Podporozhye is a town in 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...

, 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...

, located on the Svir River

Svir River

Svir is a river in the north-east of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It flows from Lake Onega west to Lake Ladoga, thus connecting the two largest lakes of Europe. It is the largest river flowing into Lake Ladoga....

 285 kilometres (177.1 mi) northeast of St. 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...

. Population:

In the early 18th century, Peter the Great ordered the resettlement of peasants from the Msta River

Msta River

Msta is a river in Tver Oblast and Novgorod Oblast of Russia. Msta starts from the Mstino Lake in the Valdai Hills north of the town of Vyshny Volochyok and flows into Lake Ilmen. Up to mid-19th century, Msta had been a part of an important water trade route connecting the Baltic and Black seas...

 to the current location of Podporozhye to organize navigation

Navigation

Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...

 along the Svir River, known for its nearly impassable rapid

Rapid

A rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. A rapid is a hydrological feature between a run and a cascade. A rapid is characterised by the river becoming shallower and having some rocks exposed above the...

s. In the late 19th century, these minor settlements next to the Svir rapids (Sigovets and Medvedets) received the name of Podporozhye (literally, "under the rapids"). In 1936, the Soviets

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 began the construction of the Verkhnesvirskaya Hydroelectric Station, launched in 1951. In 1956, Podporozhye was granted town status and became officially known as Podporozhye.

Twin towns/sister cities

Podporozhye is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Steigen

Steigen

Steigen is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leinesfjord....

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...