Historical cities and settlements of Russia (russian: исторические города и поселения) are settlements of historical and archaeological importance in
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-ei ...
, as defined by Russian governments from a 1970 decree through a 2002 federal law.
History of official designations
The official definition of this status was first decreed in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in May 1970, when the first official list of 115 historical settlements was declared. It was confirmed in the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
in February 1990, with a significantly expanded list of 426 cities/towns, 54
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 ...
s, and 56 villages. On June 25, 2002 the federal law of
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-ei ...
, #73-FZ, ''On the Objects of Cultural Heritage (Cultural and Historical Monuments) of the Peoples of Russian Federation'' confirmed this status for 478 settlements. In 2010, the list was revised and only 41 cities remained in it. In 2016,
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
was added to the list.
Historical cities in Russia are separated into four categories based on the value of their historical legacy:
*Category I : historical cities of worldwide importance, the uniquene legacy of which is recognised by the world community and requires exceptional efforts to conserve.
*Category II : historical cities of local importance, the legacy of which requires development of special reconstruction projects and multifactor conservation programmes.
*Category III : historical cities of local importance, the legacy of which makes them stand out of the rest of the list.
*Category IV : other historical cities.
The current list
*
Azov
*
Arzamas
Arzamas (russian: Арзама́с) is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Tyosha River (a tributary of the Oka), east of Moscow. Population:
History
Arzamas was founded in 1578 by Ivan the Terrible in the lands pop ...
*
Astrakhan
Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...
*
Belozersk
*
Veliky Ustyug
*
Verkhoturye
Verkhoturye (russian: Верхоту́рье) is a historical town and the administrative center of Verkhotursky District of Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located in the middle Ural Mountains on the left bank of the Tura River north of Yekateri ...
*
Vladimir
*
Volsk
Volsk (russian: Вольск) is a town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, opposite the mouth of the Bolshoy Irgiz (a tributary of the Volga), northeast from Saratov, the administrative center of the ob ...
*
Vyborg
Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ...
*
Galich
*
Gorokhovets
*
Derbent
Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It ...
*
Yelabuga
*
Yelets
*
Yeniseysk
Yeniseysk ( rus, Енисейск, p=jɪnʲɪˈsʲejsk) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. Population: 20,000 (1970).
History
Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 as a stockaded town—the first town on the Yenise ...
*
Zaraysk
Zaraysk (russian: Зара́йск) is a town and the administrative center of Zaraysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located about southeast from Moscow. Population:
Geography
The town stands on the right bank of the Osyotr River, which ...
*
Irkutsk
Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is the 25th-larges ...
*
Kasimov
*
Kargopol
*
Kineshma
Kineshma (russian: Кинешма), the second-largest town in Ivanovo Oblast in Russia, sprawls for along the Volga River, 335 kilometers north-east of Moscow. Population:
History
Kineshma was first noticed as a ''posad'' in 1429. In 1504, I ...
*
Kolomna
*
Kostroma
*
Krapivna, Tula Oblast
*
Kyakhta
*
Ostashkov
*
Plyos
*
Rostov
*
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
*
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
*
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
*
Solvychegodsk
Solvychegodsk (russian: Сольвычего́дск, lit. "salt on the Vychegda River") is a town in Kotlassky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the right-hand bank of the Vychegda River northeast of Kotlas, the adminis ...
*
Starocherkasskaya
*
Suzdal
Suzdal ( rus, Суздаль, p=ˈsuzdəlʲ) is a town that serves as the administrative center of Suzdalsky District in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which is located on the Kamenka River, north of the city of Vladimir. Vladimir is the a ...
*
Taganrog
*
Tomsk
Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population:
Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a n ...
*
Torzhok
*
Toropets
*
Totma
*
Tutayev
*
Chistopol
*
Shuya
*
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl ( rus, Ярослáвль, p=jɪrɐˈsɫavlʲ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluenc ...
References
List of historical cities
External links
List of Old-Russian Towns (last quarter of the 14th - early 15th century)- Interactive scholarly edition, with critical English translation and multimodal resources mashup (publications, images, videos).
See also
*
Golden Ring of cities northeast of Moscow, Russia
*
Russian history
The history of Russia begins with the histories of the East Slavs. The traditional start-date of specifically Russian history is the establishment of the Rus' state in the north in 862, ruled by Varangians. Staraya Ladoga and Novgorod became ...
Cities and towns in Russia
Histories of cities in Russia
Heritage registers in Russia
Community awards
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