Podporozhye, Leningrad Oblast

Podporozhye (Russian Подпорожье ) is a town with 18,733 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 ) and the main town of the same name Rajons in the Leningrad Oblast in Russia. It lies on the left bank of the river Svir, around 285 km north-east of Saint Petersburg. The nearest towns are Lodeinoje poles (39 km south-west of Podporozhye ) and Olonets (65 miles west).

History

The site was created in 1936 at the Svir in the course of construction of a hydroelectric plant. The name Posporoschje literally means " at the rapids " and points to the local section of the river. The term was used in the 19th century for the area near present-day Podporozhye in which there were special settlements with workers who were responsible for the smooth ship traffic in this area.

The hydropower plant was commissioned in 1951 after wartime delays under the name Oberswir hydroelectric power plant ( Верхнесвирская ГЭС ) in operation. The rapid influx of construction workers and later staff the new power plant, the population of the town exceeded a few years after the founding of the 10,000 mark. 1956 Podporozhye received the city status.

Demographics

Note: Census data

Economy and Transport

Today there are in the city next to the power plant, among other wood processing plants and a shipyard. In addition to the boat landing on the Svir there is a railway station on the route from Saint Petersburg to Petrozavodsk, which belongs to the Murmansk railway. About a country road is access to the M18 federal road that leads you directly to Petersburg.