Shenkursk () 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 Shenkursky District 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 ...

, located on the right bank of the Vaga River. Population:

Geography

Climate

History

Shenkursk was first mentioned in documents of Novgorod merchants in 1229. In 1315, it was bought by a Novgorod ''

posadnik A posadnik (, ) was a representative of the prince in some towns during the times of Kievan Rus', and later the highest-ranking official (mayor) in Novgorod (from 1136) and Pskov (from 1308). In the early 12th century, Novgorod won the right to ...

''.

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

referred to this location as the town of Vaga and included it into his ''

oprichnina The oprichnina (, ; ) was a state policy implemented by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia between 1565 and 1572. The policy included mass repression of the boyars (Russian aristocrats), including public executions and confiscation of their land ...

''. At that time, there was a timber fort and a residence of local bishops. Tsar Feodor I made a grant of Shenkursk to his brother-in-law,

Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...

, who bequeathed it to his future son-in-law, Johan of Schleswig-Holstein, who died shortly after arriving to Russia. The

Romanovs The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russia. Nic ...

presented the area to Prince Dmitry Troubetskoy as his '' votchina''. Upon his death, the town was returned to the crown. In 1640–1643, the Tsar ordered a new fortress to be built in Shenkursk.

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

chartered Shenkursk in 1780, and Shenkursk became the seat of the newly established Shenkursky Uyezd in Vologda Viceroyalty (from 1796, in

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 ...

). Shenkursk played a prominent role in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. In the autumn of 1918, about six thousand British and American troops advanced south of Shenkursk. On January 19–25, the Bolshevik troops staged a counteroffensive, known as the Battle of Shenkursk. Three thousand troops, split into three armies, advancing from three sides, cut Shenkursk off and moved the front area north of Shenkursk. Shenkursky Uyezd remained in Arkhangelsk Governorate until 1929, when 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 ...

and redistricted. In 1936, the krai was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Shenkursk serves as the

of Shenkursky District. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Shenkursky District as the

town of district significance Town of district significance is an administrative division of a district in a federal subject of Russia. It is equal in status to a selsoviet or an urban-type settlement of district significance, but is organized around a town (as opposed to a ...

of Shenkursk. As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Shenkursk is incorporated within Shenkursky Municipal District as Shenkurskoye Urban Settlement.Law #258-vneoch.-OZ

Economy

Industry

There is timber industry and food industry, including milk production.

Transportation

Shenkursk is located several kilometers east from the M8 Highway—one of the principal highways in Russia—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 ...

and

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 ...

; however, it lies on the other bank of the Vaga and is only connected with the highway by a ferry crossing. The roads on the right bank of the Vaga are of minor importance and unpaved. The Vaga is navigable, but there is no passenger navigation.

Culture and recreation

The town contains twenty-one objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Most of these are merchant houses built prior to 1917 and the remains of the former Holy Trinity Monastery. Shenkursk hosts the Shenkursky District Museum.

Notable people

Ratmir Kholmov Ratmir Dmitrievich Kholmov ( Russian: Ратмир Дмитриевич Холмов) (13 May 1925 in Shenkursk – 18 February 2006 in Moscow) was a Russian chess Grandmaster. He won many international tournaments in Eastern Europe during his ...

(1925–2006), Russian chess Grandmaster

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Unofficial website of Shenkursk
{{Use mdy dates, date=August 2012 Cities and towns in Arkhangelsk Oblast Populated places established in the 13th century Shenkursky Uyezd