Olonets is located at the confluence of theOlonka and Megrega rivers, on the Olonets Plain, 140 km (87 mi) southwest ofPetrozavodsk, 269 km (167 mi) northeast ofSt. Petersburg along theR 21 highway («Kola» highway).
Olonets is the oldest documented settlement inKarelia, mentioned byNovgorodian sources as early as 1137.[citation needed] Its history is obscure until 1649, when a fortress was built there to protect theGrand Duchy of Moscow against the Swedes. The same year it was grantedtown privileges.[citation needed] Until theGreat Northern War, Olonets developed as a principal market for Russian trade with Sweden. To the south from the town, there sprawled a belt of fortified abbeys, of which theAlexander-Svirsky Monastery was the most important.
In the 18th century Olonets' importance shifted from trade to ironworking industries. In 1773 it was made the seat ofOlonets Governorate. Eleven years later, however, the seat was moved toPetrozavodsk and Olonets started to decline.
The remains of over one hundred victims of theGreat Terror were found when the church of the Icon of the Mother of God was returned to the Orthodox Church in the 1990s and in 2008 a monument was erected by locals in their memory.[7]
Modern Olonets is classified as a historical town of the Republic of Karelia and is the only town in the republic whereKarelians are in majority (over 60% as of 2005[update]).
Olonetskaya district station of young naturalists. It was opened on December 17, 1971.[8]
Music, sports and art schools of the city.
Center for Additional Education. It was opened in 1951 as the House of Creativity of children and youth, later – the House of Children's Creativity.[8]
2 secondary schools, six buildings of local preschool institutions.
Olonets branch of Sortavala College (previously the branch was an independent educational institution under the names: PU-2 (in the period from 1962 to 2014), Olonets Technical School – from 2014 to February 2019 before reorganization).
The city has preserved the layout of the XVIII century.
Mass graves of Soviet soldiers at the civil cemetery of Olonets, who died during the Great Patriotic War.[9][10] 449 Soviet soldiers were buried in mass graves.[11]
The mass grave of Soviet soldiers and civilians shot by theBelofin invaders during the occupation of Olonets in1919.[12]
Monument to Soviet military pilots – participants of the Svir-Petrozavodsk operation (1944).[13] The monument (the wing of a combat aircraft) was installed in 1974 on Karl Marx Street.[11]
Monument to the heroes of the Olonets underground.[14]
The monument to the Soviet soldiers-liberators[15] was installed on the street of Svir Divisions in 1969 (76-mm divisional cannon).[11]
Every year, since 1999, on the initiative of the then mayor of Olonets Vasily Anatolyevich Popov, the «Olonets Games ofDed Moroz» began to be held on the first day of winter.[17]
Olonets is the only city on the territory ofKarelia whereKarelians make up the majority of the population, in addition, theOlonets district is a place of compact residence of Karelian Livviks and the most populated Karelian district of the Republic of Karelia.
Besides Karelians, Olonets is home to such traditional Karelian peoples asFinns,Russians, as well asBelarusians,Ukrainians,Poles andLithuanians. In relation to the Belarusian and Ukrainian population, this is primarily due to the post-war resettlement from the destroyed villages ofBelarus andUkraine, Karelia was a place of exile for Poles and Lithuanians.
There is a small community ofChechens in Olonets and Olonets district, which is not typical for this region and the republic as a whole. According to the2002 census, 53 representatives of this nationality live here. In this regard, a number ofethnic conflicts have arisen in the area.[21][22]
Witold Pilecki (1901–1948) was born in Olonets. He was an army officer and a member ofArmia Krajowa who got himself arrested to infiltrate the Nazi operation inAuschwitz concentration camp. He escaped from the camp and was one of the first direct witnesses of theFinal Solution which he reported to hisUnderground superiors. He took part in theWarsaw uprising. After WWII he was tried and executed by the Polish communist regime in 1948. He was a decorated Polish National hero.[23]
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №871-ЗРК от 29 апреля 2005 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия», в ред. Закона №1895-ЗРK от 2 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменения статью 9 Закона Республики Карелия "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №48, 7 мая 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #871-ZRK of April 29, 2005On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1895-ZRK of June 2, 2015On Amending Article 9 of the Law of the Republic of Karelia "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia". Effective as of the official publication date.).
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №813-ЗРК от 1 ноября 2004 г. «О городских, сельских поселениях в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований "Нюхчинское сельское поселение" и "Сумпосадское сельское поселение" Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №124, 126, 129, 132, 135, 136, 139, 4 ноября — 9 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #813-ZRK of November 1, 2004On the Urban, Rural Settlements in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №825-ЗРК от 1 декабря 2004 г. «О муниципальных районах в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований "Нюхчинское сельское поселение" и "Сумпосадское сельское поселение" Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №141, 16 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #825-ZRK of December 1, 2004On the Municipal Districts in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
[5])
R 21 highway («Kola» highway).
