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79-646: The egg is made out of Karelian birch panels set in a gold frame. This is a departure in design from previous eggs, which were far more ornate and gilded. The change was due to austerity measures taken as a result of World War I , both by the Russian Imperial family, and the House of Fabergé. A number of the Fabergé Imperial Easter eggs created during the war (those ordered by the Tsar as Easter gifts for members of

158-532: A 2012 survey 55.1% of the population of Leningrad Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church , 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians , 1% are Muslims , 1% of the population adheres to the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery), 1% are Old Believers . In addition, 20% of the population declared to be " spiritual but not religious ", 8% is atheist , and 9.9% follows other religions or did not give an answer to

237-607: A portion of Karelia to Russia. The Treaty of Åbo in 1743 between Sweden and Russia then ceded South Karelia to Russia. After Finland had been occupied by Russia in the Finnish War , parts of the ceded provinces ( Old Finland ) were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812. In 1917, Finland became independent and the border was confirmed by the Treaty of Tartu in 1920. Finnish partisans were involved in attempts to overthrow

316-531: A power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy. This agreement would be abolished on 18 April 2002. Population : 2,000,997 ( 2021 Census ) ; 1,716,868 ( 2010 Census ) ; 1,669,205 ( 2002 Census ) ; 1,661,173 ( 1989 Soviet census ) . Vital statistics for 2022: Total fertility rate (2022): 0.87 children per woman Life expectancy (2021): Total — 70.17 years (male — 65.43, female — 74.94) Ethnic composition (2021) According to

395-592: A small part of the Estonian SSR to the east of the River Narva with the town of Jaanilinn (now Ivangorod) was transferred to the Russian SFSR and incorporated into Leningrad Oblast. Since then, the territory of Leningrad Oblast has not changed significantly, although some suburbs of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) have been excluded from the oblast and incorporated into the city. In October 1946 Leningrad gained from

474-412: A small territory of Novgorod Oblast . Uritsk was transferred from the oblast to the city of Leningrad in 1963, Krasnoye Selo and several settlements nearby—in 1973, Lomonosov —in 1978. After a referendum in 1991, the city of Leningrad was renamed back to Saint Petersburg, but Leningrad Oblast retained its name. On 13 June 1996, Leningrad Oblast, alongside Tver Oblast and Saint Petersburg , signed

553-947: A tourist attraction since the late 18th century, when the Empress of Russia Catherine the Great visited the site in 1772. Koli National Park in North Karelia began receiving tourists when Karelianism became a major trend. Koli was a source of inspiration for numerous painters and composers such as Jean Sibelius , Juhani Aho and Eero Järnefelt , who in turn contributed to Karelianism through their work. Koli gained national park status in 1991. 63°N 32°E  /  63°N 32°E  / 63; 32 Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( Russian : Ленинградская область , romanized :  Leningradskaya oblast’ , IPA: [lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ] ; Veps : Leningradan agj ; Finnish : Leningradin alue )

632-408: Is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast ). The oblast has an area of 84,500 square kilometres (32,600 sq mi) and a population of 2,000,997 ( 2021 Census ); up from 1,716,868 recorded in the 2010 Census . Leningrad Oblast is highly industrialized. Its administrative center and largest city is Gatchina . The oblast was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 1946 that

711-506: Is a historical province of Finland and is now divided between Finland and Russia, often called just Karjala in Finnish. The eastern part of this chiefly Lutheran area was ceded to Russia after the Winter War of 1939–40. The Republic of Karelia is a Russian federal subject, including East Karelia , with a chiefly Russian Orthodox population. Within present-day Finland, Karjala refers to

790-554: Is a network of railways at the Karelian Isthmus , in particular, connecting Vyborg and Priozersk, as well as south of Saint-Petersburg. There also railway lines connecting Veymarn with Slantsy , Veymarn with Petergof via Sosnovy Bor , Mga with Sonkovo via Kirishi , Volkhov with Vologda via Tikhvin and Cherepovets , Volkhov with Chudovo , and Lodeynoye Pole with Sortavala via Olonets . Most of them support intensive passenger and cargo traffic. Paved roads well cover

