Vazhiny (russian: Важины) is an
urban locality (an
urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...
) in
Podporozhsky District
Podporozhsky District (russian: Подпоро́жский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #51-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast ...
of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...
,
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 right bank of the
Svir River
The Svir (, Veps: , Karelian/Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows westwards from Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest ...
at the mouth of the
Vazhinka River
The Vazhinka () is a river in Prionezhsky and Pryazhinsky Districts of the Republic of Karelia and in Podporozhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, a right tributary of the Svir. The urban-type settlement of Vazhiny is located in its mouth. ...
, several kilometers northwest of the town of
Podporozhye.
Municipally, it is incorporated as Vazhinskoye Urban Settlement, one of the four urban settlements in the district. Population:
History
Vazhiny was first mentioned in the 16th century as Vazhinsky Pogostm a settlement of
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
ians. The area was relatively unpopulated until the 18th century, when the
Mariinsky Canal System Mariinsky (masculine), Mariinskaya (feminine), or Mariinskoye (neuter) may refer to:
Mariinsky Theatre
*Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the ensembles headquartered there:
** Mariinsky Ballet
**Mariinsky Opera
**Mariinsky Orc ...
, which included the Svir River, was opened. In the 19th century, the extensive timber logging started, and the selo of Vazhiny was formally established in 1900, to serve logging, timber trade, and timber transport along the Svir.
At the time, Vazhiny was a part of
Olonetsky Uyezd of
Olonets Governorate
The Olonets Governorate or Government of Olonets was a '' guberniya'' (governorate) of north-western Imperial Russia, extending from Lake Ladoga almost to the White Sea, bounded west by Finland, north and east by Arkhangelsk and Vologda, and sou ...
. In 1922, Olonets Governorate was abolished, and Olonetsky Uyezd was abolished as well. Vazhiny was transferred into
Lodeynopolsky Uyezd
Lodeynopolsky Uyezd (russian: Лодейнопольский уезд) was one of the seven subdivisions of the Olonets Governorate of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Lodeynoye Pole. Lodeynopolsky Uyezd was located in the southern part of the g ...
of
Petrograd Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...
(later Leningrad Oblast).
On August 1, 1927, the uyezds in Leningrad Oblast were abolished, and Podporozhsky District with the administrative center in Podporozhye was established. It was a part of
Lodeynoye Pole Okrug of Leningrad Oblast and included areas formerly belonging to Lodeynopolsky Uyezd. Vazhiny became a part of the district. In 1932, the administrative center of the district was moved to Vazhiny, due to the construction of the
Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station
Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station (russian: Верхнесвирская ГЭС) is a hydroelectric station on the Svir River located in the town of Podporozhye, Leningrad Oblast, in northwestern Russia. It was open on February 13, 1952 and has ...
, but on September 11, 1938 the district center was moved back to Podroporozhye. Between September 1941 and July 1944, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Vazhiny was occupied by Finnish troops. In 1970, Vazhiny was granted urban-type settlement status.
Economy
Industry
The economy of Vazhiny is based on timber industry.
Transportation
Vazhiny is connected by road with Podporozhye and have an access to a paved road connecting
Lodeynoye Pole
Lodeynoye Pole (russian: Лоде́йное По́ле, lit. ''the field of boats'') is a town and the administrative center of Lodeynopolsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Svir River (Lake Ladoga's basin) ...
with
Vytegra
Vytegra ( rus, Вы́тегра, p=ˈvɨtʲɪɡrə) is a town and the administrative center of Vytegorsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located along the shores of the Vytegra River on Volga–Baltic Waterway, northwest of Vologda, the ...
, as well as to the road connecting Podporozhye and
Olonets
Olonets (russian: Оло́нец; krl, Anus, olo, Anuksenlinnu; fi, Aunus, Aunuksenkaupunki or Aunuksenlinna) is a town and the administrative center of Olonetsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Olonka River to th ...
.
The Svir River is navigable and is a part of the
Volga–Baltic Waterway
The Volga–Baltic Waterway (Volgobalt, Волгобалт), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Balti ...
, connecting the basins of the Volga and the Neva Rivers. There is regular cruise and cargo traffic along the waterway.
Culture and recreation
![Church of the Resurrection in Vazhiny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Church_of_the_Resurrection_in_Vazhiny.jpg)
Vazhiny is a part of so-called ''Podporozhye Ring'', which includes some of the best samples of wooden ecclesiastical architecture in Leningrad Oblast. The settlement contains the wooden Resurrection Church (1630).
References
Notes
Sources
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{{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012
Urban-type settlements in Leningrad Oblast
Olonetsky Uyezd