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Kirov Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Kirov Region is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain in central European Russia. The main topographical features are the Vyatskie Ridges in the central part of the region, the Verkhnekamskaya Upland (elevations to 337 m) in the northeast, and the Northern (Severnye) Ridges in the north. The region has an area of 120 800 km2 and extends 570 km from north to south and 440 km from west to east. The population of Kirov Region is 1 589 000 people; 70% of the population is urban.
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The region borders on Tatarstan and the Republic of Mari El in the south, Volgograd Region in the west, Arkhangelsk Region and the Komi Republic in the north, the Komi-Permyak Autonomous District in the northeast, and the Udmurt Republic in the southeast, which ensures stable internal and foreign economic ties. Kirov Region has a well-developed transportation system of main railway lines and highways, and there is an airport.
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Kirov Region was formed on December 7, 1934. It is divided administratively into 39 districts, 6 cities under regional jurisdiction, 13 cities under district jurisdiction, 58 towns, and 580 rural councils.
The main rivers are the Vyatka and Kama, which are part of the Volga Basin.
The climate is temperate continental with an average January temperature of -14 °C and an average July temperature of +17 °C. Annual precipitation is about 500 mm.
Soils are mainly podzolic in coniferous forest areas and sod-podzolic in mixed coniferous-deciduous forest areas.
The administrative center is the city of Kirov founded in 1374. It stretches for 25 km along the banks of the Vyatka River 896 km from Moscow. Kirov is subdivided into Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, Pervomaisky, and Novovyatsky districts. It is a major railway (the Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kotlas, and Perm lines all pass through it) and highway junction, and there is also a river port and an airport. The population of Kirov was 465 400 people in 2000.
The main industrial sectors are engineering and metalworking, nonferrous and ferrous metallurgy, and the chemical, microbiological, forest, woodworking, pulp and paper, light (including leather shoes and furs), and food industries. Production of building materials, phosphorite, and peat is also important.
Agriculture is mainly oriented towards grain and livestock. Grains, long-fibered flax, potatoes, and vegetables are grown and meat, milk, wool, and eggs are produced.
The city of Kirov is also an important scientific and cultural center. Architectural and historical monuments that have been preserved in the city and the region are of great historical significance.
Four state and 10 private higher educational institutions and more than 50 specialized secondary schools operate in the region. In addition, there are more than 1000 libraries (one of which, the Gertsen Regional Science Library, is the country's oldest library), more than 1000 clubs, 3 theaters, 35 museums (the Vasnetsov Regional Art Museum is one of the country's leading museums), a museum of anthropology, a philharmonic, an organ hall in Aleksandrovsky Catholic Church, and exhibition halls.
HISTORY
Vyatka land has a very long history. It was first settled in the Upper Paleolithic from 50 000 to 15 000 years ago. Tribes began to form in the latter half of the 1st millennium A.D.: Udmurt tribes in the eastern part of the Vyatka basin, Maris in the west, and Komis in the north. The population's main occupations were agriculture, livestock herding, and fur trapping. Most of the territory was uninhabited and covered with forests and swamps. Russians began to arrive in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and settled in the vacant lands among the Udmurts and Maris. The influx of Russians intensified in the second half of the 13th century as a result of the Mongol-Tatar invasions.
Vyatsk is first mentioned in the chronicle in 1374. At that time (1370s), Vyatka land was part of the Nizhny Novgorod princedom. The princedom was annexed to Moscow in 1393 and shortly thereafter passed into the possession of Yury Galitsky. The process of forming a unified Russian state was underway in 1478. In 1485, after the expulsion of the grand prince's governor, Yury Shestak Kutuzov, the boyars [nobles ranking below a prince] proclaimed Vyatka's independence, but it was split up only a few years later (1490). All the boyars and merchants were expelled from the territory, and residents of Ustyug and other cities were brought in to take their place.
