Smolensk region is a subject of the Russian Federation, part of the
Central Federal District.
The administrative center is the city
of Smolensk. The distance from Smolensk to Moscow is 365 km, to Minsk is
331 km.
In the west it borders on Belarus (Vitebsk and Mogilev
regions), in the north - on the Pskov and Tver regions, in the east - on
the Moscow region, in the southeast - on the Kaluga region, in the south
- on the Bryansk region.
It was formed on September 27, 1937 on
the territory of the Western Region.
She was awarded the Order of
Lenin (1958).
Smolensk is the administrative center of
the region. One of the most western and one of the oldest Russian cities
Vyazma
is an ancient Russian city, which has preserved such a curiosity as a
three-hipped church. There are several interesting noble estates in the
vicinity of Vyazma, including Khmelita, the family estate of the
Griboyedovs.
Velizh
Gagarin
Demidov
Dorogobuzh
is an ancient city, known almost from the 12th century, but completely
destroyed during the war. Its most interesting attraction is a huge
globe made from a former gas tank. 20 km south of Aleksino is one of the
largest noble estates in the Smolensk region.
Spirituality
Yelnya
Roslavl
is an ancient city known since the 12th century on the road from
Smolensk to Bryansk. Major transport hub. Monastery of the 19th century,
fragments of pre-revolutionary buildings. The settlement of the XII
century has been preserved.
Safonovo
Yartsevo
Katyn
Memorial "Bogoroditskoye field"
Village Krany
Historical and architectural museum-reserve "Khmelita" (closed Monday
and Tuesday). Griboedov family estate.
Memorial "Bogoroditskoye
field".
Holy Trinity Gerasimo-Boldinsky Monastery.
Smolensky
Assumption Cathedral.
Smolensk fortress wall.
The Smolenskoye Koltso racing track, where track days and official competitions are regularly held, incl. Russian ACG Championship and European Truck Racing Championship
The Smolensk Region is located in the central part of the East European (Russian) Plain. Most of the region is occupied by the Smolensk-Moscow Upland, the Baltic Lowland is located in the northwest, and the Dnieper Lowland is located in the south. In the west, the region borders on Belarus (Vitebsk and Mogilev regions), in the north - on the Pskov and Tver regions, in the east - on the Moscow region, in the southeast on the Kaluga region, in the south - on the Bryansk region. The length from north to south is 300 km, and from west to east - 290 km. Part of the territory of the Smolensk region along the border with Belarus is included in the border zone, access to which is formally limited.
In general, the surface is undulating, with hilly areas and
relatively deeply incised river valleys.
Most of the territory is
located within the Smolensk, Dukhovshchinsk (up to 282 m) and
Vyazemskaya uplands. The maximum mark of the region is 321 m (near the
village of Maryino, Vyazemsky district). In the northwest there are
moraine ridges (Slobodskaya (up to 241 m) and others), sections of the
Vitebsk (up to 232 m) and Valdai uplands. In the east, a section of the
Moscow Upland (heights up to 255 m).
Lowlands - Vazuzskaya,
Verkhnedneprovskaya, Berezinskaya; The Dnieper lowland in the extreme
south of the region with absolute elevations from 175 to 180 m and the
Baltic in the northwestern part, where the lowest elevation is located -
141 m along the banks of the Western Dvina River on the border with
Belarus.
About 30 types of minerals of sedimentary origin have been discovered
on the territory of the region. The most common: brown coal, various
clays and loams, peat, rock salt, sand and gravel materials and
cobblestone, glass, molding and construction sands, calcareous tuffs,
limestones, dolomites, chalk, marls, phosphorites, tripoli (olok),
glauconite , gypsum, sapropels, therapeutic mud, mineral waters, brines,
as well as various ores, ocher, sulfur pyrite, ratovkite, vivianite,
silicon, rock crystal. Most of the deposits have been explored and are
being exploited.
In the eastern and southeastern parts of the
region, brown coals of the Moscow region coal basin occur. About 30
deposits have been explored in detail with a total reserve of 400
million tons.
Surface deposits of peat are widespread, there are
1154 deposits with total reserves of more than 300 million tons,
especially massive ones are located in Dukhovshchinsky and Rudnyansky
districts. There are 233 sapropel deposits with total reserves of 170
million tons.
Deposits of rock salt have been explored - seams
with a thickness of 15 to 51 m with interlayers of potassium salts,
phosphorites - total reserves of up to 10 million tons with a P2O5
content of up to 18% have been discovered.
Calcareous tuffs are
ubiquitous, the total reserve of which is about 7 million tons,
limestones (they are relatively shallow in the central and western parts
of the region, the total reserves are 2.4 million m³); chalk
(distributed in the southern part of the region, the maximum layer
thickness is up to 36 m); refractory, fusible, bentonite and
construction clays; dolomites, marl, tripoli, glauconite, gypsum, glass
and building sands, sand and gravel materials.
In addition, there
are therapeutic muds and high-quality mineral waters and brines.
The climate is temperate continental. The average temperature in
January is −6…−9 °C, in July +17…+19 °C. For most of the region, the
differences in temperature are small, only the southern regions have a
higher temperature (by about 1 °). It belongs to excessively humidified
territories, precipitation is from 630 to 730 mm per year, more in the
northwestern part - where cyclones pass more often, maximum in summer.
The average annual number of days with precipitation is from 170 to 190.
The growing season is 129-143 days. The period with a positive average
daily air temperature lasts 213-224 days. The average duration of the
frost-free period is 125-148 days. The region is characterized by a
significant variability of atmospheric circulation during the year,
which leads to very noticeable deviations in temperature and
precipitation from long-term averages. The distribution of precipitation
during the year is also uneven - the largest amount falls in summer
(about 225-250 mm). For the year as a whole, winds of the western,
southwestern and southern directions prevail. Also, the Smolensk region
is characterized by high cloudiness (the largest number of clear days in
spring - up to 10%).
There are four meteorological stations of
Roshydromet and the Smolensk Aerological Station in the region.
The main river of the region is the Dnieper with tributaries Sozh,
Desna, Vop, Vyazma. The Volga basin includes the Vazuza River and its
tributary Gzhat, as well as the Ugra River, a tributary of the Oka. In
the northwest, a short section of the Western Dvina and its tributary,
the Kasplya River, flows.
There are several hundred lakes in the
region, of which the glacial lakes in the northwest are especially
beautiful (more than 160 with a mirror area of at least 1 ha): Kasplya,
Svaditskoye, Velisto, etc. The largest among them is Akatovskoe (655
ha), the deepest is Baklanovskoe ( 28 meters). The largest karst lake is
Kalyginskoye.
Among the large reservoirs, one can emphasize the
Vazuzsky and Yauzsky reservoirs supplying water to Moscow in the
northeast, as well as the coolers of power plants - the Smolensk
reservoir in the north near the village of Ozerny and the Desnogorsk
reservoir in the south of the region near the city of Desnogorsk.
About 40 aquifers lie in the bowels. The total groundwater
infiltration resources are estimated at 4.75 billion m³/year.
