Vologda Oblast is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The oblast has a population of 1,202,444 (2010 Census). The largest city is Cherepovets, the home of the Severstal metallurgical plant, the largest industrial enterprise in the oblast.
Vologda Oblast is home to many historic monuments, such as the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Monastery (a World Heritage Site) with the frescoes of Dionisius, the two medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, and the baroque churches of Totma and Ustyuzhna.
Large reserves of wood and fresh water are the main natural resources.
History
The area of Vologda Oblast was settled by Finnic peoples in prehistory, and most of the toponyms in the region are, in fact, Finnic. Vepsians, who still live in the west of the oblast, are the descendants of that population. Subsequently, the area was colonized by the Russians. Belozersk was mentioned in chronicles in 862 as one of the oldest towns in Russia. Much of the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, in particular, Totma was founded in 1152. Veliky Ustyug and the west of the current territory of the Oblast, with Belozersk and Ustyuzhna, belonged to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and were constantly threatened by Novgorod. Not later than in the 13th century, the Novgorod merchants already reached the White Sea. They reached the area by using the waterways. The main waterway to the White Sea was the Northern Dvina, and Novgorod merchants used the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna, along the Slavyanka River into Lake Nikolskoye, then the boats were taken by land to Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from there downstream along the Porozovitsa River into Lake Kubenskoye and further to the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina.
In the 13th century, minor principalities started to proliferate. First, the Principality of Beloozero separated from Rostov, its northern and northeastern parts in the 15th century became quasi-independent, forming smaller feudal states like the Principality of Zaozerye or the Principality of Kubena. Many smaller principalities are only mentioned once in chronicles, and the very existence of these principalities is questionable. Between 1452 and 1481, Vologda was the center of the Principality of Vologda, the last independent principality in Vologda lands. By the end of the 15th century, all these lands were a part of the Great Duchy of Moscow.
In the 14th and the 15th centuries, the lands around Vologda became attractive for monks looking for desolate areas but still wishing to keep connections with the princes of Moscow. The princes, in their turn, viewed the monasteries as means to keep the influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow in its remote areas. A number of influential monasteries, including Spaso-Prilutsky, Pavlo-Obnorsky, Kirillo-Belozersky, and Ferapontov monasteries, were founded. Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery soon became one of the most prominent Russian monasteries, with a lot of political influence, and successful economic development.
In the middle of the 15th century, the Vologda Lands were strongly involved with the Muscovite Civil War: Thus, Vasily the Blind was exiled to Vologda in 1446 and was released from his allegiance oath by the hegumen of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, and by the late 1440s the Sukhona valley became the battlefield between the retreating army of Dmitry Shemyaka and the army of Vasily, chasing Shemyaka. During the Time of Troubles, the area was ravaged by Polish troops, who at some point besieged Vologda but did not succeed in conquering the city.
In the 17th century, Vologda was a prosperous city located on the main trading route from Moscow to Western Europe. During the reign of Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century, Vologda became a shipbuilding center and played an important role in support of Russian military operations against Sweden. However, the importance of Vologda as a trade center was diminished after Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703, and the foreign trade was rerouted to the Baltic Sea. Peter even imposed restrictions on the White Sea trade.
Vologda was the northernmost territory where serfdom existed in Russia. In the lands west and south of Vologda, estates existed, but to the north and east of Vologda serfdom was never implemented, and the population owned their land.
In 1708, Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates.Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов The description of the borders of the governorates was not given; instead, their area was defined as a set of towns and the lands adjacent to those towns. Two of the governorates, Archangelgorod Governorate (east of the oblast) and Ingermanland Governorate (west of the oblast), were located in the present-day area of Vologda oblast. Vologda became a part of Archangelgorod Governorate. Subsequently, the western part of the Oblast was transferred to Novgorod Governorate. In 1780, Vologda became the administrative center of Vologda Viceroyalty which included the territory of the former Archangelgorod Governorate. Eventually, the viceroyalty was transformed into Vologda Governorate. After a sequence of further administrative reforms, Vologda Oblast was established in 1937.
During the Second World War, the Soviet Union operated a prisoner-of-war camp in Kornilyevo, first for Poles and Finns captured during the Soviet invasions of Poland and Finland, and later for German POWs. Parts of Oshtinsky District in the west of the oblast became the only areas of Vologda Oblast to be occupied by foreign (Finnish) troops. The Finnish advance was stopped in October 1941, but the occupation continued till June 1944, when the Soviet Army started to advance.
