Nikolsky District, Vologda Oblast

For other places with the same name, see Nikolsky District.

Nikolsky District Никольский район (Russian)
250px Location of Nikolsky District in Vologda Oblast
Coordinates:
115px
Flag
Location
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Vologda Oblast
Administrative structure (as of June 2012)
Administrative center	town of Nikolsk
Administrative divisions:
Towns of district significance	1
Selsoviets	17
Inhabited localities:
Cities/towns	1
Rural localities	222
Municipal structure (as of April 2013)
Municipally incorporated as	Nikolsky Municipal District
Municipal divisions:
Urban settlements	1
Rural settlements	10
Statistics
Area	7,476 km2 (2,886 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census)	22,414 inhabitants
• Urban	38.0%
• Rural	62.0%
Density
Time zone	MSK (UTC+03:00)
Established	June 10, 1924
Official website
Nikolsky District on WikiCommons

Nikolsky District (Russian: Нико́льский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the oblast and borders with Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky District in the north, Vokhomsky District of Kostroma Oblast in the east, Pavinsky, Pyshchugsky, Mezhevskoy, and Kologrivsky Districts of Kostroma Oblast in the south, Babushkinsky District in the southwest, and with Nyuksensky District in the west. The area of the district is 7,476 square kilometers (2,886 sq mi). Its administrative center is the town of Nikolsk. Population: 22,414 (2010 Census); 26,461 (2002 Census); 31,437 (1989 Census). The population of Nikolsk accounts for 38.0% of the district's total population.

Geography

File:Argunovo - Nikolsky district.jpg

The village of Argunovo in the north of the district

The landscape of the district is dominated by the Northern Ridge chain of hills which separate the basins of the Northern Dvina and the Volga Rivers, or, more generally, the basins of the Arctic Ocean and the Caspian Sea. The rivers in the eastern part of the district drain into the Yug River, which makes a big loop inside the district. The town of Nikolsk is located on the banks of the Yug. The Yug is one of the two sources (along with the Sukhona) of the Northern Dvina. The northern part of the district belongs to the basin of the Sharzhenga River, a left tributary of the Yug. The southwestern part of the district belongs to the basin of the Unzha River, a left tributary of the Volga, and of the Mezha River, a principal (left) tributary of the Unzha. Minor areas in the south and the very east of the district are in the basin of the Vetluga River, another left tributary of the Volga, and its right tributary, the Vokhma. The sources of the Unzha and the Vokhma is located within the district limits.

Considerable areas of the district are covered by coniferous forests.

History

The area was originally populated by the Finno-Ugric peoples. In the 14th–15th centuries, during the colonization, it was a disputed territory between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Novgorod Republic. Novgorod controlled the major part of the Russian North, and, in particular, all areas along the Sukhona River northeast of Nikolsky District. Moscow controlled Veliky Ustyug, which it inherited from the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, and the Yug River was the waterway it used to get to Veliky Ustyug. It is known that in 1452 Nikolsk and surrounding areas paid tribute to Novgorod. In the end of the 15th century, Novgorod was overtaken by the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and Nikolsk became one of the key points on the way from Moscow to the White Sea, which until 1703 was the main route for the foreign trade in Russia. In particular, the harbor in Nikolsk was used to transport cargo.

In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Archangelgorod Governorate. In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed into Vologda Viceroyalty. Simultaneously, Nikolsk became the seat of an uyezd and was granted town rights. The viceroyalty was abolished in 1796 and Nikolsky Uyezd was transferred to Vologda Governorate. In 1918, the area was transferred to the newly established Northern Dvina Governorate with the administrative center located in Veliky Ustyug. In 1924, the uyezds were abolished in favor of the new divisions, the districts (raions).

On June 10, 1924, Nikolsky District was established. In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged into Northern Krai. The krai consisted of five okrugs, one of which, Northern Dvina Okrug, had the administrative center is Veliky Ustyug. Nikolsky District became a part of Northern Dvina Okrug. In July 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to Northern Krai. In 1936, Northern Krai was transformed into Northern Oblast, and in 1937, Northern Oblast itself was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Nikolsky District remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.