The predominant type of soils are soddy-podzolic (78% of the area) in the southern part of the region, mostly sandy, in the rest of the loamy types. Less common are typical podzols, soddy, various types of bog and floodplain soils. There is a low content of humus and degradation of fertility, and as a result of the cessation of melioration, water erosion of soils develops in places.
The Smolensk region is located in the subtaiga zone of mixed
broad-leaved-dark-coniferous forests. The vegetation is represented by
forests, meadows, swamps, aquatic vegetation, crops of cultivated
plants. Forests (aspen, birch, spruce, etc.) occupy about 38.2% of the
territory in the 2000s. High forest cover in Ugransky, Demidovsky,
Dukhovshinsky and Kholm-Zhirkovsky districts (more than 50% of the
districts are covered with forests). On the territory of the region,
small-leaved and coniferous species predominate, among which the most
numerous are birch of two species and spruce (approximately 35% of the
total number of trees), pine and aspen also make up a large proportion
(about 12% separately), two species of alder are less common.
Broad-leaved species are also quite abundant: oak, linden, ash, maple,
two types of elm, which make up a noticeable admixture in the forests,
and in some cases dominate in the forest stand. The flora of the meadows
is dominated by perennial species: meadow timothy, meadow fescue, meadow
bluegrass, urchin, etc., and together with legumes (clover) form the
basis of the vegetation cover. Annual semi-parasites are widespread in
the meadows: small rattle, eyebrights, mytniki. There are up to 80
species of algae in meadow soils. Bogs occupy large areas in the region
with a predominance of lowland bogs. Various types of sedges grow on
them (sharp, vesicular, fox), common reed, marsh horsetail, riverine
horsetail, etc .; on the ground are green shiny hypnum mosses. Of the
woody plants in the swamps, you can find Scots pine, downy birch and
some types of willows.
The total area of the forest fund is 2,100
thousand hectares, wood reserves are about 230 million m³, including
coniferous species - 55 million m³. The reserves are distributed
unevenly, mainly in the upper reaches of the Dnieper and in the
south-southeast (along the valley of the Ugra river). Insignificant
areas of broad-leaved-pine forests in the extreme south and pine forests
in the Baltic lowland stand out.
Representatives of 14 types of animals live in the region. Some
species inhabiting the territory of the Smolensk region are listed in
the Red Book of the region and Russia.
Of the mammals in the
region, there are: a wild boar, a hare, an elk, a fox, a wolf, a marten,
a brown bear, etc.
Of the birds - woodpecker, bullfinch,
blackbird, capercaillie, eagle owl, stork, etc.
More than 45
species of fish live in the reservoirs of the region (common ruffe,
crucian carp, carp, bream, perch, roach, rotan, pike, catfish), some of
them are imported.
Numerous different insects. About 2,000
species have been reliably identified, which is only 10% of their actual
number in the region.
Several species of reptiles live in the
region - lizards (brittle spindle, nimble lizard) and snakes (common
viper, common snake, copperhead).
Amphibians are represented by
newts (common and comb), toads (gray and green) and frogs (grass, lake,
pond, edible).
On the territory of the Smolensk region, the national park
"Smolenskoye Poozerye" has been created with a total area of about 150
thousand hectares, which protects, among other things, significant
forest funds from the spread of illegal logging. The park was created in
1992 on the basis of a special decree of the government of the Russian
Federation. There is also a natural park Gagarinsky natural park with a
total area of 55 thousand hectares, created in 2007.
Currently,
131 species of animals, 87 species of plants, 1 species of mushrooms and
2 species of lichens are subject to protection - all of them are listed
in the Red Book of the Smolensk Region. The materials included in the
Red Data Book are, to some extent, preliminary.
There are 13
state biological reserves in the region, with a total area of 293.655
thousand hectares: general species (Shumyachsky, Khislavichsky), muskrat
(Solovyovsky), wild boar (Mezhdurechensky), roe deer (Ugransky,
Velizhsky), capercaillie (Smolensky, Rudnyansky, Dorogobuzhsky), otter,
beaver (Ershichsky, Sychevsky), deer (Elninsky), elk (Krasninsky).
Environmental problems of the Smolensk region:
pollution with
toxic, household and other wastes (technogenic overload, irrational
structure of production and nature management)
insufficient level of
environmental awareness, education and culture
excess of the average
annual level of atmospheric air pollution in cities and towns
water
in many reservoirs does not meet regulatory requirements for quality
landscape degradation, soil fertility decline
environmentally
imperfect technologies in industry, agriculture, energy and transport
The main contribution to pollution is made by the enterprises of
Smolensk State District Power Plant and OAO Dorogobuzh. The most
polluted areas: Dukhovshchinsky, Dorogobuzhsky and Smolensky.
The Smolensk region as an administrative-territorial unit of the RSFSR was formed only in 1937-1938. However, the territory of the region was one of the birthplaces of the ancient Russian statehood. At different periods, the territory of the region was part of the Smolensk Principality, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Tsardom of Moscow, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, until it finally became part of Russia under the Truce of Andrusovo.
The Smolensk region is part of the wooded region of the Upper
Dnieper. On the slope of the native bank of the Katynka River, north of
the railway, patinated flint knife-shaped plates of the late Paleolithic
were found in the arable land. The final Paleolithic and early
Mesolithic are represented at the multi-layered site of Vyshegora I in
the upper reaches of the Dnieper. Flint flakes and bones of Quaternary
animals were found near the village of Yastreby in the Velizhsky
District. The final Paleolithic (about 12-10 thousand years ago) is
represented by a significant number of finds of flint tools on the banks
of the Serteika River in the Velizh District and individual finds on the
shores of Lake Kuprinskoye and in other places. During the Middle Stone
Age, the Smolensk region was the border between the Neman and Butovo
cultures. Judging by the materials of Vyshegora I and Vyshegora III,
complexes related to the Grensky ones existed in the upper reaches of
the Dnieper throughout the Mesolithic and only in the Late Mesolithic
did a population with post-Swiderian traditions appear here. On the bank
of the old riverbed of the Vopets River (a right tributary of the
Dnieper) near the village of Lomeikovo, during the study of a Neolithic
settlement, the remains of a late Neolithic flint workshop were
discovered. The pile site of Serteya VIII is dated to 5120±120 years
ago. The Zhizhitsa archaeological culture of the late Neolithic (Serteya
II) dates back to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Before the
arrival of the Slavs, the tribes of the Middle Dnieper culture or the
Corded Ware tribes lived here. The bearers of this culture are
considered Indo-Europeans. Apparently, on the Upper Dnieper, the
Indo-Europeans interacted with local hunting tribes, who were at the
level of Stone Age technology, and led to the formation of the ancient
Balts. The burial grounds of dark-skinned cattle breeders of the
Fatyanovo culture date back to the Bronze Age.
The hybrid nature
characterizes the Dnieper-Dvina culture that spread in the Smolensk
region in the 1st millennium BC (the settlements-fortresses of the 4th
century Lestrovka, Novosyolki, Novye Bateki, Demidovka), a distinctive
feature of which was the use of stone axes and hoes with bone tips. A
number of historians believe that Herodotus called the bearers of this
culture androphages, that is, cannibals. Indeed, the distinctive feature
of this culture is the complete absence of burials or any funeral rites.
