Kingiseppsky District (russian: Кингисе́ппский райо́н, fi, Kingiseppin piiri) is an administrative
[Oblast Law #32-oz] and municipal
[Law #81-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
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
,
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-eigh ...
. It is located in the southwest 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 Kingdom ...
and borders with
Ida-Viru County
Ida-Viru County ( et, Ida-Viru maakond or ''Ida-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is the most north-eastern part of the country. The county contains large deposits of oil shale - the main mineral mined in Estonia. Oil shale is use ...
of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...
in the west,
Lomonosovsky District in the northeast,
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 east, and with
Slantsevsky District
Slantsevsky District (russian: Сла́нцевский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #47-oz district ( raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast ...
in the south. In the north and northwest it is washed by the waters of the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
. The area of the district is .
[Official website of Kingiseppsky District](_blank)
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, L ...
is the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares ...
of
Kingisepp.
Population (excluding the administrative center): 20,408 (
2002 Census);
. Including the entire district: .
Geography
The territory of the district is mostly flat with altitudes ranging from
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
The ...
. Main rivers include the
Luga, the
Narva
Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru county, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 54, ...
, and the
Plyussa.
Narva Reservoir is located in the southern portion of the district. Agricultural lands constitute a significant portion of the district's territory. A number of islands in the Gulf of Finland belong to the district, including
Gogland,
Moshchny, and
Seskar
Seskar ( fi, Seiskari) ( sv, Seitskär) (russian: Сескар) is an island in the Gulf of Finland, part of the Leningrad Oblast of Russia. The island was an independent municipality of Finland populated by Finns at least since 16th century, u ...
.
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 ...
, until eventually, the Slavs began arriving. After the 9th century, the area east of the Luga River was dependent on the
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 ...
(from the 15th century, the
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lat ...
). In 1384, the
Yam fortress was founded to protect the western borders. Eventually, the lands between the Luga and the Narva were claimed by Russia as well, and in 1492
Ivan III founded the
Ivangorod Fortress on the right bank of the Narva. The fortress is still considered to be the piece of art of fortification. The area was constantly at the frontier and became the battleground between Germans and Swedes, on one side, and Russians, on the other side. After the war between Russia and Sweden, the
Treaty of Teusina in 1595 transferred the area to Russia. 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
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
, it was conquered back by Russia.
In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as
Saint Petersburg Governorate). It was later included into
Yamburgsky Uyezd with the administrative center in Yamburg. In 1780, part of the area was transferred into newly established
Narvsky Uyezd of Saint Petersburg Governorate. In 1796, Narvsky Uyezd was abolished and merged into Yamburgsky Uyezd. The governorate was renamed Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924. In May 1922, Yamburg was renamed Kingisepp, and Yamburgsky Uyezd was renamed Kingiseppsky, to commemorate
Viktor Kingissepp.
On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished and Kingiseppsky District, with the administrative center in the town of Kingisepp, was established. The governorates were also abolished, and the district was a part of
Leningrad Okrug of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1 ...
. It included parts of former Kingiseppsky Uyezd. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished as well, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. Between March 22, 1935 and September 19, 1940, the district was a part of
Kingisepp Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, one of the okrugs abutting the state boundaries of the Soviet Union. After Kingisepp Okrug was abolished, Kigisepp became a town of oblast significance. In 1940, the islands in the Gulf of Finland (including Gogland and Moshchny), which previously belonged to
Viipuri Province of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
and were ceded to the Soviet Union following the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, were transferred to Kingiseppsky District.
Between August 1941 and February 1944, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the district was occupied by
German troops. In February 1944, the
Kingisepp–Gdov Offensive, a military operation in which the Soviet Army advanced to the east bank of the Narva and of
Lake Peipus, took place here. The town of Kingisepp was seriously damaged and rebuilt after the war.
In 2010, the administrative division of Leningrad Oblast was harmonized with the municipal division, and Kingisepp was made the town of district significance.
The areas adjacent to the Narva River, including the town of Ivangorod, were assigned to Estonia in 1920, following the
Estonian War of Independence and the
Treaty of Tartu, signed on February 2, 1920. On November 24, 1944 this area was transferred to Leningrad Oblast and shared between Slantsevsky (south) and Kingiseppsky (north) Districts.
On August 1, 1927
Kotelsky District with the administrative center in the
selo of
Kotly was established as well. It was a part of Leningrad of Leningrad Oblast. It included areas which were previously parts of
Gatchinsky and Kingiseppsky Uyezds. On September 20, 1931, Kotelsky District was abolished and merged into Kingiseppsky District.
