Arkhangelsk (, ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and the

administrative center An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Arkhangelsk Oblast Arkhangelsk Oblast ( rus, Архангельская область, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic Ocean, Arctic archipelagos of Franz ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It lies on both banks of the

Northern Dvina The Northern Dvina (, ; ) is a river in northern Russia flowing through Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic O ...

near its mouth into the

White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...

. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river and numerous islands of its

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

. Arkhangelsk was the chief seaport of medieval and early modern Russia until 1703, when it was replaced by the newly founded

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. A

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

runs from Arkhangelsk to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

via

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

and

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) 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 confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

, and air travel is served by the

Talagi Airport Talagi Airport ( Russian: Аэропорт Архангельск (Тала́ги) имени Ф.А. Абрамова) is an international airport serving Arkhangelsk, Russia, located 11 kilometers outside the city. In 2001, it had 105,797 pas ...

and the smaller

Vaskovo Airport Vaskovo Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Васьково) is an airport in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia located 13 km southwest of central Arkhangelsk. It is 10 km west of Isakogorka station. The airport is a general aviation airfiel ...

. As of the 2021 Census, the city's population was 301,199.

Coat of arms

The arms of the city display the

Archangel Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second ...

in the act of defeating the Devil. Legend states that this victory took place near where the city stands, hence its name, and that Michael still stands watch over the city to prevent the Devil's return.

History

Early history

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

knew the area around Arkhangelsk as

Bjarmaland Bjarmaland (also spelled ''Bjarmland'' and ''Bjarmia'') was a territory mentioned in sagas from the Viking Age and in geographical accounts until the 16th century. The term is usually understood to have referred to the southern shores of the Whit ...

Ohthere of Hålogaland Ohthere of Hålogaland () was a Viking Age Norwegian seafarer known only from an account of his travels that he gave to King Alfred (r. 871–99) of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in about 890 AD. His account was incorporated into an ...

told circa 890 of his travels in an area by a river and the White Sea with many buildings. This was probably the place later known as Arkhangelsk. According to

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

, Vikings led by

Thorir Hund Thorir Hund (, Modern Norwegian: ''Tore Hund''; ) (born ca. 990) was one of the greatest chiefs in Hålogaland. Tore Hund was one of the leaders of the Stiklestad farmer faction opposing Norwegian King Olaf II of Norway, later named St. Olaf. H ...

raided this area in 1027. In 1989, an unusually impressive silver treasure was found by local farm workers by the mouth of Dvina, right next to present-day Arkhangelsk. Most of the findings comprised a total of of silver, largely in the form of coins. Jewelry and pieces of jewelry come from Russia or neighboring areas. The majority of the coins were German, but the hoard also included a smaller number of

Kufa Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

n, English,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

n, Hungarian, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian coins. It is hard to place this find historically until further research is completed. There are at least two possible interpretations. It may be a treasure belonging to the society outlined by the Norse source material. Generally such finds, whether from

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

area, or Russia, are closely tied to well-established agricultural societies with considerable trade activity. Alternatively, like the Russian scientists who published the find in 1992, one may see it as evidence of a stronger case of Russian colonization than previously thought.

Novgorodian arrival

In the 12th century, the Novgorodians established a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

dedicated to

in the estuary of the

. The main trade center of the area at that time was Kholmogory, located southeast of Arkhangelsk, up the Dvina River, about downstream from where the Pinega River flows into the Dvina. Written sources indicate that Kholmogory existed early in the 12th century, but there is no archeological material of this period. It is not known whether the origin of this settlement was Russian, or if it goes back to pre-Russian times. In the center of the small town (or Gorodok) that is there today is a large mound of building remains and river sand, but it has not been archeologically excavated.