869-432: Is also considerable. The territory has no endemic plant taxa. Vascular plant species of Leningrad Oblast listed in the red data book of Russia are Botrychium simplex , Cephalanthera rubra , Cypripedium calceolus , Epipogium aphyllum , Lobelia dortmanna , Myrica gale , Ophrys insectifera , Orchis militaris , Pulsatilla pratensis , Pulsatilla vernalis . The territory of present-day Leningrad Oblast

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948-680: Is an area around St. Petersburg, between the Estonian border and Lake Ladoga. Ingrian Finns settled in the region in the 17th century after the Swedish conquest of the area. The settlers spoke Karelian and Savonian dialects of Finnish. The older inhabitants of the Ingria, the Ingrians, have their own language which is related to the Karelian language and the south-eastern dialects of Finnish. Karelians evacuated from

1027-580: Is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet era), Finland , and Sweden . It is currently divided between northwestern Russia (the federal subjects of the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast ) and Finland (the regions of South Karelia , North Karelia , and the eastern portion of Kymenlaakso ). Various subdivisions may be called Karelia. Finnish Karelia

1106-637: Is located around the Gulf of Finland and south of two great freshwater lakes, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega . The oblast includes the Karelian Isthmus and some islands, including Gogland in the Gulf of Finland and Konevets in Lake Ladoga. Much of the area of the oblast belongs to the drainage basin of the Neva , which is the only outflow of Lake Ladoga. The Neva, which flows to the Gulf of Finland (the city of Saint Petersburg

1185-563: Is located between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga . The highest point of Karelia, the 576 metres (1,890 ft) high Nuorunen , is located on the Russian side of the Maanselka hill region. The border between Karelia and Ingria , the land of the closely related Ingrian people , had originally been the Neva River itself but later on it was moved northward into the Karelian isthmus to follow

1264-548: Is located in its river delta ) is relatively short, but its drainage basin is very large, including Lake Onega and Lake Ilmen . The Svir and the Volkhov flow from Lake Onega and Lake Ilmen, respectively, to Lake Ladoga. Other major tributaries of Lake Ladoga include the Vuoksi and the Syas . Rivers in the western part of the oblast flow to the Gulf of Finland; the two biggest rivers there are

1343-679: Is located within the federal city of Saint Petersburg . The oblast, particularly the areas adjacent to Saint Petersburg, is heavily industrialized. The major enterprises include the oil refinery in Kirishi, the Ford car assembly plant, Hyundai Russia assembly plant and the Rexam PLC Beverage Can Europe and Asia packaging plant in Vsevolozhsk, the paper mill in Syssstroy, and the paper mill and

1422-680: Is no scheduled passenger navigation within the oblast, except for seasonal leisure river cruises from Saint-Petersburg. The Onega Canal , shared with Vologda Oblast, serves as a bypass of Lake Onega from the south. Similarly, the Ladoga Canal bypasses Lake Ladoga from the east, from the Svir to the Neva. It is a part of the Volga–Baltic Waterway . In contrast, the Tikhvinskaya water system , connecting

1501-566: Is relatively flat and mostly covered with forest and swamps. An exception is the rocky Karelian Isthmus , which contains a lake district, as well as the Vepsian Upland in the east. The biggest lakes on the isthmus are Lake Vuoksa , Lake Sukhodolskoye , and Lake Otradnoye . Leningrad Oblast contains two federally protected natural areas, the Nizhnesvirsky Nature Reserve and Mshinskoye Boloto Zakaznik , both created to protect

1580-459: Is sometimes divided into East Karelia and West Karelia, which are also called Russian Karelia and Finnish Karelia respectively. The area to the north of Lake Ladoga which belonged to Finland before World War II is called Ladoga Karelia, and the parishes on the old pre-war border are sometimes called Border Karelia. White Karelia (sometimes the Finnish or Karelian term "Viena Karelia", or in some English-language sources, "White Sea Karelia",

