Belozersky District () is an administrative
[Law #371-OZ] and municipal
[Law #1107-OZ] district (
raion
A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...
), one of the
twenty-six in
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The oblast has a population of 1,202,444 (Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census). The largest city is Cherepovets, t ...
, Russia. It is located in the northwest 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 ...
and borders with
Vytegorsky District
Vytegorsky District () is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1113-OZ district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Vologda Oblast, twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders ...
in the north,
Vashkinsky District in the northeast,
Kirillovsky District in the southeast,
Cherepovetsky and
Kaduysky Districts in the south, and with
Babayevsky District in the west. The area of the district is .
Its
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 ...
is the
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Belozersk.
[Resolution #178] Population: 21,648 (
2002 Census);
The population of Belozersk accounts for 55.7% of the district's total population.
Geography
The district is located southwest of
Lake Beloye, with the southern half of the lake constituting a part of the district's territory. There are many smaller lakes within the district. The biggest of them are
Lake Andozero,
Lake Lozskoye, and
Lake Vorbozomskoye. The entire district belongs to the
basin of the
Sheksna River. The northern part and the areas adjacent to Lake Beloye drain into the lake and its
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
. The main tributaries of Lake Beloye within the district are the
Megra and the
Kovzha Rivers (with the major tributary being the
Shola
A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted Montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These ...
). The Kovzha flows in its lower course, where it actually forms a water reservoir, along the border of the district. The southern part of the district is in the basin of the tributaries of the
Andoga River, which itself is a tributary of the
Suda River
The Suda () is a river in Babayevsky District, Babayevsky, Kaduysky District, Kaduysky, and Cherepovetsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It flows into the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Volga. It is long, with a drainage basin of and an avera ...
, and the southwestern part is in the basin of the tributaries of the Sheksna. A stretch of the Sheksna River forms the eastern border of the district.
Most of the area of the district is covered by woods.
History
According to the
Primary Chronicle
The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...
,
Sineus, a brother of
Rurik
Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...
, became the prince of Beloozero in 862. If one assumes this to be accurate, Belozersk is one of the oldest towns in Russia. However, it is likely that Sineus never existed.
The archaeological data show that the settlement existed in the 10th century on the northern shore of the lake, close to the ''selo'' of Kisnema (now
Troitskoye in Vashkinsky District) but in the 10th century it was transferred to the outflow of the Sheksna River. Later it was moved to the current location. In the 10th–13th centuries, the area was controlled by 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 ...
; in the 13th century it was a part of the
Principality of Beloozero; and in the 14th century it became a part of 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 ...
.
In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
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 ...
, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as
Saint Petersburg Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Saint Petersburg. The governorate was composed of of area and 2,112,033 inhabitants. It was bordered by Governorate of Estonia, Estonian and G ...
). In 1727, separate
Novgorod Governorate
Novgorod Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1727 to 1776 and from 1796 to 1927. Its administrative cent ...
was split off. Belozersk (Beloozero) was named as one of the towns constituting the governorate, and in 1727, Belozersk became the seat of
Belozersk Oblast of Novgorod Governorate. In 1776, the area was transferred to
Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished and
Belozersky Uyezd
Belozersky Uyezd (''Белозерский уезд'') was one of the eleven subdivisions of the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate (in the western part of present-day Vologda Obl ...
was transferred to Novgorod Governorate.
In June 1918, five uyezds of Novgorod Governorate, including Belozersky Uyezd, were split off to form
Cherepovets Governorate, with the administrative center in
Cherepovets. On August 1, 1927, Cherepovets Governorate was abolished, and its area became
Cherepovets Okrug of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast (, ; ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of and a population of 2,000,997 (2021 Russian census, 2021 Census); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Russian census ...
. Simultaneously, the uyezds were abolished, and Belozersky District was established. On September 23, 1937, Belozersky District was transferred to newly established Vologda Oblast.
On August 1, 1927,
Sholsky District with the administrative center in the ''selo'' of
Zubovo was also established. In 1937, it was transferred from Leningrad Oblast to Vologda Oblast. In 1959, the district was abolished. The area of Sholsky District was split between Vashkinsky and Belozersky Districts.
Economy
Industry
The economy of the district is based on timber industry which in 2011 was responsible for 88% of all goods produced in the district.
Agriculture
As of 2005, twenty-two farms were operating in the district.
Transportation
Belozersk is connected by all-seasonal roads with
Cherepovets,
Kirillov, and
Lipin Bor (connecting further to
Vytegra). There are also local roads.
The
Volga–Baltic Waterway
The Volga–Baltic Waterway (), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Baltic Sea via the Neva. Like the Volga–Don Canal, it is part of the Unified Deep Water ...
(formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System), connecting the
Rybinsk Reservoir
Rybinsk Reservoir (, ), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir (water), reservoir on the Volga River and its tributary, tributaries the Sheksna River, Sheksna and Mologa River, Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, ...
in the basin of the
Volga River
The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
and
Lake Onega
Lake Onega (; also known as Onego; , ; ; Livvi-Karelian language, Livvi: ''Oniegujärvi''; ) is a lake in northwestern Russia, on the territory of the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of the Baltic ...
in the basin of the
Neva River
The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth-l ...
, runs through the district, following the course of the Sheksna, Lake Beloye, and the course of the Kovzha. The
Belozersky Canal bypasses Lake Beloye from the south.
Penitentiary establishments
The district houses Prison No. OE 256/5 (), of the
Federal Penitentiary Service, on
Ognenny Ostrov on
Lake Novozero, southwest of the town of Belozersk. This is one of the five penitentiary institutions in Russia where individuals convicted to life imprisonment are held.
Culture and recreation
The district contains 13 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law, and additionally 132 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. The cultural heritage monuments of the federal significance are several buildings in the town of Belozersk as well as a number of archaeological monuments.
The Belozersky Local Museum located in Belozersk is an umbrella organization which not only hosts ethnographic and historical exhibits, but also manages the most important architectural monuments in Belozersk such as the
Transfiguration Cathedral.
Notable people
*
Sergey Vikulov (1922-2006), poet, editor, and the Union of Soviet Writers official
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
{{Use mdy dates, date=September 2012
Districts of Vologda Oblast
States and territories established in 1927