Norwegian–Russian conflict

The area of Arkhangelsk came to be important in the rivalry between Norwegian and Russian interests in the northern areas. From Novgorod, the spectrum of Russian interest was extended far north to the

Kola Peninsula The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...

in the 12th century. However, here Norway enforced taxes and rights to the fur trade. A compromise agreement entered in 1251 which was soon broken. In 1411, Yakov Stepanovich from Novgorod went to attack northern Norway. This was the beginning of a series of clashes. In 1419, Norwegian ships with five hundred soldiers entered the

. The "Murmaners", as the Norwegians were called (cf.

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

), plundered many Russian settlements along the coast, among them the Archangel Michael Monastery. Novgorod managed to drive the Norwegians back. However, in 1478 the area was taken over by Ivan III and passed to the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

with the rest of the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...

Trade with England, Scotland, and the Netherlands

Three English ships the '' Bona Esperanza'', '' Edward Bonaventure'', and ''Bona Confidentia'' set out to find the Northeast passage to China in 1553; two disappeared, and one, the ''Edward Bonaventure'' ended up in the White Sea at

Nyonoksa Nyonoksa, also Nenoksa, ( ) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') under the administrative jurisdiction of Severodvinsk Town of Oblast Significance, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It is located at the coast of the Dvina Bay of the White Sea (the Summ ...

, eventually coming across the area of Arkhangelsk at the mouth of the Dvina River where the St. Nicolas Monastery stood. Subsequently, the English gave the name ''St. Nicolas Bay'' to the sea now known as the White Sea.

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

found out about this, and brokered a trade agreement with the ship's captain,

Richard Chancellor Richard Chancellor ( – ) was an English explorer and navigator; the first to penetrate to the White Sea and establish Anglo-Russian relations, relations with the Tsardom of Russia. Life Chancellor, a native of Bristol, was brought up in the ...

. Trade privileges were granted to English merchants in 1555, leading to the founding of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, which began sending ships annually into the estuary of the Northern Dvina. Dutch merchants also started bringing their ships into the White Sea from the 1560s.

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and English merchants also traded in the 16th century; however, by the 17th century it was mainly the Dutch that sailed to the White Sea area.

Founding and further development

In 1584, Ivan ordered the founding of New Kholmogory (which would later be renamed after the nearby Archangel Michael Monastery). At the time access to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

was still mostly controlled by Sweden, so while Arkhangelsk was icebound in winter, it remained Moscow's almost sole link to the sea-trade. Local inhabitants, called

Pomors The Pomors (, ) are an ethnographic group traditionally thought to be descended from Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod) living on the White Sea coasts and nearby regions, with their southern boundary marked by a watershed dividi ...

, were the first to explore trade routes to Northern

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

as far as the trans-

Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

city of

Mangazeya Mangazeya () was a Northwest Siberian trans- Ural trade colony and later city in the 17th century. Founded in 1600 by Cossacks from Tobolsk, it was situated on the Taz River, between the lower courses of the Ob and Yenisei Rivers flowing int ...

and beyond. In December 1613, during the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

, Arkhangelsk was besieged by Polish-Lithuanian marauders commanded by Stanislaw Jasinski ( Lisowczyks), who failed to capture the fortified town. In 1619, and again in 1637, fires broke out, and the entire city burned down. In 1693,

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

ordered the creation of a state

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

in Arkhangelsk. A year later the ships ''Svyatoye Prorochestvo'' (Holy Prophecy), ''Apostol Pavel'' (Apostle Paul), and the yacht ''Svyatoy Pyotr'' (Saint Peter) were sailing in the White Sea. However, he also realized that Arkhangelsk would always be limited as a port due to the five months of ice cover, and after a successful campaign against Swedish armies in the Baltic area, he founded

in May 1703. Nonetheless, Arkhangelsk continued to be an important naval base and maritime centre in the Russian north. Archangel Michael and City of Archangel

In 1722, Peter the Great decreed that Arkhangelsk should no longer accept goods that amounted to more than was sufficient for the town (for so-called domestic consumption). It was due to the Tsar's will to shift all international marine trade to Saint Petersburg. This factor greatly contributed to the deterioration of Arkhangelsk that continued up to 1762 when this decree was cancelled. Arkhangelsk declined in the 18th century as the Baltic trade became ever more important. Its economy revived at the end of the 19th century when a railway to Moscow was completed and

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

became a major export. The city resisted

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

rule from 1918 to 1920 and was a stronghold of the anti-Bolshevik

White Army The White Army, also known as the White Guard, the White Guardsmen, or simply the Whites, was a common collective name for the armed formations of the White movement and Anti-Sovietism, anti-Bolshevik governments during the Russian Civil War. T ...

