Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast

Semyonov (English)
Семёнов (Russian)
-  Town  -

House of Culture in Semyonov

Location of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia
Semyonov
Location of Semyonov in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Coordinates: 56°48′N 44°30′E / 56.800°N 44.500°ECoordinates: 56°48′N 44°30′E / 56.800°N 44.500°E
Administrative status (as of November 2011)
Country Russia
Federal subject Nizhny Novgorod Oblast[1]
Administratively subordinated to townof oblast significance of Semyonov[1]
Administrative center of town of oblast significance of Semyonov[1]
Municipal status (as of December 2010)
Urban okrug Semyonovsky Urban Okrug[2]
Administrative center of Semyonovsky Urban Okrug[2]
Statistics
Population (2010 Census) 24,473 inhabitants[3]
Time zone MSK (UTC+03:00)[4]
First mentioned 1644
Town status since 1779
Semyonov on WikiCommons

Semyonov (Russian: Семёнов) is a town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, notable for being a major center for traditional handcrafts such as Khokhloma wood painting and matryoshka dolls. Population: 24,473 (2010 Census);[3] 25,298 (2002 Census);[5] 26,282 (1989 Census).[6]

History

An Old Believers' church in Semyonov

The town was formed in the beginning of the 17th century as a settlement of Old Believers. According to an Old Believer legend, the Old Believer settlement in the area was spurred by the existence of the ancient Olenevsky Skete (today, the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, some 24 kilometers (15 mi) southeast from Semyonov), which had supposedly been founded in the 15th century by some of Venerable Macarius's monks to commemorate their leader's Miracle of the Moose that took place at that site, and later joined the Raskol.[7]

Documentally, Semyonov was first mentioned as Semyonov's hamlet in 1644, later as Semyonovo village, and from 1779 as the uyezd town of Semyonov.

From the beginning of the 19th to the early 20th century, it was a center for Old Believers movement and the only place to produce Old Believers' religious items such as lestovka prayer beads.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with 1 work settlement and 190 rural localities, incorporated as the town of oblast significance of Semyonov—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Semyonov is incorporated as Semyonovsky Urban Okrug.[2]

Economy and crafts

Matryoshka dolls from Semyonov

Since 1918 Khokhloma wood painting became a major craft in Semyonov. In 1960, Semyonov was organized as a factory named Khokhlomskaya rospis ("Хохломская роспись", Russian for "Khokhloma painting").

This factory specialized in the production of hand-painted wooden items (ranging from tableware to toys and furniture) with unique style, and also matryoshka dolls, marketed as souvenir items.[8] The factory offers tours around the various stages of production and visitors can see craftspeople making and painting the items in traditional Russian styles.

Transportation

Semyonov is located on the Nizhny Novgorod-Kotelnich railway, which is part of one of the main routes used by trains traveling from Moscow to the Urals and Siberia. The town is served by electric commuter trains, connecting it to Nizhny Novgorod in just over an hour.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Law #184-Z
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Law #211-Z
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  4. ↑ Правительство Российской Федерации. Федеральный закон №107-ФЗ от 3 июня 2011 г. «Об исчислении времени», в ред. Федерального закона №248-ФЗ от 21 июля 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон "Об исчислении времени"». Вступил в силу по истечении шестидесяти дней после дня официального опубликования (6 августа 2011 г.). Опубликован: "Российская газета", №120, 6 июня 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Federal Law #107-FZ of June 31, 2011 On Calculating Time, as amended by the Federal Law #248-FZ of July 21, 2014 On Amending Federal Law "On Calculating Time". Effective as of after sixty days following the day of the official publication.).
  5. ↑ Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian). Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  6. ↑ Demoscope Weekly (1989). "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года[All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Оленевский скит (Olenevsky Skete) (Russian)
  8. ↑ "The hardworking women behind the matryoshkas hope for an Olympic boost". July 18, 2011, Natalya Radulova, Ogonyok

Sources

External links