Administrative divisions of Murmansk Oblast
Encyclopedia
Murmansk Oblast
is a federal subject
of Russia
, which is located in the northwestern part of the country, occupying mostly the Kola Peninsula
. The oblast itself was established on May 28, 1938, but some kind of administrative organization of the territory existed here since at least the 13th century. As of the 2002 Census
, Russians
account for the majority of the oblast's population (85.3%, or 760,862 people), with the indigenous Sami constituting only a 0.20% minority (1,769 people).
Since establishing and maintaining the structure of the administrative divisions of the federal subjects is not explicitly specified in the Constitution of Russia
as the responsibility of the federal government, this task falls within the scope of the responsibilities of Murmansk Oblast itself. Changes of the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Oblast are authorized by the Murmansk Oblast Duma.
The oblast's administrative divisions remained largely unchanged from the structure used during the Soviet
era, with the notable exception of selsoviet
s—a low-level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative-territorial divisions had been adopted in December 1997.
, it was settled only by the Sami people
. In the 12th century, Russian Pomors
from the shores of Onega Bay
and in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina River started regular hunting and fishing visits to the area and started barter trade
with the Sami. They also called the White Sea
coast of the peninsula Tersky Coast
, or Terskaya Land. Pomors were soon followed by the tribute
collectors from the Novgorod Republic
, and the Kola Peninsula
gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands. A 1265 treaty of Yaroslav Yaroslavich with Novgorod mentions Tre Volost
, which continued to be mentioned in other documents until as late as 1471. Another known administrative divisions in this area was Kolo Volost
, which bordered Tre approximately along the line between Kildin Island
and Turiy Headland
of the Turiy Peninsula
. Kolo Volost laid to the west of that line, while Tre was situated to the east of it.
In the 15th century, Novgorodians started to establish permanent settlements on the Kola Peninsula. Administratively, this territory was divided into Varzuzhskaya
and Umbskaya Volost
s, which were governed by a posadnik
from the area of the Northern Dvina. The Novgorod Republic lost control of both of these volosts to the Grand Duchy of Moscow
after the Battle of Shelon
in 1471, and the republic itself ceased to exist in 1478 when Ivan III
took the city of Novgorod. All Novgorod territories, including those on the Kola Peninsula, became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
In the second half of the 16th century, King Frederick II
of Denmark–Norway
demanded the Tsardom of Russia
to cede the peninsula. Russia declined, and in order to organize adequate defenses established the position of a voyevoda, who sat in Kola, which became an administrative center of the region. Newly established Kolsky Uyezd
covered most of the territory of the modern oblast, and continued to exist well into the 19th century.
In 1854, after having been reduced nearly to ashes as a result of a bombardment by a British ship, the town of Kola
went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar Alexander II
approved a State Council
opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into Kemsky Uyezd. However, on , 1883 when Tsar Alexander III
approved a new opinion of the State Council, the uyezd was restored, although the territory of the restored uyezd was smaller than its pre-1858 territory.
In 1896, Alexandrovsk was founded and grew in size so quickly that it was granted town status in 1899; Kolsky Uyezd was renamed Alexandrovsky
on that occasion. In 1916, Romanov-na-Murmane (modern Murmansk
) was founded and quickly grew to become the largest city on the peninsula.
When the White movement
controlled the northwest of Russia in 1918–1920, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was included into Northern Oblast
. On February 2, 1920, Murmansk Governorate
was established by the Resolution of the Provisional Government of Northern Oblast; it included the territory of Alexandrovsky Uyezd. The uyezd, however, was restored in its 1917 borders after Murmansk Governorate was abolished effective February 21, 1920 when the Soviet power was restored on the Kola Peninsula.
In June 1921, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was transformed into Murmansk Governorate
by the Soviet government. On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
(VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", according to which Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug
(which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast
. This arrangement existed until May 28, 1938, when the okrug
was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR, and transformed into Murmansk Oblast
.
In December 1938, new Monchegorsky District
was formed. In September 1939, the rural locality of Polyarnoye was transformed into a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed Polyarny and the town Kandalaksha
was separated from Kandalakshsky District and elevated to the same status in February 1940.
After the Winter War
of 1939–1940, the western parts of the Rybachy and Sredny Peninsulas were ceded by Finland
to the Soviet Union by the Moscow Peace Treaty. By the July 13, 1940 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, these territories were appended to Polyarny District
of Murmansk Oblast.
