Vytegorsky District
Encyclopedia
Vytegorsky District is an administrative district (raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...

), one of the twenty-six
Administrative divisions of Vologda Oblast
Administratively, Vologda Oblast is divided into four cities and towns of oblast significance and twenty-six districts.In terms of the area, the biggest administrative district is Vytegorsky District ....

 in Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is Vologda. The largest city is Cherepovets.Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the magnificent Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Convent , medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, baroque...

, 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...

. Municipally, it is incorporated as Vytegorsky Municipal District. It is located in the northwest of the oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

 and borders with Pudozhsky District
Pudozhsky District
Pudozhsky District is an administrative district , one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Pudozhsky Municipal District. Its administrative center is the town of Pudozh. District's population: 27,538 ; Population of Pudozh accounts for 44.8% of...

 of the Republic of Karelia
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...

 in the north, Kargopolsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea....

 in the east, Kirillovsky
Kirillovsky District
Kirillovsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kirillovsky Municipal District...

, Vashkinsky
Vashkinsky District
Vashkinsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Vashkinsky Municipal District. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Vytegorsky District in the north, Kirillovsky District in the east,...

, and Belozersky District
Belozersky District
Belozersky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia. The name literally means "pertaining to white lakes".*Belozersky District, Kurgan Oblast, an administrative and municipal district of Kurgan Oblast...

s in the southeast, Vologodsky District
Vologodsky District
Vologodsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Vologodsky Municipal District...

 in the southeast, Babayevsky District
Babayevsky District
Babayevsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 26 in Vologda Oblast, Russia....

 in the southwest, and Podporozhsky District
Podporozhsky District
Podporozhsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Leningrad Oblast, Russia....

 of 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...

 in the west. The area of the district is 13100 square kilometres (5,057.9 sq mi), which makes it the district with the greatest area in Vologda Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Vytegra
Vytegra
Vytegra may refer to:*Vytegra, a town in Vologda Oblast, Russia*Vytegra River, a river in Vologda Oblast, Russia...

. District's population: 31,757 (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:...

); Population of Vytegra accounts for 35.9% of the district's population.

History

The area was originally populated by Finno-Ugric peoples
Finno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...

 and then colonized by 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...

. Vytegra was first mentioned in 1496. It was located on the trade route from the Volga
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...

 to Lake Onega
Lake Onega
Lake Onega is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga...

, and later on the route from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

 to Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...

.

In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known from 1710 as Saint Petersburg Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate , or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1708–1927....

). In 1727, it was transferred to the newly established Novgorod Governorate
Novgorod Governorate
Novgorod Governorate , or Government of Novgorod, was a governorate of the Russian Empire.The governorate was established in 1727 from Belozersk, Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, and Velikiye Luki Provinces of the St. Petersburg Governorate and existed until 1927, when its territory was included into...

. In 1773, Vytegra
Vytegra
Vytegra may refer to:*Vytegra, a town in Vologda Oblast, Russia*Vytegra River, a river in Vologda Oblast, Russia...

 was chartered, and in 1776 Vytegorsky Uyezd was established as one of the uyezds of newly established Novgorod Viceroyalty. It became a part of Olonets Oblast.

A sequence of administrative reforms followed. In 1781, Olonets Oblast was transferred to Saint Petersburg Governorate, and in 1784, it was transformed into an independent administrative unit, Olonets Viceroyalty. In 1785, Vytegorsky Uyezd was abolished and merged into Pudozhsky Uyezd. In 1799, Olonets Viveroyalty was abolished and divided between Novgorod and Arkhangelsk Governorates. Vytegorsky Uyezd was returned to Novgorod Governorate. In 1801, Olonets Governorate
Olonets Governorate
The Olonets Governorate or Government of Olonets was a guberniya of north-western Imperial Russia, extending from Lake Ladoga almost to the White Sea, bounded W. by Finland, N. and E. by Arkhangelsk and Vologda, and S. by Novgorod and St. Petersburg...

 was established, and Vytegorsky Uyezd became one of several uyezds of the governorate.

In 1922, Olonets Governorate was abolished, and Vytegorsky Uyezd was transferred to Petrograd Governorate (later 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...