. The White Army was supported by an Allied intervention in which British, French, Italian, and American troops helped to defend against the Bolsheviks. The Allied forces, led by British Lieutenant General

Frederick Poole Major General Sir Frederick Cuthbert Poole, (3 August 1869 – 20 December 1936) was a British Army officer of the First World War and a Conservative parliamentary candidate. Career Poole attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and was ...

, suffered numerous set-backs and eventually withdrew from Russia. Without Allied support, the poorly disciplined White Army quickly collapsed and the Bolsheviks entered Arkhangelsk on February 21, 1920. Arkhangelsk was also the scene of the Mudyug concentration camp. During both world wars, Arkhangelsk was a major port of entry for Allied aid. During World War II, the city became known in West Europe as one of the two main destinations (along with

) of the

Arctic convoys The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union – primarily Arkhangelsk (Archangel) and Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys ...

bringing supplies in to assist the Soviet Union. During

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Arkhangelsk was one of two cities (the other being

Astrakhan Astrakhan (, ) 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 Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...

) selected to mark the envisioned eastern limit of German control. This military operation was to be halted at this

A-A line The Arkhangelsk–Astrakhan line, or A–A line for short, was the military goal of Operation Barbarossa. It is also known as the Volga–Arkhangelsk line, as well as (more rarely) the Volga–Arkhangelsk–Astrakhan line. It was first mentioned ...

, but never reached it, as the German armies failed to capture either of these two cities and also failed to capture Moscow. Arkhangelsk was also the site of Arkhangelsk ITL, or the Arkhangelsk

Labour Camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...

, in the 1930s and 1940s. Today, Arkhangelsk remains a major seaport, now open year-round due to improvements in

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

s. The city is primarily a center for the timber and fishing industries. On March 16, 2004, 58 people were killed in an explosion at an apartment building in the city.

Administrative and municipal status

Arkhangelsk is the

of the

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

Oblast Law #65-5-OZ and, within the framework of administrative divisions, it also serves as the administrative center of

Primorsky District Primorsky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia. The name literally means "near the sea". Districts of the federal subjects *Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, an administrative and municipal distr ...

, even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is, together with five rural localities, incorporated separately as the city of oblast significance of Arkhangelsk—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 ...

. As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Arkhangelsk is incorporated as Arkhangelsk Urban Okrug.Oblast Law #258-vneoch.-OZ

City divisions

For administrative purposes, the city is divided into nine territorial okrugs: * Isakogorsky * Lomonosovsky * Maymaksansky * Mayskaya Gorka * Oktyabrsky * Severny * Solombalsky * Tsiglomensky * Varavino-Faktoriya

Economy and infrastructure

Economy

Transportation

Arkhangelsk is the final destination of Northern Railway. In addition, the city is host to two airports,

and

where they host the 2nd Arkhangelsk United Aviation Division and

Smartavia Smartavia, formerly known as Nordavia (until March 2019), is a Russian low-cost airline with its head office in Arkhangelsk, Russia. It mainly operates scheduled domestic and regional services. Its main bases are Arkhangelsk Airport, Pulkovo Air ...

Airline, respectively. M8 highway provides a direct link to

and

Severodvinsk Severodvinsk (; ) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the 2021 Census, the population was 157,213. Due to the p ...

