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MurmanskHarbour
Murmansk Port
Flag of Murmansk Oblast
Flag
Coordinates: 68°58′N 33°05′E / 68.967°N 33.083°E / 68.967; 33.083
Official foundation
date (see text)
October 4, 1916
Government
 • Head Alexey Veller
Website http://www.citymurmansk.ru/
MurmanskProspektLenin

Central part of Murmansk

Murmansk (Russian: Му́рманск; Kildin Sami language: Мурман ланнҍ; Northern Sami language: Murmánska; Skolt Sami language: Muurman) is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, an inlet of the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland. Population: 307,257 (2010 Census);[1] 336,137 (2002 Census);[2] 468,039 (1989 Census).[3] Despite its rapidly declining population, Murmansk remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

History[]

Панорама центральной части г

Aerial view of Murmansk, 1936

Murmansk was the last city founded in the Russian Empire.[4] In 1915, World War I needs led to the construction of the railroad from Petrozavodsk to an ice-free location on the Murman Coast in the Russian Arctic, to which Russia's allies shipped military supplies.[5] The terminus became known as the Murman station and soon boasted a port, a naval base, and an adjacent settlement with a population which quickly grew in size and soon surpassed the nearby towns of Alexandrovsk and Kola.[5]

On June 29 [O.S. July 12], 1916, Russian Transport Minister Alexander Trepov petitioned to grant urban status to the railway settlement.[5] On July 6 [O.S. July 19], 1916, the petition was approved and the town was named Romanov-on-Murman (Рома́нов-на-Му́рмане, Romanov-na-Murmane), after the royal Russian dynasty of Romanovs.[5] On September 21 [O.S. October 4], 1916, the official ceremony was performed,[5] and the date is now considered the official date of the city's foundation. After the February Revolution of 1917, on April 3 [O.S. April 16], 1917, the town was given its present name.[6]

Английский крейсер Глори на Мурманском рейде

HMS Glory, flag ship of the British North Russia Squadron in Murmansk

In the winter of 1917 the British North Russia Squadron under Rear Admiral Thomas Kemp was established at Murmansk.[7]

From 1918 to 1920, during the Russian Civil War, the town was occupied by the Western powers, who had been allied in World War I, and by the White Army forces.[8]

On February 13, 1926, local self-government was organized in Murmansk for the first time, during a plenary session of the Murmansk City Soviet, which elected a Presidium.[6] Prior to this, the city was governed by the authorities of Alexandrovsky Uyezd and later of Murmansk Governorate.[6] On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", which transformed Murmansk Governorate into Murmansk Okrug within Leningrad Oblast and made Murmansk the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug.[6]

In 1934, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee developed a redistricting proposal, which included a plan to enlarge the city by merging the surrounding territories in the north, south, and west into Murmansk.[6] While this plan was not confirmed by the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee, in 1935–1937 several rural localities of Kolsky and Polyarny Districts were merged into Murmansk anyway.[6]

According to the Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee resolution of February 26, 1935, the administrative center of Polyarny District was moved from Polyarnoye to Sayda-Guba.[9] However, the provisions of the resolution were not fully implemented, and due to military construction in Polyarnoye, the administrative center was instead moved to Murmansk in the beginning of 1935.[9] In addition to being the administrative center of Murmansk Okrug, Murmansk also continued to serve as the administrative center of Polyarny District until September 11, 1938.[6] On February 10, 1938, when the VTsIK adopted a Resolution changing the administrative-territorial structure of Murmansk Okrug, the city of Murmansk became a separate administrative division of the okrug, equal in status to that of the districts.[6] This status was retained when Murmansk Okrug was transformed into Murmansk Oblast on May 28, 1938.[6]

During World War II, Murmansk was a link to the Western world for Russia, with large quantities of goods important to the respective military efforts traded with the Allies: primarily manufactured goods and raw materials into the Soviet Union. The supplies were brought to the city in the Arctic convoys.

German forces in Finnish territory launched an offensive against the city in 1941 as part of Operation Silver Fox, and Murmansk suffered extensive destruction, the magnitude of which was rivaled only by the destruction of Leningrad and Stalingrad.[10][11] However, fierce Soviet resistance and harsh local weather conditions prevented the Germans from capturing the city and cutting off the vital Karelian railway line and the ice-free harbor.

For the rest of the war, Murmansk served as a transit point for weapons and other supplies entering the Soviet Union from other Allied nations. This unyielding, stoic resistance was commemorated at the 40th anniversary of the victory over the Germans in the formal designation of Murmansk as a Hero City on May 6, 1985.[12] During the Cold War Murmansk was a center of Soviet submarine and icebreaker activity. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the nearby city and naval base of Severomorsk remains the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet.

In 1974, a massive 35.5-meter (116 ft) tall statue Alyosha, depicting a Russian World War II soldier, was installed on a 7-meter (23 ft) high foundation. In 1984, the Hotel Arctic, the tallest building above the Arctic Circle, opened.