1659-644: Is used) is the northern part of East Karelia and Olonets Karelia is the southern part. Tver Karelia denotes the villages in the Tver Oblast that are inhabited by Tver Karelians . During the Early Middle Ages , settlers from western Finland mixed with the local population to form the Karelian ethnic group. Possible migration from elsewhere may also have contributed to the Karelian ethnic composition. Archeological evidence indicates that Karelian inhabitation

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1738-549: Is visited by tourists in both summer and winter when possible activities include riding in a sled behind a dog team and running from the banya to an ice hole and back. Summer hikers can visit the Kivach waterfall or the Demon's Chair plateau. In South Karelia , Lappeenranta is a popular destination for Russian tourists, with 1.5 million visiting annually. Imatrankoski in Imatra has been

1817-705: The Bolsheviks in Russian Karelia ( East Karelia ) in 1918–21, as in the failed Aunus expedition . They also wanted to incorporate the rest of Karelia into Finland and cooperated with the short-lived Republic of Uhtua . These mainly private expeditions ended after the signing of the Treaty of Tartu. After the end of the Russian Civil War and the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, the Russian part of Karelia became

1896-586: The Karelian Isthmus again in the Moscow Armistice of September 19, 1944. This time the newly acquired territories on the isthmus were incorporated into the Leningrad Oblast ( Vyborgsky and Priozersky Districts ). In 1947 the territorial gains were confirmed with the Paris Peace Treaty . Novgorod and Pskov Oblasts were formed out of the southern parts of Leningrad Oblast in 1944. In January 1945

1975-694: The Karjalan Liitto (Karelian League) and ProKarelia . On the Finnish side, the area is Finnish-speaking. The South Karelian dialects of the Finnish language (closely related to the Karelian language) are spoken in South Karelia. The eastern Savonian dialects are spoken in North Karelia, part of the group of dialects spoken in Eastern and Central Finland. Ingrian Finnish dialects are spoken in Ingria, which

2054-604: The Koporye Fortress , both built in the 14th century, and the Ivangorod Fortress , originally built in 1492, are excellent examples of Russian fortification art. Podporozhsky District contains the best samples of wooden ecclesiastical architecture in Leningrad Oblast, some of which are collectively referred to as Podporozhye Ring : The Resurrection Church in the settlement of Vazhiny , the Saint Nicholas Church in

2133-660: The Legislative Assembly of Leningrad Oblast , which consists of 50 deputies elected by the region's inhabitants according to a mixed proportional-majority system for a term of 5 years. In 2016, the Legislative Assembly of the sixth convocation was formed, in which there are 4 factions: United Russia (40 deputies), A Just Russia (3 deputies), Communist Party of the Russian Federation (3 deputies), Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (4 deputies). The Chairman of

2212-809: The Luga and the Narva , which forms the border of Russia and Estonia. Small areas in the east of the oblast lie within the river basin of the Chagodoshcha , a tributary of the Mologa , and of the Suda , both within the Volga basin. A ridgeline in Tikhvinsky District in the eastern oblast forms part of the divide between the Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea basins. The terrain of Leningrad Oblast

2291-664: The Moscow Peace Treaty in 1940 gained some territories, including the Karelian Isthmus . Their Karelian population was hastily evacuated to inner Finland and later replaced with people from other parts of the Soviet Union. A small part of the territory (the municipalities of Kanneljärvi , Koivisto and Rautu ) was incorporated into Leningrad Oblast, the rest being included within the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1941, Germany invaded

2370-693: The Sestra River ( Russian : Сестра ), today in the Saint Petersburg metropolitan area, but in 1812–1940 the Russo-Finnish border. On the other side of Lake Ladoga , the River Svir is usually thought of as the traditional southern border of Karelian territory while Lake Onega and the White Sea mark the Eastern border. The River Kymi marks the historic western border of Karelian territory as it served as

