Vologda Oblast
Вологодская область (Russian)
—  Oblast  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 60°05′N 40°27′E / 60.083°N 40.45°E / 60.083; 40.45Coordinates: 60°05′N 40°27′E / 60.083°N 40.45°E / 60.083; 40.45
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	Northwestern[1]
Economic region	Northwestern[2]
Established	1937
Administrative center	Vologda[3]
Government (as of December 2011)
- Governor	Oleg Kuvshinnikov[4]
- Legislature	Oblast Duma
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[5]
- Total	145,700 km2 (56,255.1 sq mi)
Area rank	25th
Population (2010 Census)[6]
- Total	1,202,444
- Rank	42nd
- Density[7]	8.25 /km2 (21.4 /sq mi)
- Urban	70.7%
- Rural	29.3%
Time zone(s)	MSK (UTC+04:00)[8]
ISO 3166-2	RU-VLG
License plates	35
Official languages	Russian[9]
http://www.vologda-oblast.ru/

Vologda Oblast (Russian: Вологодская область, tr. Vologodskaya oblast; IPA: [vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. Population: 1,202,444 (2010 Census).^[6] The largest city is Cherepovets, the home of the Severstal metallurgical plant, the largest industrial enterprise of the oblast.

Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Monastery (a World Heritage Site) with the frescoes of Dionisius, medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, and baroque churches of Totma and Ustyuzhna.

Large reserves of wood and fresh water are the main natural resources.

History[link]

View of Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. A lithograph from 1897

The area of Vologda Oblast was settled by Finno-Ugric peoples since prehistory, and most of the toponyms in the region are in fact Finno-Ugric. Vepsians still living in the west of the Oblast are the descendants of that population. Subsequently, the area was colonized. Belozersk has been mentioned in chronicles in 862 as one of the oldest towns in Russia. Much of the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, in particular, Totma was founded in 1152. Veliky Ustyug and the west of the current territory of the Oblast, with Belozersk and Ustyuzhna, belonged to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and were constantly threatened by Novgorod. Not later than in the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached the White Sea. They penetrated the area using the waterways. The main waterway to the White Sea was the Northern Dvina, and Novgorod merchants used the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna, along the Slavyanka River into Lake Nikolskoye, then the boats were taken by land to Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from there downstream along the Porozovitsa River into Lake Kubenskoye and further to the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina.^[10]

In the 13th century, minor principalities started to proliferate. First, the Principality of Beloozero separated from Rostov. It northern and northeastern parts in the 15th century became quasi-independent, forming smaller feudal states like the Principality of Zaozerye or the Principality of Kubena. Many smaller principalities are only mentioned once in chronicles, and the very existence of these principalities is questionable. Vologda between 1452 and 1481 was the center of the Principality of Vologda, the last independent principality in Vologda lands. By the end of the 15th century, all these lands were a part of the Great Duchy of Moscow.

In the 14th and the 15th century, the lands around Vologda became attractive for monks looking for desolate areas but still wishing to keep connections with the princes of Moscow. The princes, in their turn, viewed the monasteries as means to keep the influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in its remote areas. A number of influential monasteries, including Spaso-Prilutsky, Pavlo-Obnorsky, Kirillo-Belozersky, and Ferapontov monasteries, were founded. Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery soon became one of the most prominent Russian monasteries, with a lot of political influence, and successful economical development.

In the middle of 15th century, the Vologda Lands were strongly involved with the Muscovite Civil War: Thus, Vasily the Blind was in 1446 exiled to Vologda and was released from his allegiance oath by the hegumen of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and in the late 1440s the Sukhona valley became the battlefield between the retreating army of Dmitry Shemyaka and the army of Vasily, chasing Shemyaka. During the Time of Troubles, the area was ravaged by Polish troops, who at some point besieged Vologda but did not succeed in conquering the city.

In the 17th century, Vologda was a prosperous city located on the main trading route from Moscow to Western Europe. During the reign of Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century, Vologda became a shipbuilding center and played an important role in support of Russian military operations against Sweden. However, the importance of Vologda as a trade center was diminished after Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703, and the foreign trade was rerouted to the Baltic Sea. Peter even imposed restrictions to the White Sea trade.

Vologda was the northernmost territory where serfdom existed in Russia. In the lands west and south of Vologda, estates existed, but to the north and to the east of Vologda serfdom was never implemented, and the population owned their land.^[11]

In 1708, Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates.^[12][13] The description of the borders of the governorates was not given; instead, their area was defined as a set of towns and the lands adjacent to those towns. In the present area of Vologda oblast, two of the governorates — Archangelgorod Governorate (east of the oblast) and Ingermanland Governorate (west of the oblast) — were located. Vologda was part of Archangelgorod Governorate. Subsequently, the western part of the Oblast was transferred to Novgorod Governorate. In 1780, Vologda became the administrative center of Vologda Viceroyalty which included the territory of the former Archangelgorod Governorate. Eventually, the viceroyalty was transformed into Vologda Governorate. After a sequence of further administrative reforms, Vologda Oblast was established in 1937.

During the Second World War, parts of Oshtinsky District in the west of the oblast became the only areas of Vologda Oblast to be occupied by foreign (Finnish) troops. The Finnish advance was stopped in October 1941, but the occupation continued till June 1944, when the Soviet Army started to advance.

In 1955, the construction of Severstal in the city of Cherepovets, the biggest industrial enterprise in the oblast, was completed.

Before 1991, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Vologda Oblast CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected.

First secretaries of the Vologda Oblast CPSU Committee[link]

In the period when they were the most important authority in the oblast (1937 to 1991), the following first secretaries were appointed^[14]

• 1937 Grigory Andreyevich Ryabov, executed during the Great Purge;
• 1937-1942 Pavel Timofeyevich Komarov;
• 1942-1945 Boris Fyodorovich Nikolayev;
• 1945-1952 Vasily Nikitich Derbinov;
• 1952-1955 Alexey Vladimirovich Syomin;
• 1955-1960 Ivan Sergeyevich Latunov;
• 1960-1961 Vadim Sergeyevich Milov;
• 1961-1985 Anatoly Semyonovich Drygin;
• 1985-1990 Valentin Alexandrovich Kuptsov;
• 1990-1991 Vladimir Ivanovich Saranskikh.

