Smolensk is a
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n city and the administrative centre of
Smolensk OblastSmolensk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its area is 49,786 square kilometers, population—1,019,000 ; 1,049,574 ; 1,158,299 . Its administrative center is the city of Smolensk. Other ancient towns include Vyazma and Dorogobuzh...
, located on the
Dnieper RiverThe Dnieper River or Dnipro River is one of the major rivers in Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea. Its total length is , of which lie within Russia, within Belarus, and within Ukraine. Its basin covers , of which are within Ukraine...
. Situated west-southwest of
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk is noted for electronics, textiles, and food processing. Population:
Origins of the name
The name of the city is derived from the name of the Smolnya Rivulet. The origin of the
hydronymA hydronym is a proper name of a body of water. Hydronymy is the study of hydronyms and of how bodies of water receive their names and how they are transmitted through history...
is less clear. One possibility is the old Slavic word "смоль" (smol) for
black soilChernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a very high percentage of humus — 3% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
, which might have coloured the waters of the long-derelict Smolnya. An alternative origin could be the
RussianRussian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe...
word
smola, which means
resinResin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume. Fossilized resins are the source of amber...
,
tarTar is modified resin produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. It is a viscous black liquid. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving and...
, or
pitch- Aeronautics, engineering, seamanship, and science :* Pitch , the movement of an aircraft around its lateral axis, or a measure of the degree to which an aircraft's nose tilts up or down; see also blade pitch further below...
.
Pine treesPines are coniferous trees in the genus Pinus , in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Distribution:...
grow in the area, and city was once a center of resin processing and trade.
Medieval origins
Smolensk is among the oldest of Russian cities. The first recorded mention of the city was 863 AD, two years after the founding of ancient Rus. According to Russian Primary Chronicle, Smolensk (probably located slightly downstream, at the archaeological site of
GnezdovoGnezdovo or Gnyozdovo is an archeological site located near the village of Gnyozdovo in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. The site contains extensive remains of a Slavic-Varangian settlement that flourished in the 10th century as a major trade station on the trade route from the Varangians to the...
) was the capital of the Baltic Krivichs tribe in 882 when
Oleg of NovgorodOleg of Novgorod was a Varangian prince who ruled all or part of the Rus people during the early tenth century. He is credited with moving the capital of Rus from Novgorod the Great to Kiev and, in doing so, he laid the foundation of the powerful state of Kievan Rus...
took it in passing from Novgorod to
KievKiev or Kyiv , is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300...
. The town was first attested two decades earlier, when the Varangian chieftains
Askold and DirAskold and Dir were, according to the Primary Chronicle, two of Rurik's men who ruled Kiev in the 870s. That chronicle implies that they were neither his relatives nor of noble blood...
, while on their way to Kiev, decided against challenging Smolensk on account of its large size and population.
The first foreign writer to mention the city was the Emperor
Constantine PorphyrogenitusConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" , was the son of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife Zoe Karbonopsina. He was also the nephew of the Emperor Alexander...
. In
De Administrando ImperioDe Administrando Imperio is the commonly used Latin title of a scholarly work written in Greek, by the 10th-century Byzantine emperor Constantine VII...
(c. 950) he described Smolensk as a key station on the Road from Varangians to Greeks. The
RusThe Rus' were the historic population of the medieval Rus' Khaganate and Kievan Rus'.One of the earliest written sources mentioning the people called Rus in the form of Rhos dates back to year 839 AD in a Royal Frankish chronicle Annales Bertiniani, identified as a Germanic tribe called Swedes...
sailed from the Baltics up the Western Dvina as far as they could then they
pulled their boatsPortage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter....
out onto the ground and dragged them along to the upper Dnieper. It was in Smolensk that they supposedly mended any leaks and small holes that might have appeared in their boats from being dragged on the ground and they used
tarTar is modified resin produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. It is a viscous black liquid. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving and...
to do that, hence the city name.
The
Principality of SmolenskThe Principality of Smolensk was a Kievan Rus lordship between the eleventh- and fifteenth-century...
was founded in 1054. Due to its central position amid Russian lands, the city developed rapidly. By the end of the 12th century the princedom was one of the strongest in
Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is a region lying in the Eastern part of Europe. The term is highly context-dependent and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, so that Smolensk dynasty frequently controlled the Kievan throne. Numerous churches were built in the city at that time, including the church of Sts Peter and Paul (1146, reconstructed to its presumed original appearance after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) and church of St John the Baptist (1180, also partly rebuilt). The most remarkable church in the city is called Svirskaya (1197, still standing); it was admired by contemporaries as the most beautiful structure to the east of
KievKiev or Kyiv , is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300...
