Babushkinsky District, Vologda Oblast
Encyclopedia
Babushkinsky District is an administrative district (raion
), one of the twenty-six
in Vologda Oblast
, Russia
. Municipally, it is incorporated as Babushkinsky Municipal District. It is located in the southeast of the oblast
and borders with Nyuksensky District
in the north, Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky District
in the northeast, Nikolsky District
in the east, Kologrivsky
and Chukhlomsky District
s of Kostroma Oblast
in the south, and Totemsky District
s in the west. The area of the district is 7761 square kilometres (2,996.5 sq mi). Its administrative center is the selo of Imeni Babushkina
. District's population: 14,994 (2002 Census
); Population of Imeni Babushkina accounts for 27.4% of the district's population.
Prior to 1941, the district was known as Ledengsky District, and the selo of Imeni Babushkina was known as the selo of Ledengskoye. Both the district and the district center were renamed in March 1941 to commemorate Bolshevik
revolutionary Ivan Babushkin
, who was born in Ledengskoye.
and then colonized by the Novgorod Republic
. Already in 12th century, Totma
and the surrounding areas were under the control of Novgorod. After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow
. In 14th century, salt was discovered in the valley of the Ledenga, and the selo of Ledengskoye (currently Imeni Babushkina) was known for salt production.
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 Totemsky Uyezd of Vologda Viceroyalty
. The latter was abolished in 1796, and the part of it which included Ledengskoye was made Vologda Governorate
.
On July 15, 1929, several governorates, including Vologda Governorate, were merged into Northern Krai
, and the uyezds were abolished. Instead, Ledengsky District with the administrative center in the selo of Ledengskoye was established as part of Vologda Okrug. It included parts of the former area of Totemsky Uyezd. In the following years, the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1936, Northern Krai was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Ledengsky (after 1941, Babushkinsky) District remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.
In 1918, Northern Dvina Governorate
with the administrative center in Veliky Ustyug
was established on the areas previously in the northeast of Vologda Governorate. In 1924 the uyezd
s in Northern Dvina Governorate were abolished in favor of the districts. On June 10, 1924 Roslyatinsky District was established, among others. The administrative center of Roslyatinsky District was the selo of Roslyatino. In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged into Northern Krai
. On July 30, 1931 Roslyatinsky District was merged into Ledengsky District, then in 1935 it was reestablished, and on November 12, 1960 Roslyatinsky District was abolished again, and its area was divided between Babushkinsky and Nikolsky Districts.
, the Yug
, and the Unzha
(the left tributary of the Volga
), and thus at the divide between the basins of the Arctic Ocean
and the Caspian Sea
. The landscape is dominated by the Northern Ridge
chain of hills. The Unzha crosses the southern part of the district from the east to the west, and much of the center and the south of the district drains to the Unzha. The northeastern part of Babushkinsky District drains into the Sharzhenga
, the left tributary of the Yug. The western part of the district drains into various right tributaries of the Sukhona, such as the Tolshma
, the Ledenga, and the Old Totma.
Considerable areas within the district (more than 80% of the total area) are covered by coniferous forests.
with Nikolsk
passes through the district and, in particular, through Imeni Babushkina. Before the road between Totma and Veliky Ustyug
along the Sukhona was completed in 2000s, this was the only road connecting Vologda
and Totma to Veliky Ustyug.
The only railroad in the district is the Monza Railroad, built for timber transport and operated by the timber production authorities, which runs along the border of Vologda and Kostroma Oblasts. The railroad crosses Babushkinsky District from west to east. The plans to extend it further east to Nikolsk were never realized.
The district contains one object (a monument to Ivan Babushkin in the selo of Imeni Babushkina) classified as cultural heritage of the federal significance and 106 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. Most of these are wooden farms and churches built prior to 1917.
The only state museum in the district is the Memorial Museum of Ivan Babushkin, located in Imeni Babushkina.
There is Ledengsk Spa
Resort in Imeni Babushkina, using underground lakes with high concentration of salt.
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-six
Administrative divisions of Vologda Oblast
Administratively, Vologda Oblast is divided into four cities and towns of oblast significance and twenty-six districts.In terms of the area, the biggest administrative district is Vytegorsky District ....
in 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...
, 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 Babushkinsky Municipal District. It is located in the southeast 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 Nyuksensky District
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...
in the north, Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky District
Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky District
Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky Municipal District...
in the northeast, Nikolsky District
Nikolsky District, Vologda Oblast
Nikolsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Nikolsky Municipal District...
in the east, Kologrivsky
Kologrivsky District
Kologrivsky District is an administrative district , one of the 24 in Kostroma Oblast, Russia....
and Chukhlomsky District
Chukhlomsky District
Chukhlomsky District is an administrative district , one of the 24 in Kostroma Oblast, Russia....
s of Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma.Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century...
in the south, and Totemsky District
Totemsky District
Totemsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Totemsky Municipal District...
s in the west. The area of the district is 7761 square kilometres (2,996.5 sq mi). Its administrative center is the selo of Imeni Babushkina
Imeni Babushkina
Imeni Babushkina , formerly Ledengskoye is a rural locality and the administrative center of Babushkinsky District, Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Ledenga River. It also serves as the administrative center of Babushkinsky Selsoviet, one of the fifteen selsoviets into which...
