Olonets province: the history of the Olonets province

Olonets province was one of the northern parts of the Russian Empire. It was separated into a separate governorate by decree of Catherine the Great in 1784. Apart from small breaks, the province existed until 1922.

Location

Olonets province was located within 60-68 degrees of northern latitude, at 45-59 degrees east longitude.

Bordered the province with the following lands:

• Novgorod and St. Petersburg gubernias, shores of Lake Ladoga (south);
• Arkhangelsk Province (north);
• White Sea, Vologda Province (east);
• Finland (west).

The length in both directions was 700 versts, and the total area - just over 116 square miles, which is 130 square kilometers.

History

The future Olonets province was part of various territories, the most famous of which was Veliky Novgorod. In 1649 the Olonets Uyezd was established. It was part of the Ingermanland, St. Petersburg, Novgorod provinces.

The history of the Olonets province begins in 1773, when the above-mentioned Catherine the Great created the Olonets province. Later it became an area, and since 1784 - a vicegerency. From 1796 to 1801 the viceroyalty was abolished.

The year 1801 is considered the year of the creation of Olonets Gubernia. Rules at this time Alexander II, he also approved the coat of arms of the province.

With the advent of Soviet power, the province was included in the Union of Communes of the Northern Region, and later in the Karelian Labor Commune. In 1920, again formed a province, since there lived the Russian and Vepsian population. But having closed eyes to the national homogeneity of the Karelian labor commune, in 1922 they decided to abolish the Olenets province and divide it into different districts and provinces, including Karelia.

The governors of the province

Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin became the first ruler of the Olonets viceroyalty. He is known for his poetry, but in addition he was a statesman, senator, secret adviser.

Ruler, he stayed only two years. During this time he managed to organize the formation of various provincial institutions, introduced the first in the province city hospital. Thanks to visiting inspections, he wrote notes in which he showed the interrelation of natural and economic factors.

If we consider the governors of the province since 1801, then there were more than twenty. The first governor of the Olonets Gubernia Okulov Alexey Matveyevich managed the business for only one year.

The richness of the province

Olonets province was rich in water resources. On its territory there were a large number of lakes and rivers. The largest of them - Lake Onega, the river Svir, Onega, Vyg and others.

Also the region is rich in forests and the following minerals:

• granite;
• gold;
• lead;
• silver;
• mica;
• Iron ore;
• marble;
• Amatists;
• pearl;
• Colored clays;
• Martial water.

The region had its shortcomings in the form of infertile stony soil and unfavorable climate with frequently changing winds. But the presence of animals in the forests, and in fish reservoirs compensated for such shortcomings for people.

Provincial City

The main city on the Olonets land was Petrozavodsk all the time. Today it is the largest city of the region, and also the capital of the Republic of Karelia.

The history of the city began with the foundation in 1703 of the Shuya Arms Factory by Peter the First. The territory of the plant was surrounded with a shaft and the guns were placed on it. The plant gradually turned into a fortress that was able to withstand the Swedes. Soon the plant became the largest enterprise of the state.

Since Peter the First visited the factory, a wooden palace, a church for the church, and a garden were built for him. Also around the plant there was a settlement, which grew every year.

Under Catherine the Great was built a new cannon-foundry (Alexandrovsky). After its opening in 1777, Petrozavodsk officially became a city, and in 1781 it became the center of the Olonets land.

During the war of 1812, the city became a temporary refuge for some of the treasures of the Academy of Arts. In Petrozavodsk, the Russian National Library, the Ministry of Education, part of the Main Pedagogical Institute, as well as the affairs of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences moved.

More detailed information about other settlements of the region is contained in the book "Olonets Gubernia: Lists of Settlements in 1879".