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Polyarny () 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 ...
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 ...
of the closed administrative-territorial formation of Alexandrovsk in
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 ...
, situated on the outermost western side of the
Kola Bay Kola Bay () or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta and Kola Rivers discharge into ...
. Population: It was previously known as ''Alexandrovsk'' (until 15 March 1926), ''Alexandrovskoye'' (until 11 March 1931), ''Polyarnoye'' (until 19 September 1939).


History

It was founded in 1896 and named Alexandrovsk () in honor of
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
Alexander III.Official website of Polyarny
History of Polyarny, p. 5
Other sources, however, state that the original name was Alexandrovsk-na-Murmane (), it was called so after Alexandra Fyodorovna, wife of Emperor Nicholas II, and did not become known as "Alexandrovsk" until later.Pospelov, p. 26 Town status was granted to it on 1899.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 24 At the same time, Alexandrovsk became an
uyezd town An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...
, for which reason
Kolsky Uyezd Kolsky Uyezd () was an administrative division (an uyezd) of the Tsardom of Russia and later of the Russian Empire. History 16th–17th centuries Russian expansion to the Kola Peninsula can be traced to the early 16th century when the Russian ...
was renamed Alexandrovsky. On 3 May 1920 the
Alexandrovskaya Volost Alexandrovskaya Volost () was an administrative division (a volost) of Alexandrovsky Uyezd of Arkhangelsk Governorate, and later of Murmansk Governorate of the Russian SFSR, which existed in 1920–1927.''Administrative-Territorial Division of M ...
Executive Committee divided the territory of the volost into six
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, including Alexandrovsky Selsoviet with 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 ...
in Alexandrovsk.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 66-67 However, the Murmansky Uyezd Executive Committee's did not approve the creation of all six selsoviets, with Alexandrovsky Selsoviet being one which did not get an approval. On 16 October 1925, when the
Murmansk Governorate Murmansk Governorate () was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the early Russian SFSR which existed in 1921–1927.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 28–34 The governorate was established on the ...
Commission meeting initiated work on compiling lists of the urban and rural localities — Murmansk, Alexandrovsk, and
Kola unit was the big kola int eh Kola may refer to: People * Koła, a Polish noble family * Kola (name), people with the given name/surname Kola * Kola (singer), Ukrainian singer, songwriter and performer of her own songs * Kola people, Gabonese p ...
were categorized as urban; however, a recommendation was sent to the
All-Russian Central Executive Committee The All-Russian Central Executive Committee () was (June – November 1917) a permanent body formed by the First All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (held from June 16 to July 7, 1917 in Petrograd), then became the ...
(VTsIK) to demote the latter two to rural localities due to economic conditions, sparse population, low trade volume, lack of industrial enterprises, and "general regression".''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 31–32 On 9 January 1926 the assembly of the town residents created Alexandrovsky Selsoviet and on 15 March 1926, when the VTsIK approved the recommendation to demote the towns, Alexandrovsk and Kola were re-categorized as rural localities. At the same time the name was unofficially changed to Alexandrovskoye (). On 12 January 1931 the Third Congress of the Soviets of Alexandrovsky District issued a resolution, renaming the district "Polyarny"; at the same time the village of Alexandrovskoye was renamed Polyarnoye ().''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 41 On 5 March 1931 the new name of the district was approved by the administrative commission of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee, and on 11 March 1931 by its Presidium. While the Presidium of the VTsIK never officially gave a final approval for this renaming, ''de facto'' the name has changed. In 1934, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee unsuccessfully petitioned to grant town status to Polyarnoye and to rename it Krasnoflotsk.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 47 Town status, however, was not granted to Polyarnoye until 19 September 1939, when it was at the same time renamed Polyarny.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 53Official website of Polyarny
History of Polyarny, p. 9
By the 14 June 1956 Decree of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was the collective head of state of the Russian SFSR and the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR that was accountable to the Supreme Sovi ...
, Polyarny was demoted in status to that of a town under district jurisdiction and subordinated to
Polyarny District Polyarny District () was an administrative division (a district) of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960. It was established as Alexandrovsky District on A ...
.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 55 By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of 9 July 1960, Polyarny District was abolished and the town of Polyarny was administratively subordinated to Severomorsk.Decree #741/18 Finally, by the 17 June 1983 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree, the town was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction, and by the 10 August 1983 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, several inhabited localities previously subordinated to Severomorsk were transferred to it.''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 57–58


Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Polyarny serves as 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 closed administrative-territorial formation of Alexandrovsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
—to which it is directly subordinated.Law #96-01-ZMO Within the framework of municipal divisions, the town of Polyarny is a part of Alexandrovsk Urban Okrug.Law #530-01-ZMO


Military

Since the 1930s Polyarny has had naval significance.
Russian Shipyard Number 10 Russian Shipyard No. 10—Shkval () is located in Polyarny, Murmansk Oblast, Russia, on the outermost western side of the Murmansk Fjord. In the West, it is more often referred to by the name of the town than its official name. As the first n ...
(''Shkval'') is located in Polyarny, and in the West is more often referred to by the name of the town than by its official name. As the first nuclear-powered
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s were delivered to the
Northern Fleet The Northern Fleet (, ''Severnyy flot'') is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Arctic. According to the Russian ministry of defence: "The Northern Fleet dates its history back to a squadron created in 1733 to protect the terri ...
at the end of the 1950s, the yard was modified for docking and repair of these vessels. As
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
( and now Russian) naval nuclear vessels are decommissioned, they are laid up at Polyarny to await defuelling and disposal.


Honors

In a presidential decree dated 5 May 2008 the town of Polyarny was awarded the title of
City of Military Glory The City of Military Glory () is an List of orders, decorations, and medals of the Russian Federation, honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of cities in Russia where soldiers had displayed courage and heroism during the Eastern Front (World W ...
.


In popular culture

In the
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
novel ''
The Hunt for Red October ''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutt ...
'', the experimental Typhoon-class nuclear submarine ''Red October'' departs on her voyage from Polyarny. In the 2018
action thriller The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
'' Hunter Killer'', directed by Donovan Marsh, the main plot revolves around an attempted
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
against the Russian President while he is visiting a major Russian base of naval operations in Polyarny.


References


Notes


Sources

* * * * *Е. М. Поспелов (Ye. M. Pospelov). "Имена городов: вчера и сегодня (1917–1992). Топонимический словарь." (''City Names: Yesterday and Today (1917–1992). Toponymic Dictionary.'') Москва, "Русские словари", 1993. {{Authority control Cities and towns in Murmansk Oblast Submarine installations of the Russian Navy Installations of the Soviet Navy Russian and Soviet Navy submarine bases Kolsky Uyezd Populated places established in 1896