Luga (russian: Лу́га; Finnish: ''Ylä-Laukaa'' or ''Laukaa''; vot, Laugaz; et, Luuga) is a

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 o ...

and the

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 ...

of Luzhsky District 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-ei ...

, located on the Luga River south of St. Petersburg. Population:

History

It was founded on the banks of the river of that name by order of the

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

on August 3 (14), 1777. The town developed in following stages: #Initial construction (1777–c. 1800) #Early growth to population of 3,000 (c. 1810–c. 1860) #Intense social and urban development (c. 1870–1910) #Soviet development according to the typical plan for smaller towns (1926–c. 1950) #Reconstruction of the historical town structure (c. 1960–c. 1995) #Transition to free market agro-industrial town (c. 1995–2005) Luga was founded as a town in Pskov Viceroyalty, but in March 3 (14), 1782 it was transferred to St. Petersburg Governorate (renamed Petrogradsky in 1913 and Leningradsky in 1924) and became the seat of

Luzhsky Uyezd Luzhsky Uyezd (russian: Лужский уезд) was one of the eight subdivisions of the Saint Petersburg Governorate of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Luga. Luzhsky Uyezd was located in the southwestern part of the governorate (in the southw ...

. In 1918, important events of the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

took place in the area, when the

White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...

unsuccessfully tried to conquer Petrograd. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished and Luzhsky District, with the administrative center in Luga, was established. The governorates were also abolished and the district became a part of Luga Okrug of

. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished as well and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On September 19, 1939, Luga became a town of oblast significance and was thus no longer a part of the district. The

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 ...

German advance on Leningrad was temporarily halted by seven regular, militia, and irregular divisions in the Luga area and this delayed the commencement of the Siege of Leningrad by over a month. In recognition of this feat, the town was awarded the title of "

Hero City Hero City may refer to: * Hero City (Soviet Union), awarded 1965–1985 to cities now in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine * Hero City of Ukraine, awarded 2022 * Hero Cities of Yugoslavia, awarded 1970–1975 * Leningrad Hero City Obelisk, a monument ...

" and listed as one of the World War II Cities of Military Glory by

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

, the

President of Russia The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federa ...

. German occupation of Luga lasted from August 24, 1941 to February 12, 1944. In 2010, the administrative structure of Leningrad Oblast was harmonized with its municipal structure and Luga became a town of district significance.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Luga serves as the

of Luzhsky District.Oblast Law #32-oz As an administrative division, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated within Luzhsky District as Luzhskoye Settlement Municipal Formation. As a municipal division, Luzhskoye Settlement Municipal Formation is incorporated within Luzhsky Municipal District as Luzhskoye Urban Settlement.Law #65-oz

Economy

Industry

There are enterprises of construction, chemical, and food industries in Luga.

Transportation

Luga lies on the railway line connecting the Baltiysky railway station of St. Petersburg with

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

. Another railway line to Batetsky and

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

branches off east. Both have suburban service. The M20 Highway, connecting St. Petersburg with Pskov and eventually with

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, passes Luga. In Luga, two more roads branch eastwards: one running to Veliky Novgorod and another one to Lyuban and

Mga MGA can refer to: Transport *MGA, IATA code for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Managua International Airport) in Managua, Nicaragua * Monongahela Railway, a former coal-hauling short line railroad in the United States *The MG MGA, a p ...

, largely following the border of Leningrad Oblast.

Education

The town has a university (KGU Kirilla and Mefodiya), three Institutes of Technical Education, and six schools.

Military

Luga is home to the 26th Missile Brigade.

Culture and recreation

Luga contains twenty-five objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. These include the main sights remaining from the 18th and the 19th century such as the St. Catherine Cathedral (1786) and the Resurrection Cathedral (1872—1877). The Luzhsky District Museum, the only state museum in the district, is located in Luga.

Twin towns and sister cities

Luga is twinned with: *

Mikkeli Mikkeli (; sv, S:t Michel; la, Michaelia) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Etelä-Savo region. The municipality has a population of () (around 34, ...

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 Bot ...

Notable people

* Anton Zaltsa (1843-1916) - general * Walter Polakov (1879-1948) - mechanical engineer *

Gratsian Botev Gratsian Botev (12 December 1928 – 16 August 1981) was a Soviet sprint canoeist who competed in the late 1950s. At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and ...

(1928-1981) - sprint canoer *

Nina Urgant Nina Nikolayevna Urgant (russian: Ни́на Никола́евна У́ргант; 4 September 1929 – 3 December 2021Boris Marshak (1933-2006) - archeologist * Gennadi Nilov (1936) - actor * Lyudmila Besrukova (1945) - sprint canoer * Georgi Zažitski (1949) - fencer *

Vladimir Bystrov Vladimir Sergeyevich Bystrov (russian: Владимир Серге́евич Быстров, born 31 January 1984) is a Russian former footballer who played as a right winger. Career FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Bystrov began his career in youth ...