Primorsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast
Encyclopedia
Primorsky District is an administrative district (raion
), one of the twenty-one
in Arkhangelsk Oblast
, Russia
. Municipally, it is incorporated as Primorsky Municipal District. It is located in the north of the oblast
and borders with Mezensky District
in the northeast, Pinezhsky District
in the east, Kholmogorsky District in the southeast, Plesetsky District in the south, and Onezhsky District
in the south. From the north, the district borders the White Sea
. Municipally, the district also includes Solovetsky Islands
in the White Sea, and Franz Joseph Land and Victoria Island
in the Arctic Ocean
(administratively, they are incorporated as Solovetsky District and the island territories, respectively). Its administrative center is the city of Arkhangelsk
. District's population:
The cities and towns of oblast significance
, Arkhangelsk
, Severodvinsk
, and Novodvinsk
, are geographically located within the limits of the district but administratively are not a part of it.
and then colonized by the Novgorod Republic
. Novgorod merchants reached the White Sea in the 13th century; the Pomors
, who inhabit the White Sea coast now, are the descendants of the original Novgorod population. After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow
. Until the 1700s, Arkhangelsk was the main trading harbor for the sea trade of Russia and Western Europe, and the Northern Dvina was the main trading route connecting central Russia with Arkhangelsk. The traditional occupation of the population of the Dvina Bay was fishery and trade. Peter the Great drastically changed the situation, by founding St. Petersburg
in 1703, thus opening the way for the Baltic Sea trade.
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
, and the area was included into Arkhangelsky Uyezd. In 1796, the area was transferred to Arkhangelsk Governorate
.
In 1929, several governorates were merged into Northern Krai
. On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished, and Primorsky District was established. It became a part of Arkhangelsk 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. Primorsky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since. The location of the administrative center of the district was moved several times, until Arkhangelsk finally became the center.
On December 17, 1940, Belomorsky District was established on the Onega Peninsula, on the areas which previously were parts of Primorsky and Onezhsky Districts. The administrative center of the district became the selo of Pertominsk. On September 30, 1958, Belomorsky District was abolished, and the area of the district was shared between Primorsky and Onezhsky Districts.
Arkhangelsky District existed from December 24, 1952 to October 7, 1955. In 1955, it was merged into Primorsky District.
coast around the Dvina Bay
. The area of the district drains to the Northern Dvina and short rivers of the Dvina Bay basin, such as the Shirshema and the Lodma. The eastern part of the district is a plateau which drains into the Soyana
, a major tributary of the Kuloy
. The source of the Soyana is located within the district limits. Minor areas in the southeast of the district drain into other tributaries of the Kuloy, such as the Kyolda and the Polta. There are many lakes across the district.
The western part of the district is located on the Onega Peninsula
, which it shares with Onezhsky District
. It was planned that a national park, Onezhskoye Pomorye National Park, would be opened at the coast of the Onega Peninsula to protect pristine forests; however, the creation of the park was delayed and is not currently on the agenda.
s. One locality which previously had a status of an urban-type settlement
(Uyemsky), was downgraded to rural status in 2006. The following selsoviets have been established (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):
The railroads connect the cities of Arkhangelsk
and Severodvinsk
with Obozyorskaya railway station, and further with Vologda
and Belomorsk
. A railway line connecting Arkhangelsk
and Karpogory
also passes through the district. This line is expected to become a part of the Belkomur project – a railway line connecting Arkhangelsk via the Komi Republic
with Perm Krai
and the Ural mountains
. The stretch between Arkhangelsk and Karpogory was built in the 1970s. Kholmogorskaya railway station on the railroad between Moscow and Arkhangelsk is located in Plesetsky District.
There are many roads around Arkhangelsk. The Northern Dvina is navigable, and there is regular passenger navigation upstream from Arkhangelsk. There is also regular albeit infrequent sea passenger navigation connecting Arkhangelsk with the settlements on the Onega Peninsula (including Pertominsk, Lopshenga, and Letnyaya Zolotitsa) which are not connected to the all-season road network. Arkhangelsk also has air connections with these settlements, as well as with Solovetsky Islands.
is located approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) south of Arkhangelsk. It was created to protect the oeuvres of the Russian wooden architecture, and contains many buildings from various parts of Arkhangelsk Oblast. There is also the Primorye Handicraft Museum, located in the settlement of Uyemsky.