, the administrative center of the oblast. Local public transit is provided by

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

and minibuses called ''

marshrutka ''Marshrutnoye taksi''trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

, and until 2008, . Arkhangelsk August 2016 002.jpg,

Port of Arkhangelsk Port of Arkhangelsk () is a major seaport at Arkhangelsk, located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina River, from the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. The important point links with coastal areas of the Russian North. For much of Russia's history th ...

Arkhangelsk Sea Port Economiya.JPG, Port of Arkhangelsk Геометрия_большого_города._Архангельск,_2020_01.jpg, Severodvinsky bridge over

Northern Dvina Canal The Northern Dvina Canal () is a 64 km long canal in Vologda Oblast in Russia. It connects the Volga–Baltic Waterway to the Northern Dvina River through its tributary, the Sukhona River. The Northern Dvina Canal is one of the two canals ...

Arkhangelsk trainstation.jpg, Arkhangelsk train station Arkhangelsk TalagiAirport 009 0386.jpg,

Trolle.jpg, Trolleybuses in Arkhangelsk

Education

Arkhangelsk was home to Pomorsky State University and

Arkhangelsk State Technical University Arkhangelsk State Technical University is a university founded in 1994. The university was created on the basis of the Arkhangelsk Forestry Engineering Institute. This university is composed of at least eight faculties and four institutes. The re ...

which merged with several other institutions of higher learning in 2010 to form the Northern (Arctic) Federal University. Arkhangelsk is home to the Northern State Medical University, Makarov state Maritime Academy, and a branch of the All-Russian Distance Institute of Finance and Economics.

Culture

Драмтеатр им.М.В.ЛОМОНОСОВА - panoramio.jpg, Arkhangelsk drama theatre Entrance of Arkhangelsk regional museum of local lore.jpg, Arkhangelsk regional museum of local lore Церемония открытия нового научно-лабораторного корпуса ФИЦКИА УрО РАН и памятника академику Лавёрову 01.jpg, laboratory building of RAS Sutyagin house 2.JPG, The

Sutyagin House The Sutyagin House (, ''Dom Sutyagina''; also called Деревянный небоскрёб, "wooden skyscraper", or Соломбальский небоскрёб, "Solombala skyscraper") was a wooden house in Arkhangelsk, Russia. The 13-stor ...

, claimed to be the world's tallest wooden single-family house Кинотеатр «Мир» (Архангельск) 02.jpg, Mir Cinema

Mikhail Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (; , ; – ) was a Russian polymath, scientist and writer, who made important contributions to literature, education, and science. Among his discoveries were the atmosphere of Venus and the law of conservation of ...

came from a

Pomor The Pomors (, ) are an ethnographic group traditionally thought to be descended from Russians, Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod) living on the White Sea coasts and nearby regions, with their southern boundary marked by a waters ...

village near Kholmogory. A monument to him was installed to a design by

Ivan Martos Ivan Petrovich Martos (; ; 1754 – 5 April 1835) was a Russian sculptor and art teacher of Ukrainian origin who helped awaken Russian interest in Neoclassical sculpture. Biography Martos was born between Chernigov and Poltava in city of ...

in 1829. A monument to

was designed by

Mark Antokolsky Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky (; 2 November 18409 July 1902) was a Russian sculptor of Lithuanian–Jewish descent. Biography Early life Mordukh Matysovich Antokolsky was born in Vilnius ( Antokol city district), Lithuania (at the time part of ...

in 1872 and installed in 1914. After its historic churches were destroyed during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's rule, the city's main extant landmarks are the fort-like Merchant Yards (1668–1684) and the New Dvina Fortress (1701–1705). The Assumption Church on the Dvina embankment (1742–1744) was rebuilt in 2004. In 2008, it was decided that the city's

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, dedicated to the

, which had been destroyed under the Soviets, would be rebuilt. The foundation stone was laid in November 2008 by the regional Bishop Tikhon. The cathedral, situated near the city's main bus station and river port, is expected to be completed and consecrated in 2019. Another remarkable structure is the Arkhangelsk TV Mast, a tall guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting built in 1964. This tubular steel mast has six crossbars equipped with gangways, which run in two levels from the central mast structure out to each of the three guys. On these crossbars there are also several antennas installed. An unusual example of local "

vernacular architecture Vernacular architecture (also folk architecture) is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. It is not a particular architectural movement or style but rather a broad category, encompassing a wide range a ...