However, despite some remnants of the Stone Age, the bearers of this
culture lived in fortified villages consisting of dugouts, knew how to
make rough clay pots and were engaged in primitive agriculture. The
Dnieper-Dvina culture of the early Iron Age includes an iron knife of a
sickle shape, found in Smolensk on Vasilyeva Mountain in pit 1 on the
edge of the Dry Ditch.
On the right bank of the Rutavech River,
in the settlement of Siluyanovo 1 of the Zaozerye cultural group of the
3rd-4th centuries, which developed on the basis of the Upper Dnieper
version of the Kyiv cultural and historical community, the leading type
of ceramics turned out to be rough pots of large sizes, which were
decorated with a comb-like decoration. Archaeologists also found
fragments of ceramics with a more elegant finish made of thin dough,
with a smoothed surface and ribs on the shoulder, several spindle whorls
with a wide opening and three fragments of iron brooches.
At the
beginning of the Middle Ages (IV-VII centuries), the Tushemlinskaya
culture appeared on the territory of Smolensk region, which became the
substrate for the Krivichi Slavs who migrated here from the Baltics. The
formation of the Tushemlinskaya culture is associated with the Great
Migration of Peoples and the penetration of Celtic-Slavic-Germanic
elements of the Zarubintsy culture (Kiev culture) from the south.
Fragments of rough molded ceramics from the Cathedral Hill of Smolensk
are identical, according to A. N. Lyavdansky, to ceramics from the
Lakhteevsky settlement on the Moshna River, where it is dated to the
V-VII centuries.
At the turn of the 6th-8th centuries, the
Krivichi Slavs appeared in the Smolensk region, forming a single
sub-ethnic community with eastern Belarus. The Krivichi Slavs settled in
the region from the north, from the territory of the Pskov region.
Funeral rituals are present in the form of long burial mounds (burial
grounds of Kolodnya, Vyazovenka, Zabor'e, Kupniki, Sozh,
Kushlyanshchina). After the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries, tribes of
the Round Mound Culture, characteristic of the Eastern Slavs, who came
from the south, began to settle in the Smolensk Dnieper region. In
Kolodnya, on the slope of the bedrock bank between the Dnieper and the
sand quarry, there are 16 burial mounds of various shapes, dating from
the 7th-9th centuries. Along the right bank of the Dnieper, there are 10
embankments in a chain, dating from the 8th-10th centuries. In the upper
reaches of the Sozh River near the villages of Kushlyanshchina and
Koshchino there are burial mounds from the 9th to early 11th centuries.
In the Kovsharskoye settlement (Pokrovka) of the 9th-11th centuries on
the right bank of the Sozh River near Smolensk, a type 4 stylus was
found. At the Kovshary settlement, the inhabitants were engaged in
blacksmithing, pottery, cooperage, bone carving, jewelry and foundry
production, wood, leather and, probably, bone processing.
The
lunar temple rings of the "Nitrans type" found in the Gnezdovo
archaeological complex testify to the familiarity of the Gnezdovo
craftsmen with the Great Moravian jewelry tradition. The finds in
Gnezdovo of rings with a grape-shaped pendant, radial temporal rings
(the turn of the 9th-10th centuries), and early pottery ceramics (the
20s-30s of the 10th century) testify to the migration of Slavic
population groups from the Danube lands (Great Moravia), captured by the
Hungarians, to the Upper Dnieper region.
In the undated part of the Tale of Bygone Years, Smolensk is first
mentioned as the center of the Krivichi tribal union. According to the
Ustyug (Arkhangelsk) Codex under the conditional year 863, Askold and
Dir bypassed Smolensk on their campaign from Novgorod to Constantinople,
since it was heavily fortified and populous. The veracity of this
mention is questionable, since the Ustyug Codex was compiled more than
600 years after the events of the 9th century. According to the Tale of
Bygone Years, in the conditional year 882, Smolensk was captured and
annexed to the Old Russian state by Prince Oleg:
Oleg went, took
his many warriors: Varangians, Chud, Slovenes, Meryu, Ves, Krivichi. And
he took the city of Smolensk and settled his people in it.
This
early chronicle date is not considered as evidence of the existence of
Smolensk already in the 9th century (the Initial Chronicle Collection
was compiled only at the end of the 11th century), since there are no
archaeological traces of the city's existence on Cathedral Hill (the
historical center of Smolensk) before the second half of the 11th
century.
There is a large Gnezdovo archaeological complex 15 km
west of the center of Smolensk, which includes the remains of a trade
and craft settlement and a large number of burial mounds. The main
period of their creation is determined to be the 10th - early 11th
century. Details of the burial rite of the complex indicate the ethnic
(Slavs, Scandinavians, etc.) and social (nobility, warriors, artisans,
etc.) heterogeneity of the population. The central settlement of
Gnezdovo arose at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries and was a craft
and trade center on the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" or
part of it.
The contacts of local potters with the population of
other regions allowed us to identify the composition of the molding
masses of ceramic vessels. In Gnezdovo, Novosyolki and at the monuments
of the culture of the Smolensk long kurgans (SLK) in Sloboda Glushitsa,
the presence of a population different from the local in cultural terms
was recorded. The cultural heterogeneity of the population of Gnezdovo
and Rokot was manifested in different methods of constructing the
nachins. In the Smolensk Dnieper region, similar to Gnezdovo early
circular ceramics from round burial mounds with cremations (corpse
cremations) in Sumarokovo, Dobrosel'ye, Kuprino and Katyn I not only
have an external resemblance to Gnezdovo ceramics, but also belong to
the same types and variants of the natural structure of forms, including
the variant with an unformed shoulder, significantly prevalent in
Gnezdovo. Finds of ceramics with a mixture of traditions of using
admixtures of gruss and chamotte indicate the heterogeneity of the
population and the penetration of people from the area of dominance of
southern (Romny) pottery traditions into the area of the Smolensk long
barrow culture (Sloboda Glushitsa, Novosyolki). Potters who produced
hand-moulded and circular ware used a bottom-capacity program for making
toppings using spiral appliques from bundles. Contacts between
representatives of these groups of potters were manifested in the
borrowing of some ornamental traditions from each other.
During
the excavation of barrow No. 13 in the Gnezdovo Forest Group, the oldest
known Old Russian Cyrillic inscription was found on a clay korchag
(jug), dating from the second quarter to the middle of the 10th century.
The lunar temple rings of the "Nitransk type" found at the Monastyrek
settlement and in the Gnezdovo burial mounds indicate that the Dnieper
craftsmen were familiar with the Great Moravian jewelry tradition. Fels
minted in 814 in dwelling 2 was combined with pottery from the 10th
century. Many researchers considered the Gnezdovo complex to be ancient
Smolensk, then moved to a new location, which should explain the absence
of archaeological layers before the 11th century in Smolensk itself.
