Pikalyovo (), sometimes Pikalevo (), is a
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 ...
in
Boksitogorsky District 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 ...
,
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 ...
, located southeast of
St. Petersburg and east of
Boksitogorsk
Boksitogorsk () is a town and the administrative center of Boksitogorsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Pyardomlya River in the basin of the Syas River, east of St. Petersburg. Population:
History
Th ...
. Population:
History
Voskresensky Luchensky Pogost, which is located within the current boundaries of the town, was presumably founded in the 12th or 13th century.
At the time, it belonged to 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 ...
.
Pikalyovo was first mentioned by name in 1620.
Eventually it became a village, and since 1906 the name was assigned to the newly built railway station on the railway connecting
St. Petersburg and
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 ...
.
Since the 18th century, Pikalyovo was part of
Tikhvinsky Uyezd of
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 ...
.
In 1918, the uyezd was transferred to
Cherepovets Governorate and between 1923 and 1927 Pikalyovo was 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 ...
of
Pikalyovskaya Volost.
On August 1, 1927, the governorate was abolished and
Pikalyovsky District with the administrative center in the ''
selo'' of Pikalyovo was established as a part of
Leningrad 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 ...
.
In 1932, Pikalyovsky District was abolished.
The current area of the town was split between
Tikhvinsky and
Yefimovsky Districts.
In 1935, the construction of a
cement
A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...
factory commenced.
The settlement serving the factory was named Pikalyovo after the railway station.
The cement plant was evacuated during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and after the war several industrial enterprises were built, including the aluminum oxide plant.
In 1947, Pikalyovo was granted
urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...
status.
On July 25, 1952, it was transferred to newly established Boksitogorsky District,
and on December 9, 1954, it was granted town status.
In 1992, it became the town of oblast significance.
In 2010, the administrative division of Leningrad Oblast was harmonized with the municipal division, and Pikalyovo was made the town of district significance.
Pikalyovo was strongly hit by economic crises of the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s. In one infamous episode, in 2009, about three hundred inhabitants blocked the highway between St. Petersburg and
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 ...
to protest wage retardation.
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
, the then-
Prime Minister of Russia
The prime minister of the Russian Federation, also domestically stylized as the chairman of the government of the Russian Federation and widely recognized as the prime minister, is the head of government of Russia and the second highest ranking ...
, flew to Pikalyovo and, without going through any legal procedures, ordered
Oleg Deripaska
Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska (; born 2 January 1968) is a Russian oligarch and billionaire. Deripaska began his career as a metals trader after the breakup of the Soviet Union. He used accumulated funds from trading to acquire stakes in the Sa ...
, the plant owner, to pay out the debts immediately.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated within Boksitogorsky District as Pikalyovskoye
Settlement Municipal Formation.
[Oblast Law #32-oz] As a
municipal division, Pikalyovskoye Settlement Municipal Formation is incorporated within Boksitogorsky Municipal District as Pikalyovskoye Urban Settlement.
[Law #78-oz]
Economy
Industry
The town's industry was composed of a
Rusal aluminum oxide
Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly ...
plant, by-producing
sodium bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (or simply “bicarb” especially in the UK) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cat ...
and
potassium bicarbonate
Potassium bicarbonate ( IUPAC name: potassium hydrogencarbonate, also known as potassium acid carbonate) is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula KHCO3. It is a white solid.
Production and reactivity
It is manufactured by treating an ...
, a cement factory, and a timber-processing plant.
Transportation
A-114
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 ...
- New Ladoga autoroute passes south of Pikalyovo. Autoroutes H-9 (Pikalyovo–
Zarechye) and H-7 (Pikalyovo–
Kolbeki) pass directly through the town.
Pikalyovo is located on the railroad connecting St. Petersburg and Vologda. There are three railway stations in the town:
Pikalyovo-1,
Pikalyovo2-, and
Obrinsky.
Both intra- and intercity bus services are available in Pikalyovo.
Culture and recreation
Pikalyovo hosts two museums. The Pikalyovo Local Museum shows mostly ethnographic collections. There is also a museum of aluminum oxide plant, which concentrates on the history of the town.
Sports
The town's Delfin swimming pool was the location of seven Soviet and three Russian championships, where fifty-seven world and European records were set.
The town's
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team,
FC Metallurg Pikalyovo, plays in the
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 ...
championships.
Also available are a sport complex, an illuminated ski line, a sports school for children, ice-hockey areas, "Metallurg" stadium, and heavy athletics hall.
Twin towns and sister cities
Pikalyovo is
twinned with:
*
Maardu
Maardu (, ) is a Populated places in Estonia, town and a Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in Harju County, Estonia. It is part of Tallinn metropolitan area, located about east of the capital city. The town covers an area of 22.76  ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
*
Pitkyaranta, Russia
Notable people
*
Mikhail Gorsheniov
Mikhail "Gorshok" Gorsheniov (Russian: Михаил "Горшок" Горшенёв, full name given at birth – Михаил Юрьевич Горшенёв; 7 August 1973 – 19 July 2013) was a lead singer and composer of Russian horror punk ...
(1973-2013) — Russian musician, lead singer and composer of Russian band
Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut () were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables.
History
The band was formed in 1988 by a group of school friends in Leningrad (current day Saint Petersburg). The fo ...
*
Dmitriy Chistyakov (1994) — Russian footballer
*
Oleg Salnikov (1975) — Russian footballer
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Leningrad Oblast
Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union
Populated places established in 1932
Monotowns in Russia
Boksitogorsky District
Tikhvinsky Uyezd