Governors[link]

Since 1991, governors were sometimes appointed, and sometimes elected,^[14]

• 1991-1996 Nikolay Mikhaylovich Podgornov, head of the administration, appointed;
• 1996-2011 Vyacheslav Yevgenyevich Pozgalyov, head of the administration, appointed; then governor, elected;
• 2011- Oleg Alexandrovich Kuvshinnikov, governor, appointed.

Geography[link]

A tall bank of the Sukhona River

Vologda Oblast borders with Arkhangelsk Oblast in the north, Kirov Oblast in the east, Kostroma Oblast in the southeast, Yaroslavl Oblast in the south, Tver and Novgorod Oblasts in the southwest, Leningrad Oblast in the west, and the Republic of Karelia in the northwest.

Vologda Oblast is located on the East European Plain, and most of it represents forested hilly landscape. The southwest of the oblast, along the Sheksna and the Mologa, is flat. The northwestern part is mostly of glacial origin, with the Andoma Hills, the Veps Hills, and a number of minor hill chains.^[15] In the east of the oblast, the valleys of the Vaga, the Sukhona, and the Yug are cut through the hills. The southeast of the oblast is occupied by the Northern Ridge, which is located south of the valley of the Sukhona.

Much of the area of the oblast is occupied by coniferous forest (taiga) and by swamps.

Hills in Vologda Oblast. Northwest of the city of Vologda, close to the selo of Molochnoye.

The area of Vologda Oblast is split between the basins of the White Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Caspian Sea. In the northeast of the oblast, in Vologodsky district, there is a point which is a triple divide of the river basins of the Neva (Baltic Sea), the Volga (Caspian Sea), and the Onega (White Sea), and thus the basins of the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the endorheic basins of the interior of Eurasia. This is one of the very few such triple divides in the world and the only one in Russia. The southwestern shore of Lake Onega, one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Europe, belongs to Vologda Oblast, and the tributaries of Lake Onega, the biggest of which are the Vytegra River and the Andoma River, belong to the river basin of the Neva and thus drain to the Baltic Sea. Also, minor areas in the west of the oblast drain into the Oyat River which is a right tributary of the Svir and belongs to the basin of the Neva. The western part of the oblast drains into the Rybinsk Reservoir of the Volga. The biggest tributaries of the reservoir are the Mologa, the Suda, the Sogozha, and the Sheksna. Lake Beloye, one of the biggest lakes in the oblast, is the source of the Sheksna. Some areas in the south of the oblast drain into tributaries of the Volga, including the Unzha. Lake Vozhe in the northwest of the Oblast, with its main tributary, the Vozhega, drains in the Onega River in the White Sea basin. The rest of the oblast, including Lake Kubenskoye, another major lake in the oblast, belongs to the river basin of the Northern Dvina. The Northern Dvina is formed in the northeast of the oblast from merging of the Sukhona and the Yug. The Sukhona forms the major waterway of Vologda Oblast. Another major tributary of the Norther Dvina, which has its source in Vologda Oblast, is the Vaga.

Two areas in Vologda Oblast have been designated as protected natural areas of federal significance.^[16] These are Russky Sever National Park in the center of the oblast and Darwin Nature Reserve in the southwest of the oblast (shared with Yaroslavl Oblast).

Demographics[link]

Population: 1,202,444 (2010 Census);^[6] 1,269,568 (2002 Census);^[17] 1,353,870 (1989 Census).^[18]

Ethnic composition (2010):^[6]

• Russians - 97.3%
• Ukrainians - 0.7%
• Belarusians - 0.3%
• Veps - 0.04
• Others - 1.7%
• 58,511 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.^[19]

Vital Statistics for 2007

Source

• Birth Rate: 11.46 per 1000
• Death Rate: 15.86 per 1000
• Net Immigration: +0.3 per 1000
• NGR: -0.44% per Year
• PGR: -0.41% per Year

Babayevsky and Vytegorsky District in the northwest of the oblast belong to the areas traditionally populated by Vepsians. The Vepsians living in Vologda Oblast speak the central group of Veps dialects.^[20]

Administrative divisions[link]

The oblast is administratively divided into four cities and towns under the oblast's jurisdiction (Vologda, Cherepovets, Sokol, and Veliky Ustyug) and twenty-six districts. Another ten towns (Babayevo, Belozersk, Gryazovets, Kadnikov, Kharovsk, Kirillov, Nikolsk, Totma, Ustyuzhna, and Vytegra) have the status of the towns of district significance. The town of Krasavino is under administrative jurisdiction of Veliky Ustyug Town of Oblast Significance.^[3]

Economy[link]

Industry[link]

The biggest industrial enterprise of Vologda Oblast is the Severstal steel plant located in the city of Cherepovets. The metallurgical industry is responsible for approximately 50% of the total industrial production of the oblast.^[21] it is followed by chemical (also based in Cherepovets), food, and timber industries, and the machine building industry.