The annexation of Vyatka land to the Russian state was of great significance. The lands along the middle course of the Vyatka and Cheptsa rivers, namely, Arsk land and Slobodskoi, Glazovsky, Orlovsky, and Kotelnichesky districts, were considered part of these lands. The southern districts were subjects of the Kazan Khanate. In the 16th century, Vyatka had one of the highest rates of settlement and agricultural development. The predominance of Russians among the population, which contributed to a gradual process of assimilation and Christianization, is evidence of this. There were already three Russian districts (Sarapulsky, Karakulinsky, and Elabuzhsky) in the Udmurt territories along the Kama by the 1490s, and another district, Vyatskopolyansky, was forming at the end of the 16th century. Between the 1530s and 1550s, the cities received land deeds establishing elective government. The city of Slobodskoi received the first deed in 1540, and the remaining cities of Vyatka land received theirs two years later. After the introduction of a local administration (zemstvo) system to replace rule by governors in 1557, the local population began electing city, town, and village representatives.
When the Siberian Khanate was abolished in the late 16th century, Vyatsk ceased to be a remote outpost of the Russian state and became a connecting link between the central, Volga, and Ural-Siberian districts.
In the 17th century, Khlynov, with a population of 4400, became the largest city in northeastern European Russia. The vast Vyatskaya and Velikopermskaya diocese (eparchy) was organized in the city and began its activities in 1658. Administrative reforms also had enormous significance for the territory. One example is the municipal administrative reform of 1699, when local government offices under the direct jurisdiction of the Moscow city council were set up in the city. They were in charge of the municipal economy and services, tax collection, etc. A few years later, during the provincial reforms of 1708-1710, many districts became part of the provinces of Siberia, Kazan, and Arkhangelsk. Vyatka Province, with 14 128 households, was formed as part of the larger province of Siberia in 1719, but was subsequently transferred to Kazan Province in 1727. This was an economically advantageous move for Vyatka, since it brought its northern and southern districts together.
In 1780, the Vyatka governorship with its center in Khlynov was formed in the course of administrative and territorial changes that were taking place in the region in the late 18th century. Thirteen districts (uezdy) were included in the new governorship, and the new cities of Glazov, Nolinsk, and Sarapul were founded. Nineteen years later, the governorship was transformed into a province headed by the governor. Altogether, 31 governors ruled in Vyatsk from the time the province was set up in 1798. In addition, as a result of the church administration reforms in 1799, the Vyatskaya and Velikopermskaya eparchy was split up and the new eparchy of Vyatskaya and Slobodskaya was formed in the territory. Finally, two districts were abolished in 1802, leaving the province with 11 districts.
After Aleksandr II signed the manifesto abolishing serfdom on February 19, 1861, 23 929 manor and factory serfs were released from bondage. Local district councils were established as a result of the administrative reforms of 1864, and local government elections were held in the province in 1867. Among the elected councilors, 55% were peasants, 20% were merchants, and 11.5% were members of the clergy.
Stolypin's agrarian reforms also affected this territory. The peasants viewed the changes with suspicion and even hostility, but after they were introduced, the Vyatka district assembly (zemstvo) became quite active in the areas of agriculture, public education, health, etc. The province was now considered one of the best in Russia. Over period of eight years, 127 000 people left the province, but 35 161 returned to it.
Aleksandr II approved Vyatka Province's new coat of arms on December 8, 1856. Judicial reform carried out in 1864 eliminated the old estate courts, although jury courts were not established until 1874-1875.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.
In 1920, a number of small southern and eastern districts (volosti) and villages were shifted from Vyatka as a result of the formation of the Tatar Autonomous Republic and the Mari and Votskaya [now the Udmurt Republic] autonomous regions.
The territory did not escape the Civil War and intervention of 1918-1921. Then in 1921-1922, it was hit by famine, followed by a typhus epidemic in late 1922. The death rate doubled during those years. The postwar period was accompanied by rebuilding of the province on the basis of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which consisted of free trade, entrepreneurship, and private sector stimulation. However, the basic principles of the NEP never really took hold in agriculture, where the only effect was to reduce all the peasants to the same level, or in industry.
The country's first office of the International Organization for Aid to Fighters of the Revolution (IOAR) began operations here in January 1923.
