Ustyansky District
Encyclopedia
Ustyansky 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-one
Administrative divisions of Arkhangelsk Oblast
Administratively, Arkhangelsk Oblast is divided into six cities and towns of oblast significance, twenty-one districts, and two island territories . Besides, Mirny is a town under the federal government management....

 in 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....

, 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 Ustyansky Municipal District. It is located in the south 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 Verkhnetoyemsky District
Verkhnetoyemsky District
Verkhnetoyemsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Verkhnetoyemsky Municipal District...

 in the northeast, Krasnoborsky
Krasnoborsky District
Krasnoborsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Krasnoborsky Municipal District...

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

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

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

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

s, all of 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...

, in the south, Velsky District
Velsky District
Velsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Velsky Municipal District...

 in the west, and Shenkursky District
Shenkursky District
Shenkursky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Shenkursky Municipal District...

 in the northwest. Its administrative center is the urban locality (an urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...

) of Oktyabrsky
Oktyabrsky, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Oktyabrsky , is an urban locality and the administrative center of Ustyansky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ustya River. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Oktyabrskoye Urban Settlement, the only urban settlement in the district...

. District's population: Population of Oktyabrsky accounts for 30.4% of the district's population.

The name of the district originates from the Ustya River.

History

The area was originally populated by the 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...

. After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow or Grand Principality of Moscow, also known in English simply as Muscovy , was a late medieval Rus' principality centered on Moscow, and the predecessor state of the early modern Tsardom of Russia....

. Historically, it was a part of Vazhsky Uyezd, a vast area including almost all of the river basin of the Vaga
Vaga River
The Vaga is a river in Totemsky, Syamzhensky, and Verkhovazhsky Districts of Vologda Oblast and in Velsky, Shenkursky, and Vinogradovsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left and the biggest tributary of the Northern Dvina River. The length of the river is . The area of its basin...

. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Archangelgorod Governorate
Archangelgorod Governorate
Archangelgorod Governorate , or the Government of Archangelgorod, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1708 until 1780. Its seat was in Archangel...

, In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed into Vologda Viceroyalty
Vologda Viceroyalty
Vologda Viceroyalty was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1780–1796.The viceroyalty was established by a decree of Catherine II on , 1780...

. Vazhsky Uyezd was split, and the area of the current Ustyansky District became a part of the newly established Velsky Uyezd. In 1796, Velsky Uyezd was transferred to 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...

 and remained there until 1929, when several governorates were merged into Northern Krai
Northern Krai
Northern Krai was a krai of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1929 to 1936. Its seat was in the city of Arkhangelsk...

. On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished, and Velsky Uyezd was split into Velsky
Velsky District
Velsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Velsky Municipal District...

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

, and Ustyansky Districts. The administrative center of Ustyansky district became the selo of Shangaly. Ustyansky District became a part of Nyandoma Okrug of Northern Krai.

In the following years, the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1930, the okrug was abolished, and the district became subordinate to the central administration of Northern Krai. In 1936, the krai itself was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Ustyansky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since.

On September 26, 1975, the administrative center of the district was transferred from Shangaly to Oktyabrsky, but it took some time before all the district services have moved.

From 1924 to 1959, Cherevkovsky District existed, with the administration located in Cherevkovo, initially in Northern Dvina Governorate
Northern Dvina Governorate
Northern Dvina Governorate was a governorate of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1918 to 1929. Its seat was in the city of Veliky Ustyug. The governorate was located in the North of European Russia, and its territory is currently divided between Arkhangelsk, Vologda,...

. On September 11, 1959, the district was abolished and split between Krasnoborsky
Krasnoborsky District
Krasnoborsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Krasnoborsky Municipal District...

, Verkhnetoyemsky
Verkhnetoyemsky District
Verkhnetoyemsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Verkhnetoyemsky Municipal District...

, and Ustyansky Districts; the district center Cherevkovo became a part of Krasnoborsky District.

Location and geography

The district is located on the left bank of the Northern Dvina River. Most of the district's territory belongs to the basin of the Ustya River
Ustya River
The Ustya is a river in Kotlassky, Krasnoborsky, Ustyansky, and Velsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. A very short portion of the river also forms the boundary between Kotlassky District and Velikoustyuzhsky District of Vologda Oblast. It is a right tributary of the Vaga River. The...

 and its tributaries. The main tributaries of the Ustya are the Kizema River (left), the Obil River (right), and the Kokshenga River
Kokshenga River
The Kokshenga is a river in Tarnogsky District of Vologda Oblast and Ustyansky and Velsky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Ustya River and thus belongs to the Northern Dvina river basin. The length of the river is . The area of its basin...

 (left).

Minor parts of the district in the east and in the north belong to the basins of some tributaries of the Northern Dvina
Northern Dvina
The Northern Dvina is a river in Northern Russia flowing through the Vologda Oblast and Arkhangelsk Oblast into the Dvina Bay of the White Sea. Along with the Pechora River to the east, it drains most of Northwest Russia into the Arctic Ocean...

, such as the Yumizh River and the Ludonga River, and drain to the northeast.

Most 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...

).

Administrative divisions

Administratively, the district is divided into seventeen selsoviet
Selsoviet
Selsoviet is a shortened name for a rural council. The full names for the term are, in , , . Selsoviets were the lowest level of administrative division in rural areas in the Soviet Union...

s and one urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...