Metallurgy was a traditional industry developed in the region since the 16th century, when its center was located in Ustyuzhna. Another traditional industries were salt production (around Totma) and glass making (in what is currently Chagodoshchensky District). In the 18th century, timber production started to grow rapidly. In the 19th century, the textile industry enterprises making flax textiles started to proliferate.^[21] In 1871, the Danish merchant Friedrich Buman opened a specialized butter factory in the manor of Fominskoye (13 km northwest of Vologda). It was the first butter factory both in Vologda Governorate and in Russia. Since then Vologda became the center of the butter industry, and the Vologda butter, a special type of butter with the taste of nuts invented by Nikolay Vereschagin and Buman, became a world trademark.^[22]

Agriculture[link]

The agriculture in the oblast is essentially cattle breeding with milk and meat production, production of eggs, growing of crops, flax, potatoes, and vegetables. In 2008, 73% of all agricultural products were produced by large-scale farms.^[23]

Transportation[link]

The area of current Vologda Oblast has always been located on the trading routes connecting central Russia to the White Sea, and, in fact, in 17th century the White Sea was the main sea export route for Russia. The whole course of the Sukhona is navigable, as well as the lower courses of some of its tributaries, including the Vologda. However, there is currently very little or no regular passenger navigation on the Sukhona. Volga–Baltic Waterway, first constructed in the 19th century as the Mariinsk Canal System and then reconstructed in the 20th century, connects the river basins of the Volga and the Neva via the Sheksna, Lake Beloye, the Kovzha, and the Vytegra, and is one of the main waterways in European Russia. The Northern Dvina Canal connects the Sheksna and Lake Kubenskoye, thus being a connection between the river basins of the Volga and the Northern Dvina.

One of the principal highways in Russia, M8, connects Moscow and Arkhangelsk, and passes Vologda. This highway is paved and heavily used. Other important paved roads include A114 highway, connecting Vologda to Cherepovets and Saint Petersburg, the roads connecting Vologda to Kirillov (the part which continues to Lipin Bor, Vytegra, and Pudozh, is partially paved), Vologda to Veliky Ustyug via Totma, Totma to Nikolsk via Imeni Babushkina, and Kotlas to Manturovo and eventually to Kostroma and Moscow via Veliky Ustyug and Nikolsk. There are connections from Ustyuzhna to Pestovo and Vesyegonsk. However, the road network is underdeveloped, especially close to the borders of the oblast. There is only one road crossing from Vologda Oblast to Kostroma Oblast. Several roads cross into Kirov Oblast, but they are all unpaved and badly maintained. So is the connection between Lipin Bor and Kargopol. In the west of the oblast, there are very few through roads even across the district boundaries. Nevertheless, the vast majority of settlements have road connections of some quality, the roads are used for timber transportation, and there is regular bus service on the main roads.

The principal railway line in the oblast is the railroad connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk. The piece between Vologda and Arkhangelsk was constructed in 1890s. A branch from Konosha eastwards to Kotlas and further to Vorkuta, which crosses the north of the oblast, was constructed in 1940s to facilitate the transport of coal from the Komi Republic. The railway connecting Vologda with Saint Petersburg via Cherepovets was built in the 1900s. There is also a railway connecting Vologda via Vokhtoga to Buy. At Vokhtoga, the Monza Railroad railroad branches off east. It was built for timber transport and is operated by the timber production authorities. The Monza railroad runs along the border of Vologda and Kostroma Oblasts. The plans to extend it further east to Nikolsk were never realized.^[24] The Monza Railroad has a separate station in Vokhoga, Vokhtoga-2 railway station. The headquarters of the Monzales company which owns the railroad are located in Vokhtoga. A big number of narrow gauge railways have been built in 1950s and 1960s to facilitate the transport of timber, but since then most of these became unprofitable and have been destroyed.

Currently, the local aviation has almost disappeared. There is an airport in Vologda. Locally, there is infrequent service to Veliky Ustyug, Kichmengsky Gorodok, and Vytegra.

The oil transport system, Baltic Pipeline System, runs through the oblast, with three oil-pumping station located at Nyuksenitsa, Pogorelovo, and Gryazovets.

Arts and culture[link]

Architecture[link]

Zasetsky House in Vologda (the 1790s)

Three of the towns in the oblast—Belozersk, Totma, and Veliky Ustyug—are classified as historical towns by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, which implies certain restrictions on construction in their historical centers.^[25]

The old center of Vologda until the 1990s contained many wooden houses, including five wooden classicist manors, protected by the government as cultural heritage monuments.^[26] Despite the protection, many of these burnt down, or were simply demolished. Still, a large number of buildings, including four classicist manors, survive, and make Vologda one of the biggest collection of wooden town houses of the 19th century in Russia.

Some of the best examples of rural wooden architecture are collected in open-air Ethnographic Museum in Semyonkovo, northwest of Vologda.

Several cities and towns in Vologda Oblast preserved their architectural heritage. In contrast to many other Russian towns in the 1920s and 1930s, Veliky Ustyug was left intact and declared the national cultural heritage very early after 1917. It preserved therefore almost all of its historic center. Vologda, Belozersk, Totma, Gryazovets, and Ustyuzhna keep many of their historical buildings. In particular, several churches in Totma were built in the 18th century in the unique style which is sometimes referred to as Totma Baroque.

The relative desolation of Vologda lands attracted monks looking for solitude. This resulted in a large number of monasteries. The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, the Goritsky Monastery, and the Troitse-Gledensky Monastery represent examples of Russian medieval fortification architecture and also contain buildings rated among the best preserved cultural heritage. The Ferapontov Monastery, included into the World Heritage list, contains the only survived fully painted church in Russia with the frescoes of Dionisius. As of 2010, four of the monasteries in Vologda Oblast were acting: the Kirillo-Belozersky, the Spaso-Prilutsky, the Goritsky, and the Pavlo-Obnorsky monasteries.

Literature[link]

In the 19th and the 20th centuries, many notable authors had their estates in Vologda Region, however, their literary activity mostly was related to Saint Petersburg rather than to the estates. Thus, Konstantin Batyushkov, a poet, was born and raised in his estate in Danilovskoye, but became a notable author after he moved to the state service to Saint Petersburg, and he only returned to Vologda (where he eventually died) after he developed a mental illness. Igor Severyanin, a 20th century poet, spent considerable periods of his life in the estate of his uncle, Vladimirovka, close to the city of Cherepovets.