The administrative and territorial reforms of 1929 eliminated the old division of the country into provinces and districts (uezdy, volosti) and introduced a new system of division into regions, territories, and districts (raiony). Vyatsk Province was abolished, and its territory became part of Nizhny Novgorod Territory. The city of Vyatsk became a district center.
On December 5, 1934, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) passed a resolution renaming the city from Vyatsk to Kirov, and Kirov Territory was formed on December 7. It included the Udmurt Autonomous Region, 37 districts (raiony) of Gorki Region (which had formerly been part of Vyatka Province), as well as Sapapulsky and Votkinsky districts of Sverdlovsk Region. Following the adoption of the new Constitution in 1936, Kirov Territory was transformed into Kirov Region and the Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) was separated from it.
Kirov residents played an important role during the Second World War. Red Army units were quickly mobilized, and infantry divisions were formed. The people of Kirov not only worked heroically in industry and agriculture to bring about a speedy victory, but also rendered all possible assistance to the front. In the postwar years, the successes of Kirov residents in communal livestock farming and in fulfilling their socialist obligations to the state often received high praise from the Soviet government.
On June 25, 1974, the region was awarded the Order of Lenin for achievements in economic and cultural development, and the city of Kirov received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. The economic reforms and political transformations that took place during the perestroika years led to a deterioration of the region's socioeconomic situation. The socialist system of power finally came to an end after the events of October 1993 [the assault on the White House and Ostankino TV tower in Moscow on October 3 and 4, 1993], and governors, mayors, and Duma members began to be elected. Elections for the first regional Duma were held on March 20, 1994. The first elections for governor of Kirov Region took place in 1996, when V.N. Sergeenkov was elected. The 200th anniversary of Vyatka Province and the 60th anniversary of Kirov Region were celebrated on December 5, 1996.
RESOURCES
Until recently, Kirov Region was not considered to be particularly rich in economic minerals. However, in the last few years, oil, gold, glass-making sand, ceramic clay, iodide-bromide underground water, and other valuable natural resources have been added to known deposits of iron and copper ores, peat, phosphorites, mineral water, and therapeutic mud.
The region is located in the northwestern part of the Volga-Urals oil and gas province and is surrounded by oil-producing districts like the Republic of Tatarstan, the Udmurt and Komi republics, and Perm Region. Geologists believe that there are significant prospects for finding oil fields in the region. According to the results of an evaluation by an interdepartmental commission, the region's total initial geological reserves amount to 588.3 million tons, 132.6 million tons of which are recoverable.
Peat deposits are widespread: 2000 deposits with probable reserves of 435 million tons have been identified. Most of the peat reserves (65%) are concentrated in 10 deposits over an area of more than 5000 hectares and 44 deposits over an area of 1000 hectares. More than half of these reserves are classed as having high calorific efficiency and are used as fuel. Peat is also used extensively in agriculture. Most of the large producing deposits are in economically developed districts of the region. New peat-processing technologies have increased the importance of the region's raw material base.
There are well-known oil shale beds in the northeastern and northern districts, although they are not currently being worked. Large deposits of oil shale with total commercial-grade reserves of 2 billion tons, including 800 million tons suitable for use as energy feedstock, have been discovered in Nagorsky and Belokholunitsky districts. New closed-cycle, wasteless, nonpolluting production and heat treatment technologies make it possible to obtain light oil, bitumen, rare oils, medicines, building materials, and other products in addition to electric power and make development of the reserves and organization of new industries in the region practicable.
The region has abundant mineral and mud springs that form the operating basis for the famous Nizhneivkino resort.
Forests have always been Kirov Region's main resource. They cover 65% of the region and are an important source of medicinal plants, mushrooms, berries, and wild game. Coniferous species predominate; total useful timber reserves amount to 345.5 million m3. Kirov Region is Russia's fourth-largest producer of commercial timber and lumber.
About 50 lacustrine [lake] sapropel (aquatic ooze, used mainly in the chemical industry) deposits have been identified in 12 districts. Commercial reserves amount to 420 000 tons; and probable reserves, to about 6 million tons. Sapropel from deposits located in resort areas is used as therapeutic mud.