" was the so-called

. This thirteen-story, tall residence of the local entrepreneur Nikolay Petrovich Sutyagin was reported to be the world's, or at least Russia's, tallest wooden house. Constructed by Sutyagin and his family over fifteen years (starting in 1992), without plans or a building permit, the structure deteriorated while Sutyagin spent a few years in prison on racketeering charges. In 2008, it was condemned by local authorities as a fire hazard, and the courts ordered it to be demolished by February 1, 2009.Sutyagin House, Arkhangelsk, Russia: Standing tall
. WorldArchitectureNews.com, Wednesday March 7, 2007. (Includes photo) On December 26, 2008, the tower was pulled down, and the remainder of the building was dismantled manually by early February 2009. The cultural life of Arkhangelsk includes: * The Arkhangelsk Lomonosov Drama Theater * Arkhangelsk Philarmonia * Arkhangelsk Youth Theater * Arkhangelsk Oblast Museum * Arkhangelsk Art Museum *

Stepan Pisakhov Stepan Grigoryevich Pisakhov (; – 3 May 1960) was a Russian and Soviet artist, writer, oral storyteller, and ethnographer. Biography Stepan Pisakhov was born in Arkhangelsk into a merchant family; at the same time his father was a craftsman – ...

Museum An airstrip in Arkhangelsk was the fictional setting for a level in the 1997 hit videogame '' Goldeneye 007''.

Literature

The Russian North, and, in particular, the area of Arkhangelsk, is notable for its

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. Until the mid-20th century, fairy tales and ''

bylina A (, ; ), also popularly known as a ''starina'' (), is a type of Russian oral epic poem. deal with all periods of Russian history. narratives are loosely based on historical fact, but greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole. or ...

s'' were still performed on the daily basis by performers who became professionals. Starting from the 1890s, folkloric expeditions have been organized to the White Sea area and later to other areas of the Arkhangelsk Governorate in order to write down the tales and the ''bylinas'', especially in Pomor dialects. In the 1920s, mostly due to the efforts of

Anna Astakhova Anna Mikhaylovna Astakhova (, – 30 April 1971) was a Soviet scholar notable for her studies of the folklore (primarily bylinas) of the Russian North. Astakhova was born in Kronstadt, close to Saint-Petersburg, in 1886, and graduated from the ...

, these expeditions became systematic. By the 1960s, the performing art was basically extinct. These folkloric motives and fairy tales inspired the literary works of

and

Boris Shergin Boris Viktorovich Shergin () was a Russian Empire, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet Pomor writer and folkloristics, folklorist. Biography Shergin grew up in the Pomors, Pomor culture in the family of a shipmaster. The life of the family was closel ...

, who were both natives of Arkhangelsk.

Geography

Climate

Arkhangelsk experiences a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfc''), with long (November–March), very cold winters and short (June–August), mildly warm summers. More extreme climates at this high latitude - such as

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

Oymyakon Oymyakon is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') in Oymyakonsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located in the Yana-Oymyakon Highlands, along the Indigirka River, northwest of Tomtor, Oy ...

Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

- have much colder winters than Arkhangelsk, indicating that there is still significant moderation from the Atlantic Ocean. Snowfall during winter is heavy, while summers are very rainy. Precipitation is very reliable year round.

