Yelnya

Yelnya

Yelnya ( _ru. Ельня) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna River 82 km from Smolensk. It is the administrative center of Yelninsky District. According to the 2002 Census, the population of the town was 10,798 people; up from 9,868 recorded in the 1989 Census).

History

The name of the town probably related to the Russian 'yel'" (fir tree) or "yelan'" (land cleared from forest).

The settlement was first mentioned in the historical documents in 1150 when according to the order of knyaz Rostislav of Smolensk the settlement was to pay tax of four grivnas and a fox skin.

The settlement shared the history of the Smolensk lands—it paid duty to the Golden Horde, then was captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The settlement was returned to Russia with the rest of the Smolensk Voivodeship at the close of the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667). In 1776, the settlement officially received town status and became a center of an uyezd.

In 1804, in the village of Novospasskoye of Yelnya uyezd the great Russian composer Mikhail Glinka was born. In 1982, the house was restored and became a museum of Glinka. The Glinka Festival is held annually in Yelninsky District.

In 1812, during the Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Yelnya became an important center of the partisan movement. Later during the counter-offensive there was the staff of Kutusov.

During the Great Patriotic War Yelnya became a place of the important battles:
*In August 30, 1941, Yelnya became the place of the Yelnya Offensive, the first successful offensive operation of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War.
*In 1942, Yelninsky District became a part of the "Dorogobuzh Partisan Krai". The German garrison in the town was not able to control the rural territory that were effectively under the partisan control. In March 1942, partisans even liberated the city, killing more than a thousand German troops but in three days on March 18, 1942 they were forced to retreat back to the forests.
*In August 1943, Yelnya became the key part to the Battle of Smolensk. On August 30, Germans were forced to abandon Yelnya, sustaining heavy casualties. This started a full-scale German retreat from the area. By September 3, Soviet forces reached the eastern shore of the Dnieper.

Economics

The town has a cheese factory, large bakery, brick factory, and a few shops.

External links

* [http://www.spek.keytown.com/tvorch/Vasil_prj/sozdanie/elnya.htm History of the town] ru icon
* [http://admin.smolensk.ru/web_dis/2005/rosl/toponimika/elna.htm Toponims of Yelninsky District] ru icon
* [http://www.mojgorod.ru/smolensk_obl/eljnja/index.html Yelnya entry at MojGorod.ru] ru icon


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Yelnya — Ielnia Ielnia Ельня [[Image:{{{image}}}|300px|{{{légende}}}]] …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Yelnya Offensive — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Yelnya Offensive partof=World War II, Battle of Smolensk caption= date=August 30 – September 8, 1941 place=Soviet Union casus= territory= result= Soviet tactical victory combatant1= combatant2= commander1=… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Smolensk (1943) — Second Battle of Smolensk Part of the Eastern Front of World War II Date 7 August–2 October 1943 Location …   Wikipedia

  • Yelnia — Ельня Yelnia Escudo …   Wikipedia Español

  • City of Military Glory — (Russian: «Город воинской славы») is an honorary title bestowed upon the citizenry of Russian cities, where soldiers had displayed courage and heroism during the Great Patriotic War.[1] The award, which to date has been bestowed upon 27 cities,… …   Wikipedia

  • Marcel Albert — (November 25, 1917 – August 23, 2010) was a French World War II pilot. He was born in Paris. Contents 1 Background 2 World War II 3 Postwar 4 Awards …   Wikipedia

  • Hermann-Friedrich Joppien — Infobox Military Person name=Hermann Friedrich Joppien lived=birth date|1912|7|19|df=y death date and age|1941|8|28|1912|7|19|df=y caption=Hermann Friedrich Joppien nickname= Jupp placeofbirth=Bochum placeofdeath= near Yelnya, southwest of… …   Wikipedia

  • Hermann-Friedrich Joppien — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Leyser. Hermann Friedrich Joppien …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Operation Barbarossa — Part of the Eastern Front of World War II …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Moscow — For the 1812 battle during the Napoleonic Wars, see Battle of Borodino. Battle of Moscow Part of the Eastern Front of World War II …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”