According to another point of view, Gnezdovo was a churchyard - a place
where the squad stayed and where tribute was collected, and Smolensk
existed at the same time and was the tribal center of the Krivichi. In
the 950s - first half of the 960s, Gnezdovo was subjected to a military
defeat, accompanied by the destruction of the upper layer of the
Gnezdovo elite. The possible violent nature of these changes is
indicated by the loss of a whole group of treasures in the 950s - early
960s. It is possible that the establishment of direct dependence of
Gnezdovo on the central Kievan authorities at the beginning of the reign
of Svyatoslav Igorevich is associated with the process of establishing
pogosts and lessons (tribute) by Princess Olga. After the destruction,
the suburban center in Gnezdovo was quickly restored and the following
decades saw its heyday, recorded by archaeological data.
In the
first half of the 20th century, archaeologists found hand-made ceramics
in a cultural layer on Cathedral Hill, which they dated to the early
period, but these finds did not receive due coverage. Field research
from 2014 to 2018 by an expedition of the Institute of Archaeology of
the Russian Academy of Sciences led by N. A. Krenke in the upper part of
the northeastern slope of Cathedral Hill, on the territory of the
Trinity Monastery and in other places yielded a number of materials
indicating the existence of a large settlement on Cathedral Hill from
the end of the 1st millennium AD, which was part of a large settlement
complex. These datings were supported by a series of radiocarbon
analyses. At first, archaeologists discovered layers of hand-made
ceramics from the Smolensk Long Barrow culture on Cathedral Hill. A
cultural layer dating to the 9th-10th centuries was found on Malaya
Shkolnaya Street on Cathedral Hill. A pit dug on the edge of a ravine on
the territory of the Trinity Monastery on Bolshaya Sovetskaya Street
yielded layers from the 8th to early 10th centuries. This was a
rural-type development, where estates alternated with fields. On the
slope of Vasilyevskaya Hill next to the Trinity Monastery, molded
ceramics older than the early 10th century were found. This rural
settlement at the end of the 1st millennium had an area of over 3
hectares. There was also a settlement on the hill where the St. George
Church stands, as well as opposite it, beyond the Dnieper. The remains
of stakes in a palisade ditch, dated by radiocarbon analysis to the turn
of 980-1020, already indicate dense urban-type development. A
chronological gap has been recorded: very few materials from the second
half of the 10th century are known on the territory of Smolensk, the
time of Gnezdovo’s heyday. In Gnezdovo itself, there are no layers
earlier than the first quarter of the 10th century. Finds from the early
period were also made on the right bank of the Pyatnitsky Creek near its
mouth. The 2020 excavations on Sobornaya Gora yielded new finds of
hand-made ceramics from the end of the 1st millennium CE. According to
Krenke, based on the area of finds from the 9th century, there was an
"agglomeration" of several settlements, the tribal center of the
Krivichi. Nowhere else in the entire area of the Smolensk Long Barrow
culture is such a high density of settlements found.
Since the
second half of the 11th century, Smolensk was already large. It was
stretched along the Dnieper, stretching from Malaya Rachevka in the east
to Pyatnitsky Brook in the west and the upper reaches of Smoligov Ravine
in the south, and had an area of 1x2 km (200 ha). However, according
to written sources, the political significance of Smolensk was modest
compared to the early city center in Gnezdovo: after the establishment
of the Smolensk Principality in 1054, the youngest sons of Yaroslav the
Wise, Vyacheslav and Igor, who were not independent political figures,
were placed on the Smolensk throne, and after Igor's death in 1060,
there was no prince in Smolensk for at least 15 years. In the 12th
century, the independent Grand Duchy of Smolensk experienced its heyday,
occupying most of the territory of the Smolensk region. Sixteen birch
bark letters have been found in Smolensk. Smolensk is also mentioned in
birch bark letter No. 1106, found in Veliky Novgorod, dating back to the
second half of the 12th century. So far, only writing utensils have been
found in Gnezdovo. In the Kovsharskoye settlement of the 9th-11th
centuries on the right bank of the Sozh River near Smolensk, a type 4
stylus was found. In Smolensk, during the study of the ruins of the
refectory chamber, a granite boulder was found on which, in the place of
the chipped plane, a bident was carved and a four-line inscription
around it, which is a commentary on this image, dated by paleographic
features to the last decades of the 12th - early 13th centuries. The
bident on the Smolensk stone is called "pyatno" ("п(я)тн(о)"). For the
first time, the image of the bident and its name were next to each
other. In ancient Russian written sources, a spot was the name of the
signs that marked property.
In 1229, an agreement was concluded
between the Smolensk, Vitebsk and Polotsk principalities on one side and
Riga and Gotland on the other - the Smolensk Trade Truth.
The
Tatar-Mongol troops did not reach Smolensk, but since 1274 it has
recognized vassal dependence on the Golden Horde. In the 14th century,
the Smolensk prince Ivan Alexandrovich, with the help of the
Lithuanians, gets rid of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. As a result, the
Moscow-Ryazan-Tatar army invades the Smolensk lands in 1340. The
Smolensk princes waver between Lithuania and Moscow.
In 1348,
Smolensk warriors cross swords with the crusaders in the Battle of
Streva. In 1368 and 1370, Smolensk armies participated in Olgerd's
campaigns against Moscow, but the intervention of the Orthodox Church
forced the Smolensk princes to take a pro-Moscow position. The Smolensk
people fought shoulder to shoulder with the Muscovites in the Battle of
Kulikovo. In 1395, Vitovt stormed Smolensk for the first time and placed
the Bryansk prince Roman Mikhailovich on the throne. In 1399, the
Smolensk regiments, together with the Lithuanians, defeated the
Mongol-Tatars in the Battle of the Vorskla River.
In July 1404, the Lithuanian Duke Vitovt captured Smolensk again and
put an end to its independence. In 1410, Smolensk regiments, together
with the Lithuanians, took part in a battle with the German knights.
The Smolensk Uprising "Great Confusion" against the power of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1440-1442 ended with Smolensk being taken by
storm by Casimir's army.
The city of Kozlov was first mentioned
in the early 1440s.
In 1449, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Casimir
and the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily the Dark signed an agreement under
which Moscow renounced Smolensk and the Smolensk land for life.
During the Battle of Vedrosha in 1500, Russian troops defeated the
Lithuanians on the territory of Smolensk.
In 1502, during the
Russo-Lithuanian War of 1500-1503, the Russian army unsuccessfully
besieged Smolensk.
In 1508, Smolensk became the center of the
Smolensk Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The sieges
of Smolensk in 1513-1514 ended with the Lithuanian garrison surrendering
on July 31, 1514, and the Russian army solemnly entered Smolensk on
August 1. Later, other Smolensk lands passed to the Russian state.
In 1565, Smolensk became part of the last zemshchina.
In
1610, the Battle of Klushino took place on Smolensk land, as a result of
which the Polish troops opened the way to Moscow. After the liberation
of Moscow from the Poles, Prince Vladislav did not abandon his attempts
to take the Russian throne and in 1617 he chose Smolensk as a base for
his campaign against Moscow. After the Time of Troubles, according to
the Truce of Deulino in 1618, the Smolensk land passed to the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Smolensk gentry began to form.
