Pechengsky District (russian: Пе́ченгский райо́н; fi, Petsamo; no, Peisen; se, Beahcán; sms, Peäccam) is an administrative district (
raion), one of the
six in
Murmansk 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-eight ...
.
[Law #96-01-ZMO] As a
municipal division, it is incorporated as Pechengsky Municipal District.
[Law #539-01-ZMO] It is located in the northwest of the
oblast, on the coast of the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
(by the
Rybachy Peninsula
Rybachy Peninsula (russian: полуо́стров Рыба́чий, ''poluostrov Rybachiy''; se, Giehkirnjárga; no, Fiskerhalvøya; fi, Kalastajasaarento) is the northernmost part of continental European Russia. Its name is translated as " ...
, which is a part of the district) and borders
Finland in the south and southwest and
Norway in the west, northwest, and north. The area of the district is .
[Charter of Pechengsky District] 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
urban locality (an
urban-type settlement) of
Nikel.
Its population was The population of Nikel accounts for 32.8% of the district's total population.
History
Russian settlement
The area was long inhabited by the
indigenous Sami people
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 n ...
. The border between Norway and Russia was not defined in terms of land, instead the
Treaty of Novgorod (1326)
Treaty of Novgorod, signed on 3 June 1326 in Novgorod, marked the end of decades of the Norwegian- Novgorodian border skirmishes in the far-northern region called Finnmark. The terms were an armistice for 10 years. A few years earlier in 1323, ...
specified which indigenous, nomadic families had to pay their taxes to which government. In 1533, the settlement of the Pechenga Monastery was defined as part of Russia.
The settlement of
Pechenga Pechenga may refer to:
*Pechenga (river), a river in Murmansk Oblast, Russia
*Pechenga Monastery, a historical monastery
*Pechenga, Kostroma Oblast, a village in Buysky District of Kostroma Oblast
*Pechenga (railway station), Murmansk Oblast, a rail ...
was founded as the
Pechenga Monastery
The Pechengsky District, Pechenga Monastery (russian: Печенгский монастырь; fi, Petsamon luostari) was for many centuries the northernmost monastery in the world. It was founded in 1533 at the influx of the Pechenga River into t ...
in 1533 at the influx of the
Pechenga River
The Pechenga (russian: Пече́нга, fi, Petsamonjoki) is a river in Murmansk Oblast, Russia (Kola Peninsula). It is the namesake for the Pechenga settlement, Pechenga Monastery and the Pechenga District. The river discharges into the Pech ...
into the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
, west of modern
Murmansk, by
St. Tryphon, a monk from
Novgorod. Inspired by the model of the
Solovetsky Monastery
The Solovetsky Monastery ( rus, Солове́цкий монасты́рь, p=səlɐˈvʲɛtskʲɪj mənɐˈstɨrʲ) is a fortified monastery located on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea in northern Russia. It was one of the largest Christ ...
, Tryphon wished to convert the
local Skolt Sami population to Christianity and to demonstrate how faith could flourish in the most inhospitable lands.
The area was resettled by the
Pomors
Pomors or Pomory ( rus, помо́ры, p=pɐˈmorɨ, ''seasiders'') are an ethnographic group descended from Russian settlers, primarily from Veliky Novgorod, living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a wa ...
and other
Russians. The present border between Norway and Russia was settled in 1826, and the development of the area considerably accelerated in the late 19th century, when the monastery was re-established there. The harbor of Liinakhamari in Petsamo was important for the Russian economy during
World War I as the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
was blocked by the Germans.
Finnish control
According to the
1920 Treaty of Tartu that followed Finnish occuрation of the region,
Soviet Russia ceded the area of Pechenga (
Petsamo Province) to Finland.
[''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 54–56]
Deposits of
nickel were found in 1921, after Petsamo became a part of Finland. In 1934, the deposits were estimated at over five million tonnes. Mining operations were started in 1935 by Canadian and French corporations.
Construction of a road from
Sodankylä
Sodankylä (; sme, Soađegilli ; smn, Suáđigil; sms, Suäʹđjel) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Highway 5 ( E63) and along Highway 4 ( E75). The Kitinen River flows n ...
through
Ivalo to
Liinakhamari
Liinakhamari (russian: Лиинахамари; fi, Liinahamari; sv, Linhammar; Norwegian: ''Linjehammere)'' is an ice-free harbour and a rural locality in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The harbour belonged to Finland from ...
started in 1916 and was completed in 1931. This made Petsamo a popular tourist attraction, as it was the only port by the Barents Sea reachable by automobile.
In the
Winter War of 1939–1940, the Soviet Union briefly occupied Petsamo. In the following
peace agreement, the Rybachy Peninsula, with the area of , was the only part of Petsamo ceded to the Soviet Union, although the Soviets had occupied all of Petsamo during the Winter War.
In 1941, during
World War II, Petsamo was used by
Nazi Germany as a
staging area
A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to:
* In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...
for the offensive towards
Murmansk. In 1944, the
Red Army occupied Petsamo again, and this time Finland had to cede it to the Soviet Union as part of the
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on 19 September 1944, ending the Continuation War. The Armistice restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modi ...
signed on September 19, 1944 that halted fighting in the
Continuation War.
The total ceded area was . On July 21, 1945, the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
decreed the establishment of Pechengsky District with the administrative center in Nikel on the ceded territory and to include this district as a part of Murmansk Oblast.
In 1947, Finland exchanged the remaining
Rayakoski area, together with the
Jäniskoski The Paatsjoki River hydroelectric power plants are a series of hydroelectric installations on the Paatsjoki River.
Description
The Paatsjoki River flows from Lake Inari in Finland and for most of its duration, it marks the border between Russia and ...
hydroelectric plant, for Soviet-confiscated German investments in Finland.
Retrocession to Russia
Following the
Paris Peace Treaty
The Paris Peace Treaties (french: Traités de Paris) were signed on 10 February 1947 following the end of World War II in 1945.
The Paris Peace Conference lasted from 29 July until 15 October 1946. The victorious wartime Allied powers (princ ...
, the local
Skolt Sami were given the choice of staying in Soviet Russia or moving to Finland. Most opted to re-settle in Finland, but some chose to stay in Russia.
When
Polyarny District Polyarny District (russian: Поля́рный райо́н) was an administrative division (a district) of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960.
It was est ...
was abolished on July 9, 1960, a part of its territory was transferred to Pechengsky District.
[Decree #741/18]
On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed the reorganisation of the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and the executive committee.
Nevertheless, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which classified Pechengsky District as rural.
However, this classification only lasted for less than two years.
The November 21, 1964 Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR restored the unified Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais and oblasts where the division into the urban and rural districts was introduced in 1962, and the districts of Murmansk Oblast were re-categorized as regular districts again by the January 12, 1965 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree.
Economy
The district is important for its ice-free
harbor,
Liinakhamari
Liinakhamari (russian: Лиинахамари; fi, Liinahamari; sv, Linhammar; Norwegian: ''Linjehammere)'' is an ice-free harbour and a rural locality in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The harbour belonged to Finland from ...
, and the
deposits of nickel.
See also
*
Nemetsky Peninsula
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Official website of Pechengsky DistrictUnofficial website of Pechengsky DistrictNews of Pechengsky District
*SIIDA
(Skolt Sámi history)
{{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012
Districts of Murmansk Oblast
Barents Sea
Geographic history of Finland
Finland–Soviet Union relations