Kandalaksha () 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 Kandalakshsky District of

Murmansk Oblast Murmansk Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the northwestern part of the country, with a total land area of . Its only internal border is the Republic of Karelia to the south, and it is bor ...

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 at the head of

Kandalaksha Gulf The Kandalaksha Gulf (, , ) is located in the Republic of Karelia, and Murmansk Oblast in northwestern Russia. Forming the north-western corner of the White Sea, it is one of four large bays and gulfs of this sea, the others being the Onega Bay ( ...

on 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 ...

, north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

. Population: 40,564 ( 2002 Census);

Etymology

According to the most common version, the name of the town comes from its location on the shore of Kandalaksha Bay, where "laksa" means "lip" (in Karelian ''lakši'' — «bay»), Kanda — name of the river that traverses the town. According to other sources, the name of the bay may come from the Sámi names ''Kantlukht'' (kannҍt — hill, a dry place among a swamp, ''лӯххт'' — bay) or ''Kandaslukht'' (ка̄нҍтэсь —

pack saddle ] A pack saddle is any device designed to be secured on the back of a horse, mule, or other working animal so it can carry heavy loads such as luggage, firewood, small cannons, or other things too heavy to be carried by humans. Description Ide ...

, ''лӯххт'' — bay, which means: “the bay where horse packs were reloaded”), or from ''Kantaalahti'' ( Finnish language, Finnish ''kantaa'' — to feed, bear fruit and Finnish language, Finnish ''lahti'' — bay).

History

The settlement was founded the 11th century but may have existed as a temporary stop for fishermen from the 9th century. In the 13th century, it became a part 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 ...

along with the southern part of 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 ...

, and in 1478 was annexed by 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 1915, the construction of a seaport started, and in 1918 a railroad connecting

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 ...

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 ...

running through Kandalaksha was opened. On August 29, 1927, Kandalaksha was made 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 the newly established Kandalakshsky District,''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 35 and on June 1, 1932, it was granted work settlement status.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 52–53 Status of a town of district significance was granted to it on April 20, 1938. On February 9, 1940, Kandalaksha was administratively separated from the district and granted the status of a town of oblast significance. In July 1941, 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 ...

, the town was the primary target of an unsuccessful German-Finnish offensive which attempted to cut the strategic Kirov Railway. By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of March 19, 1959, the Councils of Deputies of Kandalaksha and of Kandalakshsky District were merged into one Kandalaksha Town Council of Deputies.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 55 While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies. Since 1995, Vitino oil port operates near Beloye More a few kilometers south of Kandalaksha. Kandalaksha Mayor

Nina Varlamova Nina Konstantinovna Varlamova (Russian: Нина Константиновна Варламова; 11 February 1954 – 17 December 2008) was a Russian politician. She was born on 11 February 1954. Varlamova served as the mayor of the northern to ...

was murdered in an attack in December 2008.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Kandalaksha is twinned with: * Kemijärvi,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Piteå Piteå (; ) is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Piteå is Sweden's 58th largest city, with a population of 23,326. Geography Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River (), at the shore of ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Geography

The town is located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, north of the

Climate

Kandalaksha has 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 ...

( Dfc) with mild, rainy summers, and cold, snowy winters.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

*
Official website of Kandalaksha

Kandalaksha Business Directory

Information about Kandalaksha for tourists
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Murmansk Oblast Kandalakshsky District Kemsky Uyezd White Sea Populated places of Arctic Russia Populated places established in the 11th century Former urban-type settlements of Murmansk Oblast