To commemorate the 85th anniversary of the city's foundation, the snow-white church of the Savior-on-the-Waters was modeled after the White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal and built on the shore for the sailors of Murmansk (see photograph).

Administrative and municipal status[]

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated as the City of Murmansk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[13] As a municipal division, the City of Murmansk is incorporated as Murmansk Urban Okrug.[14]

City divisions[]

As of 2012, the city is divided into three administrative okrugs:[15]

  • Leninsky (Ленинский)
  • Oktyabrsky (Октябрьский)
  • Pervomaysky (Первомайский)

City districts were established in Murmansk for the first time by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR of April 20, 1939; at the time, three city districts (Kirovsky, Leninsky, and Mikoyanovsky) were created.[6] They were abolished on June 2, 1948.[6] The same city districts were created for the second time on June 23, 1951.[6] Mikoyanovsky City District was renamed Oktyabrsky on October 30, 1957, but on September 30, 1958, all three city districts were again abolished.[6] On June 10, 1967, two city districts were created (Leninsky and Oktyabrsky); Pervomaysky City District was split from Oktyabrsky on February 21, 1975.[6] In the Charter of the Hero City of Murmansk, adopted on December 17, 1995, the city districts started to be referred to as administrative okrugs.

Transportation[]

Murmansk Railway Station

The Murmansk central rail station, in the city center near Five Corners

The port of Murmansk remains ice-free year round due to the warm North Atlantic Current and is an important fishing and shipping destination. It is home port to Atomflot, the world's only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers.[16]

The port is the headquarters of Sevmorput (Northern Sea Route), and the administration of Russian Arctic maritime transport.

Murmansk is linked by the Kirov Railway to St. Petersburg and is also linked to the rest of Russia by the M18 Kola Motorway. Murmansk Airport provides air links to Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as an international connection to Tromsø, Norway.

Buses and trolleybuses provide local transport.

Murmansk

Trolley Ziu-682

Arctic Bridge[]

Murmansk is set to be the Russian terminus of the Arctic Bridge (or Arctic Sea Bridge), a sea route linking it to the Canadian port of Churchill, Manitoba. The passage has not been fully tested for commercial shipping yet, but Russia has shown interest in it. It is believed that, once developed (along with the Northwest Passage), the bridge will serve as major trade route between Europe and Asia.

Climate[]

Murmansk features a subarctic climate, with long and cold winters and short but relatively mild summers. In the city, freezing temperatures are routinely experienced from October through May. Average temperatures exceed 0 degrees Celsius only from May through October. The average low during the coldest part of the year in Murmansk is approximately −14 °C (7 °F). However temperatures routinely plunge below −20 °C (−4 °F) during the winter. Murmansk's brief summer is mild, with average highs in July exceeding +17 °C (63 °F). The city is slightly wetter during the summer than the winter, seeing an average of just under 500 mm (20 in) of precipitation each year.

Education[]

Murmansk is home to Murmansk State Technical University, the Murmansk State Pedagogical University and the Murmansk Institute of Humanities. The city also has eighty-six primary schools and fifty-six secondary schools, two boarding schools, and three reform schools.

Media[]

Murmansk's evening newspaper is Vecherny Murmansk, published since 1991.

Sports[]

The city's association football team, FC Sever Murmansk, plays in the Russian Second Division.

Bandy club Murman has played in the highest division of the Russian Bandy Super League, last in 2011-2012. Their home arena has a capacity of 5000.[17] The city is one of only three places with representation in the female league, through the team Arktika.

Culture[]

Murmansk has two main (and several small) museums: Murmansk Oblast Museum and Murmansk Oblast Art Museum. There are also three professional theaters, libraries, and an aquarium in Murmansk.

Notable people[]

  • Nikita Alexeev, ice hockey player
  • Aleksey Goman, pop singer
  • Valentina Gunina, Chess Grandmaster
  • Irina Kovalenko, supermodel and Miss Russia winner
  • Vladimir Konstantinov, ice hockey player
  • Larisa Kruglova, sprinter
  • Sergey Kuryokhin, actor and musician
  • Irina Malgina, triathlete
  • Yevgeny Nikitin, opera singer
  • Sergey Rozhkov, biathlete
  • Alexei Semenov, ice hockey player
  • Zlata Ognevich, Ukrainian singer
  • Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, pranker

Twin towns and sister cities[]

Murmansk is twinned or has sister city relationships with:

