Verkhnetoyemsky District

Verkhnetoyemsky District (English) Верхнетоемский район (Russian)
Location of Verkhnetoyemsky District within Arkhangelsk Oblast
Coordinates:
	Coat of Arms of Verkhnetoyemsky District
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Arkhangelsk Oblast
Administrative center	selo of Verkhnyaya Toyma[1]
# of cities/towns	0[1]
# of urban-type settlements	0[1]
# of selsoviets	14[1]
Municipal status (as of July 2011)
Municipally incorporated as	Verkhnetoyemsky Municipal District[2]
- # of urban settlements	0[2]
- # of rural settlements	9[2]
Statistics
Area	20,400 km2 (7,900 sq mi)[3]
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	17,058 inhabitants[4]
Population (2002 Census)	22,630 inhabitants[5]
- Urban population	13.1%
- Rural population	86.9%
Density	1 /km2 (2.6 /sq mi)[6]
Time zone	MSD (UTC+04:00)[7]
Established	April 10, 1924[8]
District newspaper	Zarya (Dawn)
Official website

Verkhnetoyemsky District (Russian: Верхнетоемский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.^[9] Municipally, it is incorporated as Verkhnetoyemsky Municipal District.^[2] It is located in the southeast of the oblast and borders with Pinezhsky District in the north, Udorsky District of the Komi Republic in the east, Krasnoborsky and Ustyansky Districts in the south, Shenkursky District in the west, and Vinogradovsky District in the northwest. Its administrative center is the rural locality (a selo) of Verkhnyaya Toyma.^[1] District's population: 17,058 (2010 Census preliminary results);^[4] 22,630 (2002 Census);^[5] 27,989 (1989 Census).^[10] Population of Verkhnyaya Toyma accounts for 17.6% of the district's population.^[5]

Contents 1 History 2 Location and geography 3 Divisions 3.1 Administrative divisions 3.2 Municipal divisions 4 Economy 4.1 Industry 4.2 Transport 5 Culture and recreation 5.1 Nizhnyaya Toyma painting school 6 References 6.1 Notes 6.2 Sources 7 External links

History

The area was originally populated by Finno-Ugric peoples and then colonized by the Novgorod Republic. After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Toyma has been first mentioned in the chronicles in 1137 as a point where the indigenous population had to bring tribute (fur), though it is not clear whether this Toyma refers to the present-day Verkhnyaya Toyma. From 1552, Verkhnyaya Toyma has been a local administration center.^[11]

In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great the area was included into Archangelgorod Governorate, In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed into Vologda Viceroyalty. In 1918, the area moved to the newly formed Northern Dvina Governorate, and in 1924 the uyezds were abolished in favor of the new divisions, the districts (raions). Verkhnetoyemsky District was formed on April 10, 1924 and included a part of the former Solvychegodsky Uyezd. Verkhnetoyemsky District had the biggest area and the least population among the districts of Northern Dvina Governorate.^[11]

In the following years, the district remained in the same borders, but the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged into Northern Krai, which in 1936 was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Verkhnetoyemsky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since.

From 1924 to 1959, Cherevkovsky District existed, with the administration located in Cherevkovo, initially in Northern Dvina Governorate. On September 11, 1959 the district was abolished and split between Krasnoborsky, Verkhnetoyemsky, and Ustyansky Districts; the administrative center Cherevkovo became a part of Krasnoborsky District.

Location and geography

The district is located at both banks of the Northern Dvina River; the left-bank-part of the district is considerably smaller than the right-hand-one. The major part of the district belongs to the river basins of the Northern Dvina and its major tributaries. The main (right-hand) Nothern Dvina tributaries within the district are the Verkhnyaya Toyma and Nizhnyaya Toyma Rivers. The central and eastern parts of the district belongs to river basin of the Pinega River with its main tributaries the Vyya River (left) and the Ilesha River (right). The Pinega flows through Verkhnetoyemsky District in the south-north direction and confluences with the Northern Dvina beyond the boundaries of the district. The minor area in the northeast of the district belongs to the basin of the Mezen River (not of the Northern Dvina basin). The whole area of the district drains into the White Sea.

Almost the whole of the district is covered by coniferous forests (taiga). The exception are the meadows in the floodplains.

Divisions

Administrative divisions

Administratively, the district is divided into fourteen selsoviets.^[1] The only locality which previously had a status of an urban-type settlement, Dvinskoy, was in 2004 downgraded in status to that of a rural locality. The following selsoviets have been established (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):

• Afanasyevsky (Voznesenskoe);
• Dvinskoy (Dvinskoy);
• Fedkovsky (Avnyugsky);
• Gorkovsky (Sogra);
• Kornilovsky (Isakovskaya);
• Nizhnetoyemsky (Burtsevskaya);
• Novovershinsky (Lakhoma);
• Puchuzhsky (Kondratovskaya);
• Seftrensky (Zelennik);
• Soyginsky (Igumnovskaya);
• Timoshinsky (Semyonovskaya 1-ya);
• Verkhnetoyemsky (Verkhnyaya Toyma);
• Vershinsky (Chyorny Ruchey);
• Vyysky (Okulovskaya).

