Kola, Russia

Kola (Russian Кола ) is a town in Murmansk Oblast (Russia) with 10,437 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 ).

Geography

The city is located on the Kola Peninsula about twelve kilometers south of Murmansk Oblasthauptstadt at the mouth of the rivers Tuloma and Kola in the Kolabucht the Barents Sea.

Kola is now a satellite city of Murmansk and administrative center of the homonymous Rajons.

The city lies on the Murmansk railway opened in 1917, a now to October Railway RZD belonging railway from St. Petersburg to Murmansk ( 1438 kilometer ). Here a side road branches off to Pechenga and Nikel (186 km). The highway M18 Saint Petersburg- Severomorsk bypasses Kola east. Since 2005, the Kolabucht Bridge crosses the fjord and makes the connection to the A138 and continue towards Pechenga and the Norwegian Finnmark. Near Kola is the Murmansk airport.

History

The place was first mentioned in 1264 as Pomorensiedlung Kolo documented. 1583-1584 were sent by the Tsar Ivan IV 400 Strelets to build here the Kola Ostrog, which was soon called in succession city Kola.

In the 15th to 17th centuries Kola was one of the starting points for trips to Svalbard (referred to in this time of the Pomors Grumant ) and Novaya Zemlya.

Under Peter the Great, the fastening 1700-1706 was renewed. In the 18th century, the city indeed lost its importance as a trading center in the Russian north, but received in 1781 (or 1784) the regular municipal law.

During the Crimean War fortress and the city were almost completely burned down in 1854 by English troops.

1926, a decade after the founding of Murmansk, Kola lost its city charter, but it was 1965 again.

Demographics

Note: Census data

Culture and sights

In the Kola mound and the ditch of the old fortifications have been preserved, as well as one of the oldest stone buildings in the peninsula, the Annunciation Cathedral ( Благовещенский собор / Blagoveshchensky Sobor ) 1800-1809.

In the city there is a Pomorenmuseum.

Economy

In Kola, there are a furniture factory and enterprises of the food industry. Above the nearby settlement Murmaschi operates the Kolenergo AG (part of the Unified Energy System) at the Tuloma a hydroelectric power plant.

Twinning

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