2449-656: The Syas and the Mologa , which provided access from the Ladoga to the river basin of the Volga, is disused. The trans-border Saimaa Canal connects Lake Saimaa in Finland with the Gulf of Finland, has special status, and is occasionally used for passenger navigation. Ust-Luga , Vyborg , Vysotsk , and Primorsk are the major sea terminals on the Gulf of Finland. There is a number of airfields in Leningrad oblast that are now used only by

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2528-809: The Upper Svir Hydroelectric Station and the Lower Svir Hydroelectric Station , both on the Svir River, and the Narva Hydroelectric Station on the Narva River. There are many science and high-tech institutions around Saint Petersburg, some of which are located in the oblast. For example, Gatchina is the site of the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute  [ ru ] and Sosnovy Bor hosts

2607-546: The general aviation . Scheduled and international flights are available exclusively from Pulkovo airport in Saint-Petersburg. The Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant is located in the city of Sosnovy Bor . There are four major hydroelectric plants in the oblast. The Volkhov Hydroelectric Station , on the Volkhov River, was constructed in 1921 and became the first major hydropower station in the Soviet Union. The others are

2686-425: The regions of South and North Karelia , although parts of historical Karelia also lie within the region of Kymenlaakso (east of the River Kymi ), Northern Savonia ( Kaavi , Rautavaara and Säyneinen ), and Southern Savonia ( Mäntyharju ). Karelia stretches from the White Sea coast to the Gulf of Finland . It contains the two largest lakes in Europe, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega . The Karelian Isthmus

2765-476: The Estonian border to Tallinn. R23 connects Saint Petersburg with Pskov; it is a part of the E95 . A114 runs to Vologda via Cherepovets. A paid motorway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow and the new A121 from Saint-Petersburg to Sortavala , around the Western coast of Ladoga are under construction. Roads are well served by bus traffic. The Luga , the Svir , the Volkhov , and the Neva are all navigable and heavily user for cargo transport, however, there

2844-503: The Karelian Autonomous republic of the Soviet Union (ASSR) in 1923. At the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland, thus starting the Winter War . The Treaty of Moscow, signed in 1940 , handed a large portion of Finnish Karelia to the Soviet Union, and over 400,000 people had to be relocated within Finland. During the Continuation War of 1941-1944, Finland took back territory ceded in 1940, and also invaded and occupied much of East Karelia. Finland

2923-408: The Legislative Assembly is Sergei Bebenin. In the period when they were the most important authority in the oblast (1927 to 1991), the following first secretaries were appointed, Since 1991, governors were sometimes appointed, and sometimes elected, Administratively , Leningrad Oblast is divided into seventeen districts and one town of oblast significance ( Sosnovy Bor ). In terms of area,

3002-401: The Research Institute of Optical and Electronic Devices. Since prehistory, the Volkhov and the Neva Rivers were constituents of major trade routes, and archaeological sites dot their banks. Staraya Ladoga has many pre-1700 sites, including two of about a couple of dozens standing pre-Mongol churches in Russia. Both of them were built in the 1160s. The Oreshek Fortress in Shlisselburg and

3081-410: The Russian Imperial family, as opposed to other eggs produced by Fabergé), utilized unusual and less costly materials. However, the Karelian Birch egg was the only one to use an organic substance (wood) as a primary construction element. Its "surprise" was a miniature mechanical elephant, covered with tiny rose-cut diamonds, wound with a small jewel-encrusted key. The Birch Egg was created in 1917, and

3160-456: The Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa , and shortly thereafter the territory became the site of the Battle of Leningrad . The Wehrmacht captured the southwestern part of the oblast and reached Tikhvin in the east, while Finnish troops quickly recaptured the ceded territories in the Continuation War , encircling Leningrad from the land. In 1944 Soviet offensives managed to expel the Wehrmacht and put military pressure on Finland, which ceded

