Skopin (russian: Скопин) 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
Ryazan Oblast
Ryazan Oblast ( rus, Рязанская область, r=Ryazanskaya oblast, p=rʲɪˈzanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities ...
,
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 on the
Vyorda River (
Oka
Oka or OKA may refer to:
Cars
* Oka (automobile), a small car designed by AvtoVAZ and produced by ZMA and SeAZ
* OKA 4wd, a large 4-wheel-drive vehicle made in Western Australia by OKA
Military
* 2B1 Oka, Soviet 420 mm self-propelled mor ...
's
basin) southwest of
Ryazan
Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...
. Population:
History
Skopin is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Ryazan Oblast. A settlement named Likharevskoye Gorodishche near present-day Skopin was founded some time in the 12th century. It was fortified with
moats and
rampart
Rampart may refer to:
* Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement
Rampart may also refer to:
* "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...
s for protection against the
Cuman people.
In 1663 (or 1597, according to another account
[Davies has Skopin as part of the Abatis Line, which would put it before 1600 (Brian L. Davies. ''Warfare State and Society of the Black Sea Steppe'', 2007, p. 45)]), the Tsar built a wooden fortress on the spot of today's Skopin, which would become a part of the defense system on the southeast of 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 ...
. It had been called Skopinskaya
sloboda since the late 17th century. In 1778, the town was renamed Skopin. In the 18th century, the town lost its military significance.
In the second half of the 19th century, mining for
brown coal
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
began in the outskirts of Skopin, which would continue until 1989. The town became known for its handicraft
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
items with the discovery of
fire clay
Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of alumi ...
deposits in the area. There is a museum of
Skopin ceramics in the town.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Skopin serves as 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
Skopinsky District
Skopinsky District (russian: Скопи́нский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #128-ZS and municipalLaw #76-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-five in Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast. The area of t ...
, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is, together with five rural localities, incorporated separately as the
town of oblast significance of Skopin
[Law #128-OZ]—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts. As a
municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Skopin is incorporated as Skopin Urban Okrug.
[Law #77-OZ]
Twin towns and sister cities
Skopin is
twinned with:
*
Stolin, Belarus (2014)
Born in Skopin
*
Anatoly Novikov (1896–1984), composer.
*
Alexander Afinogenov
Alexander Nikolayevich Afinogenov (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Афиноге́нов) (, Skopin – 29 October 1941, Moscow) was a Russian and Soviet playwright.
Biography
Alexander was born in the town of Skopin, in R ...
(1904–1941), dramatist.
*
Sergey Biryuzov
Sergey Semyonovich Biryuzov (; 21 August 1904 – 19 October 1964) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union and Chief of the General Staff.
Early life and prewar service
Biryuzov was born in Skopin, in the Ryazan Governorate of the Russian Empire, in ...
(1904–1964),
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union.
The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...
and
Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces.
*
Viktor Mokhov (1950–), criminal.
References
Notes
Sources
*
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*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Ryazan Oblast
Skopinsky Uyezd