.
Between Russia, Lithuania and Poland
Although spared by the Mongol armies in 1240, Smolensk paid tribute to the
Golden HordeThe Ulus of Jochi or the Golden Horde is an East Slavic designation for the Mongol—later Turkicized—Muslim khanate established in the western part of the Mongol Empire after the Mongol invasion of Rus' in the 1240s: present-day Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and the Caucasus...
, gradually becoming a pawn in the long struggle between
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
and Muscovy. The last sovereign monarch of Smolensk was George of Smolensk; during his disastrous reign the city was taken by Vytautas of Lithuania on three occasions, in 1395, 1404 and 1408. After the city's incorporation into the
Grand Duchy of LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until 1795. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the pagan Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija...
, some Smolensk boyars (e.g., the
SapiehaThe Sapieha is a Polish-Lithuanian princely family descending from the medieval boyars of Smolensk. The family acquired great influence in the sixteenth century.-History:...
s) moved to
VilniusVilnius Vilnius Vilnius as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the...
; descendants of the ruling princes (e.g., the Tatishchevs,
KropotkinKropotkin may refer to:*Peter Kropotkin, a Russian prince and anarchist*Kropotkin, Krasnodar Krai, a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia*Kropotkin, Irkutsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia...
s,
MussorgskyMussorgsky , the name of an old Russian noble family, which is one of the branches of rich boyar family of Monastyrev, descendants of princes of Smolensk from Rurikid stock. The family traces its name to Roman Vasilyevich Monastyrev, nicknamed Mussorga . Peter Ivanovich Mussorgsky governed Staritsa...
s, Viazemskis) fled to
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
.
With a population of tens of thousands of people, Smolensk was probably the largest city in 15th century Lithuania. Three Smolensk regiments proved decisive during the
Battle of GrunwaldThe Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15, 1410 with the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led by the king Jogaila , ranged against the knights of the Teutonic Order, led by the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen...
against the
Teutonic knightsThe Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital in Jerusalem , or for short the Teutonic Order , is a German Roman Catholic religious order. It was formed to aid Catholics on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals to care for the sick and injured...
. It was a severe blow to Lithuania when the city was taken by
Vasili III of RussiaVasili III Ivanovich was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1505 to 1533. He was the son of Ivan III Vasiliyevich and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil...
in 1514. To commemorate this event, the
tsarTsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or Tzar in English, is a Slavic term with Bulgarian origins used to designate certain monarchs...
founded the
Novodevichy ConventNovodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent in the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has...
in Moscow and dedicated it to the
iconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism...
of Our Lady of Smolensk.
In order to repel future
Polish-LithuanianPolish–Lithuanian can refer to:* Polish–Lithuanian union * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth * Polish–Lithuanian relations * Polish minority in Lithuania...
attacks,
Boris GodunovBoris Fyodorovich Godunov was de facto regent of Russia from 1584 to 1598 and then the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605...
made it his priority to heavily fortify the city. The stone
kremlinKremlin is the Russian word for "fortress", "citadel" or "castle" and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
constructed in 1597–1602 is the largest in Russia. It features remarkably thick walls and numerous watchtowers. Heavy fortifications didn't prevent the fortress from being taken by the
Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. The new Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe....
in 1611 after
a long 20-month siegeThe Siege of Smolensk, known as the Smolensk Defense in Russia lasted 20 months between September of 1609 and June of 1611, when the Polish army besieged the Russian city of Smolensk during the Polish-Muscovite War .In September of 1609, the Polish army under the command of King Sigismund III Vasa...
, during the
Time of TroublesThe Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar Feodor Ivanovich of the Rurik Dynasty in 1598 and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613...
and Dimitriads. Weakened Muscovy ceded temporarily Smolensk land to the
CommonwealthCommonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good or in which all participants have equal standing...
in the
Truce of DeulinoTruce of Deulino was signed on 11 December 1618 and took effect on 4 January 1619. It concluded the Polish–Muscovite War between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Tsardom of Russia....
and for the next forty three years it was the capital of the
Smolensk VoivodeshipSmolensk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was established in 1508, but was lost in 1514 to the Grand Duchy of Moscow...
.
To recapture the city, Muscovy launched the so-called "
Smolensk WarThe Smolensk War was a conflict fought between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia.Hostilities began in October 1632 when Tsarist forces tried to recapture the city of Smolensk, a former Russian possession...
