Kandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, north of the Arctic Circle. Population:

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. The same year, Kandalaksha (Kokuyev) male monastery was founded near the .

In 1854, during the Crimean War, the town was plundered by the British.

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. While the district was nominally retained as a separate administrative division, all its subdivisions were administratively subordinated to the town's Council of Deputies.

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

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Kandalaksha is twinned with:

  • Kemijärvi, Finland
  • 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.

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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

</gallery>

See also

  • Lake Lupche

Notes

References

Sources

  • Official website of Kandalaksha
  • Kandalaksha Business Directory
  • Kandalaksha Nature Reserve
  • Information about Kandalaksha for tourists