Semyonov, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semyonov (Russian: Семёнов) is a town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, notable for being a major center for traditional handcrafts such as Khokhloma wood painting and matryoshka dolls. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 24,473.[2]
Semyonov
Семёнов | |
|---|---|
 House of Culture in Semyonov | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Semyonov  | |
 Semyonov Location of Semyonov .svg) Semyonov Semyonov (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast) | |
| Coordinates: 56°48′N 44°30′E | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Nizhny Novgorod Oblast[1] |
| First mentioned | 1644 |
| Town status since | 1779 |
| Elevation | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 24,473 |
| • Subordinated to | town of oblast significance of Semyonov[1] |
| • Capital of | town of oblast significance of Semyonov[1] |
| • Urban okrug | Semyonovsky Urban Okrug[3] |
| • Capital of | Semyonovsky Urban Okrug[3] |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK [4]) |
| Postal code(s)[5] | 606650–606654, 606667, 606669 |
| OKTMO ID | 22737000001 |
| Website | semenov |
| 2010 Census | 24,473[2] |
|---|---|
| 2002 Census | 25,298[6] |
| 1989 Census | 26,282[7] |
| 1979 Census | 25,199[8] |
The town is situated in an area of lowland bogs and forests, about 100 kilometers (62 mi) northeast of Nizhny Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. The Kerzhenets River flows through the town. The surrounding area includes most of the Kerzhenets Nature Reserve, a federal-level strict ecological reserve, established for the protection and scientific study of the local ecology of the region.
Rachmaninov may have been born there. Poles are buried there because of the Katyn massacre of 1940. Nazi Germany was there from late 1941 to early 1944.
It was established in the beginning of the 17th century as a settlement of Old Believers. According to an Old Believer legend, the Old Believer settlement in the area was spurred by the existence of the ancient Olenevsky Skete (today, the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, some 24 kilometers (15 mi) southeast from Semyonov), which had supposedly been founded in the 15th century by some of Venerable Macarius's monks to commemorate their leader's Miracle of the Moose that took place at that site, and later joined the Raskol.[9]
The first documented mention of Semyonov was in 1644; it was referred to as Semyonov's hamlet, later as Semyonovo village, and from 1779 as the uyezd town of Semyonov.[citation needed]
From the beginning of the 19th to the early 20th century, it was a center for Old Believers movement and the only place to produce Old Believers' religious items such as lestovka prayer beads.
Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with 1 work settlement and 190 rural localities, incorporated as the town of oblast significance of Semyonov—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] As a municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Semyonov is incorporated as Semyonov Urban Okrug.[3]
Since 1918 Khokhloma wood painting became a major craft in Semyonov. In 1960, Semyonov was organized as a factory named Khokhlomskaya rospis ("Хохломская роспись", Russian for "Khokhloma painting").
This factory specialized in the production of hand-painted wooden items (ranging from tableware to toys and furniture) with unique style, and also matryoshka dolls, marketed as souvenir items.[10] The factory offers tours around the various stages of production and visitors can see craftspeople making and painting the items in traditional Russian styles.
Semyonov is located on the Nizhny Novgorod-Kotelnich railway, which is part of one of the main routes used by trains traveling from Moscow to the Urals and Siberia. The town is served by electric commuter trains, connecting it to Nizhny Novgorod in just over an hour.
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