Until 1927 , 1708
Tsar Peter the Great issued an edict which established seven governorates. The description of the borders of the governorates was not given; instead, their area was defined as a set of towns and the lands adjacent to those towns. The present area of Leningrad oblast was a part of Ingermanland Governorate, which was renamed
Saint Petersburg Governorate in 1710. The governorates were subdivided into
uyezds, and uyezds into
volosts. Eventually, parts of Saint Petersburg Governorate were split off to form separate governorates, such as
Novgorod,
Pskov, or
Olonets Governorates.
Vyborg Governorate, which was split off early, in 1812 was included into the
Grand Duchy of Finland as the
Viipuri Province, and in 1918 became a part of independent
Finland. In 1913, Saint Petersburg Governorate was renamed Petrograd, and in 1924 Leningrad Governorate. The east and south of the current area of the oblast was transferred in 1727 to
Moscow and
Novgorod Governorates. After a sequence of administrative reforms, the northeastern part of the oblast ended up in 1801 in
Olonets Governorate. In June 1918, five uyezds of Novgorod Governorate, including Tikhvinsky Uyezd, were split off to form
Cherepovets Governorate, with the administrative center in
Cherepovets. In 1922, Olonets Governorate was abolished, and Lodeynopolsky Uyezd (which contained all areas later transferred to Leningrad Oblast) was transferred to Petrograd Governorate. Thus, by 1927 the current area of the oblast was split between three governorates — Leningrad, Novgorod, and Cherepovets. Additionally, the areas adjacent to the
Narva River, including the town of
Ivangorod, were assigned to
Estonia in 1920, following the
Estonian War of Independence and the
Treaty of Tartu, signed on February 2, 1920.
1927—1944 On August 1, 1927 the governorate was abolished, and uyezds were merged into newly established
Leningrad Oblast, with the administrative center in Leningrad, which included the northwestern part of Russian Federation. The oblast was subdivided into 140 districts, which were grouped into nine okrugs, •
Borovichi Okrug (with the seat located in
Borovichi); •
Cherepovets Okrug (
Cherepovets); •
Leningrad Okrug (
Leningrad); •
Lodeynoye Pole Okrug (
Lodeynoye Pole); •
Luga Okrug (
Luga); •
Murmansk Okrug (
Murmansk); •
Novgorod Okrug (
Veliky Novgorod); •
Pskov Okrug (
Pskov); •
Velikiye Luki Okrug (
Velikiye Luki). Murmansk Okrug was not contiguous with the rest of Leningrad Oblast and was separated from it by the territory of the
Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The areas where Leningrad Oblast was established belonged previously not only to Saint Petersburg, Novgorod, and Cherepovets Governorates, but also to
Murmansk and
Pskov Governorates. The following districts have been established, On August 15, 1930, the okrugs were abolished as well (with the exception of Murmansk Okrug), and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. Subsequently, the administrative divisions were merged and split on a regular basis, so that some districts were abolished, and others were established. On September 23, 1937
Vologda Oblast was established, and eastern districts of Leningrad Oblast were transferred to Vologda Oblast. On May 28, 1938
Murmansk Oblast was established, and the districts which belonged to Murmansk Okrug were transferred there. Between 1938 and 1944, the area of Leningrad Oblast approximately corresponded to the current area of Leningrad, Pskov, and Novgorod Oblasts. On March 22, 1935
Pskov and
Kingisepp Okrugs, adjacent to the state borders, were established. In September 1940, both were abolished. On the same day some areas, which are now parts of Vyborgsky and Priozersky Districts, were transferred from the
Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic to Leningrad Oblast. In 1948-1949, most of the names of Finnish origin were replaced by made-up Russian names. After 1944, some areas which belonged to Leningrad Oblast, were on several occasions transferred to the federal city of Saint Petersburg.