On July 21, 1945, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union decreed to establish Pechengsky District
with the administrative center in Nikel
on the territory of Petsamo ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union as part of the Moscow Armistice
signed on September 19, 1944 and to include this district as a part of Murmansk Oblast. In 1947, Finland additionally sold the remaining 169 square kilometres (65.3 sq mi) Jäniskoski
area with its hydroelectric plant, in exchange for Soviet confiscated German investments in Finland. Since then, the external borders of the oblast remained unchanged.
In August 1948, Kandalakshsky District was abolished and its territory administratively subordinated to the town of Kandalaksha. In December 1949, when by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union Monchegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction, with the former Monchegorsky District's territory passing into its subordination.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union of March 13, 1951 reinstated Kandalakshsky District in its old borders, and Kandalaksha again became its administrative center.
On April 18, 1951, Vayenga was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed Severomorsk
. On April 26, 1951, by the Decision of Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, several inhabited localities of Polyarny District were passed into its jurisdiction.
Kirovsk
was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction on May 6, 1954 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union; at the same time Kirovsky District was abolished, and its territory was subordinated to Kirovsk. Polyarny, on the other hand, was demoted to a town under district jurisdiction and subordinated to Polyarny District
by the June 14, 1956 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. The work settlement of Olenya was granted the status of a town under district jurisdiction, subordinated to Monchegorsk, and renamed Olenegorsk by the March 27, 1957 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of March 19, 1959, the Councils of Deputies of Kandalaksha and of Kandalakshsky District were merged into one Kandalaksha Town Council of Deputies. While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of July 9, 1960 abolished Polyarny District, the territory of which was divided between Kolsky
, Pechengsky, and Teribersky District
s, with the town of Polyarny being administratively subordinated to the town of Severomorsk. At the same time, the territory of Teribersky District was also merged with the territory of Severomorsk, to which the district's subdivisions were subordinated. Teribersky District was nominally retained as an administrative division and renamed Severomorsky.
Saamsky District
was abolished by the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 26, 1963. The district's selsoviets were transferred to Lovozersky District
, while Gremikha, the administrative center of the former district, was subordinated to Severomorsk.
On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to re-organize the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and the executive committee. However, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which no longer included Kandalakshsky and Severomorsky Districts and classified the remaining districts as rural. Subordination of Olenegorsk to Monchegorsk and of Polyarny to Severomorsk remained unchanged.
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
is a federal subject
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which is located in the northwestern part of the country, occupying mostly the Kola Peninsula
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
. The oblast itself was established on May 28, 1938, but some kind of administrative organization of the territory existed here since at least the 13th century. As of the 2002 Census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
, Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
account for the majority of the oblast's population (85.3%, or 760,862 people), with the indigenous Sami constituting only a 0.20% minority (1,769 people).
Since establishing and maintaining the structure of the administrative divisions of the federal subjects is not explicitly specified in the Constitution of Russia
Constitution of Russia
The current Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993. Russia's constitution came into force on 25 December 1993, at the moment of its official publication...
as the responsibility of the federal government, this task falls within the scope of the responsibilities of Murmansk Oblast itself. Changes of the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Oblast are authorized by the Murmansk Oblast Duma.
The oblast's administrative divisions remained largely unchanged from the structure used during the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
era, with the notable exception of selsoviet
Selsoviet
Selsoviet is a shortened name for a rural council. The full names for the term are, in , , . Selsoviets were the lowest level of administrative division in rural areas in the Soviet Union...
s—a low-level administrative unit type abolished after the new law on the administrative-territorial divisions had been adopted in December 1997.
Historical background
The territory on which modern Murmansk Oblast is located has been settled by humans since the 3rd millennium B.C.E., and by the end of the 1st millennium C.E.1st millennium
File:1st millennium montage.png|From left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once Roman Empire; Gunpowder is invented during the latter part of the millennium, in China; Chess, a new board game, takes on popularity across the globe;...