" against the Commonwealth in 1632. After a heavy defeat at the hands of king Wladislaw IV, the city remained in Polish-Lithuanian hands. In 1632, the Uniate bishop Lew Kreuza built his apartments in Smolensk; they were later converted into the Orthodox Church of St. Barbara. The hostilities resumed in 1654 when the Commonwealth was being rocked by the Uprising of Ukrainian Cossacks and
Swedish invasionIn the history of Poland and Lithuania, the Deluge commonly refers to a series of wars in the mid-to-late seventeenth century which left the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in ruins....
. After another siege, on September 23, 1654 Smolensk was recaptured by Russia as the Polish garrison left the city. In the 1667
Treaty of AndrusovoThe Truce of Andrusovo was a thirteen and a half year truce, signed in 1667 between Tsardom of Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which were at war since 1654 over the territories of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus.It was signed on 30 January by Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin and Jerzy...
the
Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569. The new Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th and 17th-century Europe....
finally renounced its claims to the Smolensk.
Modern history
Smolensk has been a special place to Russians for many reasons, not least for the fact that the local cathedral housed one of the most venerated
OrthodoxThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
icons, attributed to St Luke. Building the new Cathedral of the Assumption was a great project which took more than a century to complete. Despite slowly sinking into economic backwater, Smolensk was still valued by tsars as a key fortress defending the route to
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
. It was made the capital of
GuberniyaA guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin , in turn from Greek...
in 1708.
In August 1812, two of the largest armies ever assembled clashed in Smolensk. During the
hard-fought battleThe First Battle of Smolensk took place on August 17 1812, between 175,000 men of the Grande Armée under Napoleon Bonaparte and 130,000 Russians under Prince Bagration, of whom about 50,000 and 60,000 respectively were actually engaged. Bagration's corps occupied the town of Smolensk, which...
, described by
Leo TolstoyLeo Tolstoy, or Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy , was a Russian writer widely regarded as among the greatest of novelists. His masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina represent in their scope, breadth and vivid depiction of 19th-century Russian life and attitudes, the peak of realist...
in
War and PeaceWar and Peace , a Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy, is considered one of the world's greatest works of fiction. It is regarded, along with Anna Karenina , as his finest literary achievement....
, Napoleon entered the city. Total losses were estimated at 30,000 men. Apart from other military monuments, downtown Smolensk features the Eagles monument, unveiled in 1912 to mark the centenary of Napoleon's Russian campaign.
Immediately after the
October RevolutionTheOctober Revolution , also known as the Soviet Revolution or Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution. It began with an armed insurrection in Petrograd traditionally dated to 25 October 1917 Julian calendar...
, when
BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
proper was still occupied by German forces, Smolensk became a notable centre of Belarusian political life, although remaining administratively a part of Russia. In 1918, German occupational forces declared
Smolensk GovernorateThe Smolensk Governate or Government of Smolensk was a governorate of the Russian Empire, established on December 29, 1708 . On July 28, 1713 , Smolensk Governorate was abolished and its territory was divided between Moscow and Riga Governorates. The governorate was re-established in 1726...
a constituent of the Belarusian People's Republic, which only lasted less than a year. On January 2, 1919 the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in Smolensk, but its government moved to
MinskMinsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus, situated on the Svislach and Niamiha rivers. Minsk is also a headquarters of the Commonwealth of Independent States . As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the administrative centre of Minsk...
as soon as the Polish forces had been driven out of the Belarusian capital several months later.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Smolensk was again chosen by history as a stage for one of its greater battles, the
Battle of SmolenskThe Battle of Smolensk was a successful encirclement operation by Army Group Centre's 2nd Panzer Army led by Heinz Guderian and the 3rd Panzer Army led by Hermann Hoth of parts of four Soviet Fronts...
. It was captured by the Germans on July 16, 1941. The first
SovietThe Red Army The Red Army The Red Army was the Soviet government’s revolutionary militia beginning in the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the USSR. Since 1946, after the Second World War, it was called the Soviet Army.The 'Red...
counteroffensive against the German army was launched here in August 1941 but failed. However the limited Soviet victories in the battles outside the city in August 1941 halted the German advance for a crucial two months, essentially allowing Moscow to be saved and through the Red Army's victory there, the Great Patriotic War to be won. Camp 126 was situated close to Smolensk and at this time Boris Menshagin was mayor of Smolensk, with his deputy Boris Bazilevskii. Both of them would be key witnesses in the Nurenburg trial over the Katyn massacre.
