Gatchinsky District (russian: Га́тчинский райо́н) is an administrative
[Oblast Law #32-oz] and municipal
[Law #113-oz] 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 co ...
), one of the
seventeen in
Leningrad Oblast,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. It is located in the southwestern central part of the
oblast
An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...
and borders with
Krasnoselsky,
Moskovsky, and
Pushkinsky Districts of the
federal city
The term federal city is a title for certain cities in Germany, Switzerland, and Russia.
Germany
In Germany, the former West German capital Bonn has been designated with the unique title of federal city (''Bundesstadt''). Since 28 April 1994, it ...
of
St. Petersburg in the north,
Tosnensky District
Tosnensky District (russian: То́сненский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #116-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central southwestern part of ...
in the east,
Luzhsky District
Luzhsky District (russian: Лу́жский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #65-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and borders wi ...
in the south,
Volosovsky District
Volosovsky District (russian: Во́лосовский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #64-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast wit ...
in the west, and with
Lomonosovsky District in the northwest. The area of the district is .
[Kozhevnikov, p. 61] Its
administrative center
An administrative center 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 administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
is the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
Gatchina
The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...
.
Population (excluding the administrative center): 132,010 (
2002 Census);
Geography
The northern part of the district is essentially a mixture of urban areas - suburbs of Saint Petersburg - and summer house areas. The central and the southern parts are forested. Much of the area of the district belongs to the
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where 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, ...
of the
Luga River
The Luga () is a river in Novgorodsky and Batetsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Luzhsky, Volosovsky, Slantsevsky, and Kingiseppsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast of Russia. The river flows into the Luga Bay of the Gulf of Finland. It free ...
, a tributary of the
Gulf of Finland. The main tributary of the Luga within the district is the
Oredezh River
The Oredezh (russian: О́редеж) is a river in Volosovsky, Gatchinsky, and Luzhsky Districts in the south-western part of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a right tributary of the Luga. The length of the river is , whereas the area of its drainage ...
. Minor areas in the east of the district belong to the basin of the
Tosna River
The Tosna () is a northward river in Luzhsky District, Luzhsky, Tosnensky District, Tosnensky, and Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast, Kirovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, as well as in the city of Saint Petersburg. It is a left tribut ...
, and the northern part of the district, including the town of Gatchina, belongs to the basin of the
Izhora River
The Izhora (, ), also known as the Inger, is a left tributary of the Neva on its run through Ingria in northwestern Russia from Lake Ladoga to Gulf of Finland. The Izhora flows through Gatchinsky and Tosnensky Districts of Leningrad Oblast as wel ...
. Both the Tosna and the Izhora are left tributaries of the
Neva. Minor areas in the northwest in the district belong to the basin of the
Strelka River Strelka may refer to:
Places
* Strelka (inhabited locality), several inhabited localities in Russia including:
** Strelka, Amur Oblast
** Strelka, Lesosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai
** Strelka, Vologda Oblast
** Strelka, Voronezh Oblast
* a small cape a ...
, also a tributary of the Gulf of Finland.
In the south of the district, the
Mshinskoye Boloto Zakaznik
Mshinskoye Boloto Zakaznik (russian: заказник Мшинское болото) is a federal zakaznik, a nature protected area, in the northwest of Russia, located in Gatchinsky and Luzhsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast, in the basin of the ...
was created to protect the swamp landscape with the pine-tree forest. The zakaznik is shared with Luzhsky District.
History
Originally, the area of the district was populated by
Finnic peoples
The Finnic or Fennic peoples, sometimes simply called Finns, are the nations who speak languages traditionally classified in the Finnic (now commonly '' Finno-Permic'') language family, and which are thought to have originated in the region of ...
, in particular, the
Izhorians
The Izhorians (russian: Ижо́ра; ижо́рцы; fi, inkerikot; et, isurid; sg. ''ižoralain'', ''inkeroin'', ''ižora'', ''ingermans'', ''ingers'', ''ingrian'', pl. ''ižoralaizet''), along with the Votes, are a Finnic indigenous peopl ...
. From the 9th century, the area was changing hands between
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of mod ...