The district contains 151 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by the Russian Federal law, and additionally 49 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Most of these belong to the Malye Korely Museum. Other monuments protected at the federal level include
Russian North and Primorsky District in particular is an area notable for its folklore
. Until the mid-20th century, fairy tales and bylina
s were still performed on the daily basis by performers who became professionals. Agrafena Kryukova
and her daughter Marfa Kryukova
from the selo of Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa were the best known fairy tale performers in the area. Starting from the 1890s, folkloric expeditions were organized to the White Sea area, and later to other areas of Arkhangelsk Governorate, in order to write down the tales and the bylinas, especially in the Pomor dialects. In the 1920s, mostly due to the efforts of Anna Astakhova
, these expeditions became systematic. The results have been published. By the 1960s, the performing art was basically extinct. These folkloric motives and fairy tales inspired the literary works of Stepan Pisakhov
, a native of Arkhangelsk. Many fairy tales of Pisakhov are set against the village of Uyma (currently Uyemsky).
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 Primorsky Municipal District. It is located in the north 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 Mezensky District
Mezensky District
Mezensky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Mezensky Municipal District...
in the northeast, Pinezhsky District
Pinezhsky District
Pinezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Pinezhsky Municipal District...
in the east, Kholmogorsky District in the southeast, Plesetsky District in the south, and Onezhsky District
Onezhsky District
Onezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Onezhsky Municipal District...
in the south. From the north, the district borders the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. Municipally, the district also includes Solovetsky Islands
Solovetsky Islands
The Solovetsky Islands , or Solovki , are an archipelago located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, Russia. The islands are served by the Solovki Airport. Area: ....
in the White Sea, and Franz Joseph Land and Victoria Island
Victoria Island (Russian Arctic)
Victoria Island is a small Arctic island situated at 80°9'N 36°46'E, halfway between the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and the Russian archipelago of Franz Josef Land. This westernmost of all Russian Arctic islands is about 14 km² and almost completely covered with ice...
in 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...
(administratively, they are incorporated as Solovetsky District and the island territories, respectively). Its administrative center is the city of Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
. District's population:
The cities and towns of oblast significance
City of federal subject significance
City of federal subject significance is an umbrella term used to refer to a type of an administrative division of a federal subject of Russia which is equal in status to a district but is organized around a large city; occasionally with surrounding rural territories.According to the 1993...
, Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
, Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina River, west of Arkhangelsk. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . Municipally, it is incorporated as Severodvinsk Urban Okrug. The city was founded as...
, and Novodvinsk
Novodvinsk
Novodvinsk is a town in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Northern Dvina River, south of Arkhangelsk. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance , while municipally, it is incorporated as Novodvinsk Urban Okrug...
, are geographically located within the limits of the district but administratively are not a part of it.
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...
. Novgorod merchants reached the White Sea in the 13th century; the Pomors
Pomors
Pomors or Pomory are Russian settlers and their descendants on the White Sea coast. It is also term of self-identification for the descendants of Russian, primarily Novgorod, settlers of Pomorye , living on the White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a watershed which...
, who inhabit the White Sea coast now, are the descendants of the original Novgorod population. 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....
. Until the 1700s, Arkhangelsk was the main trading harbor for the sea trade of Russia and Western Europe, and the Northern Dvina was the main trading route connecting central Russia with Arkhangelsk. The traditional occupation of the population of the Dvina Bay was fishery and trade. Peter the Great drastically changed the situation, by founding St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in 1703, thus opening the way for the Baltic Sea trade.
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...
, and the area was included into Arkhangelsky Uyezd. In 1796, the area was transferred to Arkhangelsk Governorate
Arkhangelsk Governorate
Archangelsk Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Arkhangelsk...
.
In 1929, 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 Primorsky District was established. It became a part of Arkhangelsk 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. Primorsky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since. The location of the administrative center of the district was moved several times, until Arkhangelsk finally became the center.
On December 17, 1940, Belomorsky District was established on the Onega Peninsula, on the areas which previously were parts of Primorsky and Onezhsky Districts. The administrative center of the district became the selo of Pertominsk. On September 30, 1958, Belomorsky District was abolished, and the area of the district was shared between Primorsky and Onezhsky Districts.
Arkhangelsky District existed from December 24, 1952 to October 7, 1955. In 1955, it was merged into Primorsky District.
Location and geography
The district occupies the lower course of the Northern Dvina River and the White SeaWhite Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
coast around the Dvina Bay
Dvina Bay
The Dvina Bay is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast in Northwestern Russia. It is one of four large bays and gulfs of the White Sea, the others being the Mezen Bay, the Onega Bay, and the Kandalaksha Gulf. The two main river emptying into the Dvina Bay is the Northern Dvina River, while the two cities...
