Mezen, Mezensky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast

Mezen (Russian: Мезе́нь) is a town and the administrative center of Mezensky District in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Mezen River close to the point where it flows into the White Sea. Population: 3,575 (2010 Census);[3] 3,863 (2002 Census);[8] 4,968 (1989 Census).[9]

Mezen Мезень
Town[1]
View of Mezen from the airport
Coat of arms
Location of Mezen
Mezen Location of Mezen Mezen Mezen (Arkhangelsk Oblast)
Coordinates: 65°50′N 44°16′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Arkhangelsk Oblast[1]
Administrative district	Mezensky District[1]
Town of district significance	Mezen[1]
Founded	1780[2]
Elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[3]
• Total	3,575
• Estimate  (2018)[4]	3,267 (−8.6%)
Administrative status
• Capital of	Mezensky District[1], town of district significance of Mezen[1]
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Mezensky Municipal District[5]
• Urban settlement	Mezenskoye Urban Settlement[5]
• Capital of	Mezensky Municipal District[5], Mezenskoye Urban Settlement[5]
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [6])
Postal code(s)[7]	164750
OKTMO ID	11642101001

History

The settlement at the location of the present-day Mezen was founded in the 16th century and was known as Okladnikova Sloboda (Окладникова Слобода). It was subsequently developed into the trading center of the Mezen River valley where annual trade fairs were held. Besides the trade, the main occupations of the Mezen inhabitants were fishery and seal hunting. In 1780, Okladnikova Sloboda was merged with the nearby settlement of Kuznetsovskaya Sloboda into the town of Mezen.[2] In 1784, Mezen became the seat of Mezensky Uyezd of Vologda Viceroyalty. In 1796, the territory was transferred to Arkhangelsk Governorate. In 1929, several governorates were merged into Northern Krai. On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished and Mezen became the administrative center of Mezensky District.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Mezen serves as the administrative center of Mezensky District.[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with the village of Semzha, incorporated within Mezensky District as the town of district significance of Mezen.[1] As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Mezen, together with the territory of Lampozhensky Selsoviet (which comprises four rural localities) in Mezensky District, are incorporated within Mezensky Municipal District as Mezenskoye Urban Settlement.[5]

Restricted access

The northern part of Mezensky District, including Mezen itself, is included into the border security zone, intended to protect the borders of Russia from unwanted activity. In order to visit Mezen, a permit issued by the local Federal Security Service department is required.[10]

Economy

Industry

Economic activity in Mezen is currently limited to food industry and mechanical works. The Mezen sawmill and the Mezen sea harbor are both located in Kamenka across the Mezen River.[11]

Transportation

The Mezen River is navigable; however, there is no passenger navigation in Mezen except for the ferry boat to Kamenka. There is an all-season road to Arkhangelsk (which crosses the Mezen near the village of Kimzha), completed in 2008. During winter, temporary roads (zimniks) are built in snow.

Mezen is served by the Mezen Airport, with several weekly flights to Arkhangelsk.

Culture and recreation

Mezen is one of the few former uyezd towns which generally preserved the historical center. There are many former merchant houses, mostly made of wood, in the town center.

Mezen hosts the Mezen Regional Museum.[12]

A carved epitaph was found in 1957 on a nameless island in the White Sea, done by brothers Ivan and Ondriyan, fishermen from Mezen, who apparently got to the island after the shipwreck and lost any hope to be found again. The epitaph was featured in Laughter and Grief by the White Sea, a 1987 Soviet traditionally animated feature film directed by Leonid Nosyrev made at the Soyuzmultfilm studio.

Climate

Mezen has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc) with long winters and short summers.

Climate data for Mezen
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	−12 (10)	−9 (16)	−3 (27)	1 (34)	8 (46)	15 (59)	18 (64)	15 (59)	10 (50)	2 (36)	−3 (27)	−8 (18)	3 (37)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−14.7 (5.5)	−13.3 (8.1)	−7.6 (18.3)	−2.2 (28.0)	4 (39)	10.5 (50.9)	14.5 (58.1)	12 (54)	7.2 (45.0)	0.7 (33.3)	−6.4 (20.5)	−10.8 (12.6)	−0.5 (31.1)
Average low °C (°F)	−18 (0)	−15 (5)	−10 (14)	−6 (21)	0 (32)	6 (43)	10 (50)	8 (46)	3 (37)	−1 (30)	−8 (18)	−14 (7)	−4 (25)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	29.9 (1.18)	24.4 (0.96)	25.9 (1.02)	26.2 (1.03)	36.8 (1.45)	49.9 (1.96)	58.9 (2.32)	72.0 (2.83)	64.4 (2.54)	59.1 (2.33)	40.8 (1.61)	38.4 (1.51)	526.7 (20.74)
Source: Weatherbase[13]

References

Notes

1. Государственный комитет Российской Федерации по статистике. Комитет Российской Федерации по стандартизации, метрологии и сертификации. №ОК 019-95 1 января 1997 г. «Общероссийский классификатор объектов административно-территориального деления. Код 11 242», в ред. изменения №278/2015 от 1 января 2016 г.. (State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. Committee of the Russian Federation on Standardization, Metrology, and Certification. #OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 Russian Classification of Objects of Administrative Division (OKATO). Code 11 242, as amended by the Amendment #278/2015 of January 1, 2016. ).
2. Энциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 256. ISBN 5-7107-7399-9.
3. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
4. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
5. Law #258-vneoch.-OZ
6. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
7. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
8. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
9. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
10. "Приказ ФСБ РФ от 2 июня 2006 года N 237 "О пределах пограничной зоны на территории Архангельской области"". Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 2006.
11. Экономика:Основные действующие предприятия (in Russian). Администрация Мезенского района. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
12. Мезенский историко-краеведческий музей (in Russian). Российская сеть культурного наследия. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
13. "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Mezen". Retrieved April 1, 2017.

Sources

• Архангельское областное Собрание депутатов. Областной закон №258-внеоч.-ОЗ от 23 сентября 2004 г. «О статусе и границах территорий муниципальных образований в Архангельской области», в ред. Областного закона №224-13-ОЗ от 16 декабря 2014 г. «Об упразднении отдельных населённых пунктов Соловецкого района Архангельской области и о внесении изменения в статью 46 Областного закона "О статусе и границах территорий муниципальных образований в Архангельской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Волна", №38, 8 октября 2004 г. (Arkhangelsk Oblast Council of Deputies. Oblast Law #258-vneoch.-OZ of September 23, 2004 On the Status and Borders of the Territories of the Municipal Formations in Arkhangelsk Oblast, as amended by the Oblast Law #224-13-OZ of December 16, 2014 On Abolishing Several Inhabited Localities in Solovetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast and on Amending Article 46 of the Oblast Law "On the Status and Borders of the Territories of the Municipal Formations in Arkhangelsk Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).