Pskov Oblast

Pskov Oblast (Russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, Pskóvskaya óblast') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the city of Pskov. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 673,423.[10]

Pskov Oblast
Oblast
Псковская область
Flag
Coat of arms
Anthem: [1]
Coordinates: 57°19′N 29°15′E
CountryRussia
Federal districtNorthwestern[2]
Economic regionNorthwestern[3]
EstablishedAugust 23, 1944[4]
Administrative centerPskov[5]
Government
 • BodyOblast Assembly of Deputies[6]
 • Governor[7]Mikhail Vedernikov[8]
Area
 • Total55,300 km2 (21,400 sq mi)
Area rank49th
Population
 (2010 Census)[10]
 • Total673,423
 • Estimate 
(2018)[11]
636,546 (−5.5%)
 • Rank66th
 • Density12/km2 (32/sq mi)
 • Urban
70.2%
 • Rural
29.8%
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK [12])
ISO 3166 codeRU-PSK
License plates60
OKTMO ID58000000
Official languagesRussian[13]
Websitehttp://www.pskov.ru/

Geography

Pskov Oblast is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast, while located further to the west, is an exclave).[14] It borders with Leningrad Oblast in the north, Novgorod Oblast in the east, Tver and Smolensk Oblasts in the southeast, Vitebsk Oblast of Belarus in the south, and with the counties of Latvia (Alūksne Municipality, Baltinava Municipality, Cibla Municipality, Kārsava Municipality, Ludza Municipality, Viļaka Municipality, and Zilupe Municipality) and Estonia (Võru County) in the west. In the northwest, Pskov Oblast is limited by Lake Peipus, which makes up most of the state border with Estonia.[14]

The oblast is located in the Baltic Sea drainage basin, mostly in the basin of the Narva River. The biggest river of this basin is the Velikaya, which flows across the whole oblast from south to north and drains into Lake Peipus. The drainage basin of the Velikaya covers the whole territory of the oblast, with the exception of relatively minor areas in its southern, eastern, and northeastern parts. The rivers in the southeast drain into the Lovat, which has its source in Belarus and crosses Pskov Oblast from south to north, continuing to Novgorod Oblast. The Lovat is a major tributary of Lake Ilmen and is itself in the Neva River's basin. Another tributary of Lake Ilmen is the Shelon River, which flows in the eastern part of the oblast. Finally, minor areas in the south lie in the basin of the Western Dvina. A short stretch of the Western Dvina makes up the border between Pskov and Tver Oblasts.

The north of the oblast is flat and swampy, whereas the central and the southern parts are formed by glacial landscapes. There are many lakes, especially in the south. The biggest one, after Lake Peipus, is Lake Zhizhitskoye, with an area of 51.3 square kilometers (19.8 sq mi). It is located in the southeast of the oblast, in the basin of the Western Dvina.[15]

Wood is one of the most important natural resources in the oblast, with forests taking up to one-third of the territory. Total wood reserves as of January 1, 2005 were estimated to be at 331,200,000 cubic meters (1.170×1010 cu ft).[16]

History
The final period of the Livonian War. The solid line shows the border between Russia (east) and Poland (west) by 1600

Pskov was first mentioned in chronicles under the year 903, and several versions of the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks ran through its current territory, along the Velikaya and the Lovat rivers. Until the 1230s, Pskov was a principality; subsequently it was subordinated to Novgorod and became a republic, one of the two feudal republics in Rus. In the Pskov Republic, the highest authority was the assembly of citizens. In 1348, the Treaty of Bolotovo was concluded, recognizing the independence of Pskov. However, Pskov quickly ran into dependence from the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the emerging regional superpower, and after 1399 Moscow appointed viceroys to Pskov. Formal independence ended in 1510, when Pskov was occupied by the troops of Vasili III of Russia, the Grand Prince of Moscow.[17] Throughout history, Pskov lands were always situated in the west of Russian Lands, and its rulers were almost constantly at war. In 1242 the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus stopped the expansion of the Teutonic Knights to the east. During the Livonian War, in 1581, the Polish troops laid siege to Pskov. The areas which now constitute the southern part of the oblast changed hands many times, but after the Livonian War, they were made part of Poland and remained as such until the First Partition of Poland in 1772. The southeastern part of the oblast then became part of the Principality of Toropets before it was attached to Moscow in the 15th century.