Municipal divisions

Municipally, the district is divided into nine rural settlements (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):

• Afanasyevskoye Rural Settlement (Voznesenskoye);
• Dvinskoye Rural Settlement (Dvinskoy);
• Fedkovskoye Rural Settlement (Avnyugsky);
• Gorkovskoye Rural Settlement (Sogra);
• Puchuzhskoye Rural Settlement (Kondratovskaya);
• Seftrenskoye Rural Settlement (Zelennik);
• Timoshinskoye Rural Settlement (Semyonovskaya 1-ya);
• Verkhnetoyemskoye Rural Settlement (Verkhnyaya Toyma);
• Vyyskoye Rural Settlement (Okulovskaya).

Economy

Prior to 1917, the main occupations of the population were hunting, wood distillation, and livestock production. Crop production was basically unknown, and regular shortages of bread have been recorded due to the seasonal inaccessibility of the area. Verkhnyaya Toyma was a major trade center due to the location on the Northern Dvina. The large-scale timber industry only took a start in 1929, when Nizhnyaya Toyma Forest Production Company (Верхнетоемский леспромхоз) was established.^[11] The agriculture is currently bankrupt and does not deliver any products.^[11]

Industry

The basis of the economy of the district is timber industry.

Transport

The Northern Dvina is navigable, although there is only local passenger navigation.

There is a road connecting Kotlas and Arkhangelsk on the left bank of the Northern Dvina River. There are also local roads. There is regular passenger bus traffic over the district, and also from Krasnoborsk to Arkhangelsk. The right bank of the Northern Dvina River (including Verkhnyaya Toyma) is not connected by the all-season roads to the main road network.

There is an airport in Verkhnyaya Toyma, which used to generate considerable passenger traffic in 1980s, but it is now defunct.

Culture and recreation

The district contains four objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law, and additionally seventy-five objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance.^[12][13] Most of these are wooden churches and wooden rural houses built prior to 1917.

The four objects protected at the federal level are:

• Saint George Church (1672) in the village of Vershina — was moved in the museum of Malye Korely in Arkhangelsk;
• The ensemble of Soyezerskaya Pustyn including the Trinity Church (1748) and the bell-tower (18th century).

The only state museum in the District is Verkhnyaya Toyma District Museum in Verkhnyaya Toyma^[14]

Nizhnyaya Toyma painting school

Nizhnetoyemskaya Volost (now Nizhnetoyemsky Selsoviet) was a center of traditional wood painting crafts in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is characteristic of painting in black and red colors over a yellow background.^[15] Their favorite motifs were the Sirin Bird and the black horses, symbols of a wealthy household.^[15] By 1970s, the craft declined.

References

Notes

Sources

• Архангельское областное Собрание депутатов. Областной закон №65-5-ОЗ от 23 сентября 2009 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Архангельской области», в ред. Областного закона №150-12-ОЗ от 4 мая 2010 г «О внесении изменений и дополнений в отдельные областные законы». Вступил в силу через десять дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Волна", №43, 6 октября 2009 г. (Arkhangelsk Oblast Council of Deputies. Oblast Law #65-5-OZ of September 23, 2009 On the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Arkhangelsk Oblast, as amended by the Oblast Law #150-12-OZ of May 4, 2010 On Amending and Supplementing Certain Oblast Laws. Effective as of the day ten days after the official publication).

External links

• "Официальный сайт администрации муниципального образования "Верхнетоемский муниципальный район" / Official website of the district administration" (in Russian). http://www.vtojma.ru/. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 

Administrative divisions of Arkhangelsk Oblast Administrative center: Arkhangelsk Cities and towns Arkhangelsk · Kargopol · Koryazhma · Kotlas · Mezen · Mirny · Naryan-Mar · Novodvinsk · Nyandoma · Onega · Severodvinsk · Shenkursk · Solvychegodsk · Velsk Districts (raions) Kargopolsky · Kholmogorsky · Konoshsky · Kotlassky · Krasnoborsky · Lensky · Leshukonsky · Mezensky · Novaya Zemlya · Nyandomsky · Onezhsky · Pinezhsky · Plesetsky · Primorsky · Shenkursky · Solovetsky · Ustyansky · Velsky · Verkhnetoyemsky · Vilegodsky · Vinogradovsky