Over 93% of the city was destroyed during the fighting. The ancient icon was lost forever. The city was finally liberated on September 25, 1943. It is no surprise that the title of
Hero CityHero City is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the Great Patriotic War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress...
was bestowed on Smolensk after the war.
After the Germans captured the city in 1941, they found the intact archives of Smolensk Oblast Committee of the Communist Party, the so-called
Smolensk ArchiveThe Smolensk Archive is the name given to the archives of Smolensk Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which were captured intact by the army of Nazi Germany when it conquered the city of Smolensk in 1941...
. The archive was moved to
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, and a significant part of it eventually ended up in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, providing Western scholars and intelligence specialists with unique information on the local workings of the Soviet government during its first two decades. The archives were returned to Russia by the United States in 2002
http://www.volgagermans.net/volgagermans/Volga%20German%20News.htm http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2002/spring/spoils-of-war-3.html
As indicated by his name, the prominent 19th century
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
ish novelist
Peretz SmolenskinPeretz Smolenskin , was a Russian Jewish novelist who wrote in Hebrew.Peretz Smolenskin was born near Mogilev . His family came from Smolensk. He joined the rationalists and then the mystics, and followed a variety of precarious occupations...
and his family originated from Smolensk, though he himself was born near
MogilevMogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
.
As an added note, this is the part of Russia from which the paternal ancestry of the famous anarchist
Peter KropotkinPeter Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a geographer, a zoologist, and one of Russia's foremost anarchists. One of the first advocates of anarchist communism, Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government. Because of his title of prince, he was known by some as "the Anarchist...
originated.
Economy
Smolensk has several factories including the Smolensk Aviation Plant and several electronics and agricultural machinery factories.
Transport
Smolensk is located on the
M1 main highwayThe Russian route M1 is a major trunk road that runs from Moscow through Smolensk before terminating at the border with Belarus. The length is . The highway runs south of Odintsovo, Kubinka, Mozhaysk, Gagarin, north of Vyazma, through Safonovo and Yartsevo...
and main railway between Moscow and Minsk. The city is also served by
Smolensk AirportSmolensk Airport is an airport in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located 4 km south of Smolensk. It is a civilian airfield with a small tarmac. There are many stored An-2s and a disused DOSAAF area....
. Local public transport includes buses and trolleybuses.
Buses, trolleybuses, tram and
marshrutka (passenger van) are the safest and cheapest way to travel around city. The cost is near by 8 to 10 rouble for 1 way ticket.
Education
Smolensk is home to the Smolensk State University (SMOLGU) and the Smolensk State Medical Academy (SGMA); together with colleges of further education and other educational institutes.
Sister cities
- 1981 France Tulle
Tulle is a commune of France, capital of the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France and the episcopal see of the eponymous Roman Catholic diocese, the Bishopric of Tulle...
, FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
- 1985 Germany Hagen
Hagen is the 37th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
- 1993 United States Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is located just east of the geographic center of the state and south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. At 6,035 feet the city sits over one mile above...
, USA.
- 1998 Ukraine Kerch
Kerch is a city on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, is an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine.-Ancient times:...
, UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
.
People from Smolensk
- Alexander Belyayev - author
- Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
- composer
- Sergey Konenkov
Sergey Timofeyevich Konenkov was a famous Russian and Soviet sculptor. He was often called "the Russian Rodin"....
- sculptor
- Semyon Lavochkin
Semyon Alekseyevich Lavochkin , a Soviet aircraft designer, Corresponding Member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences , Major General of the Aviation Engineering , Hero of Socialist Labor , member of the CPSU from 1953.Lavochkin was born Ayzikovich Smolensk, Russia, in 1900 to Jewish parents...
- aircraft designer
- Anatoly Lukyanov
Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov is a Russian Communist politician who was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR between 15 March 1990 and 22 August 1991. One of the founders of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in 1993, he is described by its leader Gennady Zyuganov as the "Deng...
- politician
- Gregori Maximoff
Grigori Petrovitch Maximoff was a Russian born anarcho-syndicalist who was involved in Nabat, a Ukrainian anarcho-syndicalist movement. Along with several other anarchists, he was imprisoned on 8 March 1921 following a Cheka sweep of anarchists in the area...
- politician
- Grigory Potyomkin - statesman
- Aleksandr Tvardovsky
Aleksandr Trifonovich Tvardovsky was a Soviet poet, chief editor of Novy Mir literary magazine from 1950 to 1954 and 1958 to 1970.-Biography:...
- writer
Other pictures
- A wall of Smolensk Kremlin in 1912
- 2-rouble coin dedicated to Smolensk, 2000
External links
News of Smolensk