, it was settled only by the Sami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
. In the 12th century, Russian Pomors
Pomors
Pomors or Pomory are Russian settlers and their descendants on the White Sea coast. It is also term of self-identification for the descendants of Russian, primarily Novgorod, settlers of Pomorye , living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a watershed which...
from the shores of Onega Bay
Onega Bay
The Onega Bay is located in [the Republic of Karelia and Arkhangelsk Oblast in Northwestern Russia, west of the city of Arkhangelsk. It is the southernmost of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Dvina Bay, the Mezen Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The area of the bay is...
and in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina River started regular hunting and fishing visits to the area and started barter trade
Barter
Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money. It is usually bilateral, but may be multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a...
with the Sami. They also called the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
coast of the peninsula Tersky Coast
Tersky Coast
The Tersky Coast is a coastal area in Murmansk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the northern side of the White Sea, between mouth of Varzuga River and Cape Svyatoy Nos...
, or Terskaya Land. Pomors were soon followed by the tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
collectors from the Novgorod Republic
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
, and the Kola Peninsula
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands. A 1265 treaty of Yaroslav Yaroslavich with Novgorod mentions Tre Volost
Tre Volost
Tre Volost was a territorial division of the Novgorod Republic.It was first mentioned in a 1265 treaty of Yaroslav Yaroslavich with Novgorod, and was later also mentioned in other documents dated as late as 1471....
, which continued to be mentioned in other documents until as late as 1471. Another known administrative divisions in this area was Kolo Volost
Kolo Volost
Kolo Volost was a territorial division of the Novgorod Republic.It was first mentioned in the 13th century. The last documentary mention of the volost was in the 15th century....
, which bordered Tre approximately along the line between Kildin Island
Kildin Island
Kildin is a small Russian island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway. Administratively, Kildin belongs to the Murmansk Oblast of the Russian Federation....
and Turiy Headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
of the Turiy Peninsula
Turiy Peninsula
Turiy Peninsula is peninsula located in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is the biggest peninsula on the south of Kola Peninsula. It protrudes into the White Sea, with Sosnovaya Bay to the west, and Karzh Bay to the ost.- Sources :*...
. Kolo Volost laid to the west of that line, while Tre was situated to the east of it.
In the 15th century, Novgorodians started to establish permanent settlements on the Kola Peninsula. Administratively, this territory was divided into Varzuzhskaya
Varzuzhskaya Volost
Varzuzhskaya Volost was an administrative division of the Novgorod Republic and later of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, and the Russian Empire. Its seat was in Varzuga....
and Umbskaya Volost
Umbskaya Volost
Umbskaya Volost was an administrative division of the Novgorod Republic and later of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. Its seat was in Umba....
s, which were governed by a posadnik
Posadnik
Posadnik was the mayor in some East Slavic cities or towns. Most notably, the posadnik was the mayor of Novgorod and Pskov...
from the area of the Northern Dvina. The Novgorod Republic lost control of both of these volosts to the Grand Duchy of Moscow
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....
after the Battle of Shelon
Battle of Shelon
The Battle of Shelon was a decisive battle between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow under Ivan III and the army of the Novgorod Republic, which took place on the Shelon River on July 14, 1471. Novgorod suffered a major defeat and ended with the de facto unconditional surrender of the city...
in 1471, and the republic itself ceased to exist in 1478 when Ivan III
Ivan III of Russia
Ivan III Vasilyevich , also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and "Grand Prince of all Rus"...
took the city of Novgorod. All Novgorod territories, including those on the Kola Peninsula, became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
In the second half of the 16th century, King Frederick II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
of Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
demanded the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
to cede the peninsula. Russia declined, and in order to organize adequate defenses established the position of a voyevoda, who sat in Kola, which became an administrative center of the region. Newly established Kolsky Uyezd
Kolsky Uyezd
Kolsky Uyezd was an administrative division of the Tsardom of Russia and later of the Russian Empire.-16th–17th centuries:Russian expansion to the Kola Peninsula can be traced to the early 16th century when the Russian monk Trifon founded an Orthodox monastery at Pechenga...
covered most of the territory of the modern oblast, and continued to exist well into the 19th century.
In 1854, after having been reduced nearly to ashes as a result of a bombardment by a British ship, the town of Kola
Kola (town)
Kola is a town and the administrative center of Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kola and Tuloma Rivers, south of Murmansk and southwest of Severomorsk. It is the oldest town of the Kola Peninsula. Population: 11,060 ; -History:The district of Kolo...
went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
approved a State Council
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into Kemsky Uyezd. However, on , 1883 when Tsar Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
approved a new opinion of the State Council, the uyezd was restored, although the territory of the restored uyezd was smaller than its pre-1858 territory.