Demographics

According to the 2021 Census, Arkhangelsk has a population of 301,199 people, which makes it the 68th largest city in Russia. In the 2010 Census, the following ethnic groups were listed:

Sports

Bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

is the biggest sport in the city and is considered a national sport in Russia. Vodnik, the local team, nine times became the Russian champion (1996–2000 and 2002–2005). Their home arena has the capacity of 10000. Arkhangelsk hosted the

Bandy World Championship The Bandy World Championship is a competition for the men's teams of bandy-playing nations. The tournament is administrated by the Federation of International Bandy. It is distinct from the Bandy World Cup, a club competition, and from the ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. The 2011–2012 season

Russian Bandy League The Russian Bandy Super League (), is a men's professional bandy league in Russia, the top division of Russian bandy. There is no definite rule which teams will be relegated or promoted. Besides results on the ice, financial resources and infrast ...

final was played here on March 25, 2012. The 2016 Youth-17 Bandy World Championship was played in Arkhangelsk between January 28 and 31.

Notable people

(1711–1765), Russian

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

Piter Poel Piter Poel (17 June 1760 – 3 October 1837) was a diplomat who in his later years became the publisher of the "Altonaischer Mercurius" (newspaper). A couple of years after his baptism his Godparent, Godfather, Peter III of Russia, Peter, Duk ...

(1760–1837), Dutch diplomat and publisher * Johann Abraham Nüske (1796–1865), German-British guitarist and composer *

Ilya Shumov Ilya Stepanovich Shumov (, 28 June 1819 in Arkhangelsk – July 1881 in Sevastopol) was a Russian chess master. He served as an officer in the Russian Navy until 1847, then worked as a civil servant in Saint Petersburg. He was invited, along with ...

(1819–1881), Russian chess master and officer in the Russian Navy *

Wilhelm Greiffenhagen Thomas Wilhelm Greiffenhagen (19 November 1821 – 28 December 1890) was a Baltic German journalist and politician who was the mayor of Reval (now Tallinn) from June 1883 to August 1885. The son of Germans from Schleswig and East Prussia, he st ...

(1821–1890), Baltic German journalist and politician * Eduard Schensnovich (1852–1911), Polish admiral in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

(1879–1960), Russian and Soviet writer *

Stepan Balmashov Stepan Valerianovich Balmashov (, April 15, 1881 – May 16, 1902) was a Russian student, who assassinated the Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Sipyagin in April 1902 in the Mariinsky Palace in St. Petersburg. He was hanged in the fortress of S ...

(1882–1902), Russian student and assassin *

(1896–1973), Russian and Soviet writer *

Władysław Pobóg-Malinowski Władysław Pobóg-Malinowski (1899–1962) was a Polish soldier, historian and journalist. An officer of the Polish Army, he is best known as a historian and author of numerous books on modern history of Poland. His most notable work is the '' ...

(1899–1962), Polish soldier and historian *

Monja Danischewsky Monja Danischewsky (28 April 1911 – 16 October 1994) was a British producer and writer, born in Archangel into a Russian-Jewish family who left Russia for England in 1919 and who produced and wrote the films '' Topkapi'' and '' Rockets Galo ...

(1911–1994) British film producer * Boris Lukoshkov (1922–1989), Russian painter * Timur Gaidar (1926–1999), Soviet and Russian admiral *

Mikhail Kalik Mikhail Naumovich Kalik (; 27 January 1927 – 31 March 2017) was a Soviet and Israeli film director and screenwriter. Life and career A descendant of a prominent Kyiv Jewish family, Mikhail Kalik grew up in the heart of Moscow. As a teenager, ...

(1927–2017), Soviet and Israeli film director and screenwriter *

Vladimir Tarasov Vladimir Ilich Tarasov (; born 7 February 1939 in Moscow) is a Russian animator and animation director. He is best known for his Soviet-era science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of specula ...

(born 1939), Russian percussionist and constellation artist * Boris Skrynnik (born 1948), President in

Federation of International Bandy The Federation of International Bandy (FIB; , , ) is the international governing body for the sport of bandy, including the variant called rink bandy. The federation is headquartered in Karlstad Municipality, Sweden. History Bandy as known tod ...

and

Russian Bandy Federation The Russian Bandy Federation (Russian: Федерация хоккея с мячом России, ФХМР (FKhMR)), formerly ''All-Russian Bandy Federation'' (Всероссийская федерация хоккея с мячом) is the gov ...

