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,

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. 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

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

s 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 The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many sough ...

. In 1663 (or 1597, according to another accountDavies 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 A sloboda ( rus, слобода́, p=sləbɐˈda) was a kind of settlement in the history of the Old Russian regions Povolzhye, Central Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be loosely ...

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 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 deposits in the area. There is a museum of

Skopin ceramics Skopin (russian: Скопин) is a town in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyorda River (Oka's basin) southwest of Ryazan. Population: History Skopin is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Ryazan Oblast. A settlement named Lik ...

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 A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...

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 SkopinLaw #128-OZ—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 ...

. 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 Stolin ( be, Сто́лін; uk, Сто́лін; russian: Сто́лин; pl, Stolin; Yiddish/Hebrew: סטולין) is a town in the Stolin District in Brest Region of Belarus. It is the centre of the largest district in Brest Region. The popu ...

, Belarus (2014)

Born in Skopin

Anatoly Novikov Anatoli Grigoriévitch Novikov (russian: Анато́лий Григо́рьевич Но́виков; – 24 September 1984) was a Soviet composer, a choral conductor and a political activist. Background Novikov was awarded two Stalin Prizes, ...

(1896–1984), composer. * Alexander Afinogenov (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 and Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces. *

Viktor Mokhov Viktor Vasilyevich Mokhov (russian: Ви́ктор Васи́льевич Мо́хов; born 22 June 1950 in Skopin, Ryazan Oblast) is a Russian criminal who in 2000 kidnapped two girls, then 14 and 17 years old, kept them in a basement and raped ...

History

Administrative and municipal status

Twin towns and sister cities

Born in Skopin

References

Notes

Sources