In 1896, Alexandrovsk was founded and grew in size so quickly that it was granted town status in 1899; Kolsky Uyezd was renamed Alexandrovsky
Alexandrovsky Uyezd
Alexandrovsky Uyezd was an administrative division of Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian SFSR.The origins of Alexandrovsky Uyezd trace back to Kolsky Uyezd, which existed on this territory since the early 16th century until , 1858, when Tsar Alexander II...
on that occasion. In 1916, Romanov-na-Murmane (modern Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
) was founded and quickly grew to become the largest city on the peninsula.
When the White movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
controlled the northwest of Russia in 1918–1920, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was included into Northern Oblast
Northern Oblast (1918-1920)
Northern Oblast was a territory in the northwest of Russia controlled by the White movement during the Russian Civil War. Its administrative center was Arkhangelsk....
. On February 2, 1920, Murmansk Governorate
Murmansk Governorate (1920)
Murmansk Governorate was a short-lived administrative division established by the White government on the Kola Peninsula in Russia....
was established by the Resolution of the Provisional Government of Northern Oblast; it included the territory of Alexandrovsky Uyezd. The uyezd, however, was restored in its 1917 borders after Murmansk Governorate was abolished effective February 21, 1920 when the Soviet power was restored on the Kola Peninsula.
In June 1921, Alexandrovsky Uyezd was transformed into Murmansk Governorate
Murmansk Governorate
Murmansk Governorate was an administrative division of the early Russian SFSR which existed in 1921–1927. The governorate was established on the territory of former Alexandrovsky Uyezd of Arkhangelsk Governorate by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee Decree issued on June 13, 1921...
by the Soviet government. On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
All-Russian Central Executive Committee
All-Russian Central Executive Committee , was the highest legislative, administrative, and revising body of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Although the All-Russian Congress of Soviets had supreme authority, in periods between its sessions its powers were passed to VTsIK...
(VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", according to which Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug
Murmansk Okrug
Murmansk Okrug was an administrative division of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1938.-Creation:The okrug was established on August 1, 1927, when the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the...
(which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
. This arrangement existed until May 28, 1938, when the okrug
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR, and transformed into Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...
.
In December 1938, new Monchegorsky District
Monchegorsky District
Monchegorsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, and later of Murmansk Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1938–1949.-History:...
was formed. In September 1939, the rural locality of Polyarnoye was transformed into a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed Polyarny and the town Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, beyond the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ; -History:The settlement has existed since the 11th century...
was separated from Kandalakshsky District and elevated to the same status in February 1940.
After the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
of 1939–1940, the western parts of the Rybachy and Sredny Peninsulas were ceded by Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
to the Soviet Union by the Moscow Peace Treaty. By the July 13, 1940 Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, these territories were appended to Polyarny District
Polyarny District
Polyarny District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960....
of Murmansk Oblast.
On July 21, 1945, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union decreed to establish Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District
Pechengsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located to the northwest of the Kola Peninsula on the coast of the Barents Sea and borders with Finland in the south and southwest and with Norway in the west, northwest, and north...
with the administrative center in Nikel
Nikel
Nikel is an urban locality and the administrative center of Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Kuets-Yarvi northwest of Murmansk and from the Norwegian border. Population: 18,000 .-History:In the 1920 Treaty of Tartu, Soviet Russia ceded the area of...
on the territory of Petsamo ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union as part of the Moscow Armistice
Moscow Armistice
The Moscow Armistice was signed between Finland on one side and the Soviet Union and United Kingdom on the other side on September 19, 1944, ending the Continuation War...
signed on September 19, 1944 and to include this district as a part of Murmansk Oblast. In 1947, Finland additionally sold the remaining 169 square kilometres (65.3 sq mi) Jäniskoski
Rayakoski
Rayakoski is an inhabited locality in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located adjacent to the tripoint between Finland, Norway, and Russia.Rayakoski is located around the Rayakoski Hydroelectric Power Plant, built in 1956....
area with its hydroelectric plant, in exchange for Soviet confiscated German investments in Finland. Since then, the external borders of the oblast remained unchanged.
In August 1948, Kandalakshsky District was abolished and its territory administratively subordinated to the town of Kandalaksha. In December 1949, when by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union Monchegorsk was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction, with the former Monchegorsky District's territory passing into its subordination.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union of March 13, 1951 reinstated Kandalakshsky District in its old borders, and Kandalaksha again became its administrative center.
On April 18, 1951, Vayenga was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction and renamed Severomorsk
Severomorsk
Severomorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Murmansk along the Kola Bay. Population: This is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest drydock on the Kola Peninsula....