Another district established on August 1, 1927 was
Osminsky District with the administrative center in the
selo of
Osmino. It was a part of
Luga Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. It included areas which were previously parts of
Gdovsky,
Luzhsky, and Kingiseppsky Uyezds. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. Between March 22, 1935 and September 19, 1940, Osminsky District was a part of Kingisepp Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. Between August 1941, and February 1944, Osminsky District was occupied by German troops. On August 2, 1961 Osminsky District was abolished and split between Slantsevsky and Volosovsky Districts.
After the abortive administrative reform of the 1960s, its territory became split between Slantsevsky, Volosovsky, Luzhsky, and Kingiseppsky Districts.
Restricted access
The western and northern part of the district, a strip along the Narva River, with the town of Ivangorod, and a strip along the coast of the Gulf of Finland, is included into the
border security zone, intended to protect the borders of Russia from unwanted activity. In order to visit the zone, a permit issued by the local
Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
department is required.
Economy
Industry
The economy of the district is based on chemical, glass, and food industries. Also present is clothing industry, ferrous metallurgy, and production of construction materials.
The district has deposits of phosphorite, building sand, glass sand, and diatomaceous earth (abrasive).
Agriculture
Agriculture specializes in dairy cattle.
Transportation
The railway connecting Saint Petersburg with
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 '' ...
crosses the district from east to west. Both Kingisepp and Ivangorod are on this railway.
Veymarn is an important node station. There, one railway branches off south and runs to
Slantsy Slantsy (russian: Сланцы) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Slantsy, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Slantsevsky District of Leningrad Oblast; incorporated as Slantsevskoye Settlement Municipal FormationO ...
and
Gdov. It was running all the way up to
Pskov before World War II, but the stretch between Gdov and Pskov was destroyed during the war and never restored. Another railway runs north from Veymarn to
Sosnovy Bor (
Kalishche railway station) and to Saint Petersburg.
Kotly is a node station and the starting point for the railway running to
Ust-Luga. There is no passenger service between Veymarn and Ust-Luga or Kalishche. There is a passenger train between Saint Petersburg and Tallinn, which stops both in Kingisepp and Ivangorod.
The
A180 highway, connecting Saint Petersburg and
Ivangorod, crosses the district from east to west, passing through Kingisepp. It coincides with the
European route E20
European route E20 is a part of the United Nations International E-road network. It runs roughly west–east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia.
Its length is but it is not continuous; at three points, a ...
connecting Saint Petersburg via
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 '' ...
with
Shannon Airport. Kingisepp is connected by road with
Volosovo and
Slantsy Slantsy (russian: Сланцы) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Slantsy, Leningrad Oblast, a town in Slantsevsky District of Leningrad Oblast; incorporated as Slantsevskoye Settlement Municipal FormationO ...
. Generally, the district has an extensive network of local roads.
Ust-Luga is the site of an important coal and fertiliser terminal. It also serves as the northern end of the
Baltic Pipeline System-II
The Baltic Pipeline System-2 (BPS-2, ') is a second trunk line of the Baltic Pipeline System. The pipeline is constructed and operated by Russian oil pipeline company Transneft.
The BPS-2 was completed in 2011 and began to function in late March ...
.
Demographics
The critically endangered
Votic language
Votic, or Votian (''vaďďa tšeeli'', ''maatšeeli'') vɑːdʔda ˈtʃɨlɨ, mɑːt.ʃɨlɨ is the language spoken by the Votes of Ingria, belonging to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. Votic is spoken only in Krakolye and Luzhitsy ...
is spoken in two villages.
Culture
The district contains 67 cultural heritage monuments of federal significance and additionally 219 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federal monuments include the main attractions of the district such as the
Yam Fortress and the
Saint Catherine Cathedral (by
Antonio Rinaldi) in Kingisepp, the
Ivangorod Fortress in the town of
Ivangorod, and the estates in
Kotly and in
Opolye.
There are the museum of
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 ...
in the village of
Vistino and the museum of local history in Kingisepp. The Ivangorod fortress functions as a museum as well.
People born in the district
*
Mia Boyka
Maria Nikolaevna Boyko (, born 15 February 1997, Zakhonye-2, Russia) is a Russian singer who became famous from YouTube and TikTok.
Career
In 2019, he started working with T-killah. In 2021, she released her debut album "".
In May 2022, t ...
, singer
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012
Districts of Leningrad Oblast
States and territories established in 1927
1927 establishments in the Soviet Union