Slava Polunin Vyacheslav Ivanovich “Slava” Polunin PARVladimir Malaniuk Vladimir Pavlovich Malaniuk (; 21 July 1957 – 2 July 2017) was a Ukraine, Ukrainian chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster and three-time Ukrainian champion. He competed in the FIDE World Chess Championship 1998. In team events, Malaniuk playe ...

(1957–2017), Ukrainian chess player (GM) *

Mikhail Pletnev Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev (, ''Mikha'il Vas'ilevič Plet'nëv''; born 14 April 1957) is a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Life and career Pletnev was born into a musical family in Arkhangelsk, then part of the Soviet Union. His fath ...

(born 1957), Russian pianist and conductor *

Alexander Dobrunov Alexander Dobrunov (May 6, 1959 – February 7, 2006) was a Russian judo fighter and trainer. He was first trained in Greco-Roman wrestling by Vladimir Beskokotov in Novodvinsk (Arkhangelsk Oblast). Later, his father (who was an engineer) receiv ...

(1959–2006), Russian judo fighter * Victor Ferin (born 1969), Russian actor and filmmaker * Alexander Kravchenko (born 1971), Russian poker player *

Anatoli Tebloyev Anatoli Grigoryevich Tebloyev (; born July 16, 1974) is a Russian retired professional footballer. His last club was Gabala. Career statistics Honours * Neftchi Baku ** Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known ...

(born 1974), Russian football player * Yuliya Fomenko (born 1979), Russian athlete (middle-distance runner) * Illya Haliuza (born 1979), Ukrainian football player * Sergei Bykov (born 1983), Russian basketball player *

Nadezhda Kosintseva Nadezhda Anatolyevna Kosintseva (; born 14 January 1985) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. She was a member of the gold medal-winning Russian team in the Women's Chess Olympiads of 2010 and 2012, and in the Women's European Te ...

(born 1985), Russian chess player (GM) *

Andrei Pervyshin Andrei Pervyshin (born February 2, 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who currently plays Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected by St. Louis Blues in the 8th round (253rd overall) of the 2003 NHL En ...

(born 1985), Russian ice hockey player *

Tatiana Kosintseva Tatiana Anatolyevna Kosintseva (; born 11 April 1986) is a Russian chess grandmaster. She was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 2007. Kosintseva is a two-time European women's champion and three-time Russian women's champion. She was a m ...

(born 1986), Russian chess player (GM) * Alex Gilbert (born 1992), Russian-born New Zealand adoption advocate

Twin towns – sister cities

Arkhangelsk is twinned with: *

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, United States (1988) *

Vardø Vardo or Vardø may refer to: Places * Vardø Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway *Vardø (town) (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative centre of Vard� ...

, Norway (1989) *

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

, Germany (1989) *

Sukhumi Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...

, Georgia (2011) *

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

, Israel (2012) *

Jermuk Jermuk () is a mountain spa town and the centre of the Jermuk Municipality of the Vayots Dzor Province in southern Armenia, at a road distance of east of the provincial capital Yeghegnadzor. It was considered one of the popular destinations for ...

, Armenia (2018) Former twin towns: *

Słupsk Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...

, Poland (1989–2022, terminated as a result of the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

) *

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

, Norway (2011–2022)
Norwegian authorities gave 3 reasons for cutting Tromsø's ties with Arkhangelsk
*

Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

, Finland (1993–2022) *

Kiruna (; ; ; ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The c ...

, Sweden (1999–2022)

Notes

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

*
Directory of organizations in Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk Oblast Museum of Fine Arts
{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Russia Port cities and towns in Russia White Sea Arctic convoys of World War II Populated places established in 1584 Arkhangelsky Uyezd