Olenegorsk (russian: Оленего́рск, lit. ''reindeer mountain'') 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 ori ...
in
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast (russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, p=ˈmurmənskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Murmanskaya oblast, ''Murmanskaya oblast''; Kildin Sami: Мурман е̄ммьне, ''Murman jemm'ne'') is a federal subject (an oblast) 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 ...
, located north of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
, south of
Murmansk
Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...
. Population: 25,166 (
2002 Census);
History
The railway station of Olenya () was opened in 1916, with the construction of the
Murman Railway
Railway between Murmansk on the Baltic_Sea.html"_;"title="Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea">Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea_
Kirov_Railway_(russian:_Кировская_железная_дорога,_''Kiro ...
. The station facilities, and the small settlement associated with the station were located to the east of the railroad. Their importance was somewhat increased in the 1930s, as Olenya became a junction for the railway branch to the newly built town of
Monchegorsk
Monchegorsk (russian: Мончего́рск) is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 52,242 ( 2002 Census); 68,652 ( 1989 Census).
Name
The ...
some to the southwest.
In 1949, work started on the
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
strip mines and ore-processing facilities a few kilometers to the west of the Olenya station. At the same time, construction of a company town, originally also named Olenya, started between the rail station and the mines, to the west of the railway. In December 1949, it was granted
work settlement status.
By the March 27, 1957 Decree of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR
The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the collective head of state of the Russian SFSR and the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR that was accountable to the Supreme Sovi ...
, the work settlement of Olenya was granted the status of a town under district jurisdiction, subordinated to Monchegorsk, and given its present name.
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 55] The railway station, however, retained the name Olenya and was not renamed Olenegorsk until the 1980s. Olenegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction by the August 10, 1981 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree, and several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Monchegorsk were transferred to Olenegorsk by the August 26, 1981 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee.
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 57]
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated as Olenegorsk
Town with Jurisdictional Territory—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
.
[Law #96-01-ZMO] As a
municipal division, Olenegorsk Town with Jurisdictional Territory is incorporated as Olenegorsk Urban Okrug.
[Law #534-01-ZMO]
Transportation
All passengers trains on the
St. Petersburg–Murmansk railway stop at Olenegorsk. The station also serves the nearby town of Monchegorsk, which itself has next to no passenger service, the
Olenya
Olenya (also Olenegorsk) has been a major Russian Navy reconnaissance base, located on the Kola Peninsula 92 km south of Murmansk. As of 2020 units at the base are subordinate to the Long-Range Aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Force ...
airbase (a.k.a. Vysoky), a more remote
Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...
village of
Lovozero, and the mining town of
Revda in
Lovozersky District
Lovozersky District (russian: Лово́зерский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the six in Murmansk Oblast, Russia.Law #96-01-ZMO Municipally, it is incorporated as Lovozersky Municipal District.Law #574-02-ZMO ...
.
Economy
The town economy continues to be based on iron ore extraction and processing, mostly shipping enriched ore to
Severstal
Severstal (russian: Северсталь, , Northern Steel) is a Russian company mainly operating in the steel and mining industry, headquartered in Cherepovets. Severstal is listed on the Moscow Exchange and LSE and is the largest steel company ...
in
Cherepovets
Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲɛts) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...
.
Military bases include the
Olenya air base and
Olenegorsk Radar Station.
Notable people
*
Kate Grigorieva
Yekaterina Sergeyevna Grigoryeva (russian: Екатерина Сергеевна Григорьева; born 15 September 1988), known professionally as Kate Grigorieva, is a Russian model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2015 to 2016.
E ...
, model
*
Liudmila Samsonova
Liudmila Dmitriyevna Samsonova ( rus, Людмила Дмитриевна Самсонова, , lʲʊdˈmʲiɫə sɐmˈsonəvə; born 11 November 1998) is a Russian tennis player. She also competed for Italy, from 2014 to 2018.
Samsonova has a c ...
, a Russian-Italian tennis player (place of birth)
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Official website of OlenegorskUnofficial website of Olenegorsk
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Murmansk Oblast
Populated places of Arctic Russia