Kholmogorsky District () is an administrative 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-one in

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 ...

. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kholmogorsky Municipal District.Law #258-vneoch.-OZ It is located in the center 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 Pinezhsky District in the east, Vinogradovsky District in the southeast, the territory of the town of oblast significance of Mirny in the south, Plesetsky District in the southwest, and with Primorsky District in the northwest. 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 rural locality (a '' selo'') of Kholmogory. District's population: The population of Kholmogory accounts for 16.6% of the district's total population.

Geography

The district is elongated from south to north and is crossed by the Northern Dvina River which divides it into two roughly equal parts. Almost the whole of the district belongs to the

basins Basin may refer to: Geography and geology * Depression (geology) ** Back-arc basin, a submarine feature associated with island arcs and subduction zones ** Debris basin, designed to prevent damage from debris flow ** Drainage basin (hydrology), ...

of the Northern Dvina River and its major

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 Northern Dvina tributaries within the district are the Yemtsa (left), the Pukshenga (right), and the Pinega (right). A minor area in the north of the district lies in the basin of the Kyolda River, a left tributary of the Kuloy. There are many glacial lakes, especially on the right bank of the Northern Dvina. A major part of the district is covered by coniferous forests (

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

). Siysky Zakaznik, a nature reserve located within the district limits, is designated as a protected natural area at the federal level.

History

The area was populated by speakers of

Uralic languages The Uralic languages ( ), sometimes called the Uralian languages ( ), are spoken predominantly in Europe and North Asia. The Uralic languages with the most native speakers are Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian. Other languages with speakers ab ...

and then colonized 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 ...

. After the fall of Novgorod, the area 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 ...

. Kholmogory (then Kolmogory) was known since the 14th century and quickly established itself as one of the most important trading settlements in the North of Russia. After Arkhangelsk was founded in 1584, Kholmogory eventually declined. Since 1707, it was a ''

posad A posad ( Russian and ) was a type of settlement in East Slavic lands between the 10th to 15th centuries, it was often surrounded by ramparts and a moat, adjoining a town or a kremlin, but outside of it, or adjoining a monastery. The posad wa ...

'' subordinated to Arkhangelsk. Still, between 1682 and 1762, Kholmogory was the seat of the Kholmogory and Vaga Eparchy (from 1732 known as Kholmogory and Archangelogorod Eparchy) which had jurisdiction basically over all Northern Russia including the

Solovetsky Monastery The Solovetsky Monastery (, ) is a fortified monastery located on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea in northern Russia. It was one of the largest Christian citadels in northern Russia before it was converted into a Soviet Union, Soviet pris ...

. 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

Archangelgorod Governorate Archangelgorod Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, which existed from 1708 until 1780. Its seat was in Archangel (Arkhangelsk). The governorate was located in th ...

. In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed into Vologda Viceroyalty, with the creation of Kholmogorsky Uyezd. In 1796, Kholmogorsky Uyezd was transferred to

Arkhangelsk Governorate Arkhangelsk Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Arkhangelsk. The governorate was located in the north of the Russ ...

. In 1922, Kholmogorsky Uyezd was renamed Yemetsky Uyezd, and the uyezd's administrative center was moved to Yemetsk. On May 15, 1925, Yemetsky Uyezd was abolished and merged into Arkhangelsky Uyezd. In 1929, several governorates were merged into

Northern Krai Northern Krai () was an administrative-territorial unit (''krai'') of the Russian SFSR from 1929 to 1936. Its seat was in the city of Arkhangelsk. The krai was located in the north of European Russia, and its territory is currently divided betwe ...

. On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished and Kholmogorsky and Yemetsky Districts were established on the territory which had previously been a part of Kholmogorsky and Arkhangelsky Uyezds. These districts became a part of Arkhangelsk Okrug of Northern Krai. In the following years, the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1930, the okrug was abolished, and the district was subordinated to the central administration of Northern Krai. In 1936, the krai itself was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Kholmogorsky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since, but Yemetsky District was abolished and merged into Kholmogorsky District in 1959.

