In the modern borders, the Kirov region occupies 120.7 thousand square meters. km of the forested Volga region in the northeast of the Russian Plain in the central-eastern part of European Russia, extending 570 km from the north (from 61°4 N) to the south (up to 56°3 N) and 440 km from west (from 41°17 E) to the east (up to 53°56 E).

It neighbors the Kirov region with the Arkhangelsk region and the Komi Republic in the north, the Perm Territory and Udmurtia in the east, Tatarstan and Mari El in the south, the Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vologda regions in the west.

Ancient people began to populate the Vyatka land, which was not covered by the last glaciations, from the end of the ice age - more than 15 thousand years ago, penetrating from the south along the Volga - Kama - Vyatka, settling along their numerous tributaries and settling primarily in elevated places.

In the historical era, the indigenous population of the Vyatka land was made up of Finno-Ugric tribes. By the end I millennium AD nationalities were formed here: Votyaks (Udmurts), Cheremis (Mari), Zyryans and Permians (Komi), Chud Zavolochskaya. From the south, the Volga Bulgaria bordered the multi-tribal Vyatka land.

Also along the rivers, using portage crossings through narrow watersheds, the region was populated by Slavs-Rus, starting from XII centuries. The first wave of Slavic settlers were Vyatichi, Krivichi and other immigrants from the Vladimir-Suzdal land and the Muromo-Ryazan principality, who fled from forced Christianization and princely civil strife to the northeast along the Oka - Volga - Unzha and Vetluga. From the north, along the Sukhona - the Northern Dvina - the South - Pushma, Ustyuzhans, Dvinians, and Novgorodians penetrated through the portage to Moloya and Vyatka. According to some historians, it was from the Slavs that the name of the main river of the region, and then itself, came from.

The Slavs brought the veche device to the Vyatka land and at least five centuries, until the end XVI centuries preserved the communal way of life, and some folk (pagan) customs are preserved among the Vyatchans to this day. The ancient Slavic holiday of Spring - Rodonitsa - Krasnaya Gorka (Commemoration Day of the Ancestors and fertility spells for the coming summer) - in its entirety pagan rituals are preserved in the form of "the only one in the world in its originality and name" of the Whistle Dance (Whistles) until the beginning XX century.

Following Christianization, the Slavs were forced to leave their inhabited places for the northern forests by devastating Tatar raids, and later by Nikon's church reforms and serfdom. Later, the Vyatka land became a place of exile for revolutionary-minded representatives of the Russian people. As a result of the Stolypin reforms at the beginning XX centuries, with the financial support of the government, the deserted north-east of the region began to be settled by immigrants from the western provinces of the Russian Empire (Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Poles, Belarusians), who formed individual farm settlements in the swampy forest wilderness of the Oparinsky district, forcibly liquidated in Soviet times. During the Second World War, numerous refugees found shelter and permanent residence on the Vyatka land, as well as workers of evacuated factories from the occupied regions, especially from besieged Leningrad.

The most successfully located Russian settlements in XVI-XV centuries turned into cities (Kotelnich, Orlov, Vyatka) - the support centers of the Russian population among the small settlements of Votyaks (Udmurts), Cheremis (Mari) and other aboriginal tribes.

With the accession in 1489 of the Vyatka land to the Muscovite state, its first administrative structure was carried out, which has changed repeatedly and significantly since then. Only the administrative center of the Vyatka land remained unchanged - the ancient city of Vyatka, which changed only its name: to Khlynov (from 1457 to 1780) and Kirov (from 1934).

Especially lively development of the region began in XVI in. with the fall of the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates. At this time, with the development of crafts and trade, the cities of Malmyzh, Tsarevosanchursk, Yaransk, Urzhum, Shestakov, Kaiograd became, new settlements appeared - Kukarka (later the city of Sovetsk), Upper (later the city of Slobodskoy).

According to the initial administrative division, the Vyatka land was limited to one Khlynovsky district with the cities of Khlynov, Kotelnich, Orlov, Slobodskoy. The rest of the territory of the region belonged to other administrative entities.

Only in 1719 the entire territory of the Vyatka region (the basin of the Vyatka river with the upper reaches of the Kama) was united with the common border of the Vyatka province (with the addition of the village of Kai from the neighboring Perm region to it with the county) as part of the Siberian province. Then, in 1727, as part of three counties (Khlynovsky, Slobodsky, Kotelnichesky), it was assigned to the Kazan province. In 1780, within the Vyatka region, as part of 13 counties, the Vyatka governorship was formed, which in 1796 was transformed into the Vyatka province, divided into 10 counties.