. The area of the district drains to the Northern Dvina and short rivers of the Dvina Bay basin, such as the Shirshema and the Lodma. The eastern part of the district is a plateau which drains into the Soyana
Soyana River
The Soyana is a river in Primorsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Kuloy River. It is long, and the area of its basin...
, a major tributary of the Kuloy
Kuloy River (White Sea)
The Kuloy is a river in Pinezhsky and Mezensky Districts of Arkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. Its mouth is located in the Mezen Bay of the White Sea. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Kuloy are the Kyolda , the Nemnyuga , and the Soyana...
. The source of the Soyana is located within the district limits. Minor areas in the southeast of the district drain into other tributaries of the Kuloy, such as the Kyolda and the Polta. There are many lakes across the district.
The western part of the district is located on the Onega Peninsula
Onega Peninsula
The Onega Peninsula is located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It protrudes into the White Sea, with Onega Bay to the south-west, and Dvina Bay to the north-east. The length of the peninsula is about , and the width varies between and .-Geography:...
, which it shares with Onezhsky District
Onezhsky District
Onezhsky District is an administrative district , one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Onezhsky Municipal District...
. It was planned that a national park, Onezhskoye Pomorye National Park, would be opened at the coast of the Onega Peninsula to protect pristine forests; however, the creation of the park was delayed and is not currently on the agenda.
Administrative divisions
Administratively, the district is divided into seventeen selsovietSelsoviet
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. One locality which previously had a status of 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...
(Uyemsky), was downgraded to rural status in 2006. The following selsoviets have been established (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):
- Katuninsky (Katunino):
- Koskogorsky (Bobrovo);
- Lastolsky (Lastola);
- Letne-Zolotitsky (Letnyaya Zolotitsa);
- Lisestrovsky (Okulovo);
- Lopshengsky (Lopshenga);
- Lyavlensky (Khorkovo);
- Patrakeevsky (Patrakeevka);
- Pertominsky (Pertominsk);
- Povrakulsky (Povrakulskaya);
- Primorsky (Rikasikha);
- Pustoshinsky (Odinochka);
- Talazhsky (Talagi);
- Uyemsky (Uyemsky);
- Voznesensky (Voznesenye);
- Zaostrovsky (Bolshoye Anisimovo);
- Zimne-Zolotitsky (Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa).
Municipal divisions
Municipally, the district is divided into nineteen rural settlements (the administrative centers are given in parentheses):- Katuninskoye Rural Settlement (Katunino);
- Koskogorskoye Rural Settlement (Bobrovo);
- Lastolskoye Rural Settlement (Lastola);
- Letne-Zolotitskoye Rural Settlement (Letnyaya Zolotitsa);
- Lisestrovskoye Rural Settlement (Okulovo);
- Lopshengskoye Rural Settlement (Lopshenga);
- Lyavlenskoye Rural Settlement (Khorkovo);
- Patrakeyevskoye Rural Settlement (Patrakeyevka);
- Pertominskoye Rural Settlement (Pertominsk);
- Povrakulskoye Rural Settlement (Povrakulskaya);
- Primorskoye Rural Settlement (Rikasikha);
- Pustoshinskoye Rural Settlement (Odinochka);
- Solovetskoye Rural Settlement (SolovetskySolovetsky, Arkhangelsk OblastSolovetsky is a rural locality and the administrative center of Solovetsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the west coast of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island in the White Sea. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Solovetskoye Rural Settlement of Primorsky District...
); - Talazhskoye Rural Settlement (Talagi);
- Uyemskoye Rural Settlement (Uyemsky);
- Vaskovskoye Rural Settlement (Vaskovo);
- Voznesenskoye Rural Settlement (Voznesenye);
- Zaostrovskoye Rural Settlement (Bolshoye Anisimovo);
- Zimne-Zolotitskoye Rural Settlement (Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa).
Economy
The economy of the district is based on timber industry and fishing.The railroads connect the cities of Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
and Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina River, west of Arkhangelsk. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . Municipally, it is incorporated as Severodvinsk Urban Okrug. The city was founded as...
with Obozyorskaya railway station, and further with 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 Belomorsk
Belomorsk
Belomorsk is a town and the administrative center of Belomorsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Onega Bay on the shore of the White Sea. Population:...