(from the 15th century, the
Grand Duchy of Moscow), and
Sweden. Gatchina was first mentioned under 1499 as Khotchino. In 1617, according to the
Treaty of Stolbovo
The Treaty of Stolbovo () was a peace treaty that ended the Ingrian War (), which had been fought between the Swedish Empire and the Russian Tsardom between 1610 and 1617.
History
After nearly two months of negotiations, representatives from Sw ...
, the area was transferred to Sweden, and in the 1700s, during the
Great Northern War, it was conquered back by Russia. The city of Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703.
In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
Peter the Great, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as
Saint Petersburg Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...
). It was later split between
Tsarskoselsky and
Petergofsky Uyezd Petergofsky Uyezd (russian: Петергофский уезд) was one of the eight subdivisions of the Saint Petersburg Governorate of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Petergof. Petergofsky Uyezd was located in the northern part of the governo ...
s; the governorate was accordingly renamed Petrogradsky in 1913 and Leningradsky in 1924. Gatchina was chartered in 1796. It frequently was a residence of Russian Tsars, for instance,
Pavel I grew up in Gatchina, and
Alexander III lived almost exclusively there.
On November 20, 1918
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the c ...
was renamed Detskoye Selo, and the uyezd was renamed Detskoselsky. On February 14, 1923 Detskoselsky and Petergofsky Uyezds were abolished and merged into
Gatchinsky Uyezd Gatchinsky (masculine), Gatchinskaya (feminine), or Gatchinskoye (neuter) may refer to:
*Gatchinsky District
Gatchinsky District (russian: Га́тчинский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #113-oz district ...
, with the administrative center located in
Gatchina
The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...
.
On February 14, 1923 Gatchina was renamed Trotsk, and Gatchinsky Uyezd was renamed Trotsky Uyezd, after
Leon Trotsky.
On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished and Trotsky District, with the administrative center in the town of Trotsk, was established. The governorates were also abolished, and the district was a part of
Leningrad Okrug
The Leningrad Okrug (russian: Ленингра́дский о́круг) was an okrug that briefly existed within the Leningrad Oblast in the Soviet Union, between 1927 and 1930. It covered the city currently known as Saint Petersburg, which was ...
of
Leningrad Oblast. It included parts of former Trotsky Uyezd. On August 2, 1929, after Trotsky was deported from Soviet Union, Trotsk was renamed Krasnogvardeysk, and the district was renamed Krasnogvardeysky. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished as well, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. In the 1930s, some areas from
Oraniyenbaumsky and Luzhsky Districts were transferred to Krasnogvardeysky District. On October 3, 1938 Krasnogvardeysk was designated a town of oblast significance. Between September 1941 and January 1944 the area of Krasnogvardeysky District was occupied by
German troops.
On January 28, 1944 Krasnogvardeysk was renamed Gatchina, and the district was renamed Gatchinsky.
In 1963—1965,
Lomonosovsky District was merged into Gatchinsky District, while at the same time parts of Gatchinsky District were transferred to
Luzhsky District
Luzhsky District (russian: Лу́жский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #65-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and borders wi ...
.
In 1965, however, Gatchinsky District was restored in its old borders. In 2010, the administrative division of Leningrad Oblast was harmonized with the municipal division, and Gatchina was made the town of district significance.
On August 1, 1927,
Oredezhsky District, with the administrative center in the settlement of
Oredezh
The Oredezh (russian: О́редеж) is a river in Volosovsky, Gatchinsky, and Luzhsky Districts in the south-western part of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a right tributary of the Luga. The length of the river is , whereas the area of its drainag ...
, was established as well. It was a part of
Luga Okrug Luga may refer to:
*Mateo Noriel Luga, Ibanag revolutionary
* Luga, Germany, a place in Saxony, Germany
* Luga, Russia, several inhabited localities in Russia
* Luga Bay, a bay in the Gulf of Finland, Russia
*Luga (river), a river in Novgorod and Le ...
of Leningrad Oblast and included parts of former Trotsky and
Luzhsky Uyezds, as well as of
Novgorodsky Uyezd of
Novgorod Governorate. On October 22, 1959 Oredezhsky District was abolished and split between Luzhsky and Gatchinsky Districts.
