Demyansk () is an urban locality (a

work settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the Soviet Union and later also f ...

) 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 ...

Demyansky District Demyansky District () is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #397-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast and borders with Krestetsky District in the north, Valday ...

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

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 along the Yavon River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Demyanskoye Urban Settlement, the only urban settlement in the district. Population:

History

Demyansk was first mentioned in a chronicle in 1406 as Demon. The area was a part of Derevskaya Pyatina of

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

. Demon was a fortress protecting a waterway from Lake Ilmen upstream the Pola and the Yavon to Lake Seliger. The fortress was located close to the boundary between the Novgorod Republic and 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 ...

, and it was at least twice sieged by Muscovite troops. In 1441, the Muscovites did not manage to conquer Demon, but in the 1470s they conquered and destroyed the fortress. After the subsequent fall of Novgorod, Demon was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Moscow. In the 17th century, Demon went into decline, and a new settlement was founded nearby, which was known as Demyansky Pogost, and later as Demyansk. 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. Between 1772 and 1824, Demyansk was a part of

Starorussky Uyezd Starorussky Uyezd (''Старорусский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Staraya Russa. Dem ...

Novgorod Viceroyalty Novgorod Viceroyalty () was an administrative-territorial unit (''namestnichestvo'') of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1776–1796. The seat of the Viceroyalty was located in Novgorod. The viceroyalty was established by a decree (''ukase'' ...

(since 1796 of Novgorod Governorate). In 1824, it was chartered and became the center of

Demyansky Uyezd Demyansky Uyezd (''Демянский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Demyansk. Demographics At t ...

, which was split off Starorussky Uyezd. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished, and Demyansky District was established, with the center in Demyansk. Demyansk belonged to

Novgorod Okrug Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

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 ...

. Effective October 1, 1927 the town of Demyansk was made a ''

selo ''Selo'' is a Slavic term for a type of village. It may also refer to: Slovenia * Selo, Ajdovščina, a settlement in the Municipality of Ajdovščina, southwestern Slovenia * Selo, Krško, a settlement in the Municipality of Krško, southeaste ...

''. On July 23, 1930 the okrugs were abolished, and the districts became directly subordinate to the oblast. Between September, 1941, and February, 1943 parts of Demyansk District were occupied by German troops. The settlement was a place for the Battle of Demyansk 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 ...

in 1942. On July 5, 1944, Demyansky District was transferred to newly established Novgorod Oblast and remained there ever since. On December 28, 1960 Demyansk was granted the urban-type settlement status.

Economy

Industry

The existing enterprises in Demyansk serve timber and food industries.

Transportation

Demyansk is located on the road connecting Yazhelbitsy and

Staraya Russa Staraya Russa (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist, Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased over ...

. There are also local roads. There is bus traffic originating from Demyansk.

Culture and recreation

Demyansk contains thirteen objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. These include a number of pre-1917 buildings of the former uyezd center, including a prison, an archaeological monument, and a number of graves of soldiers fallen in World War II. Demyansk hosts the Demyansky District Museum.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012 Urban-type settlements in Novgorod Oblast Demyansky Uyezd