December 29 [O.S. December 18], 1708 Tsar Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates.[18][19] The north of the present area of Pskov Oblast, which at the time belonged to Russia, was a part of Ingermanland Governorate, which was renamed Saint Petersburg Governorate in 1710. In 1727, a separate Novgorod Governorate was established, and the area was transferred there. It was subdivided into five provinces, and the current area of Pskov Oblast was split between two of them - Pskov and Velikiye Luki Provinces. In 1772, in order to accommodate areas acquired by Russia as a result of the First Partition of Poland, Pskov Governorate with the seat in Opochka was created.[20] It quickly proved to be unmanageable and was split in 1776 into Pskov and Polotsk Governorates. Pskov was made the administrative center of Pskov Governorate. In 1777, Pskov Governorate was transformed into Pskov Viceroyalty. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished, and the emperor Paul I issued a decree restoring Pskov Governorate.[20] The southern part of Pskov Oblast wento through a number of administrative reforms, before ending up in Vitebsk Governorate. After 1919, Vitebsk Governorate was a part of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.[21] In 1924, Vitebsk Governorate was abolished, and its northeastern part was transferred to Pskov Governorate. Besides, in 1920 the westernmost areas of the Pskov Governorate including Pechory, Izborsk, Vyshgorodok and Pytalovo that since 1918 were occupied by the North-Western Army, Latvian and Estonian republican units, were ceded from Russian SFR to Latvia and Estonia respectively under the Tartu Peace Treaty and Riga Peace Treaty.

Chapel of St. Anthony and Theodosius, Pechory, Pskov Oblast

On August 1, 1927 the governorates were abolished, and the area became a part of newly established Leningrad Oblast.[22] The southern part was soon split off and went through a number of administrative reforms, being at different times located in Western Oblast, Smolensk Oblast, and Kalinin Oblast. Between autumn of 1941 and spring of 1944, during World War II, the current area of Pskov Oblast was occupied by German troops. In particular, the partisan movement was pretty active in the area. After the liberation, on August 22, 1944, Velikiye Luki Oblast was established, with the center in Velikiye Luki, and on the following day, August 23, 1944, Pskov Oblast was established. In 1945 areas ceded by Russian SFR to Latvia and Estonia in 1920 were transferred back from Estonian and Latvian Soviet Socialist Republics to Pskov Oblast, including the town of Pechory[23][24] (with minor exceptions). Together, Pskov and Velikiye Luki Oblasts now contained all the areas which currently constitute Pskov Oblast. On October 2, 1957, Velikiye Luki Oblast was abolished and split between Pskov and Kalinin Oblasts. After Kholmsky and Ploskoshsky Districts were transferred to Novgorod and Kalinin Oblasts, respectively, in July 1958, the borders of Pskov Oblast did not change.

Politics
Seat of the Pskov Administration and parliament, House of the Soviets

During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: the first secretary of the Pskov CPSU Committee (who in reality had the most authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside the elected regional parliament.

The Charter of Pskov Oblast is the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Pskov Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.

First secretaries of the Pskov Oblast CPSU Committee

In the period when they were the most important authority in the oblast (1944 to 1991), the following first secretaries were appointed,[25]

  • 1944-1949 Leonty Antyufeyev
  • 1949-1951 Gennady Shubin
  • 1951-1961 Mikhail Kanunnikov
  • 1961-1971 Ivan Gustov
  • 1971-1987 Alexey Rybakov
  • 1987-1988 Yury Pogorelov
  • 1988-1990 Alexey Ilyin
  • 1990-1991 Vladimir Nikitin

Governors

Since 1991, governors were sometimes appointed, and sometimes elected,[26]

  • 1991-1992 Anatoly Dobryakov, head of the administration, appointed
  • 1992-1996 Vladislav Tumanov, head of the administration, appointed
  • 1996-2005 Yevgeny Mikhaylov, governor, elected
  • 2005-2009 Mikhail Kuznetsov, governor, elected
  • 2009-2017 Andrey Turchak, governor, appointed, elected[27]
  • 2017-present Mikhail Vedernikov (acting)[28]

Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of Pskov Oblast

The oblast is administratively divided into two cities and towns under the oblast jurisdiction (Pskov and Velikiye Luki) and twenty-four districts. Another twelve towns have the status of the towns of district significance.[29]

Restricted access

The areas close to Estonian-Russian and Latvian-Russian border are included into the border security zone, intended to protect the borders of Russian Federation from unwanted activity. None of towns or urban-type settlements is currently included in the border security zone. In order to visit the zone, a permit issued by the local FSB department is required.[30]

Demographics

Population: 673,423 (2010 Census);[10] 760,810 (2002 Census);[31] 846,449 (1989 Census).[32]

Vital statistics for 2012
The Pskov region has the worst ratio of births to deaths in Russia.[33]
  • Births: 7 323 (11.0 per 1000)
  • Deaths: 12 949 (19.5 per 1000) [34]
  • Total fertility rate:[35]

2009 - 1.52 | 2010 - 1.51 | 2011 - 1.54 | 2012 - 1.66 | 2013 - 1.68 | 2014 - 1.70 | 2015 - 1.74 | 2016 - 1.79(e)

According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition was:[10]

  • 95% Russian
  • 1.3% Ukrainian
  • 1% Belarusians
  • 0.5% Romani
  • 0.4% Armenian
  • 0.1% Estonian
  • 1.7% others
  • 24,630 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[36]

A notable ethnic minority are the Setos, an ethnic group related to Estonians. Setos are traditionally Orthodox Christians and live in Pechorsky District in the west of the oblast.