In the 20th century, two of the authors of the Village prose movement in Soviet Literature, which predominantly described rural life, were tightly connected with Vologda Region. Vasily Belov was born in the village of Timonikha, currently in Kharovsky District, and lives in Vologda. Alexander Yashin was born in Nikolsky District and completed his studies in Nikolsk, but then moved to Moscow. A poet Nikolay Rubtsov spent much of his life in Vologda Oblast before being killed in a domestic dispute in 1971.

Handicrafts[link]

Various handicrafts were developed in the area. A number of those are protected by law.^[27] The most notable handicrafts include lace-making (Vologda, Ust-Kubensky District, and the towns of Kadnikov and Gryazovets), metal works (Veliky Ustyug and Totma), and enamel production (Veliky Ustyug and Vologda).

Bibliography[link]

• Brumfield, William. Vologda Album (Moscow: Tri Kvadrata, 2005) ISBN 5-94607-050-9 (in English and in Russian)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vologda Oblast

• (English) (Russian) (German) Culture of the Vologda Region
• (Russian) (English) Architecture of Vologda Oblast

v t e Administrative divisions of Vologda Oblast Administrative center: Vologda Cities and towns Babayevo · Belozersk · Cherepovets · Gryazovets · Kadnikov · Kharovsk · Kirillov · Krasavino · Nikolsk · Sokol · Totma · Ustyuzhna · Veliky Ustyug · Vologda · Vytegra Districts Babayevsky · Babushkinsky · Belozersky · Chagodoshchensky · Cherepovetsky · Gryazovetsky · Kaduysky · Kharovsky · Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky · Kirillovsky · Mezhdurechensky · Nikolsky · Nyuksensky · Sheksninsky · Sokolsky · Syamzhensky · Tarnogsky · Totemsky · Ust-Kubinsky · Ustyuzhensky · Vashkinsky · Velikoustyugsky · Verkhovazhsky · Vologodsky · Vozhegodsky · Vytegorsky

vep:Vologdan agj

Vologda (English) Вологда (Russian)
-  City[1]  -
Kremlin Square in Vologda
Location of Vologda Oblast in Russia
Vologda Location of Vologda in Vologda Oblast
Coordinates: 59°13′N 39°54′E / 59.217°N 39.9°E / 59.217; 39.9Coordinates: 59°13′N 39°54′E / 59.217°N 39.9°E / 59.217; 39.9
Coat of arms of Vologda	Flag of Vologda
City Day	last Sunday of June[2]
Administrative status (as of May 2006)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Vologda Oblast[1]
Administratively subordinated to	city of oblast significance of Vologda[1]
Administrative center of	Vologda Oblast,[1] Vologodsky District,[citation needed] city of oblast significance of Vologda[1]
Municipal status (as of February 2005)
Urban okrug	Vologda Urban Okrug[3]
Administrative center of	Vologodsky Municipal District,[citation needed] Vologda Urban Okrug[3]
Head[5]	Yevgeny Shulepov[4]
Representative body	Vologda City Duma[5]
Statistics
Area	116 km2 (45 sq mi)[6]
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	301,642 inhabitants[7]
- Rank in 2010	63rd
Population (2002 Census)	293,046 inhabitants[8]
- Rank in 2002	64th
Density	2,600 /km2 (6,700 /sq mi)[9]
Time zone	MSK (UTC+04:00)[10]
First mentioned	1147 or 1264(see text)</suP
Postal code(s)	160000-160530[11]
Dialing code(s)	+7 8172[12]
Official website
Vologda on WikiCommons

Vologda (Russian: Во́логда; IPA: [ˈvoləɡdə]) is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. Population: 301,642 (2010 Census preliminary results);^[7] 293,046 (2002 Census);^[8] 282,802 (1989 Census).^[13]

The city serves as a major transport hub of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda has been classified by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation as a historical city, one of the forty-one in Russia and one of only three in Vologda Oblast.^[14] 224 buildings in Vologda have been officially recognized as cultural heritage monuments.^[15]

History[link]

Foundation[link]

Two conflicting theories theories exist as to the date of Vologda's foundation.

1147 is the official date first fixed in 1780 by Alexey Zasetsky in his book "Stories about miracles of Gerasimus of Vologda".^[16] The story mentions that in 1147 the Trinity Monastery was founded close to the Vologda River. The date of the foundation of the monastery is then taken as the date of the foundation of the city of Vologda and is mentioned in official city documents.^[17] This date, which would make Vologda to be of the same age as Moscow, is, however, not supported by any scientific data and is considered by authoritative sources to be fictional. The story was only written in 1666 by certain Foma, who got a request from Archbishop Markel to produce the vita of Gerasimus. Foma himself admitted that he had no sufficient data on the biography.^[16] The story contains many contradicting details. Besides, the monastic life in the Russian North was not known in the 12th century: the first monastery in Vladimir was founded in 1152, in Rostov–in 1212, in the Belozersk area–in 1251.^[16] Archeological excavations do not confirm this date either. Instead, they demonstrate that the city of Vologda was founded in the 13th century.^[16]

1264 is the year of the first mention of Vologda. Under this year, Vologodskaya Volost is mentioned in the list of suburban possessions of the Novgorod Republic in the agreement between the Republic and the Grand Prince of Russia.^[15] This date is also supported by archaeological data.

The nucleus of Vologda in the 13th century was not located in the are which is now the city center, but rather the area known now as "Lazy ground" (Ленивая площадка), close to the Resurrection church was settled down. This area was the center of Vologda up to 1565. Until that year, no stone constructions existed in Vologda: all of the city fortifications, bridges, houses, churches, and industrial enterprises were made of wood.^[17]

Until the 16th century[link]

The unique position of Vologda on important waterways connecting Moscow, Novgorod, and the White Sea (via the Northern Dvina) made it attractive for the Novgorod Republic, as well as for the princes of the Tver and the Moscow, who fought numerous wars between the 13th and the 15th centuries.