Since 1816, for more than a hundred years, the Vyatka province existed without changes in the composition of 11 counties: Vyatka, Orlovsky, Slobodsky, Kotelnichesky, Yaransky, Urzhumsky, Nolinsky, Malmyzhsky, Yelabuga, Sarapulsky, Glazovsky.

The Vyatka land underwent a new series of administrative reorganizations during the period of socialist transformations.

As a result, in 1960 the territory of the region was divided into 60 districts, then their number was reduced due to consolidation to 18, then as a result of the division of the largest districts, they became 39. This number has been preserved since 1966.

The first overland road from the center of the Moscow State to Vyatka was, probably, duplicating the water-and-portage route from the river. South to Vyatka along Molom and already existed in XV in. the road through the Kayskoye swamp (Ustyug road). Less convenient, although more direct, was the road through Galich (since 1797 - the St. Petersburg or Vyatka-Kostroma postal route). AT XVI in. in the north of the region there was a big road from Moscow to Siberia through Veliky Ustyug and Kaigorod to Solikamsk (Siberian tract). A road was laid from Vyatka to Kazan (Kazan tract).

By the beginning of XIX in. in the Vyatka province there were 17 tracts - 12 county and 5 provincial: Siberian, Moscow, Kazan, Perm, Vologda.

The opening of the railways Vyatka - Glazov (Perm) in 1898 and Vyatka - Kotlas in 1899, then in 1906 Vyatka - Vologda - (Petersburg) and in the 1920s of the Kotelnich - Gorky section contributed to the development of the central industrial-urban agglomeration (Kirov - Novovyatsk - Kirovo-Chepetsk), and with the laying of the Moscow - Kazan railway line in the south of the region, the southern industrial-urban agglomeration (Vyatskiye Polyany - Sosnovka) began to develop.

With the opening of the Vyatka-Kotlas railway line in 1899, an opportunity arose for the intensive assimilation of the forest resources of the Molomsko-Luz interfluve, and reliable communication was established with Vyatka (Kirov) of the regions of the Arkhangelsk and Vologda provinces (oblasts) remote from their administrative centers.

With the construction of the Yar-Phosforitnaya railway in the 1930s, the development of the largest in Europe Vyatka-Kama phosphorite deposit and forest resources of the north-eastern regions of the region began.

By the end of the 20th century, a fairly developed road and transport network with a stable connection with other regions of the country had developed within the region. Roads of republican significance pass through the territory of the region: St. Petersburg - Yekaterinburg, Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod - Yekaterinburg, Kazan - Kirov - Syktyvkar. Crossing the region along its central regions, the Trans-Siberian Railway connects it both with the center of Russia and with the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East.

Oil and gas pipelines cross the territories of the southern regions of the region.

With the destruction of the infrastructure of the timber industry complex as a result of the "perestroika reforms" in the 90s, numerous timber industry settlements that arose in the northern regions of the region during the Soviet period fell into decay.

According to the official data of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census, representatives of more than 110 nationalities live in the Kirov region. Most of the population is Russian - 89.4%, the region is inhabited by: Tatars - 2.7%, Mari - 2.2%, Udmurts - 1.01 percent, as well as Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis, Belarusians, Armenians, Gypsies, Chuvashs, Germans, Moldovans and others.

On the territory of the Kirov region there are 213 registered religious organizations belonging to 14 confessions. Most religious organizations belong to the Russian Orthodox Church.
At the same time, Muslim religious organizations professing traditional Islam operate in the region, most of whose parishioners are representatives of the Tatar population, compactly living in the southern regions of the Kirov region (Vyatskopolyansky, Malmyzhsky, Kilmezsky districts), as well as representatives of the Azerbaijani, Dagestan, Uzbek, Tajik and Chechen diasporas, professing forms of Islam traditional for these peoples.

At the same time, modern religious organizations operating on the territory of the Russian Federation are represented in the region. Thus, the Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches operate in the Kirov region. Various Protestant denominations are active: Lutherans, Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Evangelical Christians (Pentecostals), Seventh-day Adventists and many others.
Muslim and Jewish religious organizations operate.

In the Kirov region, 13 public organizations are officially registered, whose interests include ethno-confessional relations.
The most active of them:
- Kirov regional branch of the All-Russian public organization "ALL-RUSSIAN AZERBAIJANI CONGRESS";
- Kirov regional public organization "Armenian Community";
- Public organization "Local National - Cultural Autonomy of the Tatars of Kirov";
- Public organization "Regional national-cultural autonomy of the Tatars of the Kirov region".

