Kandalaksha

Etymology

According to the most common version, the name of the town comes from its location on the shore of Kandalaksha Bay, where kanda is the name of the river that traverses the town and laksha means 'bay' (). According to other sources, the name of the bay may come from the Sámi names Kantlukht (kannҍt, 'hill' or 'dry place among a swamp', лӯххт, 'bay') or Kandaslukht (ка̄нҍтэсь, 'pack saddle', лӯххт, 'bay'), meaning 'the bay where horse packs were reloaded'.

History

The settlement was possibly founded in the 11th century and it became part of the Novgorod Republic, which was later annexed in 1478 by the Grand Principality of Moscow, the new leading Russian state. Kandalaksha is first mentioned in documents in 1517. In a decree by Vasili III of Russia to local tax collectors, Kandalaksha is mentioned as the center of a volost. Russian chronicles mention that the Sámi were baptized there in 1526. The same year, Kandalaksha (Kokuyev) male monastery was founded near the .

In 1915, the construction of a seaport started, and in 1918 a railroad connecting Moscow to Murmansk running through Kandalaksha was opened. On August 29, 1927, Kandalaksha was made the administrative center of the newly established Kandalakshsky District, and on June 1, 1932, it was granted work settlement status. Status of a town of district significance was granted to it on April 20, 1938. On February 9, 1940, Kandalaksha was administratively separated from the district and granted the status of a town of oblast significance.

In July 1941, during World War II, the town was the primary target of an unsuccessful German-Finnish offensive which attempted to cut the strategic Kirov Railway.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of March 19, 1959, the Councils of Deputies of Kandalaksha and of Kandalakshsky District were merged into one Kandalaksha Town Council of Deputies. While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies.

Since 1995, Vitino oil port operates near Beloye More a few kilometers south of Kandalaksha.

Kandalaksha mayor Nina Varlamova was murdered in an attack in December 2008.

In 2025, Yleisradio Oy reported that a military garrison was being built in the town.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Twin towns and sister cities

Kandalaksha is twinned with:

• Finland Kemijärvi, Finland
• Sweden Piteå, Sweden

Geography

The town is located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, north of the Arctic Circle. Kandalaksha Nature Reserve is one of World's oldest biosphere parks. It borders the town on the south side and includes numerous islands in Kandalaksha Bay.

Climate

Kandalaksha has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with mild, rainy summers, and cold, snowy winters.{{Weather box |Jan record high C = 7.5 |Feb record high C = 8.0 |Mar record high C =12.2 |Apr record high C =18.9 |May record high C =27.2 |Jun record high C =31.4 |Jul record high C =31.6 |Aug record high C =32.0 |Sep record high C =24.7 |Oct record high C =14.7 |Nov record high C =11.4 |Dec record high C = 8.0 |year record high C= |Jan record low C = −43.5 |Feb record low C = −41.6 |Mar record low C = −34.6 |Apr record low C = −27.9 |May record low C = −15 |Jun record low C = −4.5 |Jul record low C = 1.8 |Aug record low C = −3.6 |Sep record low C = −9.7 |Oct record low C = −21.8 |Nov record low C = −30.4 |Dec record low C = −39.5 |year record low C=

| access-date = 1 November 2019 |access-date = April 9, 2024}}

Gallery

File:Kandalaksha station (Murmansk region).jpg|Kandalaksha railway station File:City center of Kandalaksha.jpg|Kandalaksha city center File:Администрация Кандалакши.jpg|Kandalaskha city administration File:Церковь Иоанна Предтечи в Кандалакше.jpg|Church of St. John the Baptist

Notes

References

Sources

References

1. {{ru-pop-ref. 2010Census
2. link. (October 2, 2011)
3. Pospelov, E. M.. (2008). "Географические названия России: топонимический словарь: более 4000 названий географических объектов России". Astrel.
4. (2005). "The Concise Dictionary of World Place-names". Oxford University Press.
5. (2009). "Кольская энциклопедия. Т. 2: Е — К". Кольский научный центр РАН.
6. "(USSR) Urban population of the union republics, and their territorial units".
7. "Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года. Том. 1, таблица 4. Численность населения России, федеральных округов, субъектов Российской Федерации, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов - райцентров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более".
8. "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Итоги по Красноярскому краю. 1.10 Численность населения гор.округов, мун.районов, гор. и сел. поселе".
9. "Таблица 5. Численность населения России, федеральных округов, субъектов Российской Федерации, городских округов, муниципальных районов, муниципальных округов, городских и сельских поселений, городских населенных пунктов, сельских населенных пунктов с населением 3000 человек и более - Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2021 года".
10. (2008). "The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G". Columbia University Press.
11. (7 July 2007). "Creating Diversities: Folklore, Religion and the Politics of Heritage". Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.
12. ''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 35
13. ''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', pp. 52–53
14. ''Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast'', p. 55
15. Malpas, Anna. (2008-12-18). "Mayor Stabbed To Death". [[Moscow Times]].
16. (18 June 2025). "Satellite images reveal Russia's military town". Yle.