During the Smolensk War (1632-1634), Russia was unable to regain the
Smolensk lands.
The Smolensk land finally became part of Russia in 1654 as a result
of the Russo-Polish War.
The Smolensk Governorate was formed in
1708. In the 18th century, Hasidic Jews moved to the territory of
Smolensk and created the spiritual center of Chabad. In 1812, Napoleon's
hordes rushed through Smolensk to Moscow, so one of the first battles on
Russian soil took place here, in which the French managed to gain the
upper hand.
By the time of the abolition of serfdom (1861), the
province occupied first place in the Russian Empire in terms of the
percentage of the serf population (69.07%).
At the end of the
19th century, the region was engulfed in industrialization. In 1868, a
carriage repair plant was established in Roslavl, and in 1870, Smolensk
was connected to Moscow by rail.
Since April 1918, Smolensk became the center of the Western Region of
the RSFSR.
Based on the decision of the North-West Regional
Conference of the RCP(b), held on December 30-31, 1918 in the city of
Smolensk, the creation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus
(SSRB) was proclaimed within the borders of the Vitebsk, Mogilev,
Grodno, Minsk provinces, the Belarusian districts of the Vilnius and
Kovno provinces, and the western districts of the Smolensk province. The
Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Soviet Government of Belarus, headed
by D. F. Zhilunovich, published a manifesto on the night of January 1-2,
1919, proclaiming the formation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of
Belarus as part of the RSFSR. On January 7, 1919, the government moved
from Smolensk to Minsk, occupied by the Red Army, which became the
capital of the republic. On January 16, 1919, by decision of the Central
Committee of the RCP(b), the Smolensk, Vitebsk and Mogilev provinces
were transferred to the RSFSR.
By decision of the Central
Executive Committee of the USSR, the Western Region with its center in
Smolensk was formed on October 1, 1929, which included the territories
of the Smolensk, Bryansk and Kaluga provinces, part of the territory of
the Tver and Moscow provinces and the Velikiye Luki district of the
Leningrad region. In the 1920s, an aircraft manufacturing plant was
built in Smolensk.
By the Resolution of the Central Executive
Committee of the USSR on September 27, 1937, the Western Region was
abolished. Smolensk, Oryol and Kursk regions were formed from the
Western and Kursk regions. Smolensk region with its center in the city
of Smolensk again became an independent territorial-administrative unit
within the RSFSR. Initially, the region had 49 districts, then before
the war, 5 more districts were added.
In 1940, the Katyn massacre
of captured Polish officers took place in the region.
During the
Great Patriotic War, the Smolensk region twice, in 1941 and 1943, became
the scene of brutal battles, accompanied by enormous destruction and
casualties not only among the military, but also among the civilian
population. The two years of German occupation were also accompanied by
monstrous atrocities. If at the beginning of 1941 the population of the
region was more than 1,950 thousand people, then by the end of 1943 it
was less than 900 thousand people, and even taking into account those
who returned from evacuation by the end of 1946 it did not exceed 1,240
thousand people.
In July 1941, the territory of the Smolensk
region was invaded by German troops and was occupied. On July 16, the
29th Motorized Division from Guderian's group broke into Smolensk, where
fierce battles began with the city's defenders. On July 1, 1942, the
Nazis killed 158 residents of the village of Kasplya-2 on Kukina Gora.
In total, during the occupation, the Nazis killed more than 350 thousand
Smolensk residents, and drove more than 81 thousand to Germany. On
September 25, 1943, as a result of the Red Army's offensive, the
territory of the Smolensk region was liberated.
The economy of
the Smolensk region was almost completely destroyed during the fighting
and occupation, and the surviving population experienced great
difficulties for many years after the war.
Another unfavorable
consequence of the war was the mine danger: hundreds of thousands of
mines and unexploded ordnance remained in the ground. From 1944 to 1946,
work was carried out to completely clear the entire territory of the
region of mines, which was carried out by both military sapper units and
trained specialists from among the local population. In the first 5
months of 1944, about 740 thousand mines were defused, in 1945 - 296
thousand, in 1946 - 2,550 thousand. According to incomplete data, in
1944-1946, 242 residents died on mines, 385 were injured. The losses of
sappers in the Smolensk region during this time amounted to 33 dead and
47 wounded. However, even then, explosive objects from the war are
removed from the ground every year (for example, in 2016, 1,775 units
were found and defused), there are cases of injuries and deaths from
explosions. In 1944, 13 districts were transferred from the Smolensk
region to the newly formed Kaluga region and 3 districts to the Velikiye
Luki region, and the Smolensk region acquired its modern borders.
After the war, industrialization continued, and electric motor
manufacturing plants appeared.
In 1968, the city of Gzhatsk was
renamed Gagarin.
In 1976, construction of the Smolensk Nuclear
Power Plant began.
In the late 1980s, agriculture remained the
leading industry in the Smolensk region, and people from rural areas
numerically predominated in government bodies. Thus, 54.9% of the
people's deputies of the Smolensk Regional Council elected on March 26,
1989 worked in agriculture.
The war in Afghanistan had a
noticeable impact on the region - thousands of Smolensk residents fought
in Afghanistan, dozens of them died. In 1988, 37 disabled people, 156
wounded in this war, 87 families of fallen servicemen, and 2,672
participants in the Afghan war lived in the Smolensk region.
By
the beginning of Perestroika, the Smolensk region was a calm region. In
1969-1987, the region was effectively headed by the first secretary of
the regional committee of the CPSU I. Ye. Klimenko. The positions of the
CPSU in the region were very strong. In 1986, in the Smolensk region,
81,800 people were members of the CPSU, and 138,729 people were members
of the Komsomol. Under the influence of the policy of glasnost,
discussion clubs appeared in the Smolensk region only in 1988, and they
were often created under party committees (for example, in Desnogorsk).
