Plesetsk
Description
Plesetsk is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Plesetsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated about 800 km northeast of Moscow and 180 km south of Arkhangelsk. Municipally, it is the administrative center of Plesetskoye Urban Settlement, one of eight urban settlements in the district. Population: 11,037 (2010).
The vast Plesetsk Cosmodrome territory is located nearby and is administered from the town of Mirny which is 9 km away from Plesetsk. The territory also includes the Plestsy Airport.
Etymology
The name is derived from the word "плёс" (plyos) which means "river reach". Plestsy is the name for a small lake which Plesetsk adjoins.
History
The area was originally populated by the Finno-Ugric peoples and then colonized by the Novgorod Republic. It belonged at the trading routes connecting central and northern Russia: first, from Moscow to the White Sea along the Onega River, and then, after 1765, along the newly built road between Saint-Petersburg and Arkhangelsk, which still exists and passes Kargopol and Plesetsk. However, the Plesetsk area until the 1890s was underpopulated since it was located at some distance from the main rivers of the region. From 1796, it belonged to Arkhangelsky Uyezd of Arkhangelsk Governorate. In 1894—1897, Plesetskaya railway station was built during the construction of the railroad between Vologda and Arkhangelsk. Eventually, the volost center was moved from the selo of Navolok to Plesetskaya.
During the Russian Civil War in 1918, battles were fought between the Red Army and the British troops in Plesetsk and around.
On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished, the governorates merged into Northern Krai, and Plesetsky District was established among others. It became a part of Arkhangelsk Okrug of Northern Krai. In 1930, the okrug was abolished, and the district became subordinate to the central administration of Northern Krai. In 1936, the krai itself was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast, and Plesetsk remains the center of Plesetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast.
Health and utilities
The district hospital is located in Plesetsk.