3239-417: The advent of rail transport in the late 19th century, the areas in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg had been popular summer resort destinations ( dachas ) for its residents. However, while Saint Petersburg itself was populated mostly by Russians from the very beginning, it was not until the 20th century that its surrounding population was Russified. In 1914, with the beginning of World War I , Saint Petersburg

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3318-402: The areas ceded to the Soviet Union was evacuated and resettled in other parts of Finland. The present inhabitants of the former Finnish parts of Russia, including the city of Vyborg/Viipuri and the Karelian Isthmus – are post-war immigrants or their descendants. The former Karelian ASSR was incorporated into a new Karelo-Finnish SSR from 1941 to 1956, but then it became an ASSR again. Karelia

3397-419: The attack against the Red Army under Leon Trotsky ultimately failed, and Yudenich retreated. The border with Estonia was established in the Russian-Estonian Treaty of Tartu of 1920. Finland-backed Ingrian Finns of North Ingria attempted to secede in 1918–1920, but were incorporated back with the Russian-Finnish Treaty of Tartu , which settled the border between Finland and Soviet Russia. In 1924, Petrograd

3476-715: The authenticity of this and another "Imperial" egg ( Constellation Egg ) owned by Ivanov. Likewise, this egg was included in the catalogue (though not exhibited) of a controversial exhibition held in the Hermitage Museum titled "Fabergé: Jeweller to the Imperial Court" (25 November 2020 – 14 March 2021), along with five other eggs from Ivanov's museum in Baden-Baden, all of which were identified as fakes, so-called Fauxbergé . Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and Finnish : Karjala [ˈkɑrjɑlɑ] ; Russian : Каре́лия , romanized :  Kareliya [kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə] , historically Коре́ла, Korela [ kɐˈrʲelʲə ]; Swedish : Karelen [kɑˈreːlen] )

3555-403: The boundary between the Häme Finns and the Karelians during the Middle Ages . The River Kymi is also said to have formed a boundary between the eastern and western cultural spheres by the beginning of the Bronze Age at the latest. In the North lived the nomadic Samis , but there were no natural borders except for large wooded areas ( taiga ) and the tundra . In historical texts, Karelia

3634-410: The capital of the Russian Empire . In 1708, most of the territory was organized into Ingermanland Governorate under Governor General Alexander Menshikov . It was renamed Saint Petersburg Governorate in 1710 (the borders of that governorate, however, differed very significantly from those of the present-day oblast and included much of the areas of current Novgorod, Pskov, and Vologda Oblasts). In 1721,

3713-407: The egg was sent to Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich at his palace, for presentation to the Empress, but the Duke fled before it arrived. The egg remained in the palace until it was looted in the wake of the October Revolution later that year. After the October Revolution the egg was acquired by the Rumyantsev Museum in Moscow. It disappeared once again after the museum closed in January 1927 and

3792-434: The eighth century. The considerably higher number of archeological discoveries in these regions from AD 800 to AD 1050 indicates that the Karelian population grew and expanded rapidly during this time. Karelia was bitterly fought over by Sweden and the Novgorod Republic for a period starting in the 13th-century Swedish-Novgorodian Wars . The Treaty of Nöteborg (Finnish: Pähkinäsaaren rauha) in 1323 divided Karelia between

3871-559: The forest and swamp landscapes of northwestern Russia. The most taxonomically diverse vascular plant families are Asteraceae , Cyperaceae , Poaceae and Rosaceae . By far the most diverse genus is Carex (68 species). The diversity in genera Hieracium (with Pilosella ), Ranunculus (with Batrachium ), Alchemilla , Galium , Potamogeton , Salix , Veronica , Viola , Juncus , Artemisia , Potentilla , Rumex , Festuca , Epilobium , Poa , Trifolium , Campanula , Vicia , Lathyrus , Geranium

3950-412: The largest administrative district is Podporozhsky (7,706 square kilometers (2,975 sq mi)), and the smallest is Lomonosovsky (1,919 square kilometers (741 sq mi)). Lomonosovsky District is the only district in Russia that has its administrative center (the town of Lomonosov ) located within a different federal subject . While the district is a part of Leningrad Oblast, Lomonosov