In December 1988, the discussion club "Argument" was created under the
Smolensk State Pedagogical Institute, which included university teachers
and students (including from the GDR). Since 1989, the first opposition
public informal organizations have appeared in the region. In July 1989,
the initiative group "For the Smolensk People's Front" was created in
Smolensk. In December of the same year, this organization supported the
Interregional Deputy Group and criticized the Smolensk Regional
Committee of the CPSU. On February 25, 1990, the Smolensk People's Front
held a rally in the regional center under the Russian tricolor flag,
which attracted about 8 thousand people. In April of the same year, the
Smolensk People's Front began publishing its newspaper "Skhod", but only
managed to publish 6 issues. On August 24, 1990, the Smolensk People's
Front was officially registered. It was the first public organization in
the region that openly declared its opposition to the CPSU. However, the
Smolensk People's Front turned out to be very weak. Already in 1990, a
number of members left it, and in June 1991 it became the founder of the
Smolensk city organization "Democratic Russia". On April 24, 1991, the
Smolensk branch of "Democratic Russia" was registered. In 1990-1991,
small branches of new opposition Soviet parties emerged in the Smolensk
region - the Yershich territorial organization of the Social Democratic
Party of Russia, the Smolensk branches of the Free Democratic Party of
Russia, the Republican Party of Russia, the Russian Christian Democratic
Movement, the Orthodox Patriotic Party of Russia, the Sychevka branch of
the Party of Constitutional Democrats. The GKChP's performance in August
1991 was not supported by the Smolensk organizations of the CPSU. Only
two district committees of the CPSU (Kholm-Zhirkovsky and Yershichsky)
adopted decisions in support of the GKChP. At the same time, the
Smolensk Regional Committee of the CPSU received 3.2 million rubles from
the Central Committee of the CPSU on August 20, 1991. In general, the
regional committee had enormous funds compared to the district and city
committees subordinate to it. The accounts of the party bodies were in
the commercial bank "Dnepr", where on September 12, 1991, the Smolensk
Regional Committee had 7 million 163 thousand rubles, and the Smolensk
City Committee of the CPSU had less than 41 thousand rubles. The
regional authorities did not support the State Emergency Committee
either. Their position was ambivalent. On August 20, 1991, the Presidium
of the Smolensk Regional Council of People's Deputies adopted the
"Appeal of the Presidium of the Regional Council of People's Deputies to
the Population of the Region", in which it condemned the State Emergency
Committee. On the same day, the Smolensk Regional Executive Committee
informed the Control Directorate of the President of the RSFSR that it
was implementing the presidential decrees. However, the Presidium of the
Regional Council of People's Deputies did not stop the distribution of
the State Emergency Committee documents, and some regional newspapers
printed them until August 22, 1991.
After the collapse of the USSR, a tendency towards population extinction emerged in the Smolensk region. The population decline per year is 8 thousand people. Agriculture is declining: about 60% of arable land is not cultivated. Agricultural products are imported from neighboring Belarus. At the same time, a process of growth of the Muslim population is observed. Mormons also appeared in the Smolensk region.
Gross regional product at current prices: RUB 234.7 billion in 2014;
RUB 79.2 billion in 2006 year; RUB 68.4 billion in 2005.
GRP per
capita: 242.9 thousand rubles in 2014 (53rd out of 85 among regions);
232.5 thousand rubles in 2013. The average per capita income of the
population in December 2015 amounted to 34,347 rubles. per month.
Consolidated regional budget (2022):
revenues - 59 billion
rubles;
expenses — 57.9 billion rubles;
surplus - 1.1 billion
rubles.
The industrial complex forms about 38% of the GRP (2006),
of which 23.1% are manufacturing industries (primarily the chemical and
food industries), 8.3% - energy, 6.5% - the construction complex. 10% of
GRP is created in the agro-industrial complex (2006).
In the volume of industrial production (55,946 million rubles (2004)) the jewelry industry (about 15%; JSC PO Kristall), electric power industry (about 13%; Smolensk NPP, Smolenskenergo), mechanical engineering (about 12%; " Auto-Aggregate Plant - CJSC Saaz AMO Zil, as of 2020 this enterprise has been liquidated), Roslavl Car Repair Plant (JSC Roslavl VRZ), food industry (about 10%) and chemistry (about 9%; PJSC Dorogobuzh) ).
PJSC "Dorogobuzh" (city of Dorogobuzh) is a manufacturer of mineral
fertilizers, synthetic ammonia, and weak nitric acids and catalysts.
Included in the Akron holding.
Several enterprises on the basis of
the former plastics plant (JSC Avangard, OJSC Poliplast, CJSC SP
Kompital, Koltek-special reagents) in the city of Safonovo: production
of plastic products, cable products, reagents for the oil and oil
refining industries.
Vyazemsky plant of synthetic products -
pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
LLC "Confectioner" (production
of corrugated paper and cardboard, paper and cardboard containers).
The main manufacturers of building materials: Smolensk DSK, brick factories: Smolensk No. 1 and No. 2, Vyazemsky, Roslavl, Safonovsky; Vyazemsky mining and processing plant (crushed stone and sand for reinforced concrete products), Vyazemsky plant of reinforced concrete sleepers.
The region ranks first in the Central District for the production of
canned milk and milk powder, there are many cheese producers in the
region, large producers of flour, meat, fat-and-oil and canned
vegetables.
Main representatives:
Gagarinsky and Kardymovsky
milk powder plants;
Smetanino-Broiler Poultry Farm LLC (Subsidiary of
Smolensky KHP LLC, the main specialization of which is the production of
ready-made feed for animals kept on farms);
Smolensk and Vyazemsky
combines of bakery products;
Kellogg Rus LLC (Vyazemsky food
processing plant), Smolensk Pasta JSC (In 2014, it was merged with Extra
M OJSC as a branch);
Roslavl Zhirkombinat (JSC "Rastmaslo")
processing linseed and mustard seeds, packing vegetable oil and
producing natural drying oil "Oksol";
Smolensk cannery;
Krasninsky
vegetable drying plant.
The leading sub-sectors are: the automotive industry (22.3%) and
instrumentation (20.8%), the electrical industry (10.8%), machine
building for the light and food industries (7.2%), as well as aircraft
manufacturing, production of energy equipment and metallurgy.
The
main area of specialization of mechanical engineering is the manufacture
of components, parts and spare parts for cars. The main enterprises of
the sub-sector:
Roslavl auto-aggregate plant - brake equipment
(as of 2020, Raaz AMO Zil CJSC is in the process of liquidation)
Other branches of mechanical engineering are represented by individual
enterprises: Smolensk Aviation Plant, Izmeritel, Diffusion, Centaur,
Proton, radio components, commercial equipment, Instrument, complex road
machines, household refrigerators (Aisberg JSC), Dorogobuzh Boiler Plant
(Verkhnedneprovsky Settlement), Vyazemsky Machine-Building Plant,
Avangard JSC (Safonovo), Safonovsky Electric Machine-Building Plant,
Roslavl Plant of Diamond Tools.
Repair enterprises: Roslavl car
repair plant, Smolensk and Roslavl car repair enterprises. Metallurgy:
State unitary enterprise of the city of Moscow "Casting and Rolling
Plant" (Yartsevo).
As of the end of 2020, four power plants with a total capacity of
3,995 MW were operating in the Smolensk Region, including one nuclear
power plant and three thermal power plants. In 2020, they produced
24,606 million kWh of electricity. A feature of the region's energy
sector is the sharp dominance of one power plant - the Smolensk NPP,
which accounts for about 90% of all electricity generation.
The
following power plants operate in the region:
Smolensk NPP (branch of
Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC) with an installed capacity of 3,000 MW;
Smolenskaya GRES (branch of Unipro PJSC) with an installed capacity of
630 MW;
Smolenskaya CHPP-2 (production division of the branch of PJSC
"Quadra - Power Generation" - "Central Generation") with an installed
capacity of 275 MW;
Dorogobuzh CHPP with an installed capacity of 90
MW.
