The Olonets province was one of the northern parts of the Russian Empire. She was singled out for governorship by decree of Catherine the Great in 1784. Apart from short breaks, the province existed until 1922.
Location
The Olonets province was located within 60-68 degrees north latitude, at 45-59 degrees east longitude.
The province was bordered by the following lands:
- Novgorod and St. Petersburg provinces, the 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 was just over 116 square versts, which is 130 square kilometers.
History
The future Olonets province was part of different territories, the most famous of which was Veliky Novgorod. In 1649, the Olonets district was created. It was part of the Ingermanlad, 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 a region, and since 1784 - governorship. From 1796 to 1801, governorate was abolished.
The year of creation of the Olonets province is considered the 1801th. Alexander the Second ruled at this time, he also approved the emblem of the province.
With the advent of Soviet power, the province was included in the Union of Communities of the Northern Region, and later in the Karelian Labor Commune. In 1920, the province was again formed, since the Russian and Vepsian population lived there. But turning a blind eye to the national homogeneity of the Karelian labor commune, in 1922 they decided to abolish the Olenets province and divide it into different counties and provinces, including Karelia.
Governors of the province
The first ruler of the Olonets governorship was Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin. He is known for his poetry, but in addition he was a statesman, senator, secret adviser.
He stayed ruler for only two years. During this time, he managed to organize the formation of various provincial institutions, put into operation the first city hospital in the province. Thanks to field inspections, he wrote notes in which he showed the relationship 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 province Okulov Aleksey Matveevich managed affairs only one year.
Wealth of the land
The Olonets province was rich in water resources. On its territory there were a large number of lakes and rivers. The largest of them are Lake Onega, the Svir, Onega, Vyg and others rivers .
Also, the region is rich in forests and the following minerals:
- granite;
- gold;
- lead;
- silver;
- mica;
- iron ores;
- marble;
- amatistas;
- pearls;
- multi-colored clays;
- Marcial waters.
The region had its drawbacks in the form of barren stony soil and an unfavorable climate with often changing winds. But the presence of animals in the forests, and in ponds of fish compensated for such shortcomings for people.
Provincial city
The main city on the Olonets land all the time was Petrozavodsk. Today it is the largest city in the region, as well as the capital of the Republic of Karelia.
The history of the city began with the founding in 1703 of the Shuisk arms factory by Peter the Great. The territory of the plant was surrounded by a shaft and 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 Great visited the factory, they built a wooden palace, a camp church, and set up a garden. Also, a settlement arose around the plant, which increased every year.
Under Catherine the Great, a new cannon-foundry (Aleksandrovsky) was built. After its opening in 1777, Petrozavodsk officially became a city, and in 1781 the center of Olonets land.
During the war of 1812, the city became a temporary refuge for some of the treasures of the Academy of Arts. The Russian National Library, the Ministry of Education, part of the Main Pedagogical Institute, as well as the affairs of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences moved to Petrozavodsk.
More detailed information about other settlements of the region is contained in the book "Olonets province: lists of settlements in 1879."