4029-405: The local Orthodox population of Russian and Finnic ancestry massively fled from Ingria to neighbour Russian provinces, so Ingrian Finns soon became the dominant ethnic group. During the Great Northern War (1700–1721) the territory of what is now Leningrad Oblast was conquered from Sweden by Russia under Peter the Great , who founded Saint Petersburg amidst the land in 1703, which soon became

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4108-440: The main population center of this region. In the Treaty of Stolbovo of 1617, large parts of Russian Karelia were ceded to Sweden. Conflicts between the new Swedish rulers and the indigenous population of these areas led to an exodus: thousands of Karelians, including the ancestors of the Tver Karelians , emigrated to Russia. The Treaty of Nystad (Finnish: Uudenkaupungin rauha) in 1721 between Imperial Russia and Sweden ceded

4187-515: The modern entity. Administratively, the oblast was divided into nine okrugs ( Borovichi , Cherepovets , Leningrad , Lodeynoye Pole , Luga , Murmansk , Novgorod , Pskov , and Velikiye Luki ), each of which was in turn subdivided into districts . In 1929, Velikiye Luki Okrug was transferred to newly formed Western Oblast . Leningrad was administratively separated from Leningrad Oblast in December 1931. In 1935 five southernmost districts were made part of Kalinin Oblast . In 1936 some parts of

4266-486: The museum "millions of dollars", consisted of the egg itself, the case, the wind-up key for the surprise, Fabergé's original invoice to Nicholas II, and a letter from Fabergé to Alexander Kerensky complaining about not being paid and asking that the egg be delivered. The "surprise" itself was not in the collector's possession and was likely stolen by soldiers during the October Revolution. In an article published in 2005 in The Art Newspaper , experts were not convinced about

4345-434: The oblast corresponded to the modern territories of the present-day Leningrad Oblast (with the exception of the Karelian Isthmus and the territories along the border with Estonia), Novgorod Oblast , Pskov Oblast , parts of Vologda Oblast , most of Murmansk Oblast , and the federal city of Saint Petersburg. The total area of the oblast was 360,400 square kilometres (139,200 sq mi); more than four times larger than

4424-491: The oblast some former Finnish territories along the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland divided into Sestroretsky District and Kurortny District , including the town of Terijoki . In 1953, Pavlovsky District of the oblast was abolished, and parts of its territory including Pavlovsk were made subordinate to Leningrad. In 1954 the settlements Levashovo , Pargolovo and Pesochny were also transferred to Leningrad. In 1956 Boksitogorsky District of Leningrad Oblast gained

4503-401: The oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position. The oblast was named after the city of Leningrad . In 1991, the city restored its original name, Saint Petersburg , but the oblast retains the name of Leningrad. It overlaps the historical region of Ingria , and is bordered by Finland ( Kymenlaakso and South Karelia ) in the northwest and Estonia ( Ida-Viru County ) in

4582-432: The part of Finnish Karelia ceded to Russia were resettled all over Finland. Today about one million people in Finland can trace their roots in the area ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II. In Finland, about 5,000 people speak the Karelian language. Russian Karelia is a regular destination for international tourism due to its unique architectural, cultural and historical sites such as Kizhi and Valaam . The region

4661-664: The plant producing oil platforms in Vyborg, and the Tikhvin industrial site in Tikhvin. The main agricultural specializations of the oblast are cattle breeding with meat and milk production and poultry production. The main agricultural lands are in the east and in the southwest of the oblast. Saint-Petersburg is a major railway hub, and all railways running to it cross also Leningrad Oblast. They connect Saint-Petersburg with Moscow ( Saint Petersburg – Moscow Railway ), Helsinki via Vyborg , Murmansk via Petrozavodsk , Sortavala via Priozersk , Tallinn via Kingisepp , Riga via Pskov , Vitebsk via Dno , and Veliky Novgorod . There