), with the exception of three volost
Volost
Volost was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.In earlier East Slavic history, volost was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ruler or with varying degree of autonomy from the Velikiy Knyaz...

s, which were moved to Kargopolsky Uyezd of Vologda Governorate
Vologda Governorate
The Vologda Governorate or Government of Vologda was a guberniya in the historical northern region of the European part of Russian Empire.In its size it was second right after the neighboring Archangelgorod Governorate...

.

On August 1, 1927, the uyezds in Leningrad Oblast were abolished. In the area of former Vytegorsky Uyezd four districts were established: Vytegorsky District (with the center in Vytegra), Andomsky District (with the center in the selo of Andomsky Pogost), Kovzhinsky District (with the center in the selo of Annensky Most), and Oshtinsky District (with the center in the selo of Oshta). The four districts were part of Lodeynoye Pole Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. On September 23, 1937 all four districts were transferred to newly established Vologda Oblast.

During the Second World War, parts of Oshtinsky District were the only areas of Vologda Oblast to be occupied by Finnish troops. The Finnish advance was stopped in October 1941, but the occupation continued till June 1944, when the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...

 started to advance.

Andomsky, Oshtinsky, and Kovzhinsky districts were all abolished in 1950s. On December 12, 1955 the area of Oshtinsky District was divided between Vytegorsky and Borisovo-Sudsky Districts. On October 17, 1957 Andomsky District was merged into Vytegorsky District. In 1959, the area of Kovzhinsky District was split between Vashkinsky and Vytegorsky Districts.

Location and geography

The northwestern border of the district is the shore of Lake Onega
Lake Onega
Lake Onega is a lake in the north-west European part of Russia, located on the territory of Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and is the second largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga...

, and the area of the district is divided between several river basins. The western and the central parts belong to the basins of rivers flowing to Lake Onega, most notably the Vytegra River
Vytegra River
The Vytegra is a river in Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It nominally flows out of Lake Matkozero and is a tributary of Lake Onega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributary if the Tagazhma River ....

, the Vodla River
Vodla River
Vodla is a river in the south-east of Republic of Karelia, Russia. The town of Pudozh is located along Vodla....

, the Andoma River
Andoma River
The Andoma is a river in Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It flows out of Lake Groptozero and is a tributary of Lake Onega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The main tributary of the Andoma is the Samina River ....

, and the Megra River. Lake Onega belongs to the river basin of the Neva
Neva River
The Neva is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length , it is the third largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge .The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake...

. From the east, the Andoma Hills separate the basin of Lake Onega from the river basins of the Kovzha
Kovzha River
The Kovzha is a river in Vytegorsky, Belozersky, and Vashkinsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It originates from Lake Kovzhskoye and is a tributary of Lake Beloye. It is long, and the area of its basin . The Kovzha River is a part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway...

 and the Kema
Kema River
The Kema is a river in Vytegorsky and Vashkinsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It flows out of Lake Kemskoye and is a tributary of Lake Beloye. It is long, and the area of its basin . The main tributary is the Indomanka River ....

, which are tributaries of Lake Beloye and thus belong to the river basin of the Volga
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...

. Minor areas in the northeast of the district drain into Lake Lacha
Lake Lacha
Lake Lacha is a freshwater lake, located in the south of Kargopolsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia, south of the town of Kargopol. It is the biggest lake in Arkhangelsk Oblast. The area of the lake is , and the area of its basin is...

, in the river basin of the Onega
Onega River
The Onega is a river in Kargopolsky, Plesetsky, and Onezhsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. The Onega connects Lake Lacha with the Onega Bay in the White Sea southwest of Arkhangelsk, flowing in the northern direction. The discharge at the source is and at the mouth is . The river is ...

. On the northeast of the district there is a point which is a triple divides the river basins of the Neva, the Volga, and the Onega, and thus the basins of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

, the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...

, and the endorheic basins of the interior of Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

. This is one of the very few such triple divides in the world and the only one in Russia.

There are many lakes in the district, many of which are of glacial origin. The biggest lakes are Lake Kovzhskoye
Lake Kovzhskoye
Lake Kovzhskoye is a freshwater lake, located in the center of Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It is one of the biggest lakes in Vologda Oblast and the second biggest one in Vytegorsky District behind Lake Onega. The area of the lake is , and the area of its basin is . The main...

, Lake Kemskoye, Lake Soydozero, and Lake Kushtozero in the basin of Lake Beloye, and Lake Megrskoye, Lake Tudozero, Lake Lukhtozero, and Lake Shimozero in the basin of Lake Onega.