. District's population: 14,994 (2002 Census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
); Population of Imeni Babushkina accounts for 27.4% of the district's population.
Prior to 1941, the district was known as Ledengsky District, and the selo of Imeni Babushkina was known as the selo of Ledengskoye. Both the district and the district center were renamed in March 1941 to commemorate Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
revolutionary Ivan Babushkin
Ivan Babushkin
Ivan Babushkin was a Russian professional Bolshevik revolutionary. He was born in the selo of Ledengskoye of the Vologda Governorate, currently in Babushkinsky District of Vologda Oblast....
, who was born in Ledengskoye.
History
The area was originally populated by the Finno-Ugric peoplesFinno-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...
. Already in 12th century, 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 the surrounding areas were under the control 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....
. In 14th century, salt was discovered in the valley of the Ledenga, and the selo of Ledengskoye (currently Imeni Babushkina) was known for salt production.
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 Totemsky Uyezd of 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...
. The latter was abolished in 1796, and the part of it which included Ledengskoye was made 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...
.
On July 15, 1929, several governorates, including Vologda Governorate, 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...
, and the uyezds were abolished. Instead, Ledengsky District with the administrative center in the selo of Ledengskoye was established as part of Vologda Okrug. It included parts of the former area of Totemsky Uyezd. In the following years, the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1936, Northern Krai was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Ledengsky (after 1941, Babushkinsky) District remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.
In 1918, 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,...
with the administrative center in 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...
was established on the areas previously in the northeast of Vologda Governorate. In 1924 the uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
s in Northern Dvina Governorate were abolished in favor of the districts. On June 10, 1924 Roslyatinsky District was established, among others. The administrative center of Roslyatinsky District was the selo of Roslyatino. In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was 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 30, 1931 Roslyatinsky District was merged into Ledengsky District, then in 1935 it was reestablished, and on November 12, 1960 Roslyatinsky District was abolished again, and its area was divided between Babushkinsky and Nikolsky Districts.
Location and geography
The district is located at the divide between the river basins of the SukhonaSukhona River
The Sukhona is a river in the European pert of Russia, a tributary of the Northern Dvina River. The course of the Sukhona lies in Ust-Kubinsky, Sokolsky, Mezhdurechensky, Totemsky, Tarnogsky, Nyuksensky, and Velikoustyugsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It is long, and the area of its...
, the Yug
Yug River
The Yug is a river in Kichmengsko-Gorodetsky, Nikolsky, and Velikoustyugsky Districts of Vologda Oblast and in Podosinovsky District of Kirov Oblast in Russia. It is long, and the area of its basin...
, and the Unzha
Unzha River
Unzha River , a river in the Vologda Oblast and Kostroma Oblast in Russia, a tributary of the Volga River. Its length is 426 km. The area of the basin is 28,900 km². The Unzha River begins at the confluence of the Kema River and the Lundonga River. It flows into the Unzhensky Cove of the Gorkovsky...
(the left tributary of the Volga
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
), and thus at the divide between the basins of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
and the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. The landscape is dominated by the Northern Ridge
Northern Ridge
The Northern Ridge, Northern Uvaly, Severnyye Uvaly , is the chain of hills in the northern part of the East European Plain in Russia. The Northern Ridge divides the river basins of the Northern Dvina River and the Volga River...
chain of hills. The Unzha crosses the southern part of the district from the east to the west, and much of the center and the south of the district drains to the Unzha. The northeastern part of Babushkinsky District drains into the Sharzhenga
Sharzhenga River
The Sharzhenga is a river in Nyuksensky, Babushkinsky, and Nikolsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Yug River. It is long, and the area of its basin...
, the left tributary of the Yug. The western part of the district drains into various right tributaries of the Sukhona, such as the Tolshma
Tolshma River
The Tolshma is a river in Soligalichsky District of Kostroma Oblast and Totemsky District of Vologda Oblast in Russia. It is a right tributary of the Sukhona River. The river is long. The area of its basin is...
, the Ledenga, and the Old Totma.
Considerable areas within the district (more than 80% of the total area) are covered by coniferous forests.
Agriculture
As of 2009, there were 12 large-scale farms in the district, mostly producing meat and milk, as well as growing crops. The agriculture is steadily shrinking.Transport
A paved road connecting TotmaTotma
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:...
with Nikolsk
Nikolsk, Vologda Oblast
Nikolsk is a town and the administrative center of Nikolsky District of Vologda Oblast, Russia,, located on the right bank of the Yug River close to the point where it flows into the White Sea. Municipally, it is incorporated as Nikolskoye Urban Settlement in Nikolsky Municipal District...
passes through the district and, in particular, through Imeni Babushkina. Before the road between Totma 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...
along the Sukhona was completed in 2000s, this was the only road connecting Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
and Totma to Veliky Ustyug.
The only railroad in the district is the Monza Railroad, built for timber transport and operated by the timber production authorities, which runs along the border of Vologda and Kostroma Oblasts. The railroad crosses Babushkinsky District from west to east. The plans to extend it further east to Nikolsk were never realized.
Culture and recreation
The only state museum in the district is the Memorial Museum of Ivan Babushkin, located in Imeni Babushkina.
There is Ledengsk Spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
Resort in Imeni Babushkina, using underground lakes with high concentration of salt.