4740-412: The question. State power in the region is exercised on the basis of the Charter, which was adopted on 27 October 1994. The highest official of the region is the governor , who is elected for a term of five years. Since 28 May 2012, he has been Aleksandr Drozdenko . The executive power in the region is exercised by the administration, which includes: Legislative power in the region is exercised by

4819-427: The regime. Starting from the 1929, the Soviet authorities carried out mass deportations of the Ingrian Finnish population of the oblast, which constituted the majority in many rural localities as late as in the beginning of the 20th century, to the east, replacing them with people from other parts of the Soviet Union. On 30 November 1939, the Soviet Union waged the Winter War against neighbouring Finland and with

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4898-471: The territorial concessions of Sweden were confirmed with the Treaty of Nystad . The life of the countryside was greatly influenced by the vicinity of the imperial capital, which became a growing market for its agricultural production as well as the main consumer of its mineral and forest resources. In 1719–1810, Ladoga Canal was dug between the Svir River and the Neva River as part of the Volga-Baltic waterway to bypass stormy waters of Lake Ladoga . Since

4977-503: The territory is known as the historical region of Ingria (or the land of Izhora) and in the 17th century, after most of the present-day territory of Leningrad Oblast was captured by Sweden with the Treaty of Stolbovo of 1617, became subject to substantial Finnish Lutheran population influx from Finnish Karelia (which included Karelian Isthmus , the northwestern part of present-day Leningrad Oblast) and Savonia . Having faced religious pressure from Lutheran pastors and Swedish authorities,

5056-398: The territory of Leningrad Suburban District of Leningrad was returned to Leningrad Oblast and divided into Vsevolozhsky District , Krasnoselsky District , Pargolovsky District and Slutsky District (renamed Pavlovsky District in 1944). Vologda Oblast , which has included the easternmost districts of Leningrad Oblast (former Cherepovets Governorate), was created in 1937. Murmansk Oblast

5135-427: The territory was divided between the Kingdom of Sweden and Novgorod Republic (see Swedish-Novgorodian Wars ) and populated mostly by various Baltic Finns people such as Karelians (northwest), Izhorians and Votes (west), Vepsians (east), as well as Ilmen Slavs of Novgorod (south). During the Russo-Swedish Wars of the 15th-17th centuries, the border moved back and forth over the land. The central part of

5214-462: The two. Sweden received the southern portion of the Karelian Isthmus and most of South Karelia. The province of Swedish Karelia would include this territory, plus the region east of the Kymi river , with Viborg (Finnish: Viipuri) becoming the capital of the province. Novgorod received the northern portion of the Karelian Isthmus. North Karelia, Ladoga Karelia, and the northern portion of South Karelia fell under Novgorodian control. Käkisalmi served as

5293-464: The village of Soginitsy , the Sts Peter and Paul Chapel in the village of Zaozerye , and the Saint Athanasy chapel in the village of Posad . The two other notable wooden churches are located in the villages of Gimreka and Shcheleyki close to the Onega Lakeshore. The center of Vyborg preserves many examples of medieval Swedish architecture, unique for Russia. After Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703, many estates and residences were founded around

5372-403: The west, as well as five federal subjects of Russia: the Republic of Karelia in the northeast, Vologda Oblast in the east, Novgorod Oblast in the south, Pskov Oblast in the southwest, and the federal city of Saint Petersburg in the west. The first governor of Leningrad Oblast was Vadim Gustov (in 1996–1998). The current governor, since 2012, is Aleksandr Drozdenko . Leningrad Oblast

5451-588: The western and the central parts of Leningrad Oblast. The M10 highway connects Saint Petersburg with Moscow via Veliky Novgorod in the south and with the Finnish border, continuing across the border to Helsinki, in the north. It is split between European routes E18 (Saint Petersburg to Finland) and E105 (Saint Petersburg to Moscow), and much of it within the oblast is built as a dual carriageway. R21 highway (also part of E105) runs from Saint Petersburg to Murmansk via Petrozavodsk, and A180 (part of E20 ) connects Saint Petersburg with Ivangorod and continues across

