Severodvinsk (; ) is the second-largest city in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the oblasts north, in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center and most populous city of the oblast. As of the 2021 Census, the population was 157,213. Due to the presence of important military shipyards (specialising in submarines since the Soviet period), Severodvinsk is an access-restricted town for foreign citizens. A special permit is required.
It was previously known as Sudostroy (until 1938), and Molotovsk (until 1957).
History Pre-20th century Vikings explored the territories around the North Dvina River - part of Bjarmaland - at the start of the second millennium. British and NormanSeverodvinsk—test of strength (Russian), "Pravda Severa" publishing house, 1998 ships came to these places for mining, fur and fishing before the 13th century, but later the climate became colder and access to the northern seas became closed.
The historical records first mention the settlement on the site of modern Severodvinsk in 1419, when the Swedes sailed into the bay and burnt down the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery that stood by the shore during the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars. Tradition has it that Saint Euphemius, an Orthodox missionary in Karelia, founded this monastery. The abbey stood in ruins until 1471, when two sons of Marfa Boretskaya died in a vicious storm; their bodies were recovered on the beach near the monastery twelve days later. At the urging of Boretskaya, the monastery was restored and her sons were buried there.
On August 24, 1553, a ship of Richard Chancellor reached the salt-mining settlement of Nyonoksa, which is still famous for its traditional wooden architecture. The British sailors visited the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery, where they were surprised to find a community of "sailors in soutanes (cassocks)" and a pier large enough to accommodate several ships. The main church of this extraordinary establishment was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the holy patron of sailors; hence, the whole White Sea became known in 16th-century English maps as "St. Nicholas Bay". In late 1613, during the Time of Troubles in Russia, Polish-Lithuanian vagabonds, the Lisowczycy, captured and looted Severodvinsk with the monastery.
The Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery flourished after the establishment of the Muscovy Company, as the bulk of their trade passed through the local harbor. In August 1618 the harbour was visited by John Tradescant the elder, who conducted a survey of an island situated opposite the monastery. This island became known to the British as "Rose Island", because it was there that Tradescant found an exceedingly rare plant which he named "Rosa moscovita" (which is now known as Rosa acicularis) and brought back to London.
The surviving buildings of the monastery were constructed at the close of the Muscovite period. The five-domed cathedral of St. Nicholas was built between 1670 and 1674, preceded by the Assumption church (1664–1667), to which it is joined by a gallery. Several decades later, the walls and towers were built of timber; the Soviets transported the best-preserved of these towers to Kolomenskoye, Moscow, where it still remains.
Modern city Severodvinsk is the second-largest city in the Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its main industry remains defense-related — the construction and repair of submarines at the huge Northern Machine-building Enterprise SEVMASH (), which built the Soviet Union's first nuclear submarine Leninsky Komsomol here in 1957. From 1976 to 1981 Dmitry Donskoy, the world's largest submarine, a Typhoon class boat, was also built here, as later recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In the Soviet period the modern city of Severodvinsk developed from 1936 onwards. Initially dubbed Sudostroy ( - "Boat-build"), it received town status in 1938; from 1938 until 1957 it was named Molotovsk (), after Vyacheslav Molotov (1890-1986). On September 12, 1957, it was renamed Severodvinsk (meaning "Northern Dvina town").
Construction Site 203 aimed to complete the warship-building project and build the city and was driven by the Yagrinlag camp complex (1938-1953) and its thousands of prisoners.
During the Soviet Union's participation in World War II between 1941 and 1945 a significant portion of the materials delivered by the Arctic Convoys to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk were unloaded in Molotovsk (Severodvinsk). For example, the Empire Elgar, a British heavy-lift ship arrived in Arkhangelsk with convoy PQ 16 in May 1942 and subsequently spent eight weeks unloading ships from the ill-fated convoy PQ 17.
A Russian naval-base supports the sea trials of nuclear submarines from the major submarine construction- (64.5817 N, 39.8307 E) and repair-facilities located in the area. In Soviet times, the 17th-century buildings of the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery, located on the territory of the shipyard, were adapted and used for shipbuilding purposes. In recent years, the monastery buildings, specifically the main church, have been restored and re-consecrated. Church-goers attending services have to be shipyard workers or able to obtain a pass to enter the church portion of the shipyard.
Severodvinsk is an access-restricted town for foreign citizens. A special pass is required.
On 8 August 2019, a nuclear accident took place on the Russian Navy's Central Missile Range in Nyonoksa, 30 km to the west from Severodvinsk.