In addition, in places of compact residence of ethnic groups, 5 centers of national cultures have been created and have been operating for more than 10 years:
. Vyatka regional center of Russian culture in Kotelnich;
Center of Udmurt National Culture;
Center of Mari national culture;
Center of Tatar National Culture;
Center of Komi-Permyak national culture.
As well as 6 branches in the districts of the region.
Their main activities are the development of culture, the study of national languages, the revival, preservation and transmission of customs, rituals and traditions to younger generations, as well as the strengthening of interethnic relations of peoples living compactly on the Vyatka land.

Currently, interaction between public organizations is developing, whose interests include interethnic and interfaith relations, the bases of public and religious organizations are being formed, cooperation is being established, the most active representatives of the civil society of the Kirov region, interested in studying ethno-confessional issues in the Kirov region, are being identified. The interests of public organizations and national diasporas are not limited to the cultural sphere. They assist compatriots in solving problems related to housing, social and linguistic adaptation in the territory of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In the current conditions, close interaction with representatives of national diasporas and religious organizations and associations is one of the most important factors in maintaining a stable ethno-confessional situation.

No open inter-ethnic conflicts have been recorded in the region. Potential inter-ethnic conflicts are possible in areas with a significant stratification of society, as well as in areas with a multi-ethnic composition of the population. To prevent these conflicts, work is underway in three areas: socio-economic, humanitarian (cultural and educational) and law enforcement, with guaranteed observance of equal rights and obligations of the leadership and the population.
Over the past period of 2013, there were no obvious conflicts in the Kirov region.

The executive authorities of the Kirov region regularly hold meetings with leaders of national communities and religious organizations. During the conversations, there is an exchange of views on topical issues, and consulting support is provided on legal and organizational issues. Support is also provided in holding national cultural and religious holidays. Thanks to established contacts, it is possible to resolve many issues before they reach the level of conflict.