. On April 26, 1951, by the Decision of Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee, several inhabited localities of Polyarny District were passed into its jurisdiction.
Kirovsk
Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast
Kirovsk , known as Khibinogorsk until 1934, is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the spurs of the Khibiny Massif on the shores of the Lake Bolshoy Vudyavr, south of Murmansk...
was elevated in status to that of a town under oblast jurisdiction on May 6, 1954 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union; at the same time Kirovsky District was abolished, and its territory was subordinated to Kirovsk. Polyarny, on the other hand, was demoted to a town under district jurisdiction and subordinated to Polyarny District
Polyarny District
Polyarny District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960....
by the June 14, 1956 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. The work settlement of Olenya was granted the status of a town under district jurisdiction, subordinated to Monchegorsk, and renamed Olenegorsk by the March 27, 1957 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of March 19, 1959, the Councils of Deputies of Kandalaksha and of Kandalakshsky District were merged into one Kandalaksha Town Council of Deputies. While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies.
The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of July 9, 1960 abolished Polyarny District, the territory of which was divided between Kolsky
Kolsky District
Kolsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Kola Peninsula and borders with the Barents Sea in the north and Finland in the west. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is...
, Pechengsky, and Teribersky District
Teribersky District
Teribersky District , also known as Severomorsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1963....
s, with the town of Polyarny being administratively subordinated to the town of Severomorsk. At the same time, the territory of Teribersky District was also merged with the territory of Severomorsk, to which the district's subdivisions were subordinated. Teribersky District was nominally retained as an administrative division and renamed Severomorsky.
Saamsky District
Saamsky District
Saamsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, and later of Murmansk Oblast, of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1963....
was abolished by the Decision of the Murmansk Oblast Executive Committee of January 26, 1963. The district's selsoviets were transferred to Lovozersky District
Lovozersky District
Lovozersky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and northeastern parts of the Kola Peninsula. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Lovozero...
, while Gremikha, the administrative center of the former district, was subordinated to Severomorsk.
On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to re-organize the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and the executive committee. However, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which no longer included Kandalakshsky and Severomorsky Districts and classified the remaining districts as rural. Subordination of Olenegorsk to Monchegorsk and of Polyarny to Severomorsk remained unchanged.
List of the administrative divisions
- Towns under the federal government management:
- GadzhiyevoGadzhiyevoGadzhiyevo is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. The town was also known as Yagelnaya Guba until 1967, Skalisty from 1981 to 1994, although it was often referred to as Murmansk-130 . The name Skalisty was made official in 1994, but in 1999 the town was renamed back to Gadzhiyevo—the name...
(Гаджиево) - Ostrovnoy (Островной)
- Polyarny (Полярный)
- SeveromorskSeveromorskSeveromorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Murmansk along the Kola Bay. Population: This is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest drydock on the Kola Peninsula....
(Североморск)- Urban-type settlements under the town's jurisdiction and the federal government management:
- RoslyakovoRoslyakovoRoslyakovo is an urban locality in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the Kola Bay, west of Severomorsk. Population: It was founded around 1896....
(Росляково) - SafonovoSafonovo, Murmansk OblastSafonovo is an urban locality in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the Kola Bay, west of Severomorsk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1936....
(Сафоново)
- Roslyakovo
- Urban-type settlements under the town's jurisdiction and the federal government management:
- SnezhnogorskSnezhnogorsk, Murmansk OblastSnezhnogorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded in 1970 and was granted town status in 1980. It was previously known as Murmansk-60 and Vyuzhny. The town's main employer is the Nerpa shipyard which is responsible for servicing and repairing the nuclear...
(Снежногорск) - ZaozyorskZaozyorskZaozyorsk , formerly called Murmansk-150 , is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Population: Zaozyorsk was originally formed in 1958 to serve as a base for a nuclear underwater fleet that was to protect Soviet's northern sea border. The base was renamed Zapadnaya Litsa in 1959.-References:...
(Заозёрск)
- Gadzhiyevo
- Cities and towns under the oblast's jurisdiction:
- MurmanskMurmanskMurmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
(Мурманск) (administrative center)- City administrative okrugs:
- Leninsky (Ленинский)
- Oktyabrsky (Октябрьский)
- Pervomaysky (Первомайский)
- City administrative okrugs:
- ApatityApatityApatity is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located along the Murmansk Railway between Lake Imandra and Khibiny Massif, west of Kirovsk and south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast...
(Апатиты) - KandalakshaKandalakshaKandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, beyond the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ; -History:The settlement has existed since the 11th century...
(Кандалакша)- Urban-type settlements under the town's jurisdiction:
- ZelenoborskyZelenoborskyZelenoborsky is an urban locality in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the lower Kovda River, south of Murmansk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1951....
(Зеленоборский)
- Zelenoborsky
- Urban-type settlements under the town's jurisdiction:
- KirovskKirovsk, Murmansk OblastKirovsk , known as Khibinogorsk until 1934, is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the spurs of the Khibiny Massif on the shores of the Lake Bolshoy Vudyavr, south of Murmansk...
(Кировск) - MonchegorskMonchegorskMonchegorsk is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Administratively, it is incorporated as Monchegorsk Town with Jurisdictional Territory—a unit of administrative division equal in status to that of a district...
(Мончегорск) - Olenegorsk (Оленегорск)
- Polyarnye ZoriPolyarnye ZoriPolyarnye Zori is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Niva River, Lake Imandra, and Lake Pinozero south of Murmansk. Population:...
(Полярные Зори)
- Murmansk
- Districts:
- KolskyKolsky DistrictKolsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Kola Peninsula and borders with the Barents Sea in the north and Finland in the west. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is...
(Кольский)- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- KolaKola (town)Kola is a town and the administrative center of Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kola and Tuloma Rivers, south of Murmansk and southwest of Severomorsk. It is the oldest town of the Kola Peninsula. Population: 11,060 ; -History:The district of Kolo...
(Кола)
- Kola
- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- KildinstroyKildinstroyKildinstroy is an urban locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the lower Kola River, south of Murmansk. Population: 2,861 ; 3,731 ....
(Кильдинстрой) - MolochnyMolochnyMolochny is an urban locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the lower Kola River, south of Murmansk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1935....
(Молочный) - MurmashiMurmashiMurmashi is an urban locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the lower Tuloma River, southwest of Murmansk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1930....
(Мурмаши) - TumannyTumannyTumanny is an urban locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the lower Voronya River, east of Murmansk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1975....
(Туманный) - VerkhnetulomskyVerkhnetulomskyVerkhnetulomsky is an urban locality in Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula on the upper Tuloma River, southwest of Murmansk. Population: It was founded as a work settlement around 1961....
(Верхнетуломский)
- Kildinstroy
- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- KovdorskyKovdorsky DistrictKovdorsky District is an administrative district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kovdorsky Urban Okrug . It is located to the west of the Kola Peninsula. Its administrative center is the town of Kovdor...
(Ковдорский)- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- KovdorKovdorKovdor is a town and the administrative center of Kovdorsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, mostly known by its mining industry. Population: -Economy:...
(Ковдор)
- Kovdor
- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- LovozerskyLovozersky DistrictLovozersky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and northeastern parts of the Kola Peninsula. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Lovozero...
(Ловозерский)- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- RevdaRevda, Murmansk OblastRevda is an urban locality in Lovozersky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located southeast of Murmansk. Population: It was founded in 1950 as a loparite ore mining and processing settlement....
(Ревда)
- Revda
- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- PechengskyPechengsky DistrictPechengsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located to the northwest of the Kola Peninsula on the coast of the Barents Sea and borders with Finland in the south and southwest and with Norway in the west, northwest, and north...
(Печенгский)- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- ZapolyarnyZapolyarny, Murmansk OblastZapolyarny is a town in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of the Kola Superdeep Borehole project. Population: The area where the town is located belonged to Finland in 1920–1944...
(Заполярный)
- Zapolyarny
- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- NikelNikelNikel is an urban locality and the administrative center of Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the shores of Lake Kuets-Yarvi northwest of Murmansk and from the Norwegian border. Population: 18,000 .-History:In the 1920 Treaty of Tartu, Soviet Russia ceded the area of...
(Никель) - Pechenga (Печенга)
- Nikel
- Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
- TerskyTersky District, Murmansk OblastTersky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southern part of the Kola Peninsula and borders the White Sea in the south. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the urban locality of Umba...
(Терский)- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- UmbaUmba, RussiaUmba is an urban locality in Tersky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula at the point where the Umba River flows into the Kandalaksha Gulf. Population:...
(Умба)
- Umba
- Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
- Kolsky