Administrative and municipal status Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with eleven rural localities, incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Severodvinsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.Oblast Law #65-5-OZ As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Severodvinsk is incorporated as Severodvinsk Urban Okrug.Oblast Law #258-vneoch.-OZ
Demographics Population: +Population of Severodvinsk from 1939 to the present193919441959196219671970197321,00028,900 78,657 97,000 121,000 144,672 160,000 1975197619791982198519861987177,000 177,000 197,232 214,000 238,000 233,000 239,000 1989199019911992199319941995248,670 255,000 252,000 250,000 245,000 243,000 246,000 1996199719981999200020012002244,000 237,000 239,000 231,800 229,300 232,800 201,551 2003200420052006200720082009201,600 199,300 197,400 195,200 193,200 191,400 188,855 2010201120122013201420152016192,353 191,794 190,083 188,539 187,284 186,172 185,075 2017201820192020202120222023183,996 183,255 182,291 181,990 180,806 +Ethnic groups population according to the All-Russian population census of 2010Ethnic groupPopulationPercentage of those who indicated their ethnicity, %Russians176,39795.50Ukrainians3,1351.70Belarusians1,1490.62Tatars4060.22Azerbaijanis2550.14Chuvash2370.13Indians1810.10Armenians 1400.08Mordvins1340.07Komi1090.06Moldovans1080.06Jews1070.06Udmurt1040.05Mari910.05Germans620.03Bashkirs580.03Lezgins540.03Lithuanians520.03Others1,9301.04Total of those who indicated
their ethnicity184,709100,00Citizens who did not specify
their ethnicity8898 From 1950 until 1990, high-tech industries generated demand for a considerable quantity of suitably qualified experts and workers which prompted growth in population. Since 1992, the population has declined due to economic crises and unemployment that has provoked significant migration from the city.
Geography
Location The city is located near the Nikolsky mouth of the Northern Dvina at its confluence with the White Sea, 35 km northwest of Arkhangelsk, administrative centre of the region.
The area of Severodvinsk Urban Okrug, which includes the city of Severodvinsk and nearby rural settlements, is , which is more than the area of Moscow within the MKAD. It is due to the fact that in addition to the city of Severodvinsk a large forest area with its settlements (villages and dachas) to the south and west of the city is included in the boundaries of Severodvinsk Urban Okrug itself. The area of the city within the city limits is .
The city is located at a latitude of 64°34′N, which means that it is possible to observe the northern lights.
Climate Climate in Severodvinsk is subarctic according to the Köppen climate classification. Summers are cool and winters are very cold. The average winter temperature is lower than in the central, southern and even some northern (such as Saint-Petersburg) regions of the European part of Russia. In December the Sun rises after 9 am and sets before 4 pm. But from May 17 to July 27 white nights are observed in the city.
Economy
Industry
The main role of the city has been, and remains, the production and repair of submarines and military ships. During the Cold War, the city prospered, but with the decline and break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War the city has declined. The city's large military enterprises have survived the economic crises of the 1990s and have adjusted to new economic conditions. Severodvinsk now has the largest shipbuilding yard in Russia for large ships (tankers, cargo ships).
Large and military factories "SevMash"() or Northern Machine-building Enterprise () core line of business is the construction and repair of submarines and other naval ships, as well as civilian vessels and oil platforms "Zvezdochka" ( ("Starlet")) Repair of submarines, military and civil ships, construction of oil platforms and faceting of diamonds. "Severny Reyd" (("Northern Raid")) Manufacture of marine equipment. "Arktika" ( ("Arctic")) Manufacture of automated equipment.
Transportation Severodvinsk is the terminal station of a railway line which splits off at Isakogorka station from the line connecting Moscow and Arkhangelsk.
The Kudemskaya narrow-gauge railway in 2010 has appeared in Forbes ranking, of 10 most beautiful railway routes of the world.
Sport
Sport teams representing Severodvinsk in city, regional and all-Russian competitions: "Sevmash" (also represents Northern Machine-building Enterprise) - football, futsal, ice hockey, bandy, volleyball, floorball; "Zvezdochka" (also represents "Zvezdochka" enterprise) - football, futsal, hockey, volleyball; "Sever" - bandy.
Social sphere
Education
There are 32 middle schools of general education in Severodvinsk, including special schools for orphans and handicapped children; two musical schools and two art schools.
Secondary vocational education institutions Technical College (part of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University since 2011) Technical School of Construction, Design and Technology Technical School of Shipbuilding and Engineering Technical School of Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Technical School of Social Infrastructure Technical School of Wiring and Communication College of Management and Information Technology Branch of Arkhangelsk Medical College
Higher education institutions The city hosts branches of the following institutions: Northern (Arctic) Federal University (including Institute of Shipbuilding and Maritime Arctic Engineering (ISMART) and Institute of Humanities) International Institute of Management (Arkhangelsk) Moscow Modern Humanitarian Academy Northwest Academy of the State Service (St. Petersburg)
Monuments
There are nearly twenty monuments and memorial complexes in the city, including: a monument honoring the city founders on Pashaeva Square (a 30-meter sculpture); a monument to the renowned Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, who was born in the region. One of the city's central streets is named after him; two monuments to Vladimir Lenin; the city gate, on the road from Arkhangelsk; a monument to the home front workers of World War II; military memorial complex on Yagry island which includes monument to World War II participants "The Grieving Motherland", monuments to the victims of the Kursk submarine disaster and the liquidators of the Chernobyl disaster.
Cultural heritage