Religion
Religion in Pskov Oblast as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)[37][38]
Russian Orthodoxy
 
 49.6%
Other Orthodox
 
 1.5%
Old Believers
 
 0.6%
Other Christians
 
 5.4%
Rodnovery and other native faiths
 
 0.8%
Spiritual but not religious
 
 17.4%
Atheism and irreligion
 
 19.2%
Other and undeclared
 
 5.5%

According to a 2012 survey[37] 49.6% of the population of Pskov Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 5% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% are Orthodox Christian believers who don't belong to any church or are members of other (non-Russian) Orthodox Churches, 1% of the population adheres to the Slavic native faith movement (Rodnovery), 1% to the Old Believers' church. In addition, 17% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 19% is atheist, and 6.4% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.[37]

Economy

Industry

Enterprises of electrotechnical industry and food industry in 2009 jointly produced over 50% of the industrial output of the oblast.[39] The two cities with the biggest concentration of industrial enterprises are Pskov and Velikiye Luki.

Agriculture

The main specializations of agriculture in Pskov Oblast are cattle breeding with milk and meat production.[40]

Transportation

The railway connecting Bologoye and Pskov via Dno and Porkhov crosses the district from east to west. It continues to Pechory and across the border to Tartu, though there is no railway passenger connections between Pskov and Estonia. In Pskov, it crosses another railroad connecting Saint Petersburg with Riga via Plyussa, Ostrov, and Pytalovo. Gdov is connected by railroad with Veymarn via Slantsy. This is a part of the railway which continued south to Pskov, however, the stretch between Gdov and Pskov was destroyed during World War II and never rebuilt. In the south, the railway connecting Moscow with Riga crosses the oblast from east to west, passing through Velikiye Luki, Novosokolniki, and Sebezh. Another railway, running in the east of the oblast in the north–south direction, connects Saint Petersburg via Dno and Novosokolniki with Nevel. In Nevel it splits into two railway lines, both running southeast into Belarus: One line to Vitebsk, and another one to Grodno via Polotsk and Molodechno. Finally, Velikiye Luki is a terminus of the railway line running northeast to Bologoye.

The road network in the oblast is relatively dense, excluding depopulated swampy areas in the east of the oblast. The two most significant highways are the M9 highway which connects Moscow and Riga and runs in the east–west direction, and the M20 highway which connects Saint Petersburg and Kiev, running from north to south. The two highways cross near Pustoshka. A number of road stretches are toll roads. Ostrov is the northern terminus of the European route E262, which proceeds to Kaunas via Rēzekne and Daugavpils.

The oblast is served by airports in Pskov and Velikiye Luki. Pskov Airport (Kresty) serves regular flights to Moscow Domodedovo and Saint Petersburg Pulkovo.[41] These flights are operated by Pskovavia, a local airline.

The very lowest part of the Velikaya is navigable.

Culture and recreation
The Pozdnoyev House, Pskov

Pskov, similarly to Novgorod, avoided the Mongol invasion of Rus', and therefore it conserved the best examples of Old Russian architecture. The Christ's Transfiguration Cathedral of Mirozhsky Monastery in Pskov, built in the 12th century, contains the 12th-century frescoes, which are extremely rare in Russia. The only other pre-Mongol building in Pskov Oblast is the katholikon of the Ivanovsky Monastery in Pskov, which was constructed in the 1140s and is allegedly the oldest surviving building in the oblast. In Pskov and its immediate surroundings there are several dozens churches built between the end of the 14th and the 17th century. They all have a very simple architecture, painted white from the outside, and most of them have a belfry constructed just on the main church building. Another architecture feature of Pskov is a presence of a large number of the 17th century living houses (palatas). Pre-18th century civil architecture is extremely rare in Russia, only a handful of building survived, and Pskov contains several dozens of the best samples of this genre.

Pskov for a considerably part of its history was located at the west border of Russia, and therefore the fortification architecture was particularly useful in the area. The best surviving examples are the Pskov Kremlin, the walls and the towers surrounding the historic center of Pskov, the fortress in Izborsk, the Pskov-Caves Monastery in the town of Pechory, and the fortress in Porkhov.

