Yelnya

city Elnya Ельня flag coat of arms Federal district Central Russia Oblast Smolensk Rajon Yelnya mayor Nikolai Kovalenkov First mention 1150 City since 1776 surface 15  km² population 10,095 inhabitants (as of Oct. 14, 2010) Population density 673 inhabitants / km² Height of the center 230  m Time zone UTC + 3 Telephone code (+7) 48146 Post Code 216330 License Plate 67 OKATO 66 219 501 Geographical location Coordinates 54 ° 34 '  N , 33 ° 10'  E Coordinates: 54 ° 34 '0 "  N , 33 ° 10' 0"  E

Location in the western part of Russia

Location in Smolensk Oblast

List of cities in Russia

Jelnja ( Russian Ельня ) is a city in Smolensk Oblast ( Russia ) with 10,095 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010).

geography

The city is located on the southern edge of the Smolensk Heights , about 80 km east of the Oblast capital Smolensk , on the upper reaches of the Desna , a left tributary of the Dnepr .

The city of Jelnja is the administrative center of the Rajon of the same name .

Jelnja lies on the single-track railway line Smolensk - Sukhinichi, which opened in 1899 .

history

Jelnja is mentioned for the first time in 1150 (according to other sources between 1211 and 1218) as an urban settlement of Jelna . The name comes from the Russian jel , Old Russian jelina for spruce or jelan , outdated for clearing .

In the 15th century the place came as part of the former Principality of Smolensk to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , and in 1522 to the Grand Duchy of Moscow . In the meantime (1612–1654) again under Polish-Lithuanian rule, Jelnja finally came to Russia as a result of the Polish-Russian War 1654–1667 .

Coat of arms (1780)

In 1776 the place received official town charter and became the administrative center of a Ujesds (district).

During Napoleon's Russian campaign in 1812 , Jelnja was an important center of the partisan movement . Field Marshal General Kutuzov's headquarters were temporarily located here during the Russian counter-offensive .

Jelnja was also the scene of important battles during World War II . On August 30, 1941, the Yelnya offensive began here as part of the Kesselschlacht near Smolensk , the first successful counter-offensive by the Red Army . Because of the subsequent award of four units of the Red Army with the title “ Guard ” for the first time, Jelnja is considered the “birthplace of the Soviet Guard”. The area around the city was subsequently under relatively tight control by partisan units from the Dorogobusch partisan region , who were able to occupy the city for three days in March 1942. In 1943, Jelnja played a key role in the Red Army's counter-offensive following the Battle of the Kursk Arch . With the evacuation of the city by German troops on August 30, their withdrawal on this section of the front began on a large scale. The city was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st class.

Population development

Prophet Ilia Church

year	Residents
1897	2,441
1926	4,458
1939	7.132
1959	6,897
1970	8,336
1979	9,078
1989	9,868
2002	10,798
2010	10,095

Note: census data

Culture and sights

Yelnya railway station

The station complex from the end of the 19th century is well worth seeing. In 1992 a new Prophet Ilia Church (церковь Пророка Илии / zerkow Proroka Ilii ) was built. Jelnja has had a history and local museum since 1969.

20 kilometers south of the city, in the village of Novospasskoye, is the country estate where the composer Mikhail Glinka was born in 1804 . Haus Glinka has been a museum since 1982. An annual Glinka music festival takes place here. In the village there is also the Church of Our Lady of Tikhvin (церковь Тихвинской иконы Божией Матери / zerkow Tichwinskoi ikony Boschijei Materi ) from 1786.

economy

There are textile ( linen ), construction and food industries in Jelnja .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)

Web links

Commons : Jelnja  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Jelnja on mojgorod.ru (Russian)
• On the history of Yelnya (Russian)