Abolished districts After 1927 (with the exception of the aborted reform of 1963-1965) borders between the districts sometimes were modified, and as a result some of the districts were abolished. This list includes the districts which existed in the current area of Leningrad Oblast. •
Budogoshchensky District (the administrative center in the urban-type settlement of
Budogoshch), established in 1927, abolished in 1932, split between
Dregelsky and Kirishsky Districts. •
Detskoselsky District (the town of
Detskoye Selo), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, split between Tosnensky, Krasnogvardeysky, and Leningradsky Prigorodny Districts. •
Kapshinsky District (the settlement of
Shugozero), established in 1927, abolished in 1963, split between Boksitogorsky and Tikhvinsky Districts. •
Kolpinsky District (the town of
Kolpino), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, split between Tosnensky and Leningradsky Prigorodny Districts. •
Kotelsky District (the selo of
Kotly), established in 1927, abolished in 1931, merged into Kingiseppsky District. •
Krasnoselsky District (the town of
Krasnoye Selo), established in 1936, abolished in 1955, merged into Lomonosovsky District. •
Leningradsky Prigorodny District (the city of
Leningrad), established in 1930, abolished in 1936, split between the city of Leningrad, and Krasnoselsky, Slutsky, Pargolovsky, Vsevolozhsky, and Mginsky Districts. •
Leninsky District (the settlement of
Vsevolozhskoye), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, merged into Leningradsky Prigorodny District. •
Lesogorsky District (the urban-type settlement of
Lesogorsky), established in 1940 as Yaskinsky District and a part of the Karelian ASSR, later of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic, transferred to Leningrad Oblastin 1944, renamed in 1948, abolished in 1960, merged into Vyborgsky District. •
Lyubansky District (the town of
Lyuban), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, merged into Tosnensky District. •
Mginsky District (the settlement of
Mga), established in 1927, abolished in 1960, split between Volkhovsky and Tosnensky Districts. In 1930 and 1931 was known as Putilovsky District. The current borders of Kirovsky District largely coincide with those of Mginsky District. •
Moloskovitsky District (the village of
Moloskovitsy), established in 1927, abolished in 1931, merged into Volosovsky District. •
Novoladozhsky District (the town of
Novaya Ladoga), established in 1946, abolished in 1963, merged into Volkhovsky District. •
Oredezhsky District (the settlement of
Oredezh), established in 1927, abolished in 1959, split between Luzhsky and Gatchinsky Districts. •
Osminsky District (the selo of
Osmino), established in 1927, abolished in 1961, split between Slantsevsky and Volosovsky Districts. •
Oyatsky District (the selo of
Alyokhovshchina), established in 1927 as Shapshinsky District, in the same year renamed Oyatsky District, abolished in 1955, merged into Lodeynopolsky District. •
Pargolovsky District (the settlement of
Pargolovo III), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, split between Kuyvozovsky District and Leningradsky Prigorodny District. Re-established in 1936, abolished in 1954, split between the city of Leningrad and Vsevolozhsky District. •
Pashsky District (the village of
Pashsky Perevoz), established in 1927, abolished in 1955, merged into Novoladozhsky District. •
Pavlovsky District (the town of
Pavlovsk), established in 1936 as Slutsky District, renamed in 1944 into Pavlovsky District, abolished in 1953, split between the city of Leningrad, Gatchinsky, and Tosnensky Districts. •
Pikalyovsky District (the selo of
Pikalyovo), established in 1927, abolished in 1932, split between Yefimovsky, Tikhvinsky, Dregelsky, Kapshinsky, and
Khvoyninsky Districts. •
Primorsky District (the town of
Primorsk), established in 1940 as Koyvistovsky District, renamed in 1948, abolished in 1954, merged into Roshchinsky District. •
Roshchinsky District (the selo of
Roshchino), established in 1940 as Kannelyarvsky District, renamed Rayvolovsky District in 1945, renamed Roshchinsky District in 1948, abolished in 1963, merged into Vyborgsky District. •
Rudnensky District (the selo of
Rudno, subsequently in the village of
Vyskatka), established in 1927, abolished in 1933, split between
Gdovsky and Osminsky Districts. •
Sosnovsky District (the suburban settlement of
Sosnovo), established in 1940 as Rautovsky District, renamed in 1948, abolished in 1960, split between Roshchinsky and Priozersky Districts. •
Toksovsky District (the village of
Kuyvoz, later in the urban-type settlement of
Toksovo), established in 1927 as Kuyvozovsky District, renamed in 1936, abolished in 1939, merged into Pargolovsky District. •
Uritsky District (the town of
Uritsk), established in 1927, abolished in 1930, merged into Leningradsky Prigorodny District. •
Vinnitsky District (the selo of
Vinnitsy), established in 1927, abolished in 1963, merged into Lodeynopolsky District, in 1965 became a part of re-established Podporozhsky District. •
Voznesensky District (the selo of
Voznesenye), established in 1927, abolished in 1954, merged into Podporozhsky District. •
Yefimovsky District (the settlement of
Yefimovsky), established in 1927, abolished in 1963, merged into Boksitogorsky District.
Renamed districts • Gatchinsky District was known between 1927 and 1929 as Trotsky District, and between 1929 and 1944 as Krasnogvardeysky District. • Kirishsky District was known before 1931 as Andreyevsky District. • Lomonosovsky District was known before 1948 as Oraniyenbaumsky District. • Priozersky District was known before 1948 as Keksgolmsky District. ==See also==