Monastyrshchina (russian: Монастырщина, pl, Monasterszczyzna) is an urban locality (a
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
* Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fin ...
) 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
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Monastyrshchinsky District
Monastyrshchinsky District (russian: Монасты́рщинский райо́н) is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #89-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Smolensk Oblast, twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, ...
of
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. It is located on the left bank of the Vikhra River, in the western 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 Kingdom of ...
. Population:
History
Monastyrshchina is known since the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th century, when a
skete
A skete ( ) is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, al ...
was founded here.
Between second half of the 14th century and the middle of the 17th century, the area belonged intermittently to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
, to Poland, and to 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 Lati ...
. In the 18th century, Monastyrshchina belonged to Poland, and in 1772, as a result of the First Partition of Poland, it was transferred to Russia and included in the newly established
Mogilev Governorate
The Mogilev Governorate () or Government of Mogilev was a governorate () of the Russian Empire in the territory of the present day Belarus. Its capital was in Mogilev, referred to as Mogilev-on-the-Dnieper, or Mogilev Gubernskiy.
The area of the ...
. It belonged to
Mstislavsky Uyezd Mstislavsky Uyezd (''Мстиславский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Mogilev Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Mstsislaw.
Demographi ...
. In 1919, Mogilev Governorate was abolished, and Mstislavsky Uyezd was transferred to
Smolensk Governorate
Smolensk Governorate (russian: Смоленская губерния, Smolenskaja gubernija), or the Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It ex ...
. In 1925, Monastyrshchina Volost was established.
On 12 July 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Monastyrshchinsky District with the administrative center in the selo of Monastyrshchina was established. The district belonged to
Smolensk Okrug
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) 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 c ...
of
Western Oblast
Western Oblast (russian: Западная область, ''Zapadnaya oblast'') was an ''oblast'' (a first-level administrative and municipal unit) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1929 to 1937. Its seat was in the city ...
. 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
Oryol
Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...
and Smolensk Oblasts. Monastyrshchinsky District was transferred to Smolensk Oblast. Between 1941 and 1943, during WWII, the district was occupied by German troops. In January 1965, Monastyrshchina was granted urban-type settlement status.
Climate
Monastyrshchina has a warm-summer
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(''Dfb'' in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
).
Economy
Industry
There is a cheese production factory in Monastyrshchina.
Transportation
The closest railway station is in Pochinok, on the railway connecting Smolensk and
Bryansk
Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population:
Geography Urban layout
The location of the settlement was originally ass ...
via
Roslavl
Roslavl (russian: Ро́славль, ) is a town and the administrative center of Roslavlsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Population:
Climate
Roslavl has a warm-summer humid continenta ...
.
Monastyrshchina is connected by paved roads with Smolensk, Pochinok, and
Khislavichi
Khislavichi (russian: Хиславичи, yi, חאסלאוויץ ''Khoslovitz'') is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Khislavichsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located by the right bank of the ...
, and has access to the M1 highway, connecting Moscow with Belarus via Smolensk. A road of a poor quality connects Monastyrshchina with
Mstsislaw
Mstislaw or Mstislavl ( be, Мсціслаў, [], russian: Мстиславль [msʲtʲɪˈslavlʲ], pl, Mścisław, lt, Mstislavlis) is a town in the Mogilev Region, Eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mstsislaw District ...
across the border with Belarus.
The Vikhra is not navigable.
Culture and recreation
The Sts. Peter and Paul Church was built in 1906. There is a local museum in Monastyrshchina.