In 1955, the construction of Severstal in the city of Cherepovets, the biggest industrial enterprise in the oblast, was completed.
On 4 July 1997, Vologda, alongside Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Magadan, and Saratov signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy. The agreement would be abolished on 15 March 2002.
Politics
During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Vologda CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.
The politics in the oblast is governed by the Charter of Vologda Oblast. The laws within the authority of the oblast are passed by the Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. The highest executive body is the Vologda Oblast Administration. It also includes the executive bodies of the subdivisions such as districts, and is responsible for the daily administration. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the governor who is the head of the oblast and acts as guarantor of the observance of the Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.
As a subject of the Russian Federation, the Vologda Oblast has a certain constituent power, which consists of the right to adopt its charter, laws, and other regulatory legal acts. The charter of the Vologda Oblast establishes the foundations of the legal status, ensuring human and civil rights, as well as the institutions of democracy, the economic and financial foundations of the region, the foundations of socio-cultural policy, the organization of state power, administrative-territorial division and the organization of local self-government.
First secretaries of the Vologda Oblast CPSU Committee In the period when they were the most important authority in the oblast (1937 to 1991), the following first secretaries were appointed
1937: Grigory Andreyevich Ryabov, executed during the Great Purge 1937–1942: Pavel Timofeyevich Komarov 1942–1945: Boris Fyodorovich Nikolayev 1945–1952: Vasily Nikitich Derbinov 1952–1955: Alexey Vladimirovich Syomin 1955–1960: Ivan Sergeyevich Latunov 1960–1961: Vadim Sergeyevich Milov 1961–1985: Anatoly Semyonovich Drygin 1985–1990: Valentin Alexandrovich Kuptsov 1990–1991: Vladimir Ivanovich Saranskikh
Governors Since 1991, governors were sometimes appointed, and sometimes elected:
1991–1996: Nikolay Mikhaylovich Podgornov, head of the administration, appointed 1996–2011: Vyacheslav Yevgenyevich Pozgalyov, head of the administration, appointed; then governor, elected 2011–2023: Oleg Alexandrovich Kuvshinnikov, governor, appointed; then elected in 2014 2023–present: Georgy Yuryevich Filimonov, governor, appointed then elected in 2024
Legislative Assembly Legislative power is exercised by the Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast - a unicameral parliament of 34 deputies elected by a mixed electoral system (17 + 17) by the region's inhabitants for a five-year term. The current convocation was elected in September 2021. The deputies represent five parties: United Russia (24), Communist Party (5), Liberal Democratic Party (2), A Just Russia (2), and Party of Pensioners (1). The current chairman is Andrei Lutsenko. The next elections are expected in September 2026.
Governor and government
Executive power is exercised by the governor, the government of the Vologda Oblast headed by him, and other executive authorities. The governor is elected by the region's inhabitants for a term of five years and cannot hold the said position for more than two consecutive terms. The current governor is Georgy Filimonov of United Russia. In December 2011, he was appointed acting governor and then empowered by deputies of the Legislative Assembly. In 2012, in most subjects of the Russian Federation, direct elections of governors were returned with a municipal filter, a two-term limit, and the possibility of dismissal by decree of the President of the Russian Federation. In the early elections in September 2014, Kuvshinnikov won 62.98% of the vote and was elected for five years. In the elections in September 2019, Kuvshinnikov was re-elected for five years.
Legislative power is exercised by the Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast, a unicameral parliament consisting of thirty-four deputies.
Geography
Vologda Oblast borders with Arkhangelsk Oblast in the north, Kirov Oblast in the east, Kostroma Oblast in the southeast, Yaroslavl Oblast in the south, Tver and Novgorod Oblasts in the southwest, Leningrad Oblast in the west, and the Republic of Karelia in the northwest.
Vologda Oblast is located on the East European Plain, and most of it represents forested hilly landscape. The southwest of the oblast, along the Sheksna and the Mologa, is flat. The northwestern part is mostly of glacial origin, with the Andoma Hills, the Veps Hills, and a number of minor hill chains. The highest point of the oblast is high Malgora hill.Peakbagger - Gora Malgora In the east of the oblast, the valleys of the Vaga, the Sukhona, and the Yug are cut through the hills. The southeast of the oblast is occupied by the Northern Ridge, which is located south of the valley of the Sukhona.
Much of the area of the oblast is occupied by coniferous forest (taiga) and by swamps.