Most of the area of the district is covered by coniferous forests (taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...

). There are many swamps, in particular, in the southwest and the east of the district.

Industry

The economy of the district is based on timber industry. There are also food industry enterprises. In 1975, in the selo of Annensky Most the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 production started. The enterprise, Bely Ruchey Ore Administration, is owned by the Severstal
Severstal
OAO Severstal Russian: Северсталь, "Northern Steel") is a Russian company mainly operating in the steel and mining industry, centred in the northern city of Cherepovets. Severstal is listed on the RTS and LSE. As of 2009, it is the largest steel company in Russia according to The Metal Bulletin....

 steel plant, located in Cherepovets
Cherepovets
Cherepovets is the largest city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Sheksna River, a tributary of the Volga River. Population: 311,869 ; It is served by Cherepovets Airport.-Location:...

, and extracted limestone was used for steel production.

Agriculture

The agriculture in the district is oriented at meat and milk production and has been on steady decay since 1990s.

Transport

Vytegra is a road junction where a partially paved road connecting to Podporozhye
Podporozhye
Podporozhye is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Svir River northeast of St. Petersburg. Population: In the early 18th century, Peter the Great ordered the resettlement of peasants from the Msta River to the current location of Podporozhye to organize navigation along the...

 in Leningrad Oblast branches off from the highway connecting Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...

 with Medvezhyegorsk
Medvezhyegorsk
Medvezhyegorsk , formerly known as Medvezhya Gora and Karhumäki, is a town and the administrative center of Medvezhyegorsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Population: 15,800 ....

 in the Republic of Karelia via Lipin Bor
Lipin Bor
Lipin Bor is a rural locality and the administrative center of Vashkinsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the northern shore of Lake Beloye. It also serves as the administrative center of Lipinoborsky Selsoviet, one of the twelve selsoviets into which the district is administratively...

 and Pudozh
Pudozh
Pudozh is a town and the administrative center of Pudozhsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Vodla River east of Petrozavodsk. Population: 8,000 ....

. There is bus traffic.

The Volga–Baltic Waterway, connecting the river basins of the Volga and the Neva, crosses the district from the south to the north, following the valley of the Kovzha River
Kovzha River
The Kovzha is a river in Vytegorsky, Belozersky, and Vashkinsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It originates from Lake Kovzhskoye and is a tributary of Lake Beloye. It is long, and the area of its basin . The Kovzha River is a part of the Volga-Baltic Waterway...

 in the south, Novomariinsky Canal, and the Vytegra River
Vytegra River
The Vytegra is a river in Vytegorsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It nominally flows out of Lake Matkozero and is a tributary of Lake Onega. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributary if the Tagazhma River ....

 in the north. It also bypasses Lake Onega along the Onega Canal
Onega Canal
The Onega Canal is a canal that runs along the southern banks of Lake Onega in Vologda Oblast and Leningrad Oblasts in Russia. It was built 1818 - 1820 and 1845 - 1852 as a part of Mariinsk Canal System, to allow small riverboats to avoid Lake Onega, where storms are frequent and where many boats...

. There is regular cruise and cargo traffic along the waterway. The passenger navigation on Lake Onega, connecting Vytegra with Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk
Petrozavodsk is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some . The city is served by Petrozavodsk Airport. Municipally, it is incorporated as Petrozavodsky Urban Okrug . Population:...

, has been discontinued.

Vytegra Airport in 2011 was not served by regular passenger flights.

Culture and recreation

The district contains eight objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law, and additionally 170 objects (66 of them located in Vytegra) classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. The cultural heritage monuments of the federal significance are the remains of the Mariinsky Waterway from the early 19th century, the wooden Epiphany Church in Paltoga
Paltoga
Paltoga is a village in the western Russia. It is situated in the Vytegorsky District, Vologda Oblast and has 295 inhabitants . Paltoga was founded in 2001....

, the wooden St. Iliya Church of Saminsky Pogost, and the wooden Assumption Church in Devyatiny.

The Vytegorsky District Museum is located in Vytegra. Another museum in Vytegra is located in the Б440 Russian submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 of the Foxtrot class
Foxtrot class submarine
The Foxtrot class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built in the Soviet Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641....

.
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