  • Iceland Akureyri, Iceland
  • Norway Vadsø, Norway
  • Netherlands Groningen, Netherlands[18]
  • United States Jacksonville, Florida, United States
  • Sweden Luleå, Sweden
  • Finland Rovaniemi, Finland
  • Norway Tromsø, Norway
  • Poland Szczecin, Poland[19]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm. Retrieved June 29, 2012. 
  2. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" (in Russian) (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002]. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved August 9, 2014. 
  3. Demoscope Weekly (1989). "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989]. Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved August 9, 2014. 
  4. The Moscow Times. It's Always Colder in Murmansk, May 20, 2012
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 24
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, pp. 60–63
  7. Clifford Kinvig (November 23, 2007). "Churchill's Crusade". Hambledon & London. ISBN 9781847250216. OCLC 747256147. 1847250211. http://openlibrary.org/books/OL9819337M/Churchill's_Crusade. 
  8. "Bolshevik, North Russian, Royal Navy, Expeditionary Force, Archangel, Dvina River". Naval-history.net. http://www.naval-history.net/WW1z05NorthRussia.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, p. 48
  10. Мурманску исполняется 90 лет(Russian)
  11. Газета «Вечерний Мурманск» Выпуск № 93 от 28 мая 2005 (Russian)
  12. "Nature Administrative-territorial system". 2004.murman.ru. 1916-10-04. http://2004.murman.ru/nature/adm_delenie/murmansk/index-eng.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
  13. Law #96-01-ZMO
  14. Law #531-01-ZMO
  15. Charter of Murmansk, Article 3.1
  16. "Atomflot – Bellona". Bellona. http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/civilian_nuclear_vessels/radwaste/30138. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 
  17. "Google Translate". Translate.google.se. http://translate.google.se/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.rusbandy.ru/stadium/13/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.rusbandy.ru/stadium/13/%26hl%3Den%26tbo%3Dd%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D545&sa=X&ei=hx-7UInoO4j_4QTTnYCoAQ&ved=0CC0Q7gEwAA. Retrieved 2013-03-12. 
  18. "Groningen — Partner Cities". © 2008 Gemeente Groningen, Kreupelstraat 1,9712 HW Groningen. http://www.groningen.nl/functies/pagfunctie.cfm?parameter=1285. Retrieved December 8, 2008. 
  19. "Kontakty partnerskie Miasta Szczecin" (in Polish). Urząd Miasta Szczecin. Archived from the original on 2012-08-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20120818001351/http://bip.um.szczecin.pl/umszczecinbip/chapter_11296.asp. Retrieved 2013-07-29. 

Sources[]

  • Мурманская областная Дума. Закон №96-01-ЗМО от 6 января 1998 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Мурманской области», в ред. Закона №1953-01-ЗМО от 24 декабря 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Мурманской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Мурманской области"». Опубликован: "Мурманский Вестник", №10, стр. 3, 16 января 1998 г. (Murmansk Oblast Duma. Law #96-01-ZMO of January 6, 1998 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Murmansk Oblast, as amended by the Law #1953-01-ZMO of December 24, 2015 On Amending the Law of Murmansk Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Murmansk Oblast". ).
  • Мурманская областная Дума. Закон №531-01-ЗМО от 2 декабря 2004 г. «О статусе муниципального образования город Мурманск». Вступил в силу 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Мурманский Вестник", №234, стр. 3, 7 декабря 2004 г. (Murmansk Oblast Duma. Law #531-01-ZMO of December 2, 2004 On the Status of the Municipal Formation of the City of Murmansk. Effective as of January 1, 2005.).
  • Совет депутатов города Мурманска. Решение №20-235 от 10 марта 2006 г. «Устав муниципального образования город Мурманск», в ред. Решения №15-202 от 4 февраля 2010 г «О внесении изменений в Устав муниципального образования город Мурманск, утверждённый Решением Совета Депутатов города Мурманска от 10.03.2006 (с изменениями и дополнениями от 31.05.2006 №23-263, от 05.10.2006 №24-298), с последующими изменениями, внесёнными Решениями Совета депутатов города Мурманска от 13.11.2007 №43-529, от 03.04.2008 №48-588 и от 03.06.2009 №5-57». Вступил в силу в соответствии со статьёй 81. Опубликован: "Вечерний Мурманск", спецвыпуск, стр. 1–12, 10 ноября 2006 г. (Council of Deputies of the City of Murmansk. Decision #20-235 of March 10, 2006 Charter of the Municipal Formation of the City of Murmansk, as amended by the Decision #15-202 of February 4, 2010 On Amending the Charter of the Municipal Formation of the City of Murmansk, Adopted by the Decision of the Council of Deputies of the City of Murmansk of March 10, 2006 (with the Amendments and Supplements #23-263 of May 31, 2006, #24-298 of October 5, 2006), with Subsequent Amendments, Introduced by the Decisions of the Council of Deputies of the City of Murmansk #43-529 of November 13, 2007, #48-588 of April 3, 2008, and #5-57 of June 3, 2009. Effective as of the day determined by the provisions of Article 81.).
  • Архивный отдел Администрации Мурманской области. Государственный Архив Мурманской области. (1995). Административно-территориальное деление Мурманской области (1920-1993 гг.). Справочник. Мурманск: Мурманское издательско-полиграфическое предприятие "Север". 

External links[]

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