Pskov Governorate happened to be the location of the family estate of Alexander Pushkin, a Russian poet credited with the creation of contemporary Russian language. He spent considerable time at the estate, and once was banished there for two years. In Soviet times, the estate and surrounding areas were transformed into the Mikhaylovskoye Museum Reserve and became a primary tourist attraction. The estate which belonged to the family of the composer Modest Mussorgsky in Kunyinsky District is also preserved as a museum.

See also

References

Notes
  1. Article 4 of the Charter of Pskov Oblast states that the oblast may have an anthem, providing that an oblast law is adopted to that effect. As of 2014, no such law is in place.
  2. Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", No. 20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000 On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
  3. Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995 Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
  4. Decree of August 23, 1944
  5. Charter of Pskov Oblast, Article 14
  6. Charter of Pskov Oblast, Article 23
  7. Charter of Pskov Oblast, Article 43
  8. Official website of Pskov Oblast. Mikhail Yuryevich Vedernikov, Acting Governor of Pskov Oblast (in Russian)
  9. Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (May 21, 2004). "Территория, число районов, населённых пунктов и сельских администраций по субъектам Российской Федерации (Territory, Number of Districts, Inhabited Localities, and Rural Administration by Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation)". Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  10. 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.
  11. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  12. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  13. Official throughout the Russian Federation according to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia.
  14. 1september.ru. Д. В. Заяц (D. V. Zayats). "Псковская область" (Pskov Oblast).
  15. Лесненко, В.К.; В.Н. Абросов. Озера Псковской области (in Russian). Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  16. Official website of Pskov Oblast. Natural Resources (in Russian)
  17. Аракчеев, В.А. Культура и история Псковской области (in Russian). Администрация Псковской области. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  18. Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов (in Russian)
  19. Архивный отдел Администрации Мурманской области. Государственный Архив Мурманской области. (1995). Административно-территориальное деление Мурманской области (1920-1993 гг.). Справочник. Мурманск: Мурманское издательско-полиграфическое предприятие "Север". pp. 19–20.
  20. Коломыцева, Н.В. Псковской губернии 225 лет (in Russian). Краеведческий архив Псковской области. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  21. Область (местность). Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian). Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  22. Снытко, О.В.; et al. (2009). С.Д. Трифонов; Т.Б. Чуйкова; Л.В. Федина; А.Э. Дубоносова (eds.). Административно-территориальное деление Новгородской губернии и области 1727-1995 гг. Справочник (PDF) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg. p. 85. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  23. "Decree of the Supreme Council of USSR on establishing of Pskov Oblast (23 August 1944)". Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  24. "Supreme Council of the USSR, Decree on founding of Pskov Oblast (published image version)". pskov.ru. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  25. Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991 (in Russian). knowbysight.info. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  26. Губернаторы Псковской области (in Russian). ProTown.ru. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  27. Shuster, Simon (9 May 2011)Abandon All Hope: The Russian Region that's Dying on Europe's Doorstep, Time (magazine)
  28. Наталья Райбман; Светлана Бочарова (October 12, 2017). Губернатор Псковской области Андрей Турчак ушел в отставку (in Russian). Vedomosti. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  29. 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 58», 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 58, as amended by the Amendment #278/2015 of January 1, 2016. ).
  30. "Приказ ФСБ РФ от 2 июня 2006 года N 237 "О пределах пограничной зоны на территории Архангельской области"". Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 2006.
  31. 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).
  32. "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.
  33. Russian population changes NYTimes, July 28, 2017
  34. "Естественное движение населения в разрезе субъектов Российской Федерации". Gks.ru. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  35. "Каталог публикаций::Федеральная служба государственной статистики". Gks.ru. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  36. "Перепись-2010: русских становится больше". Perepis-2010.ru. December 19, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  37. "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.
  38. 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.
  39. Структура промышленности и динамика промышленного производства (in Russian). Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  40. Сельское хозяйство Псковской области (in Russian). Портал российско-японского экономического сотрудничества. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  41. The schedule of Pskovavia flights. Retrieved 2014-04-20

Sources
  • Псковское областное Собрание депутатов. №1-У 12 апреля 2001 г. «Устав Псковской области», в ред. Закона №1609-ОЗ от 15 декабря 2015 г. «О поправках в статьи 44 и 49 Устава Псковской области». Вступил в силу 18 апреля 2001 г. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №11, 18 апреля 2001 г. (Pskov Oblast Council of Deputies. #1-U April 12, 2001 Charter of Pskov Oblast, as amended by the Law #1609-OZ of December 15, 2015 On Amending Articles 44 and 49 of the Charter of Pskov Oblast. Effective as of April 18, 2001.).
  • Президиум Верховного Совета СССР. Указ от 23 августа 1944 г. «Об образовании Псковской области в составе РСФСР». (Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Decree of August 23, 1944 On Establishing Pskov Oblast Within the RSFSR. ).

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