Olyokminsk
Encyclopedia
Olyokminsk is a town and the administrative center of Olyokminsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia
, located on the left bank of the Lena River
, 651 kilometres (404.5 mi) southwest of Yakutsk
. Population:
by the Cossacks led by Pyotr Beketov
in 1636, sited on the left bank of the Lena opposite the mouth of the Olyokma River
. The outpost was later moved a few kilometers upstream, to a location less prone to flooding in spring.
As the junction for river traffic on the Lena and Olyokma, the settlement was the base for Russian expeditions further east and eventually became a trade center on the river route to Yakutsk
. Town status was granted to it in 1783.
Decembrists Nikolay Chishov and Andrey Andreyev were exiled here.
Olyokminsk holds the record for the largest range of recorded temperatures of any place on Earth, -66 C to 45 °C (113 °F).
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...
, located on the left bank of the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
, 651 kilometres (404.5 mi) southwest of Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. Population:
History
It was founded as an ostrogOstrog (fortress)
Ostrog was a Russian term for a small fort, typically wooden and often non-permanently manned. Ostrogs were encircled by 4-6 metres high palisade walls made from sharpened trunks. The name derives from the Russian word строгать , "to shave the wood". Ostrogs were smaller and exclusively military...
by the Cossacks led by Pyotr Beketov
Pyotr Beketov
Pyotr Beketov was a prominent Cossack explorer of Siberia and founder of many cities such as Yakutsk, Chita, and Nerchinsk.Beketov started his military service as a guardsman in 1624 and was sent to Siberia in 1627. He was appointed Enisei voevoda and proceeded on his first voyage in order to...
in 1636, sited on the left bank of the Lena opposite the mouth of the Olyokma River
Olyokma River
The Olyokma River is a tributary of the Lena in eastern Siberia. To the west is the Vitim River, to the south the Shilka River and Amur River and to the east, the upper Aldan River. Its right branch, the Tungur River, leads to a portage to the Shilka. Yerofey Khabarov used this route to travel...
. The outpost was later moved a few kilometers upstream, to a location less prone to flooding in spring.
As the junction for river traffic on the Lena and Olyokma, the settlement was the base for Russian expeditions further east and eventually became a trade center on the river route to Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
. Town status was granted to it in 1783.
Decembrists Nikolay Chishov and Andrey Andreyev were exiled here.
Culture and sights
The town is notable for a number of surviving pre-20th century wooden architecture, including the Aleksandr Nevsky Chapel (1891) and Cathedral of our Saviour (1860).Economy and infrastructure
Timber processing and a power plant are the focus of the town's economy, along with farming in the surrounding area.Olyokminsk holds the record for the largest range of recorded temperatures of any place on Earth, -66 C to 45 °C (113 °F).