Eighteen types of underground mineral water found at depths of up to 200 m have been investigated. They can be used for medicinal purposes.
ECOLOGY
The ecological situation is Kirov Region as a whole is a cause for concern. The main sources of air pollution are the power industry (AO Kirovenergo), woodworking, the chemical and petrochemical industries, and housing and public services.
Rivers in the region are characterized as "moderately polluted" according to hydrochemical indicators. The main contaminants are petroleum products, copper, and iron. Furthermore, disturbed lands are not always or everywhere reclaimed properly. The state-owned company Kirtorf, agricultural businesses, and the Verkhnekamsky phosphorite mine have the greatest backlog of unreclaimed lands.
No more than 40% of the mass of produced wastes is used annually as secondary (recycled) resources. The exceptions are companies in the forest and wood-processing industries, where this figure is 80%.
The sources of environmental stress connected to waste handling are clear: a high density of industrial wastes on city lands in Kirov, Kirovo-Chepetsk, and Slobodskoi (56% of the total mass) and an absence of regional centers (sites) for neutralizing unrecycled industrial wastes.
The main environmental topic of the next decade will undoubtedly be the destruction of chemical weapons stored in the Maradykovsky Arsenal. The position of the regional administration in this matter is unequivocal: we must guarantee people's safety and eliminate the possibility of toxic waste generation. Work on destroying the chemical weapons will not begin until the appropriate social infrastructure is in place.
Any decisions relating to the chemical weapons arsenal must be implemented with the consent of Kirov residents. Therefore, the governor has decreed the formation of a commission consisting of representatives of the regional administration, the administrations of Orichevsky and Kotelnichesky districts, the scientific community, and the public.
A great deal of work has been done to improve the situation at the Nizhneivkino resort, where serious deficiencies in the operation of the mineral water wells and payment of taxes by their users have been uncovered.
Ecology and health are inseparable. That is self-evident.
ECONOMY
Kirov Region is part of the Volga-Vyatka economic district located in the central part of European Russia in the Volga and Vyatka river basins. Its economic complex had already begun forming and developing before the Revolution, in large part because of the transfer points and trading posts located in Vyatka, which later led to the formation of large trading centers. Agriculture was the priority sector at first, but starting in 1940, there was an upsurge in development of an industrial complex, especially the engineering, metalworking, and chemical industries. The largest companies include engineering plants (May 1, Lepse, Avitek, and Mayak), a machine-tool plant, a farm-machinery plant, Fizpribor, the Krin instrument plant, a construction equipment plant, a household appliance plant, a tire plant, a plant producing synthetic building materials, a nonferrous metalworking plant, and a biochemical plant. In addition, there are companies producing leather shoes and leather and fur items, e.g., Iskozh; textile, furniture, and woodworking factories; a meat-packing plant; and match and musical instrument factories.
Nearly 22 000 businesses and organizations of various forms of ownership are registered in Kirov Region, including 13 100 in the area of material production, 5100 public-sector companies and organizations, and 16 800 private-sector companies and organizations.
The regional administration gives priority to creating favorable conditions for economic development and attraction of investments. A number of special programs aimed at promoting increased production, developing small and medium businesses, and solving social and environmental problems are being implemented in the region. Various programs to raise funds on international capital markets are also being developed and implemented.
A strong government presence and government regulation of large companies are of fundamental importance in the region's economic development. This is one of the key features of the Vyatka model of reform, which has protected production facilities that have fallen into the hands of incompetent or criminal owners and increased the efficiency of company operations. The region's leadership has been able to avert a landslide collapse of the industrial and production infrastructure in key areas and preserve agriculture. Local resources supply more than 55% of the food market.
Kirov Region was one of the first Russian regions to pass a Law "On Pricing Policy in Kirov Region", which will establish the legal foundations for a pricing system and define the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of legal entities and citizens of the region.
An adequate supply of mineral resources is an important factor influencing economic development in the region. In terms of reserves and diversity of economic minerals, Kirov Region is on a level with most Russian regions.