In 1371, Dmitry Prilutsky, a monk from the Nikolsky Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky, founded Nikolsky Monastery, now known as Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, close to the city. Dmitry Donskoy, the Grand Prince of Moscow, was the chief benefactor of the monastery and viewed it as a stronghold of the influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the Northern lands in competition with Novgorod.

In 1397, during the reign of Vasily I, Vologda was added to the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Subsequently, the city was several times attacked by Novgorod forces. During the Muscovite Civil War, Vologda played a key role. After Vasily II the Blind, the Grand Prince of Moscow, was defeated by Dmitry Shemyaka in 1447, he swore to never start a war against Shemyaka, was exiled to Vologda, and got the city as a personal possession. From there Vasily traveled to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery where the hegumen released him from the oath. The civil war continued, and in 1450 Vologda was besieged by the troops of Dmitry Shemyaka; however, they did not manage to occupy the town.

After the death of Vasily in 1462, Vologda passed to the possession of his son Andrey Menshoy and became the center of the Principality of Vologda. In 1481, after the death of Andrey who had no successors, Vologda passed to Ivan III, the Grand Duke of Moscow, and was included to the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

Times of Ivan the Terrible[link]

During the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Vologda became one of the major transit centers of Russia's trade. The foreign trade was conducted mostly with England, Holland, and other western countries via the White Sea. Arkhangelsk was the major foreign trade haven, and Vologda stood on the waterway connecting Moscow with Arkhangelsk. The trade with Siberia was conducted via the Sukhona and the Vychegda Rivers, and Vologda also played an important role as a transit center. The state courtyard was built in the city on the bank of the Vologda River. In 1553, Vologda was visited by the English seafarer Richard Chancellor who officially established diplomatic relations between the Tsardom of Russia and England. In 1554, trading agent John Gass described Vologda to English merchants as a city with an abundance of bread where the goods were twice as cheap as in Moscow and Novgorod, and that there was no city in Russia that would not trade with Vologda. Following the reports of John Gass, in 1555 England opened a trading office in the city, and the first Russian ambassador sent to England for negotiations became Osip Nepeya, a native of Vologda.

In 1565, Ivan the Terrible introduced the policy of Oprichnina and included Vologda into the structure of Oprichnina lands. That year, he visited the city for the first time and decided to make it the center of Oprichnina and consequently the capital of the country. The Tsar ordered to build a new fortress. It was decided to build it not in the former town center, but rather in another part of the town, limited on the one side by the river, and on the other side by what are now Leningradskaya, Oktyabrskaya, and Mira Streets. The fortress was surrounded by a moat. Ivan the Terrible traveled to Vologda in person to supervise the foundation of the fortress on April 28, 1566, which was the day to celebrate the memory of Saint Jason (Nason in Russian tradition) and Saint Sosipater. Therefore the territory of the fortress located in the new part of Vologda was named the "Nason-gorod" (Nason-town). The other name of the Nason-gorod was the Vologda Kremlin (currently the name is sometimes referred only to the Bishop's courtyard).

Saint Sophia Cathedral

Between 1568 and 1570, a new cathedral was built in the new fortress. The Saint Sophia Cathedral became the first stone building in Vologda. The design of the cathedral copied the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. This was the idea of Ivan the Terrible who wanted to make his new capital similar to Moscow. He personally supervised the construction, headed by the architect Razmysl Petrov. In 1571, Vologda became the center of the Diocese of Vologda and Perm that was formed in 1492 and previously had its main church in the distant settlement of Ust-Vym in Perm lands. Thereby, Vologda was strengthened not only in trading, military and political influence, but also in ecclesiastical affairs.

However, in 1571 Ivan the Terrible unexpectedly stopped the construction work in Vologda and left the city for good. Presumably, this was connected with his decision to abolish Oprichnina, and Vologda was not needed as the second capital any longer. According to the legend, when Ivan visited the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a little stone fell from the roof on his head. The superstitious Tsar who received a serious head injury took it as an sign of misfortune and decided to leave the city. In any case, it is known that the Tsar wanted even to demolish the cathedral, and that the cathedral was never consecrated during his lifetime. The consecration took place only during the reign his son Feodor I in 1587. Parts of the incomplete fortress which were later in the 17th century strengthened with wooden walls stayed up to the 19th century when they were disassembled by the city authorities and local residents and used as a material for stone building.

Time of Troubles[link]

The Time of Troubles for Vologda began with a plague epidemic in 1605. In 1608, when Russia was split into areas controlled by Tsar Vasily Shuysky and area controlled by the pretender False Dmitry II supported by Polish troops, the people of Vologda made an oath to False Dmitry. By gaining Vologda not only did he get the control over Russian and English trading warehouses, but also opened all the possibilities to conquer the Northern Russia. However, the new administration sent to Vologda caused extreme discontent of the population by abuse and boundless requisitions. As a result, Vologda denounced False Dmitry II and supported Shuysky. Moreover, in February 1609 a national home guard headed by Nikita Vysheslavtsev was formed in Vologda and went to fight against False Dmitry II.

In 1612, people of Vologda rendered sizable food and military help to the home guard organized by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, which eventually defeated Polish troops. However, after the city sent huge military forces to support the second home guard, it remained without sufficient protection, and on September 22, 1612 one of the Lithuanian extortionate groups seized Vologda without effort. Then the city was burned down, and many inhabitants were killed or taken prisoner.

Under the Romanovs[link]

Vologda butter

After 1613, Vologda quickly recovered due to its convenient location and once again became an important center of foreign trade. During the reign of Peter the Great, Vologda became one of the main military bases of Russia. Military and technical equipment for fortresses and military ships under construction was stored there. Vessels which delivered food supplies to Arkhangelsk were constructed in Vologda. Peter intended to hold them on Lake Kubenskoye, 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of Vologda. However, after personally inspecting the lake in 1692, he abandoned the idea deciding that the lake is improper for that purpose.