Divisions

Administrative divisions

Administratively, the district is divided into eighteen

selsoviet A selsoviet (; , ; ) is the shortened name for Selsky soviet, i.e., rural council (; ; ). It has three closely related meanings: *The administration (''soviet (council), soviet'') of a certain rural area. *The territorial subdivision administered ...

s. One locality which previously had

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, Lukovetsky, was downgraded to rural locality in 2005. The following selsoviets have been established (the

s are given in parentheses): *Belogorsky (Belogorsky) *Dvinskoy (Dvinskoy) *Kekhotsky (Grigorovskaya) *Khavrogorsky (Pogost) *Kholmogorsky (Kholmogory) *Koydokursky (Khomyakovskaya) *Kopachevsky (Kopachevo) *Leunovsky (Kuzomen) *Lomonosovsky (Lomonosovo) *Lukovetsky (Lukovetsky) *Matigorsky (Kharlovo) *Rakulsky (Chasovenskaya) *Seletsky (Pogost) *Svetlozyorsky (Svetly) *Ust-Pinezhsky (Ust-Pinega) *Ukhtoostrovsky (Andrianovskaya) *Yemetsky (Yemetsk) *Zachatyevsky (Zabolotye)

Municipal divisions

Economy

Industry

Timber industry is the main industry of the district. Food industry is also present.

Agriculture

In 2010, there were eleven large-scale farms and four small private farms in the district. These produced meat (beef and pork), milk, cereals, and potatoes. In the past, the area around Kholmogory was famous for a special cattle breed, Kholmogory cattle, which was bred in Kholmogory and Arkhangelsk countryside. This breed, mostly black and white, was particularly stable against the cold climate of Northern Russia and eventually spread well beyond this region. Incidentally, the Kholmogory geese breed originates from Central Russia.

Transportation

A railway line connecting

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

and Karpogory passes through the northern part of the district. This line is expected to become a part of the Belkomur project—a railway line connecting Arkhangelsk via the

Komi Republic The Komi Republic (; ), sometimes simply referred to as Komi, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the northeast of European Russia. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Syktyvka ...

with

Perm Krai Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a Krais of Russia, krai), located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is Perm, Russia, Perm. The population of the krai was 2,532,405 (2021 Russian census, 2021 ...

and the

Ural Mountains 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.

. The stretch between Arkhangelsk and Karpogory was built in the 1970s. Kholmogorskaya railway station on the railroad between Moscow and Arkhangelsk is located in Plesetsky District. The Northern Dvina and the Pinega Rivers are navigable, although there is no regular passenger navigation. One of the principal highways in Russia, M8 connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk, crosses the district from south to north, on the left bank of the Northern Dvina. An important road on the right bank connects Arkhangelsk with the valley of the Pinega and eventually of the Mezen. The road within the limits of the district is not paved.

Culture and recreation

The district contains forty objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law, and additionally four objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Most of these are churches built prior to 1917. These include the ensemble of the Antonievo-Siysky Monastery of the 17th century (the oldest survived building of the monastery, the Trinity Cathedral, was built in 1589–1606), the Transfiguration Cathedral in Kholmogory (1685–1691), and the wooden St. Peter and St. Paul church in the village of Ratonavolok (1722). There are three state museums in the district: the Kholmogorsky District Museum in Kholmogory, the Mikhail Lomonosov Memorial Museum in the ''selo'' of Lomonosovo, located in the historical building of a school constructed in 1892 on the same place where the house of Lomonosov previously stood, and the Nikolay Rubtsov Yemetsky Local Museum in Yemetsk. There is a local museum in the ''selo'' of Rakula. In Kholmogory, the craft of Kholmogory bone carving was developed in the 17th century. Bone carvings from Kholmogory were notable for excellent craftsmanship and perfected technique. The best carving masters from Kholmogory were invited to work in the Kremlin Armory, which performed orders for the Tsar's court. The handicraft reached its peak under the reign of

. Currently, the carving is being performed at the Lomonosov Bone Carving Factory. Famous Russian sculptor Fedot Shubin started his career in Kholmogory as a walrus ivory carver.

Notable people

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 ...

, a 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, ...

, generally considered to be the creator of the basis of the modern literary Russian language, was born in 1711 in the village of Denisovka (later renamed Lomonosovo in his honor) close to Kholmogory. Other notable people born within modern district limits include: * Fedot Shubin (1740, close to Kholmogory), sculptor. * Nikolay Rubtsov (1936, Yemetsk), poet. All of them left the area relatively early to pursue their careers elsewhere.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012 Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast States and territories established in 1929