Karelia: Interesting and Unusual

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Almost the entire territory of modern Karelia was once inhabited by the tribe "Lop" (self-designation – “Saami”), between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega lived the tribe "Ves" (Vepsians), and to the west and north of Lake Ladoga lived the "Korela" (modern name – “Karelians”). In the 10th-11th centuries, the southern part of Karelia came under the influence of the ancient Russian state, Slavic settlements began to appear, and Christianity was adopted. In the 17th century, Korela passed to Sweden and was returned to Russia only in 1721, after the defeat of the Swedes in the Great Northern War. The number of monasteries grew rapidly at that time, with the Solovetsky Monastery becoming particularly powerful. The Great Northern War (1700-1721) gave a strong impetus to the industrial development of Karelia. During this period, metallurgy actively developed, and several new factories were built. The largest of these gave rise to Petrovskaya Sloboda. By decree of Empress Catherine II, Petrovskaya Sloboda was renamed the city of Petrozavodsk, and from 1784 it became the center of the Olonets Governorate, whose first governor was the poet G. R. Derzhavin. In 1917-18, Soviet power was established in Karelia. In 1940, Karelia acquired a new status — the Karelo-Finnish SSR — and became the sixteenth union republic. Its territory expanded due to new districts that were annexed to the USSR after the war with Finland.

Jermaine