 (Oktyabrsky
Oktyabrsky, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Oktyabrsky , is an urban locality and the administrative center of Ustyansky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ustya River. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Oktyabrskoye Urban Settlement, the only urban settlement in the district...

). Three localities which previously had urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...

 status were downgraded to rural localities. These are Ileza (downgraded in 2004), Kizema (2005), and Loyga (2005). The following selsoviets have been established (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):
  • Bereznitsky (Bereznik);
  • Bestuzhevsky (Bestuzhevo);
  • Chadromsky (Chadroma);
  • Cherenovsky (Kadyyevskaya);
  • Dmitrievsky (Alfyorovskaya);
  • Ilezsky (Ileza);
  • Kizemsky (Kizema);
  • Likhachyovsky (Mirny);
  • Loyginsky (Loyga);
  • Malodorsky (Malodory);
  • Minsky (Filinskaya);
  • Orlovsky (Dubrovskaya);
  • Rostovsky (Ulyanovskaya);
  • Plossky (Levoplosskaya);
  • Shangalsky (Shangaly);
  • Sinitsky (Sinniki);
  • Stroyevskoy (Stroyevskoye).

Municipal divisions

Municipally, the district is divided into one urban settlement and fifteen rural settlements (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):
  • Oktyabrskoye Urban Settlement (Oktyabrsky
    Oktyabrsky, Arkhangelsk Oblast
    Oktyabrsky , is an urban locality and the administrative center of Ustyansky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Ustya River. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Oktyabrskoye Urban Settlement, the only urban settlement in the district...

    );
  • Bereznitskoye Rural Settlement (Bereznik);
  • Bestuzhevskoye Rural Settlement (Bestuzhevo);
  • Cherenovskoye Rural Settlement (Kadyevskaya);
  • Dmitrievskoye Rural Settlement (Alfyorovskaya);
  • Ilezskoye Rural Settlement (Ileza);
  • Kizemskoye Rural Settlement (Kizema);
  • Likhachyovskoye Rural Settlement (Mirny);
  • Loyginskoye Rural Settlement (Loyga);
  • Malodorskoye Rural Settlement (Malodory);
  • Orlovskoye Rural Settlement (Dubrovskaya);
  • Plosskoye Rural Settlement (Levoplosskaya);
  • Rostovsko-Minskoye Rural Settlement (Ulyanovskaya);
  • Shangalskoye Rural Settlement (Shangaly);
  • Sinitskoye Rural Settlement (Kidyuga);
  • Stroyevskoye Rural Settlement (Stroyevskoye).

Industry

The basis of the economy of the district is timber industry. The Ustya River was used for timber rafting
Timber rafting
Timber rafting is a log transportation method in which logs are tied together into rafts and drifted or pulled across a water body or down a flatter river. It is arguably the second cheapest method of transportation of timber, next after log driving...

 until the 1990s.

Agriculture

Ustyansky District is marketed as a regional center of beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...

, and Oktyabrsky holds a yearly honey festival Medovy Spas.

Transport

Paved roads connect Oktyabrsky with Velsk in the west and with Totma
Totma
Totma is a town and the administrative center of Totemsky District of Vologda Oblast, Russia,, located on the left bank of the Sukhona River at the confluence with the Pesya Denga River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Totemskoe Urban Settlement in Totemsky Municipal District. Population:...

 and Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug
Veliky Ustyug is a town in the northeast of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Velikoustyugsky District, by which it is completely...

 via Tarnogsky Gorodok
Tarnogsky Gorodok
Tarnogsky Gorodok is a rural locality and the administrative center of Tarnogsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Kokshenga River, at the confluence with the Tarnoga River. It also serves as the administrative center of Tarnogsky Selsoviet, one of the thirteen...

 in the south. There are also local roads in the district; one of which connects Oktyabrsky with the selo of Bestuzhevo in the north of the district.

A section of the railroad connecting Konosha
Konosha
Konosha is an urban locality Konosha is an urban locality Konosha is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of Konoshsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Konosha River, south of Arkhangelsk. It also serves as the administrative center of...

 and Kotlas
Kotlas
Kotlas is a town in the southeast of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . It also serves as the administrative center of Kotlassky District, by which it is...

, which eventually continues to Vorkuta
Vorkuta
Vorkuta is a coal-mining town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated just north of the Arctic Circle in the Pechora coal basin at the Usa River. Population: - Labor camp origins :...

, lies in the district. The principal station in the limits of the district is Kostylevo, several kilometers from Oktyabrsky.

Culture and recreation

The district previously one object classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian Federal law. This is the wooden Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos (18th century) in the selo of Bestuzhevo, which was neglected and eventually burned down in 1994. Additionally, 11 architecture monuments and 10 archaeology monument have been designated as cultural heritage monuments of local importance.

The only museum in the district is the Ustyansky District Museum, which opened in 1984 in Shangaly and moved to Oktyabrsky in 1987.

Notable people born in the district include the participants of World War II
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

 Roza Shanina
Roza Shanina
Roza Yegorovna Shanina was a Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 54 confirmed kills, including 12 snipers during the Battle of Vilnius. Praised for her shooting accuracy, Shanina was capable of firing precise semi-automatic shots on moving enemy manpower...

 and Aleksandr Yedemsky.
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