5530-495: The western portion is part of Kymenlaakso . Karelia is politically divided between Finland and Russia. The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia formed in 1991 from the Karelian ASSR . The Karelian Isthmus belongs to the Leningrad Oblast . The Finnish side consists of parts of the regions ( maakunta ) of South Karelia , North Karelia and Kymenlaakso . There are some small groups of Finns campaigning for closer ties between Finland and Karelia: for instance, in

5609-446: Was due to be completed and delivered to the Tsar that Easter , as a present for his mother, the Empress Maria Feodorovna . Before the egg was delivered however, the February Revolution took place and Nicholas II was forced to abdicate on March 15. On April 25, Fabergé sent the Tsar an invoice for the egg, addressing Nicholas II not as "Tsar of all the Russians" but as "Mr. Romanov, Nikolai Aleksandrovich". Nicholas paid 12,500 rubles and

5688-526: Was forced out of these regions in 1944. After the war, Soviet expansion caused considerable bitterness in Finland, which lost its fourth biggest city, Viipuri , its industrial heartland along the river Vuoksi , the eastern portion of the Saimaa canal that connected central Finland to the Gulf of Finland , and access to the fishing waters of Lake Ladoga (Finnish: Laatokka). One eighth of its citizens became refugees with no chance of return. The whole population from

5767-506: Was highest along the western shore of Lake Ladoga and the Karelian Isthmus , with multiple cemeteries and other archeological discoveries dating from AD 600 to AD 800. In South Karelia , the number of archeological discoveries from this time period is lower, though permanent inhabitation was nonetheless present. Lappee , South Karelia has been continuously inhabited for approximately 2,000 years. In North Karelia , only one archeological discovery from this time period has been found, dating to

5846-610: Was populated shortly after the end of the Weichselian glaciation and now hosts numerous archaeological remnants. The Volga trade route and trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks crossed the territory. Staraya Ladoga , the first capital of legendary Rurik , founded in the 8th-9th century, is situated in the east of the oblast, on the Volkhov River . In the 12th-15th centuries,

5925-714: Was presumed lost. In 1999 Fabergé's great-granddaughter Tatiana published drawings of the designs for the Birch and Constellation Eggs, but it was assumed that they were both incomplete. The Birch Egg publicly reappeared in 2001 when a private collector from the United Kingdom , the descendant of Russian emigrants, sold it to Alexander Ivanov , the Moscow collector who owns the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden . The complete purchase, which cost

6004-679: Was renamed Leningrad, and Petrograd Governorate was again renamed accordingly (Leningrad Governorate). Leningrad Oblast was established on 1 August 1927, by the resolutions of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast" by merging Cherepovets , Leningrad, Murmansk , Novgorod , and Pskov Governorates . The territory of

6083-557: Was renamed Petrograd and the governorate was accordingly renamed Petrograd Governorate. After the Russian Revolution , in 1918, the capital was transferred from Petrograd to Moscow , farther from the borders of the country. In 1919, during the Russian Civil War , the Northwestern White Army advancing from Estonia and led by Nikolai Yudenich tried to capture Petrograd and even managed to reach its southern outskirts, but

6162-562: Was split from Leningrad Oblast in 1938. In the autumn of 1934, the Forbidden Border Zone along the western border of the Soviet Union was established, where nobody could appear without special permission issued by the NKVD . It was officially only 7.5 km deep initially, but along the Estonian border it extended to as much as 90 km. The zone was to be cleansed of Finnic and other peoples who were considered "politically unreliable" by

6241-538: Was the only Soviet republic that was "demoted" from an SSR to an ASSR within the Russian SFSR . In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ASSR became the Republic of Karelia . The portion of Viipuri Province that remained within Finland following the Second World War was renamed Kymi Province , and kept this name from 1945 to 1997. The eastern part of this province is now the region of South Karelia , while

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