| Belozersky District (English) Белозерский район (Russian) |
|
|---|---|
Location of Belozersky District on the map of Vologda Oblast |
|
| Coordinates: | |
|
|
|
| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Vologda Oblast[1] |
| Administrative center | town of Belozersk[2] |
| # of cities/towns | 1[2] |
| # of urban-type settlements | 0[2] |
| # of selsoviets | 13[2] |
| Municipal status (as of May 2010) | |
| Municipally incorporated as | Belozersky Municipal District[3] |
| - # of urban settlements | 1[3] |
| - # of rural settlements | 9[3] |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 5,400 km2 (2,100 sq mi)[4] |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
17,269 inhabitants[5] |
| Population (2002 Census) | 21,648 inhabitants[5] |
| - Urban population | 50.7% |
| - Rural population | 49.3% |
| Density | 3 /km2 (7.8 /sq mi)[6] |
| Time zone | MSD (UTC+04:00)[7] |
| Established | August 1, 1927[8] |
| Official website | |
Belozersky District (Russian: Белозерский район) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia.[1] Municipally, it is incorporated as Belozersky Municipal District.[3] It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Vytegorsky District in the north, Vashkinsky District in the northeast, Kirillovsky District in the southeast, Cherepovetsky and Kaduysky Districts in the south, and Babayevsky District in the west. The area of the district is 5,400 square kilometers (2,100 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Belozersk.[2] District's population: 17,269 (2010 Census preliminary results);[9] 21,648 (2002 Census);[5] 24,777 (1989 Census).[10] Population of Belozersk accounts for 50.7% of the district's population.[5]
Contents |
According to the Primary Chronicle, Sineus, a brother of Rurik, became the prince of Beloozero in 862. If this would be correct, Belozersk would be one of the oldest towns in Russia. However, most likely Sineus never existed,[11]. The archaeological data show that the settlement existed in the 10th century on the northern shore of the lake, close to the village of Kisnema (currently in Vashkinsky District), but in the 10th century it was transferred to the outflow of the Sheksna River. Later it was moved to the current location. In the 10th-13th centuries the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, then in the 13th century it was part of the Principality of Beloozero, and in the 14th century it entered the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as Saint Petersburg Governorate). In 1727, separate Novgorod Governorate split off. Belozersk (Beloozero) was named as one of the towns constituting the governorate, and in 1727, Belozersk became the center of Belozersk Oblast of Novgorod Governorate. In 1776, the area was transferred to Novgorod Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished, and Belozersky Uyezd was transferred to Novgorod Governorate.
In June 1918, five uyezds of the Novgorod Governorate, including Belozersky Uyezd, were split off to form Cherepovets Governorate, with the administrative center in Cherepovets. On August 1, 1927 Cherepovets Governorate was abolished, and its area became Cherepovets Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. Simultaneously, uyezds were abolished, and Belozersky District was established. On September 23, 1937 Belozersky District was transferred to newly established Vologda Oblast.[8]
On August 1, 1927 also Sholsky District with the center in the selo of Zubovo[12] was established. In 1937, it was transferred from Leningrad Oblast to Vologda Oblast. In 1959, the district was abolished. The area of Sholsky District was split between Vashkinsky and Belozersky Districts.[8]
The district is located southwest of Lake Beloye (Vologda Oblast), and the southern half of the lake belongs to the area of the district. There are many smaller lakes within the district. The biggest of them are Lake Andozero, Lake Lozskoye, and Lake Vorbozomskoye. The entire district belongs to the river basin of the Sheksna. The nothern part and the areas adjacent to Lake Beloye drain into the lake and its tributaries. The main tributaries of Lake Beloye within the district are the the Megra River, and the Kovzha River (with the major tributary of the Shola). The Kovzha flows in its lower course, where it actually forms a water reservoir, along the border of the district. The southern part of the district drains into tributaries of the Andoga River, which is a tributary of the Suda River, and the southwestern part drains into tributaries of the Sheksna. A stretch of the Sheksna River forms the eastern border of the district.
Most of the area of the district is covered by woods.
The economy of the district is based on timber industry which in 2011 was responsible for 88% of all goods produced in the district.[4]
As of 2005, 22 farms were operating in the district.[13]
Belozersk is connected by all-seasonal roads with Cherepovets, Kirillov, and Lipin Bor (connecting further to Vytegra). There are also local roads.
The Volga–Baltic Waterway (formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System), connecting the Rybinsk Reservoir in the river basin of the Volga and Lake Onega in the river basin of the Neva, runs through the district, following the river course of the Sheksna, Lake Beloye, and the river course of the Kovzha. The Belozersky Canal bypasses Lake Beloye from the south.
The district houses Prison No. OE 256/5 (ФКУ ИК-5), of the Federal Penitentiary Service, on Ognenny Ostrov on Lake Novozero, southwest of the town of Belozersk.[14] This is one of the five penitentiary institutions in Russia where individuals convicted to the life imprisonment are held.
The district contains thirteen objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law, and additionally 132 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance.[15] The cultural heritage monuments of the federal significance are several buildings in the town of Belozersk as well as a number of archaeological monuments.
The Belozersky Local Museum located in Belozersk is an umbrella organization which not only hosts ethnographic and historical exhibits, but also manages the most important architectural monuments in Belozersk such as the Transfiguration Cathedral.[16]
|
|||||||||||||||||