On June 10, 1924, Roslyatinsky District was established, with the administrative center in the selo of Roslyatino. On July 30, 1931, it was merged into Ledengsky District, then in 1935 it was re-established, and on November 12, 1960, Roslyatinsky District was abolished again with its area divided between Babushkinsky and Nikolsky Districts.

Until the 1990s, Nikolsky District was one of the most remote areas of Vologda Oblast. Nikolsk was connected by roads to Veliky Ustyug and Vologda, but traveling from Nikolsk to Moscow required a detour to Vologda. The problem was solved when the road to Pyshchug and Manturovo, both in Kostroma Oblast, was built in the end of the 1990s.

Economy

Industry

Timber industry is the basis of the economy of the district. Food industry, including meat, milk, and bread production, is also present. There is also linum textile production.

Agriculture

There are about a hundred farms in the district, with not more than a dozen of them being large-scale. The main activity of the farms is cattle breeding, pork production, and linum growing. Most of the crops are grown to feed cattle.

Transportation

Paved roads connect Nikolsk with Pyshchug and Manturovo in the south, crossing the border with Kostroma Oblast, with Totma in the west, and with Veliky Ustyug via Kichmengsky Gorodok in the north. There is regular bus service on these roads, as well as local bus traffic originating from Nikolsk.

The Yug is navigable downstream from Nikolsk; however, there is no passenger navigation.

There are no railroads operated by the Russian Railways in the district, and the closest railway stations with regular passenger service are Kotlas in Arkhangelsk Oblast and Sharya in Kostroma Oblast. There were plans to extend the Monza Railroad—a railroad built for timber transport, which runs along the border of Vologda and Kostroma Oblasts—to Nikolsk; however, these plans were never realized. Several kilometers of tracks at the eastern end of the Monza Railroad, including Kema terminal station, are located within the district.

Culture and recreation

File:Nikolsk Presentation Cathedral.jpg

The Presentation Cathedral (1780-1833) in Nikolsk after the 2005 fire

The district contains 137 objects (60 of them located in Nikolsk) classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Most of these are farms, town houses, and churches built prior to 1917.

Author Alexander Yashin, associated with the Village Prose movement in Russian literature, was born in 1913 in what is now Nikolsky District, got his education in Nikolsk, and lived in Nikolsk until the mid-1930s. The only state museum in the district is the Memorial Museum of Alexander Yashin, located in Nikolsk. The museum occupies the house which belonged to Yashin's parents, as well as the former house of Yashin.

References

Sources

• Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №371-ОЗ от 4 июня 1999 г. «О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области», в ред. Закона №2916-ОЗ от 7 декабря 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон области "О вопросах 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 Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Law #2916-OZ of December 7, 2012 On Amending the Oblast Law "On the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
• Правительство Вологодской области. Постановление №178 от 1 марта 2010 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц Вологодской области», в ред. Постановления №686 от 25 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в некоторые Постановления Правительства области». Вступил в силу 20 марта 2010 г. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №29, 20 марта 2010 г. (Government of Vologda Oblast. Resolution #178 of March 1, 2010 On Adopting the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #686 of June 25, 2012 On Amending Various Resolutions of the Oblast Government. Effective as of March 20, 2010.).
• Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №1119-ОЗ от 6 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ Никольского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав», в ред. Закона №3020-ОЗ от 1 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании некоторых муниципальных образований Никольского муниципального района Вологодской области и о внесении изменений в Закон области "Об установлении границ Никольского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав"». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №242, 11 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #1119-OZ of December 6, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of Nikolsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Law #3020-OZ of April 1, 2013 On the Transformation of Several Municipal Formations of Nikolsky Municipal District of Vologda Oblast and on Amending the Law of Vologda Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of Nikolsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations It Comprises". Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication.).