Olonets is located at the confluence of the Olonka and Megrega rivers, on the Olonets Plain, 140 km southwest of Petrozavodsk, 269 km northeast of St. Petersburg along the R 21 highway («Kola» highway).
Olonets is the oldest documented settlement in Karelia, mentioned by Novgorodian sources as early as 1137.[citation needed] Its history is obscure until 1649, when a fortress was built there to protect the Grand Duchy of Moscow against the Swedes. The same year it was granted town privileges.[citation needed] Until the Great Northern War, Olonets developed as a principal market for Russian trade with Sweden. To the south from the town, there sprawled a belt of fortified abbeys, of which the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery was the most important.
In the 18th century Olonets' importance shifted from trade to ironworking industries. In 1773 it was made the seat of Olonets Governorate. Eleven years later, however, the seat was moved to Petrozavodsk and Olonets started to decline.
Modern Olonets is classified as a historical town of the Republic of Karelia and is the only town in the republic where Karelians are in majority (over 60% as of 2005[update]).
Olonetskaya district station of young naturalists. It was opened on December 17, 1971.[7]
Music, sports and art schools of the city.
Center for Additional Education. It was opened in 1951 as the House of Creativity of children and youth, later – the House of Children's Creativity.[7]
2 secondary schools, six buildings of local preschool institutions.
Olonets branch of Sortavala College (previously the branch was an independent educational institution under the names: PU-2 (in the period from 1962 to 2014), Olonets Technical School – from 2014 to February 2019 before reorganization).
The city has preserved the layout of the XVIII century.
Mass graves of Soviet soldiers at the civil cemetery of Olonets, who died during the Great Patriotic War.[8][9] 449 Soviet soldiers were buried in mass graves.[10]
The mass grave of Soviet soldiers and civilians shot by the Belofin invaders during the occupation of Olonets in 1919.[11]
Monument to Soviet military pilots – participants of the Svir-Petrozavodsk operation (1944).[12] The monument (the wing of a combat aircraft) was installed in 1974 on Karl Marx Street.[10]
Monument to the heroes of the Olonets underground.[13]
The monument to the Soviet soldiers-liberators[14] was installed on the street of Svir Divisions in 1969 (76-mm divisional cannon).[10]
Every year, since 1999, on the initiative of the then mayor of Olonets Vasily Anatolyevich Popov, the «Olonets Games of Ded Moroz» began to be held on the first day of winter.[16]
Olonets is the only city on the territory of Karelia where Karelians make up the majority of the population, in addition, the Olonets district is a place of compact residence of Karelian Livviks and the most populated Karelian district of the Republic of Karelia.
Besides Karelians, Olonets is home to such traditional Karelian peoples as Finns, Russians, as well as Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles and Lithuanians. In relation to the Belarusian and Ukrainian population, this is primarily due to the post-war resettlement from the destroyed villages of Belarus and Ukraine, Karelia was a place of exile for Poles and Lithuanians.
There is a small community of Chechens in Olonets and Olonets district, which is not typical for this region and the republic as a whole. According to the 2002 census, 53 representatives of this nationality live here. In this regard, a number of ethnic conflicts have arisen in the area.[20][21]
Witold Pilecki (1901–1948) was born in Olonets. He was an army officer and a member of Armia Krajowa who got himself arrested to infiltrate the Nazi operation in Auschwitz concentration camp. He escaped from the camp and was one of the first direct witnesses of the Final Solution which he reported to his Underground superiors. He took part in the Warsaw uprising. After WWII he was tried and executed by the Polish communist regime in 1948. He was a decorated Polish National hero.[22]
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №871-ЗРК от 29 апреля 2005 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия», в ред. Закона №1895-ЗРK от 2 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменения статью 9 Закона Республики Карелия "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Республики Карелия"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №48, 7 мая 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #871-ZRK of April 29, 2005 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1895-ZRK of June 2, 2015 On Amending Article 9 of the Law of the Republic of Karelia "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Karelia". Effective as of the official publication date.).
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №813-ЗРК от 1 ноября 2004 г. «О городских, сельских поселениях в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований『Нюхчинское сельское поселение』и『Сумпосадское сельское поселение』Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №124, 126, 129, 132, 135, 136, 139, 4 ноября — 9 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #813-ZRK of November 1, 2004 On the Urban, Rural Settlements in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013 On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное Собрание Республики Карелия. Закон №825-ЗРК от 1 декабря 2004 г. «О муниципальных районах в Республике Карелия», в ред. Закона №1694-ЗРK от 2 апреля 2013 г. «О преобразовании муниципальных образований『Нюхчинское сельское поселение』и『Сумпосадское сельское поселение』Беломорского муниципального района и внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Республики Карелия». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: газета "Карелия", №141, 16 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia. Law #825-ZRK of December 1, 2004 On the Municipal Districts in the Republic of Karelia, as amended by the Law #1694-ZRK of April 2, 2013 On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations of "Nyukhchinskoye Rural Settlement" and "Sumposadskoye Rural Settlement" of Belomorsky Municipal District of the Republic of Karelia and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Republic of Karelia. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
[5])
R 21 highway («Kola» highway).