Peter the Great visited Vologda on no less than ten occasions, on six of which (in 1692, 1693, 1694, 1702, 1722, and 1724) he stayed in the city for extended time. He always stayed in a small house of the Dutch merchant Goutman, which in 1872 was bought by the city authorities, and in 1885 was transformed into the memorial museum of Peter the Great and became the first museum of Vologda.

However, after St. Petersburg was founded and foreign trade was rerouted to the Baltic Sea, the importance of Vologda as a center of foreign trade decayed. In 1722, Peter issued the decree restricting trade through Arkhangelsk, which damaged Vologda even further. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708, Vologda lost its functions as an administrative center and was included as a town of Archangelgorod Governorate.

The revival began only during the reign of Catherine the Great who in 1780 made Vologda the center of Vologda Viceroyalty, a successor of Archangelgorod Governorate. In 1796, the viceroyalty, administered by a governor-general, was transformed into Vologda Governorate, the borders of which stretched up to the Ural mountains in the east. The center of Vologda was rebuilt according to the plan of a provincial city issued in 1781. The street network is still in use now.

A new economic lifting of the city was connected with a steamship movement across the Sukhona River and with the building of a new railroad line connecting Vologda with Yaroslavl and Moscow (1872), with Arkhangelsk (1898), with St. Petersburg and Vyatka (1905).

In 1871, the Danish merchant Friedrich Buman opened a specialized butter factory in the manor of Fominskoye, 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) from Vologda. It was the first butter factory both in Vologda Governorate and in Russia. Since then Vologda became the center of the butter industry, and the Vologda butter, a special type of butter with the taste of nuts invented by Nikolay Vereschagin and Buman, became a world trademark. In 1911, the manor of Fominskoye together with the Buman's creamery was given to the state and became the base for the Vologda dairy institute. Thereby Vologda turned to one of the largest dairy centers of Russia.^[18]

Since the 15th century, Vologda was a political exile destination and was even known as "Siberia close to the capital". In the 19th-20th centuries, such persons as Joseph Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov (later the Minister of Foreign Affairs), Nikolai Berdyaev (the famous Russian philosopher), Boris Savinkov (later known as a successful terrorist), Mariya Ulyanova, and Alexander Bogdanov were sent to Vologda. Anatoly Lunacharsky chose to go there to join Bogdanov, and to marry Anna Alexandrovna Malinovskaya, Bogdanov's sister.

Soviet period[link]

The soviet (council)Soviet power was established in Vologda only in December 1917 and up to summer of 1918 co-existed with the zemstvo and municipal administration. In February 1918, Vologda became a "diplomatic capital of Russia" for several months. The embassies located in Saint Petersburg came under a threat of being seized by the German army. Therefore the Western powers, led by the American ambassador David R. Francis, relocated the embassies to Vologda. However, under the pressure of Bolsheviks, on July 24, 1918 the diplomats were compelled to leave Vologda and go to their home countries via Arkhangelsk.

During the Russian Civil War, Vologda was the location of the headquarters of the 6th Red Army. The army opposed the White Army under command of Evgeny Miller and the military forces of Entente in the north of Russia.

In 1929, Vologda Governorate was abolished and included into the structure of a new formation, Northern Krai, which also included former Arkhangelsk and Northern Dvina Governorates, as well as the Komi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast. The administrative center of Northern Krai was located in Arkhangelsk. In December 1936, Northern Krai was abolished and divided into the Komi ASSR and Northern Oblast, with the administrative center still located in Arkhangelsk. On September 23, 1937, Northern Oblast was divided into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast by the decision of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union. According to the same decision, districts of former Cherepovets Okrug of Leningrad Oblast were attached to Vologda Oblast. These districts currently make for the western part of Vologda Oblast. Thereby the current borders of Vologda Oblast were determined.

In the 1930s, a flax factory, a coach-repair factory, and sawmill "Northern Communard", were constructed.

During World War II, the martial law was introduced in Vologda, and the industrial enterprises shifted to military production. In the fall of 1941, Finnish troops crossed the borders of Vologda Oblast, and Vologda thus became a front city. The inhabitants were mobilized to dig trenches. In the city, bomb-proof shelters and elementary shelters were under construction, systems of air defense which protected the railway junction and the military-industrial enterprises were developed. As a result, though attempts of bombardments were numerous, no bombs fell on the city. To commemorate these events, a monument to the air defense forces was later erected on Zosimovskaya Street in Vologda. The monument has the shape of an anti-aircraft gun. In addition, Vologda was a railway hub used to supply the army and to evacuate equipment. It also served as a large hospital center. Residents of Vologda donated blood, money, and jewelery. The tank detachment "Vologda Collective Farmer" was funded by these donations. To commemorate these events the monument to the tank T-34 was built on Mira Street.

Between 1961 and 1985, Anatoly Drygin was the first secretary of the CPSU Vologda Oblast Committee and the head of the oblast. During this period, notable changes in many aspects of economy both of the city and of the oblast occurred. In particular, the bearing plant, the mechanical plant, and the optical and mechanical factory were built in Vologda, as well as a big poultry farm, and the polytechnical university was opened. The large-scale construction program was carried out, and, in particular, the first buildings higher than five floors were constructed. The city expanded, with new residential areas built; in particular, Byvalovo, GPZ, the 5th and the 6th Microdistricts. In 1976, the Vologda trolleybus system opened.

Post-Soviet period[link]

In November 1991, the city administration was formed and the reform of local governments began. In October 1993, the Soviets of People's Deputies of all levels were abolished. After the dissolution of the Vologda Soviet, the City Duma was established. The first Duma elections took place on March 20, 1994. This first Duma only had six seats, but in 1995, after the next elections, it was expanded to thirty deputies.

On July 25, 1996, the City Duma adopted the main city document: the Charter of Vologda. On October 6, 1996, the first mayoral elections in the history of Vologda took place. Alexey Yakunichev was elected and became the head of the city. His term ended in 2008.