. A railway line connecting Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
and Karpogory
Karpogory
Karpogory is a rural locality and the administrative center of Pinezhsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pinega River. It also serves as the administrative center of Karpogorsky Selsoviet, one of the seventeen selsoviets into which the district is...
also passes through the district. This line is expected to become a part of the Belkomur project – a railway line connecting Arkhangelsk via the Komi Republic
Komi Republic
The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain...
with Perm Krai
Perm Krai
Perm Krai is a federal subject of Russia that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The city of Perm became the administrative center of the new federal subject...
and the Ural mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
. The stretch between Arkhangelsk and Karpogory was built in the 1970s. Kholmogorskaya railway station on the railroad between Moscow and Arkhangelsk is located in Plesetsky District.
There are many roads around Arkhangelsk. The Northern Dvina is navigable, and there is regular passenger navigation upstream from Arkhangelsk. There is also regular albeit infrequent sea passenger navigation connecting Arkhangelsk with the settlements on the Onega Peninsula (including Pertominsk, Lopshenga, and Letnyaya Zolotitsa) which are not connected to the all-season road network. Arkhangelsk also has air connections with these settlements, as well as with Solovetsky Islands.
Culture and recreation
There are two state museums in the district. The Malye Korely Open Air MuseumMalye Korely
Malye Korely is a village in Primorsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, in the north of Russia. The main sight of the village is an open-air museum, featuring the traditional wooden architecture of Arkhangelsk area...
is located approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) south of Arkhangelsk. It was created to protect the oeuvres of the Russian wooden architecture, and contains many buildings from various parts of Arkhangelsk Oblast. There is also the Primorye Handicraft Museum, located in the settlement of Uyemsky.
The district contains 151 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by the Russian Federal law, and additionally 49 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Most of these belong to the Malye Korely Museum. Other monuments protected at the federal level include
- The Izhma Pogost consisting of the Transfiguration Church (1679), the Resurrection Church (1881-1887), and the house of a priest
- The Konetsdvorye Pogost consisting of the St. Nicholas Church (1769) and the bell-tower (1905)
- The Assumption Church in the settlement of Lyavlya (1581-1584)
- The Mudyuzhsky Pogost in the village of Patrakeyevka, consisting of the St. Nicolas wooden church (1744) and the Assumption Church (1870-1878)
- The buildings of the former prison camp on Mudyug Island, organized by British and American forces during the Civil War in Russia
Russian North and Primorsky District in particular is an area notable for its folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. Until the mid-20th century, fairy tales and bylina
Bylina
Bylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
s were still performed on the daily basis by performers who became professionals. Agrafena Kryukova
Agrafena Kryukova
Agrafena Matveyevna Kryukova was a Russian folklore performer and a storyteller. She was the mother of Marfa Kryukova.Agrafena Kryukova was born as Agrafena Kozhina in Chavanga, a Pomor village on the Tersky Coast, in the south of the Kola Peninsula. She learned bylinas from her mother and her...
and her daughter Marfa Kryukova
Marfa Kryukova
Marfa Semyonovna Kryukova , Arkhangelsk Oblast|Primorsky District]], Arkhangelsk Governorate, Russia — January 7, 1954, Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa) was a Russian folklore performer and a storyteller....
from the selo of Verkhnyaya Zolotitsa were the best known fairy tale performers in the area. Starting from the 1890s, folkloric expeditions were organized to the White Sea area, and later to other areas of Arkhangelsk Governorate, in order to write down the tales and the bylinas, especially in the Pomor dialects. In the 1920s, mostly due to the efforts of Anna Astakhova
Anna Astakhova
Anna Mikhaylovna Astakhova was a Russian scholar notable for her studies of the folklore of the Russian North.Astakhova was born in Kronstadt, close to Saint-Petersburg, in 1886, and graduated from the Women Pedagogical Institute in 1908. Until 1931, she worked as a schoolteacher, from 1931 as a...
, these expeditions became systematic. The results have been published. By the 1960s, the performing art was basically extinct. These folkloric motives and fairy tales inspired the literary works of Stepan Pisakhov
Stepan Pisakhov
Stepan Grigorievich Pisakhov - Russian artist, writer, ethnographer, and fairy tale author.-Biography:Stepan Pisakhov was born into a family of a merchant; at the same time his father was a craftsman – a jeweler and engraver. After finishing a municipal school in Arkhangelsk Stepan studied in...
, a native of Arkhangelsk. Many fairy tales of Pisakhov are set against the village of Uyma (currently Uyemsky).