Belsky District, Tver Oblast

Belsky District (Russian: Бе́льский райо́н) is an administrative[1] and municipal[5] district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and borders with Nelidovsky District in the north, Oleninsky District in the northeast, Sychyovsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the east, Novoduginsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the southeast, Kholm-Zhirkovsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the south, Dukhovshchinsky District of Smolensk Oblast in the southwest, and with Zharkovsky District in the west. The area of the district is 2,135 square kilometers (824 sq mi).[2] Its administrative center is the town of Bely.[1] Population: 6,582 (2010 Census);[3] 8,125 (2002 Census);[8] 10,005 (1989 Census).[9] The population of Bely accounts for 57.3% of the district's total population.[3]

For other places with the same name, see Belsky District.

Belsky District Бельский район
District
Women's College, Belsky District
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Belsky District in Tver Oblast
Coordinates: 55°50′N 32°56′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tver Oblast[1]
Established	1 October 1929
Administrative center	Bely[1]
Area [2]
• Total	2,135 km^2 (824 sq mi)
Population  (2010 Census)[3]
• Total	6,582
• Estimate  (2018)[4]	5,397 (-18%)
• Density	3.1/km^2 (8.0/sq mi)
• Urban	57.3%
• Rural	42.7%
Administrative structure
• Administrative divisions	6 rural settlement
• Inhabited localities	1 Cities/towns, 140 Rural localities
Municipal structure
• Municipally incorporated as	Belsky Municipal District[5]
• Municipal divisions[6]	1 Urban settlements, 6 Rural settlements
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [7])
OKTMO ID	28606000
Website	http://www.belej.ru/

Geography

The area of the district is divided between the drainage basins of the Western Dvina and the Dnieper Rivers. The rivers in the northern and the central part of the district drain into the Mezha, a left tributary of the Western Dvina. The biggest tributary of the Mezha within the district is the Obsha. Small areas in the south of the district belong to the drainage basin of the Vop, a right tributary of the Dnieper. Over 65% of the area of the district is occupied by forest.[2]

History

The fortress of Bely is first mentioned in a chronicle in 1350, since it was conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was located on the border between Lithuanian and Russian lands, and intermittently changed affiliation between Lithuania (later Poland) and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, until in 1654 it finally went to Moscow.[10]

In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Belsky Uyezd of Smolensk Governorate and remained there until 1929, with the exception of the brief periods between 1713 and 1726, when it belonged to Riga Governorate, and between 1775 and 1796, when Smolensk Governorate was transformed into Smolensk Viceroyalty.

On 12 July 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Belsky District with the administrative center in the town of Bely was established. It belonged to Rzhev Okrug of Western Oblast.[11][12] On August 1, 1930 the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were subordinated directly to the oblast. On 27 September 1937 Western Oblast was abolished and split between Smolensk and Oryol Oblasts. Belsky District was transferred to Smolensk Oblast.[11][13] During World War II, in 1941—1943, the district was occupied by German troops. On August 22, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Velikiye Luki Oblast. On October 2, 1957, Velikiye Luki Oblast was abolished, and Belsky District was transferred to Kalinin Oblast. On February 13, 1963 the district was abolished and merged into Nelidovsky District; on November 3, 1965 it was re-established.[13] In 1990, Kalinin Oblast was renamed Tver Oblast.[12]

Economy

Industry

There are enterprises of timber and food industries, located in Bely.[14]

Agriculture

The main agricultural specialization of the district is cattle breeding with meat and milk production.[14]

Transportation

A paved road connecting Nelidovo and Smolensk via Dukhovshchina crosses the district from north to south, passing Bely. There are local roads. There are no railways in the district; the closest railway stations are in Nelidovo (on the railway connecting Moscow and Riga via Velikiye Luki) and Vladimirsky Tupik (the terminus of a railway which branches off in Safonovo from the line connecting Moscow and Smolensk.

Culture and recreation

The building of the former high school for girls, Bely

The district contains eleven cultural heritage monuments of federal significance (five of them in Bely) and additionally ninety-two objects (sixty-five of them in Bely) classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federally protected monuments are the Saint Mitrophan Church om the village of Dunayevo, the Saint Nicholas Church in the village of Chichaty, as well as archeological sites related to the old town of Bely and several monuments to the soldiers fallen in the World War II.[15]

There is a local museum in Bely, founded in 1925.[16]

References

Notes

1. Государственный комитет Российской Федерации по статистике. Комитет Российской Федерации по стандартизации, метрологии и сертификации. №ОК 019-95 1 января 1997 г. «Общероссийский классификатор объектов административно-территориального деления. Код 28 206», в ред. изменения №278/2015 от 1 января 2016 г.. (State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. Committee of the Russian Federation on Standardization, Metrology, and Certification. #OK 019-95 January 1, 1997 Russian Classification of Objects of Administrative Division (OKATO). Code 28 206, as amended by the Amendment #278/2015 of January 1, 2016. ).
2. "Бельский район и г. Белый" (in Russian). Administration of Belsky District. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
3. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
4. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
5. Law #4-ZO
6. Law #19-ZO
7. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
8. 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" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
9. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
10. "Историческая справка" (in Russian). Belsky District Administration. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
11. Воробьёв, М. В. (1993). Г. В. Туфанова (ed.). Административно-территориальное деление Смоленской области (in Russian). Государственный архив Смоленской области. pp. 118–133.
12. Малыгин, П. Д.; Смирнов, С. Н. (2007). История административно-территориального деления Тверской Области (PDF). Tver. pp. 14–15. OCLC 540329541.
13. Справка об изменениях в административно-территориальном делении Тверской губернии - Калининской области (in Russian). Архивы России. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
14. "Экономика" (in Russian). Belsky District official website. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
15. Памятники истории и культуры народов Российской Федерации (in Russian). Russian Ministry of Culture. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
16. "Бельский краеведческий музей" (in Russian). Российская сеть культурного наследия. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.

Sources

• Законодательное Собрание Тверской области. Закон №4-ЗО от 18 января 2005 г. «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований Тверской области и наделении их статусом городских округов, муниципальных районов», в ред. Закона №65-ЗО от 24 июля 2012 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 2 Закона Тверской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований Тверской области и наделении их статусом городских округов, муниципальных районов"». Вступил в силу через десять дней после официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Тверские ведомости", №3, 21–27 января 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of Tver Oblast. Law #4-ZO of January 18, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations of Tver Oblast and on Granting Them the Status of Urban Okrugs, Municipal Districts, as amended by the Law #65-ZO of July 24, 2012 On Amending Article 2 of the Law of Tver Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations of Tver Oblast and on Granting Them the Status of Urban Okrugs, Municipal Districts". Effective as of the day which is ten days after the official publication.).
• Законодательное Собрание Тверской области. Закон №19-ЗО от 28 февраля 2005 г. «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований, входящих в состав территории муниципального образования Тверской области "Бельский район", и наделении их статусом городского, сельского поселения», в ред. Закона №56-ЗО от 13 июля 2009 г «О внесении изменений в Приложение №1к Закону Тверской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований, входящих в состав территории муниципального образования Тверской области "Бельский район", и наделении их статусом городского, сельского поселения"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Тверские ведомости", №10, 11–17 марта 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of Tver Oblast. Law #19-ZO of February 28, 2005 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations Comprised by the Territory of the Municipal Formation of "Belsky District" and on Granting Them the Status of Urban and Rural Settlements, as amended by the Law #56-ZO of July 13, 2009 On Amending Appendix 1 of the Law of Tver Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations Comprised by the Territory of the Municipal Formation of "Belsky District" and on Granting Them the Status of Urban and Rural Settlements". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).