In 2003, the construction of a ring road started. Before that, the М8 highway connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk run through the city center causing congestion. After the completion, the ring road connects the highways А114 (Vologda – Novaya Ladoga), Р5 (Vologda – Medvezhyegorsk), and М8 (Moscow – Arkhangelsk). On August 25, 2005, the City Duma approved the new Charter of Vologda. Even though the deputies introduced more than four hundred amendments and the document increased more than twice in volume as compared with the Charter of 1996, the changes were relatively minor. On October 12, 2008, Yevgeny Shulepov was elected to be the new City Head.

Administrative and municipal status[link]

Vologda serves as the administrative center of Vologodsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Administratively, along with one rural locality, it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Vologda—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts (one of the four in Vologda Oblast).^[1] Municipally, the city of oblast significance of Vologda is incorporated as Vologda Urban Okrug.^[3]

Climate[link]

Vologda's climate is humid continental (Köppen climate classification Dfb). Winter is long and cold but not severe and lasts for five months. Spring and autumn are cool, summer is warm, the coldest months are December and January, the warmest month is July. Rain is most frequent in the summer and autumn.

• Mean-annual temperature: +2.8 °C (37.04 °F)
• Mean-annual speed of wind: 3.5 m/s
• Mean-annual humidity of air: 80%

Demographics[link]

The population of the city and the oblast consists mainly of ethnic Russians. A considerable part of the city population are officials at different levels — by different estimations, their number reaches fifty thousand people. The reason is that Vologda is not only a big city but also an administrative center of Vologda Oblast.

Culture and art[link]

Vologda is one of the best preserved big cities of Russia combining traditional wooden architecture and stone monuments. In Vologda, 193 monuments of architecture and history are designated as cultural monuments of federal significance.^[20] The most known of them are

• Vologda Kremlin (Bishop's court-yard)
• Saint Sophia cathedral
• Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery
• ensemble of the Vladimir churches
• Konstantin and Elena church, St. John the Baptist Church in Roshcheniye with its frescoes
• Dmitry Prilutsky church
• Church of the Intercession on Kozlyona
• architectural ensembles of the Stone bridge and of the Revolyutsii Square

Of 116 historical cities of Russia only 16 have monuments of wooden architecture. Vologda is among them.

Panorama of the Vologda Kremlin

Trademarks[link]

The trademarks of Vologda and thus the main subjects of the souvenir production are the Vologda lace, the Vologda butter, and the Vologda flax.

Museums[link]

In Vologda, there are ten museums, four showrooms of the Vologda Regional Art Gallery, and the gallery "Red bridge". The largest cultural center of the Russian North is the Vologda State Museum Reserve. Its structure now includes the following museums,

• Vologda Kremlin (Bishop's court-yard)
• Peter the Great's house museum (Peter's house) - the first museum of Vologda (opened in 1885)
• Expocenter "Vologda at a boundary of centuries"
• Museum "World of the forgotten things"
• K.N.Batyushkov's apartment museum
• Museum "Literature. Art. 20th century"
• Alexander Mozhaysky's house museum
• Museum "Vologda exile"
• Museum of Architecture and Ethnography (Semyonkovo)

Additionally, Vologda is home to a unique Russian private museum of political history—the Museum of Diplomatic Corps which highlights the short stay of diplomatic corps in Vologda in 1918.

Theaters[link]

• Drama theater
• Theater for children and youth
• Puppet theater "Teremok"
• Chamber theater
• Philharmonic society of Valery Gavrilin
• Children's musical theater

Annual festivals[link]

The following annual theater festivals are held in Vologda,

• "Voices of History" (the beginning of July, every year);
• Valery Gavrilin international music festival (every year, from October till December);
• «Summer in the Kremlin» (every even year, from June till July);
• The annual open international festival of multimedia art "Multimatograf".^[21]

Exhibitions[link]

Among annual exhibitions which take place in Vologda are the following,

• "Russian Flax";^[22]
• "Russian Wood";^[23]
• "Gates of the North";^[24]
• "Your Home".

Literature[link]

Many notable Russian writers and poets were born or worked in Vologda. The best known of them were Konstantin Batyushkov, Nikolay Rubtsov, and Vasily Belov. Contemporary literature of Vologda is represented by a number of authors which include Nata Suchkova, Maria Markova, Galina Schekina, and Anton Chorny.

Institutions of higher education[link]

• Vologda State Technical University
• Vologda State Pedagogical University
• N.V. Vereschagin Vologda State Dairy Academy
• Vologda Institute of Law and Economy of the Federal Penal Service
• Vologda Institute of Business
• Branches:
  • Vologda branch of the Moscow State Law Academy
  • Vologda branch of the Northwestern Academy of Public Service
  • Vologda branch of the Saint Petersburg State University of Engineering and Economics
  • Vologda branch of the International Academy of Business and New Technologies

Transportation[link]

Vologda is a large transport hub, situated on the crossing of important automobile roads, railways and waterways.

The public transport network is well developed in the city: There are both bus and trolleybus lines. The city has four big automobile bridges: two automobile bridges across the Vologda River and two bridges across railways. There is one pedestrian bridge (the Red bridge) in the city center.

Railway[link]

Vologda is the largest sorting and transit spot of the Northern Railway. It includes the stations Vologda-1, Vologda-2, Rybkino, and Losta. The stretch between Vologda-2 and Losta is the most active one in the railroad network of the Russian Federation, with more than 120-150 pairs of trains running through it daily. Suburban trains and long distance trains originate from the railway station of Vologda-1.

Air[link]

The Vologda Airport is situated 10 km from the city centre along the Arkhangelsk highway. Yak-40 aircraft carry out regular passenger flights to Moscow, Ukhta, Velikiy Ustyug, Kichmengsky Gorodok, and Vytegra. Helicopters Mi-2 and Mi-8 are used by the Vologda aviation company. They are used for the emergency aircraft and for the oil pipeline service .