Kirov Region is part of the Volga-Vyatka agricultural zone, where more than half of the area sown in grain is located in Kirov Region itself. Agricultural land occupies 27% of the region's territory. The most important grain crops are winter and spring wheat and rye. Barley and oats are grown for fodder. Increased specialization in the production of more promising fodder crops like winter rye, barley, oats that are most suited to the region's climatic conditions is anticipated in the future. Potatoes are also extensively cultivated. Potato production is noted for its low cost and relatively low labor input, which allows expansion of the area under potato cultivation. Long-fibered flax is the main commercial crop, but the sown area has decreased in recent years due to low yields and high labor input.
The Vyatka Honey program, which involves breeding pedigree bees and increasing production, has been in place in the region since 1999. The Kirovpcheloprom beekeeping industry association has also been formed.
Plant products make up 62% of gross agricultural production; and animal products, 38%.
Livestock breeding (cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry) is widespread and is of great importance in the region.
The region is self-sufficient in milk and meat and annually ships up to 10 00 tons of meat products and 100 000 tons of dairy products to other Russian regions.
Agriculture is changing as a result of the transition of the economy to market relations. A system of large research and design institutes that provide the agricultural complex with the latest scientific developments is concentrated in Kirov Region.
New forms of management are evolving in the country, for example, leasing relations and a farmer's movement. The agricultural complex is served by 213 industrial facilities that process agricultural products; however, these facilities are characterized by a high degree of depreciation of fixed capital stock and underequipment. Development of the agricultural processing sector requires major investments in reconstruction and retooling.
Wild plant products such as berries, mushrooms, and medicinal plants grow abundantly in the region. Commercial reserves amount to 38 000 tons per year; and economic reserves, to 10 200 tons. The harvest includes lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, mountain ash, and bird cherries. Nearly 100 varieties of medicinal herbs found in the region are used in conventional medicine; the average harvest is 250 tons of raw pharmaceutical materials. Mushrooms are harvested from more than 250 000 hectares in the region.
Kirov Region has a well-developed transportation infrastructure consisting of 1600 km of operating general-use railway track, highways (155 km per 1000 km2), and more than 2000 km of inland waterways.
Gas and oil pipelines pass through the region as well. The ceremonial start of construction of the 174-km-long Omutinsk-Yar-Rudnichny gas pipeline took place in August 1999. Additional construction of gas pipelines and gas boilers is planned in the near future, and funds have been allocated for gasification.
Expansion of foreign economic ties has contributed to the rapid pace of economic development in Kirov Region. The region is involved in international business cooperation with companies in Italy, Germany, France, the United States, India, China, and a number of other countries.
AUTHORITIES
The Administration of Kirov Region headed by the Governor is the highest executive body.
Legislative Assembly of Kirov Region is the region's highest legislative body.
CULTURE AND ART
The intellectual development of Vyatka land has been enriched by the intricate blending of various cultures that has taken place in the course of its history. As a result, the region presents unique opportunities for cultural cooperation.
Folklore and folk arts are an important part of the region's spiritual life. Vyatka accordionists and chastushka [short humorous Russian songs] groups have wide high awards at Russian festivals over the years. Young violinists, accordionists, and folk instrument players have also been prizewinners.
The production of traditional clay toys (figures of ladies in crinolines, hussars, whistles shaped like animals, horsemen, etc.) has been preserved in Dymkovo on the far side of the river from Kirov. Dymkovo toys are made of baked clay with a multicolor design painted in tempera on a white background. The elegant baroque Trinity (Troitskaya) Church dating from 1770-1775 is located in the village of Makarye not far from Dymkovo.
Just as in the rest of this vast country, Kirov Region has many talented writers, artists, film makers, architects, and musicians.
The regional administration has approved a program to develop film making in Kirov Region. The main authors of the program are the Department of Culture and Art and the government-owned company Kirov Regional Film Distribution (Kirovsky oblastnoi kinoprokat). The primary objectives of the program are a strengthening of the material and technical base of film-making facilities and companies, providing a high level of film service to the public, and priority screening of the best domestically produced films.
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