Agricultural enterprises of the Smolensk region in 2020 produced products worth 28 billion rubles, the proceeds from its sale reached 12.2 billion rubles, which is 14% higher than in 2019. This made it possible, among other things, to increase wages in the agricultural sector of the region by an average of 3.5 thousand rubles, at the level of 26.5 thousand rubles. Net profit exceeded 900 million rubles - almost 3.5 times more than last year's result.
The
dairy industry occupies a key place in the agro-industrial complex of
the region - about 70% of all agricultural enterprises in the Smolensk
region are engaged in the production and processing of milk.
As
of January 1, 2016, the number of cattle amounted to about 72.8 thousand
heads, including 32.1 thousand cows, the number of pigs - 219.6 thousand
heads, the number of poultry amounted to 484.8 thousand heads.
Production in 2015: milk - 218.1 thousand tons, meat - 49.2 thousand
tons, eggs - 196.8 million pieces.
The number of cattle at the
end of 2020 in agricultural organizations is 115 thousand heads - 6%
more than last year, including the number of cows - 51 thousand, which
corresponds to the level of last year. In all categories of farms, 90
thousand tons of livestock and poultry meat were produced, which is 1
thousand tons more than last year, and 68% of this volume is pig meat.
In 2020, 159.9 thousand tons of milk were produced (-1.9% compared
to 2019). In 2020, the average milk yield per cow is 4818 kg (+176
kg per year), of which agricultural organizations 4955 kg (+216 kg),
peasant farms 3766 kg (+52 kg), household households 5074 kg (+110 kg).
The average daily milk yield in 2020 in the region from a dairy cow
was 9.5 liters (in the neighboring Kaluga region 22.5 liters, the
average Russian figure is 16.9 liters). The number of dairy cows is
34661 heads. The best milk fat content was shown by the Rudnyansky
district (3.9%). The average fat content in the region is 3.7%.
Agroholding Miratorg has the world's largest herd of Aberdeen Angus beef cattle in 2020: more than 800 thousand heads in the Bryansk, Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk and Kaliningrad regions. The agricultural holding forms one of the world's largest reference databases of Aberdeen Angus cattle. The creation of a domestic genomic index of the breeding value of this breed and popular dairy breeds of cattle will increase the efficiency of livestock breeders, reduce production costs while improving the quality of meat and milk. Miratorg provides the opportunity to raise animals under the conditions of a particular region or at the request of a particular enterprise.
Agricultural lands of the region occupy 1.75 million
hectares (1% of the area of agricultural land in the Russian Federation)
or 35.2% of its territory. 1.3 million hectares fall under arable land;
in the southern regions, plowing reaches 70%.
The gross harvest
of grain and leguminous crops amounted to 286 thousand tons, with a
yield of 27.4 c/ha (in 2019 - 319 thousand tons). Over 60% of grain
crops are wheat: 115.9 thousand tons of it were obtained with an average
yield of 30 centners per hectare. Also threshed 31.5 thousand tons of
barley, the yield is 31.3 c/ha. In 2020, the entire sown area amounted
to 380 thousand hectares, including the sown area of grain and
leguminous crops grew by 10%, amounting to 143 thousand hectares.
In 2020, 20 enterprises sowed fiber flax on 5.3 thousand hectares
(+600 hectares by 2019), 10% of the total sown area in the country (3rd
place in the Russian Federation). Of the 20 flax companies, 6 have their
own primary processing of flax. The gross harvest of flax straw in terms
of flax fiber will be more than 4.5 thousand tons. The Regional
Entrepreneurship Support Fund issues loans for the sowing of fiber flax
at 1% with installment payments up to 3 years. The volume of investments
for the construction of a flax mill for the processing of flax straw
with a line for mechanical modification of flax fiber by Russian Len
exceeded 2 billion rubles.
Crop production of the region
specializes in fodder (44% of sown area) and grain (45%) crops,
production of flax, potatoes and vegetables. Under grain occupied 160
thousand hectares. The development of the linen complex is planned for
2011-2015. It is required to allocate 12,000 hectares for growing flax.
In order to increase the revenue side of the budget in the Smolensk region, special attention is paid to attracting investment. As of 2016, the investment indicator of the region more than doubled compared to 2012. If in 2012 the region ranked 76th among other subjects of the Russian Federation, then in 2016 it was on the 33rd. In 2019, the Smolensk region took 52nd place in this indicator
The main transport hubs of the region are the cities of Smolensk and
Vyazma.
The distance from Smolensk to Moscow is 374 km.
Four lines of the transit gas pipeline
"Siyaniye Severa" of the Torzhok-Minsk-Ivatsevichi section were laid
across the territory of the region, delivering Siberian natural gas to
Western Europe and Belarus. The Yamal-Europe gas pipeline is being
expanded, transit through which in 2006 amounted to 29.5 billion m³.
The main gas pipeline Bryansk - Smolensk - Verkhnedneprovsky with a
compressor station in Smolensk and a total length of 365 km, it is
designed to supply gas to Smolensk, Roslavl, Safonovo, Dorogobuzh,
Verkhnedneprovsky. The total length of main pipelines within the region
exceeds 1500 km (2002).
The region has an extensive network of
high voltage power lines, their total length exceeds 45,000 km. The main
main transmission lines (750 kV) were laid from the Smolensk NPP to the
Tula (Mikhailovskaya substation), Bryansk (Novobryansk substation) and
Kaluga (Kaluga substation) regions, as well as to Belarus. Electricity
transmission outside the region exceeds 15 billion kWh/year.
The territory of the Smolensk region is served by the Moscow
railway.
The main double-track electrified railway line
Moscow-Minsk-Brest is of particular passenger and freight importance; it
passes through Gagarin, Vyazma, Safonovo, Yartsevo and Smolensk. In
addition to it, single-track diesel locomotive lines operate: the
historical Riga - Orel (through Rudnya, Golynki, Smolensk, Pochinok,
Stodolishche and Roslavl), Smolensk - Sukhinichi, Vyazma - Rzhev, Vyazma
- Bryansk, Vyazma - Kaluga and Roslavl - Sukhinichi. In addition, there
are internal branches Durovo - Vladimirsky Tupik (there is a passenger
connection), Smolensk - Soshno (PPZhT Smolenskaya GRES, Ozerny
settlement), Dorogobuzh and Verkhnedneprovsky (only freight traffic).
The length of public railways located on the territory of the Smolensk
region is 1259 km (2002), the length of access railway lines of
enterprises is 672 km (2002).
Several operating (Roslavl peat
enterprise and Redchinskoye peat enterprise) and many abandoned
narrow-gauge railways of logging and peat processing enterprises.
The length of public roads within the region is 10.7
thousand km, 95% has a hard surface, over 60% is improved. The average
density of paved roads is 204 km per 1000 km² of territory. The length
of federal highways is 697 km (motorway Moscow - Minsk, highways Bryansk
- Smolensk and Moscow - Maloyaroslavets - Roslavl), including 96 bridges
and overpasses.
