located in the southwest of the

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

and borders with Nelidovsky District in the north, Oleninsky District in the northeast,

Sychyovsky District Sychyovsky District () is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #106-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Smolensk Oblast, twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast. The a ...

Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Oblast (), informally also called Smolenshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Smolensk. As of the 2021 Russ ...

in the east,

Novoduginsky District Novoduginsky District () is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #109-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Smolensk Oblast, twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast. The ...

of Smolensk Oblast in the southeast, Kholm-Zhirkovsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the south,

Dukhovshchinsky District Dukhovshchinsky District () is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #105-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Smolensk Oblast, twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast and ...

of Smolensk Oblast in the southwest, and with Zharkovsky District in the west. The area of the district is . Its

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

is the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Bely. Population: 6,582 ( 2010 Census); The population of Bely accounts for 57.3% of the district's total population.

Geography

The area of the district is divided between the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

s of the

Western Dvina The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of t ...

and the

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

Rivers. The rivers in the northern and the central part of the district drain into the Mezha, a left tributary of the Western Dvina. The biggest tributary of the Mezha within the district is the Obsha. Small areas in the south of the district belong to the drainage basin of the Vop, a right tributary of the Dnieper. Over 65% of the area of the district is occupied by forest.

History

The fortress of Bely is first mentioned in a chronicle in 1350, since it was conquered by the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. It was located on the border between Lithuanian and Russian lands, and intermittently changed affiliation between Lithuania (later Poland) and the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

, until in 1654 it finally went to Moscow. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

, the area was included into Belsky Uyezd of

Smolensk Governorate Smolensk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It existed, with interruptions, between 1708 and 1929. Smolensk Governorate, together with seven o ...

and remained there until 1929, with the exception of the brief periods between 1713 and 1726, when it belonged to Riga Governorate, and between 1775 and 1796, when Smolensk Governorate was transformed into

Smolensk Viceroyalty Smolensk is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It ...

. On 12 July 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Belsky District with the administrative center in the town of Bely was established. It belonged to

Rzhev Okrug Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population: Hist ...

Western Oblast Western Oblast () was an administrative-territorial unit (''oblast'') of the Russian SFSR from 1929 to 1937. Its seat was in the city of Smolensk. The oblast was located in the west of European Russia, and its territory is currently divided b ...

. On August 1, 1930 the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were subordinated directly to the oblast. On 27 September 1937 Western Oblast was abolished and split between Smolensk and

Oryol Oblast Oryol Oblast (), also known as Orlovshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Oryol. Population: Geography It is loc ...

s. Belsky District was transferred to

. During World War II, in 1941—1943, the district was occupied by German troops. On August 22, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Velikiye Luki Oblast. On October 2, 1957, Velikiye Luki Oblast was abolished, and Belsky District was transferred to

Kalinin Oblast Tver Oblast (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (). Population: Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much of ...

. On February 13, 1963 the district was abolished and merged into Nelidovsky District; on November 3, 1965 it was re-established. In 1990, Kalinin Oblast was renamed Tver Oblast.

Economy

Industry

There are enterprises of timber and food industries, located in Bely.

Agriculture

The main agricultural specialization of the district is cattle breeding with meat and milk production.

Transportation

A paved road connecting Nelidovo and

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

via Dukhovshchina crosses the district from north to south, passing Bely. There are local roads. There are no railways in the district; the closest railway stations are in Nelidovo (on the railway connecting Moscow and Riga via

Velikiye Luki Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-� ...

) and Vladimirsky Tupik (the terminus of a railway which branches off in

Safonovo Safonovo () is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Safonovo, Safonovsky District, Smolensk Oblast, a town in Safonovsky District of Smolensk Oblast; administratively incorp ...

from the line connecting Moscow and Smolensk.

Culture and recreation

The district contains eleven cultural heritage monuments of federal significance (five of them in Bely) and additionally ninety-two objects (sixty-five of them in Bely) classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federally protected monuments are the Saint Mitrophan Church in the village of Dunayevo, the Saint Nicholas Church in the village of Chichaty, as well as archeological sites related to the old town of Bely and several monuments to the soldiers fallen in the World War II. There is a local museum in Bely, founded in 1925.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Use mdy dates, date=March 2013 Districts of Tver Oblast States and territories established in 1929 States and territories disestablished in 1963 States and territories established in 1965