Severodvinsk

Severodvinsk (English) Северодвинск (Russian)
—  Inhabited locality  —
Location of Arkhangelsk Oblast on the map of Russia
Location of Severodvinsk on the map of Arkhangelsk Oblast
Coordinates: 64°34′N 39°49′E / 64.567°N 39.817°E / 64.567; 39.817Coordinates: 64°34′N 39°49′E / 64.567°N 39.817°E / 64.567; 39.817
Coat of arms
Holiday	Last Sunday of June[citation needed]
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Arkhangelsk Oblast
In administrative jurisdiction of	Arkhangelsk Oblast[citation needed]
Administrative center of	Primorsky District[citation needed]
Municipal status
Municipal Status	Urban okrug
Mayor[citation needed]	Alexander Belyaev[citation needed]
Representative body	City Council of Deputies]][citation needed]
Statistics
Area	120.51 km2 (46.5 sq mi)[citation needed]
Population (2002 Census)	201,551 inhabitants[1]
- Rank	91st
- Density	1,672 /km2 (4,300/sq mi)[2]
Time zone	MSK/MSD (UTC+3/+4)
Founded	1936[citation needed]
Postal code(s)	164500, 164525 - 164528[citation needed]
Dialing code(s)	+7 +7 (8184) (6 Numerals) (81842) (5 Numerals)[citation needed]
Official website	Site

Severodvinsk (Russian: Северодви́нск) is a city in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, 35 kilometers (22 mi) west of Arkhangelsk. The town was founded as Sudostroy (Судострой). Population has declined in recent years (201,551 (2002 Census);^[3] 248,670 (1989 Census).^[4]).

History

View of the Karelian Monastery of St. Nicholas in the early 20th century

The territories around the North Dvina were discovered at the start of the first millennium by Vikings. British and Norman^[5]. 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 settlement on the site of modern Severodvinsk was first mentioned in 1419, when the Swedes sailed into the bay and burnt down the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery that stood by the shore. This monastery is believed to have been founded by St. Euphemius, an Orthodox missionary in Karelia. 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 Nenoksa, 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" 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".

The Nikolo-Karelsky Monastery flourished after the establishment of the Muscovy Company, as the bulk of their trade passed through the local harbour. 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" and brought back to London^[6].

The surviving buildings of the monastery were constructed at the close of the Muscovite period. The five-domed cathedral of St. Nicholas was built in 1670-74, preceded by the Assumption church (1664-67), to which it is joined by a gallery. Several decades later, the walls and towers were built of timber; the best preserved of these towers was transported by the Soviets to Kolomenskoye, Moscow, where it still remains.

Severodvinsk is the second largest city in Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its main industry remains defense related — the construction and repair of submarines at the huge Northern Machinebuilding Enterprise-SEVMASH (Северное Машиностроительное Предприятие-СЕВМАШ). The Soviet Union's first nuclear submarine Leninsky Komsomol was built here in 1957 and at the beginning of the 1980s, the world's largest submarine, Typhoon class submarine, was also built here, and it was later recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Modern city

The modern city of Severodvinsk was developed in the Soviet period. As it began to be built it was called Sudostroy (Судострой)^[5]. It received town status in 1938 and until 1957 was named Molotovsk (Мо́лотовск), after Vyacheslav Molotov. On 12 September 1957 it was renamed Severodvinsk.

During World War II, a significant portion of the materials delivered to Russia by the Arctic Convoys to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk were unloaded in Severodvinsk. For example, the Empire Elgar, a British heavy lift ship that arrived in Arkhangelsk with convoy PQ16 and subsequently spent eight weeks unloading ships from the ill-fated convoy PQ17.

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. The 17th-century buildings of the Nikolo-Korelsky monastery were adapted and are still used for shipbuilding purposes^[7].

Population

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.

Economy and industry

The main role of the city has been, and remains, the production and repair of the 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. High-tech enterprises by a narrow margin changed industry under new necessities. 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

Borei class submarine

• "SevMash"(СевМаш) or Northern Machine-building Enterprise (Северное машиностроительное предприятие)

core line of business is the construction and repair of submarines and other naval ships, as well as civilian vessels and oil platforms

• "Zvyozdochka" (Звёздочка)

Repair of submarines, military and civil ships, construction of oil platforms and faceting of diamonds.

• "Severny Reyd" (Северный рейд)

Manufacture of marine equipment.

• "Arktika" (Арктика)

Manufacture of automated equipment

• "SevDorMash" (СевДорМаш)

manufacture of road-building equipment and snow-ploughs.

Social sphere

Education

In the city there are 32 schools, a school for handicapped children, school for orphans, legal school.

Higher education institutions

The city hosts branches of the following institutions:

• M.V.Lomonosov Pomorian state university.
• St. Petersburg State Maritime Technical University
• International Institute of Management (Arkhangelsk)
• Moscow Modern Humanitarian Academy
• Northwest Academy of the State Service (St. Petersburg)

Monument

City Gate

There are approximately twenty monuments and memorial complexes in the city, including:

• a monument honoring the city founders on Shipbuilder Square (a 30-metre sculpture);
• a monument to the famous Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, who was born in the region - one of the city's central streets is named after him;
• the city gate, on the road from Arkhangelsk; and
• a monument to the support workers of World War II.

City in culture

• K-19: The Widowmaker
• Nuclear underwater epic, film of Discovery Channel
• Documentary film of Alexandr Ipatov, "Severodvinsk, a bird's-eye view" (Russian "Северодвинск, вид с высоты птичьего полёта")

Notable natives and residents

• Marina Prusakova, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, the gunman accused of assassinating US President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Severodvinsk is twinned with:

• Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States
• Bryansk, Russia
• Mazyr, Belarus
• Sumy, Ukraine
• Tiraspol, Transnistria

Gallery

Yubileynaya st.	Lomonosova st.	Nikolsky posad hotel	Ship builder place
Drama Theatre	Chapel on Jagry island	Factory Submarines production "SevMash"	View on city

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Severodvinsk

• (Russian) History of the Nikolo-Korelsky Monastery
• (Russian) Official website of city.
• (Russian) Unofficial website of city. Photos, information, forum

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