The main roads of the region:
M1 "Belarus"
(length within the region - 298 kilometers, through Gagarin, Vyazma,
Safonovo, Yartsevo and Smolensk);
P120 Orel - Vitebsk (221 km,
through Roslavl, Smolensk and Rudnya);
A101 Moscow - Warsaw ("Old
Polish" or "Varshavka"), 115 km long, through Desnogorsk and Roslavl).
Significant roads include:
P133 Smolensk - Nevel;
P136
Smolensk - Nelidovo;
P132 Vyazma - Kaluga - Tula - Ryazan;
R134
"Old Smolensk Road" Smolensk - Dorogobuzh - Vyazma - Zubtsov;
P137
Safonovo - Roslavl.
Freight turnover of road transport in the
region is 0.6 billion t-km, the volume of cargo transportation is 19.2
million tons / year (2002).
The Smolensk-Severny
airfield, the Smolensk-South landing site are in operation. Several
landing sites with unpaved runways (in Velizh and other cities) are used
only by individual aviation enthusiasts.
On April 10, 2010, a
plane crash occurred at the Smolensk-Severny airfield, which killed
Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria Kaczynska, well-known
Polish politicians, almost all of the high military command, public and
religious figures.
Smolensk has tram (since 1901) and trolleybus (since 1991) systems.
The main professed religion is Orthodoxy. The Smolensk and Vyazemsky
diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church operates on the territory of the
region, which has 140 parishes in all cities and districts of the
region, as well as 8 monasteries. Large Orthodox monasteries are
especially famous in the region: Avramiev in Smolensk, John the Baptist
in Vyazma, Gerasimo-Boldinsky near Dorogobuzh, Spaso-Voznesensky in
Smolensk, St. Demetrius in Dorogobuzh and Spaso-Preobrazhensky in
Roslavl. The Smolensk region is one of 15 regions in which since
September 1, 2006 the subject of the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture
(OPC) has been introduced as a regional component of education. In some
schools of the region, the OPK has been taught since 1991.
In
addition, the following are registered in the region:
2 Orthodox Old
Believer communities (Smolensk, Sychevka)
1 parish of the Roman
Catholic Church (Smolensk)
1 Evangelical Lutheran community
10
Jewish religious organizations (9 in Smolensk and 1 in Roslavl)
religious organization of Muslims of Smolensk and Smolensk region
21
religious organizations of Evangelical Christian Baptists (4 in the city
of Smolensk, 1 each in the village of Igorevskaya in the
Kholm-Zhirkovsky district, the city of Safonovo, the village of Kasplya,
the city of Yartsevo, the village of Monastyrshchina, the city of
Roslavl, the city of Yelnya, Vyazma, Dorogobuzh, Pochinok, Stodolishche
village, Pochinkovsky district, Velizh, Desnogorsk, Gagarin, Demidov,
Christian Mercy Mission "Nehemiah")
19 religious organizations of
Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals) (7 in Smolensk, 2 in Yartsevo, 1
each in Demidov, Safonovo, Rudnya, Roslavl, Desnogorsk, Gagarin, Vyazma,
village of Losnya, Pochinkovsky district, village of Kardymovo,
Rehabilitation Mission of serving convicts "New Life")
7 religious
communities of Seventh-day Adventists (Smolensk, Verkhnedneprovsky
settlement of the Dorogobuzh district, Safonovo, Vyazma, Yartsevo,
Desnogorsk, Gagarin)
2 religious organizations of evangelical
Christians "Christian Charismatic Church" (Smolensk, Roslavl)
2
religious organizations of Jehovah's Witnesses (village Novoseltsy,
Smolensk District, Dorogobuzh)
1 religious organization "United
Methodist Church"
1 religious organization The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints
1 congregation of the Western Regional
Administrative Center of the New Apostolic Church
1 Vaishnava
religious society (community) named after A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada
1 religious organization "Smolensk Society for Krishna
Consciousness"
1 religious organization "Buddhist Center of the
Diamond Way of the Karma Kagyu School of Smolensk"
Interestingly, one
of the currents in Judaism, Chabad, arose in Lubavitch.
The Smolensk region has a developed scientific complex.
The
science
The main scientific and design institutions in the region:
NIPiKTI bases and underground structures. N. M. Gersevanova (branch of
State Research Center "Construction")
GNII Mechanical Engineering
Machine-building design bureau, Smolensk branch
Design Bureau of OAO
Smolenskenergo
OJSC SKTB Program Control Systems
Research
Institute of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
ANO "NII UKS and PK" (in the
process of liquidation)
Main educational institutions:
Smolensk branch of the Moscow Power
Engineering Institute
Smolensk branch of the Moscow University of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
Smolensk State University
Smolensk State Medical Academy
Smolensk State Agricultural Academy
Military Academy of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of the
Russian Federation
Smolensk State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports
and Tourism
Smolensk State Institute of Arts
Smolensk Orthodox
Theological Seminary
Smolensk Academy of Professional Education
The main natural recreation area is the Smolenskoye Poozerye National
Park. Hiking ecological trails, water routes, a children's ecological
camp "Forest Republic" have been created in the park, the mineral spring
"Holy Well" and the settlement of ancient Verzhavsk are especially
popular.
There are many places of interest in the Smolensk
region. Significant tourism destinations include:
Vyazemsky Kremlin
and Smolensk fortress wall
Gnezdovsky archaeological complex
Historical and Artistic Reserve Talashkino
Katyn forest (State
memorial complex "Katyn")
Popular recreation area Krasny Bor
The main football club is Dnepr, which plays in the second division
of the Russian championship, SC Smolensk, Chernozemye MOA Championship.
Leaders of the regional championship: FC "Metallurg" Yartsevo, SC
"Smolensk", "VF MGIU" Vyazma, "Kameya-SGAFKiT" Smolensk.
The
largest stadium in the region is the Spartak stadium with a capacity of
9,000 people.
Hockey club "Slavutich" - the champion of the RHL
season 2013-2014. He holds home matches at the Ice Palace of the
Smolensk State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism (SGAFKST)
with a capacity of 1080 people.
The region has one 50-meter
swimming pool, located in Smolensk at SGAFKST, and 22 25-meter swimming
pools, there are 5 children's sports schools in swimming.
In the Smolensk region there are many musical groups, groups of
various kinds. Concerts and festivals are held in Smolensk and the
region. One of the largest and most famous is the annual all-Russian
rock festival "Safony" in the city of Safonovo. The annual music
festival named after M. I. Glinka is the oldest in Russia.
Monuments of history and culture
In 1974, in the Smolensk region,
there were monuments and memorable places subject to state protection,
in the amount of 1996 items, including:
a) archeological monuments -
574;
b) historical monuments - 1160;
c) architectural monuments -
250;
d) monuments of monumental art - 12.
There are more than 25 museums in the region, two of which are of regional subordination: the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve, the United Memorial Museum of Yu. A. Gagarin and one federal subordination: the State Historical, Cultural and Natural Museum-Reserve of A.S. Most museums are concentrated in the city of Smolensk. The oldest museum is the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve, founded in 1888, it includes 12 exposition departments in Smolensk and 4 branches in the region, occupies 38 buildings (28 of them are monuments of history and culture)