On August 19, 1936
Slutsky District was established. It included some areas from abolished
Leningradsky Prigorodny District and from Tosnensky District. On June 23, 1939 parts of Krasnogvardeysky District were transferred to Slutsky District. On April 23, 1944 Slutsk was renamed Pavlovsk, and the district was renamed Pavlovsky. On July 25, 1953 Pavlovsky District was abolished and split between the city of Leningrad, Gatchinsky, and Tosnensky Districts.
Economy
Industry
In 2011, industry was responsible for 73.7% GDP of the district. There are several enterprises related to timber industry, including two paper mills (30.4% of the GDP in 2011) and to food industry (30.1%), as well as a plant producing airplane motors and another one producing diverse electric equipment.
Agriculture
The main specializations of agriculture in the district are pig and poultry breeding.
Transportation
Two railroads cross the district from north to south. One connects Saint Petersburg with
Dno
Dno (russian: Дно) is a town and the administrative center of Dnovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located at the intersection of the Pskov– Bologoye and St. Petersburg–Vitebsk railways, east of Pskov, the administrative cen ...
and
Nevel. Another one originates in Saint Petersburg, passes Gatchina, and proceeds to
Luga and
Pskov. Another railroad in the northern part of the district encircles Saint Petersburg from the south. It originates in
Mga, passes Gatchina and proceeds west to
Volosovo and
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
. All these railways have both suburban and long-distance passenger service.
The
M20 highway connecting Saint Petersburg and Pskov, crosses the district from north to south. South of the town of Gatchina, it crosses the A120 highway, which encircles Saint Petersburg and crosses the district from east to west. A paved road connects Gatchina with
Kingisepp via Volosovo. There are also local roads. The bus traffic in the district was opened in 1936, when a bus line connected Leningrad and
Siversky
Siversky (russian: Си́верский) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Gatchinsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, on the bank of the Oredezh River. Its population was
The banks of the Oredezh River through Siversky a ...
. In 1940, passenger bus connection between Gatchina and Leningrad was opened.
Culture and recreation
The district contains 221 cultural heritage monuments of federal significance (120 of them in the town of Gatchina) and additionally 447 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance (172 of them in the town of Gatchina). The federal monuments include the ensembles of the
Gatchina Palace
The Great Gatchina Palace (russian: Большой Гатчинский дворец) is a palace in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built from 1766 to 1781 by Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov, who was a favouri ...
and the
Priory Palace, with surrounding parks, in Gatchina, as well as several estates.
Suyda was the Gannibal family estate and is related with the biography of
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, a poet and influential figure in the creation of the modern Russian language, whereas
Bolshiye Taytsy belonged to the Demidov family.
Myza Ivanovka belonged to the architect
Andrei Stackenschneider Andrei Ivanovich Stakenschneider (russian: Андрей Иванович Штакеншнейдер) (March 6 regorian 1802 – August 20 regorian 1865), also spelled ''Stackenschneider'' and ''Stuckenschneider'', was a Russian architect. His ecle ...
, who was also born in the estate.
The Gatchina ensembles were designated as a part of the
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
site
.
Palaces and parks of Gatchina operate as the
Gatchina Museum Reserve. It was opened to public in 1918, strongly damaged during World War II, then closed for restoration, and only reopened in 1976. The other two museums in Gatchina are the Museum-House of artist
Pavel Shcherbov, which is itself an architectural monument built in the modernist style, and the Museum of Aviation Motor Construction, located at the motor plant. The
Rozhdestveno Memorial Estate, owned for a short time by the future author
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...
, is located in the selo of
Rozhdestveno and is a museum. Another museum was open in the village of
Vyra, where ''Station Master'', the short story by Pushkin from
The Belkin Tales
''The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin'' (russian: «По́вести поко́йного Ива́на Петро́вича Бе́лкина», 1831) is a series of five short stories and a fictional editorial introduction by Russian autho ...
, takes place. The museum reconstructs the postal station of the 19th century. The village of
Kobrino hosts one more museum related to Pushkin. The former Gannibal estate in Suyda was also transformed into a museum in 1999.
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
{{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012
Districts of Leningrad Oblast
States and territories established in 1927