Highways[link]

The following highways go through Vologda:

• Federal highway М8 (Moscow — Yaroslavl — Vologda — Arkhangelsk — Severodvinsk). The entrance to Vologda from the Moscow side (south) is Okruzhnoe shosse and Koneva street, from the Arkhangelsk side (north) - Chernyshevskaya street.
• Road А-114 (Vologda — Cherepovets — Novaya Ladoga). The entrance to Vologda is Leningradskoe shosse and Okruzhnoe shosse.
• Line Р-5 (Vologda — Kirillov — Vytegra — Pudozh — Medvezhyegorsk). The entrance to Vologda is Alexander Klubov street.
• Roads of local importance lead to
  • Mozhaiskоye and Norobovo,
  • Fetinino (through Semyonkovo)
  • Gryazovets and Rostilovo (old Moscow highway).

The new ring road with modern exits connecting roads A-114, Р-5 and М-8 (the Arkhangelsk destination) is under construction around Vologda. The Arkhangelsk direction is still not connected by the ring road.

Urban public transport[link]

The municipal transportation of Vologda is carried out by bus and trolleybus routes, and also by lines of fixed-route taxis. Regular bus service started in Vologda in 1929, the trolleybus service was open in 1976. As of November 2009, in Vologda there were 5 trolleybus routes, 19 municipal bus routes, and about 40 fixed-route taxis. The main transport companies are the open society "VologdaElectroTrans" (trolleybuses), PATP-1 and PATP-32 (municipal bus routes).

Industry[link]

Currently, there are more than ten thousand enterprises of various patterns of ownership in Vologda. The most notable ones are

• Closed joint-stock company "Vologda Bearing Factory" — produces bearings of various types;
• Open Joint Stock Company "Vagron" - alcohol production;
• Open Joint Stock Company "Vologda Machine-Building Plant" — produces various processing equipment for agriculture;
• Open Joint Stock Company "Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant" — produces optical devices;
• State-owned enterprise "Vologda Railway-Carriage Repair Works", branch of the Open Society of the Russian Railway — produces various trains, makes repair and reconstruction of old carriages;
• Open Joint Stock Company "Byvalovsky machinery plant" — the leading enterprise of the Northwest of Russia that produces cranes;
• Open Joint Stock Company "ElectroTechMash" — produces electric household and technological products;
• Limited liability company "Central operating company" — building, designing, management of dwellings, management of the commercial real estate;
• Open Joint Stock Company "Trans-alpha" (former "Vologda mechanical factory") — produces trolleybuses and buses;
• Opened joint-stock company "Vologda building designs and road machines factory" — produces mobile buildings for household, public, and industrial use;
• Closed joint-stock company "SoyuzLesMontazh" — produces a wide range of equipment for wood processing and equipment for the paper industry.

Traditional national crafts are presented by the closed joint-stock company «Snowflake» (lace), limited liability company "Hope" and other enterprises.

Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant

Sports[link]

Vologda has large sports objects such as the stadiums "Dynamo", "Locomotive", "Vityaz", the swimming pools "Dynamo" and "Lagoon", the sports and concert complex "Spectrum", fitness centers, regional athletic spots. Vologda is a home to

• the male soccer team "Dynamo"
• the female basketball team "Chevakata"

Twin towns and sister cities[link]

The Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in the early 19th century

Vologda is twinned with

• Kouvola, Finland
• Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States
• Miskolc, Hungary
• Zwolle, Netherlands
• Strasbourg, France
• Élancourt, France

References[link]

Notes[link]

Sources[link]

• Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Постановление №481 от 3 октября 2001 г. «Вологодская область. Устав.», в ред. Закона №2467-ОЗ от 17 февраля 2011 г «О внесении изменения в статью 41 Устава Вологодской области». Вступил в силу 2 ноября 2001 г., за исключением отдельных положений. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №202–203, 23 октября 2001 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Resolution #481 of October 3, 2001 Vologda Oblast. Charter., as amended by the Law #2467-OZ of February 17, 2011 On Amending Article 41 of the Charter of Vologda Oblast. Effective as of November 2, 2011, with the exception of certain clauses.).
• Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №371-ОЗ от 4 июня 1999 г. «О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области», в ред. Закона №1452-ОЗ от 30 мая 2006 г «О внесении изменений в Закон области "О порядке решения вопросов административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №124–125, 29 июля 1999 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #371-OZ of June 4, 1999 On the Matter of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Law #1452-OZ of May 30, 2006 On Amending the Oblast Law "On the Procedures of Handling the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
• Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №1103-ОЗ от 6 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ муниципального образования "Город Вологда" и наделении его статусом городского округа», в ред. Закона №1223-ОЗ от 2 февраля 2005 г «О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты области, регулирующие вопросы установления границ и статуса муниципальных образований области». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования (21 декабря 2004 г.). Опубликован: "Красный Север", №242, 11 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #1103-OZ of December 6, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formation of the "City of Vologda" and on Granting It Urban Okrug Status, as amended by the Law #1223-OZ of February 2, 2005 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Oblast, Dealing with the Issues of Establishing the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations of the Oblast. Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication (December 21, 2004).).
• Brumfield, William. Vologda Album (Moscow: Tri Kvadrata, 2005) ISBN 5-94607-050-9 (in English and in Russian)

External links[link]

• Official website of Vologda
• Official website of Vologda (Russian)
• Vologda in photos: photoarchive by William Brumfield (Russian) (English)
• Panoramas of Vologda on 360cities.net (Russian) (English)
• Tracing Russia's Past and Present in Vologda
• Detailed information on Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery (Russian)
• Unofficial website of Vologda (Russian)
• View from St. Sophia Cathedral bell tower
• Russian Pillow Lace (Russian)
• Historic architecture of Vologda (English) (Russian)
• Russia Beyond the Headlines. Treasures of the Vologda Region