History of the Vyatka Earth In ancient times (17-1 million years ago), the land on Earth was located completely differently than now. There were no modern continents, but there were other continents - Lemuria with the asura civilization and Atlantis with the Atlantean civilization. The territory of the Kirov region was under water until about 800 thousand years ago. 800 thousand years ago, the territory of the Kirov region (and its neighboring regions - the Kostroma region, the Perm Territory) was still under water. By this time, a mainland had already appeared in the east, on which Siberia and the Far East are now located, conditionally this mainland can be called North Asia. To the west was the continent of Europe. Here, between the continents of Europe and North Asia, there was a large strait, at the bottom of which, 800 thousand years ago, was the modern Kirov region and the entire territory from the modern Vetluga River to the modern Kama River, to the east of the modern Kama land already appeared, which later became the Urals. The territory of the Kirov region was at the bottom of the ocean until about 199 thousand days ago. Approximately by 199 thousand years ago, the territory under consideration acquired a form similar to the modern one. But on the site of the Kirov region, the Komi Republic, the west of the Perm Territory and the east of the Kostroma region (between the Vetluga and Kama rivers) at that time there were a lot of swamps and lakes, this happened because this land rose very slowly above the water. By the way, even now the north of the Kirov region and the Komi Republic have many swamps and lakes. Another interesting note at this time, it was at this time that the rivers appeared - Vetluga, Vyatka, Kama. But they didn't flow like they do now. The Vetluga flowed into the Sea of ​​Azov along the Sura and Don rivers, and the Volga was a right tributary of the Volga. At that time, the Kama and Vyatka rivers (a tributary of the Kama) appeared, the Kama at that time flowed into the Caspian Sea (it flowed along the channel of the modern Middle and Lower Volga. Another note - in those days there were no Black, Azov, Caspian and Aral seas as such , while these seas were a single large body of water, which included the territory of the Karakum and Kyzyskum deserts (they were at the bottom of this large single sea), the territories north of the Caucasus were also part of the bottom of this large sea.At that time, in the Arctic Ocean the mainland Arctida also appeared. It was the time when the Atlantean civilization dominated the Earth, but at that time the mainland Atlantis was divided into two large islands - Ruta and Laitia, at the same time the Atlanteans began to migrate to other territories. Perhaps at this time the first settlers appeared on Arctida from Atlantis (future Hyperboreans). By 79 thousand years ago, Arctida and the entire adjacent territory (including the region we are considering) were under powerful glaciers (there was glaciation). Between 79 thousand years ago and 38 thousand years ago there was a warming - the climate was warm. But there were no people on the territory of the Kirov region yet (or there were very few) In 38 thousand years BC, the same territory was again covered again by glaciers of the next glaciation. And again, there were no settlements of people on the territory of the Kirov region. By 22 thousand years ago, the territory of Arctida was inhabited by the Hyperboreans, who created the most developed civilization at that time. By this time, tribes of the Sungir culture penetrated the territory of the Kirov region (mostly these tribes lived to the south - between the Volga and Oka rivers. The tribes of this culture were descendants of the Atlanteans who migrated from the islands of Atlantis to Europe. Perhaps many will be interested in what language the tribes spoke of the Sungir culture? Like all the later descendants of the Atlanteans, they spoke a language that is not preserved now. Of the currently existing peoples, the closest languages ​​\u200b\u200bare the Caucasian peoples and the Basques, now living in northern Spain. Approximately 17.5 thousand years ago in the region under study tribes of the Gagarin culture began to appear (descendants of the Sungir and Kostenkov cultures, which was located much to the south. These tribes came from the south and assimilated the tribes of the Sungir culture located there. At the same time, the entire north of the European part of Russia was settled by the Hyperboreans. Around 12500 BC, most likely late Atlanteans from Poseidonis Island (Atlantic kean) delivered a nuclear strike on the civilization of the Turans, which was located on the territory of the modern Gobi Desert (at that time there was a large Turan Sea, connected to the Pacific Ocean. As a result of these actions, the Turan Sea began to dry up, and under the influence of radiation, the surviving Turanians acquired Mongoloid features. The result of the use of nuclear weapons was a new cooling and the emergence of new glaciers. By about 12,000 BC, the territory of the Kirov region was covered with glaciers. At this time, the movement of the Hyperboreans to the south began - to the Middle Urals. They moved south away from the glaciers advancing from the north. By 10,000 BC, when the glaciers retreated to the north, tribes of the Gagarin culture began to return to the territory of the Kirov region after them. At the same time, from the east, from the Urals, descendants of the Hyperboreans began to penetrate into the territory under study. By 9000 BC, the descendants of the Hyperboreans became the main population of the region under study, displacing the tribes of the Gagarin culture beyond the Volga. For the information of the readers, the Hyperboreans are the ancestors of all the Indo-European and Ural peoples, as well as the mysterious people of the Sirt (which in ancient times was called the name "White-eyed Chud") By 7500 BC, a new archaeological culture, Shigirskaya, began to emerge in the Permian Territory and in the east of the Kirov Region. The tribes of this culture are the descendants of the Hyperboreans (southern group). By 6500 BC, the tribes of the Shigir culture settled in a large strip of land from the Urals to the Baltic Sea. The Kirov region was also inhabited by these tribes. It is believed that these tribes are the ancestors of all Indo-European peoples, but perhaps only the southern groups of these tribes were Indo-Europeans, and the northern group later became Finno-Ugric tribes. By 4100 BC, the Volga-Kama archaeological culture arose on the territory of the east of the Kirov region and the territory of the Perm region. This culture arose on the basis of one of the northeastern groups of Shigirs. The tribes of this culture are the ancestors of some Finno-Ugric peoples. It can be said that since that time the territory of Kirovskaya was inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes. By 3100 BC, the entire territory of the studied region was inhabited by the tribes of the Gorbunovskaya culture. This culture arose on the basis of the Volga-Kama archaeological culture. The tribes of this culture were the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples. By 1500 AD, the western part of the Kirov region was inhabited by the tribes of the Fatyanovo archaeological culture, and the eastern part by the tribes of the Gorbunovskaya culture. Both of these groups of tribes belong to the tribes of the Finno-Ugric peoples, but in the Fatyanovo group of tribes the sign of the Finno-speaking tribes was strong (i.e., these tribes spoke a language more similar to the language of modern Finns and Karelians), and among the tribes of the Gorbunovskaya culture in the language still had many elements of the Ugric language (languages ​​of the Hungarians, Khanty, Mansi). By 1100 BC, tribes of the Prikazanskaya archaeological culture lived on the territory of the Kirov region, this culture developed on the basis of the cultures that preceded it. But again, these were Finno-Ugric tribes, although by this time there were very few Ugric elements in the language of these tribes. By 700 BC, the Ananyinskaya archaeological culture arose on the territory of the Kirov region, it arose on the basis of the Prikazan culture, and these were again Finnish-speaking tribes (Ugric words had almost disappeared by this time). These tribes are the ancient ancestors of the modern peoples of the Udmurts, Komi, and Mari. By the year 100 BC on the territory of the Kirov region, on the basis of the Ananyino culture, the Pyanobor archaeological culture was formed, the tribes of this culture were also the distant ancestors of the modern Udmurts and Mari. The ethnic composition of the population of the Kirov region did not change at all until the middle of the 7th century. In the second half of the 1st millennium AD. complex ethnic processes took place in the Vyatka basin. In the eastern part of the basin, the formation of the Udmurt (Votyak) tribes took place, in the western part the tribes of the northern Mari (Cheremis) were formed, in the north of the region - the Komi tribes. These tribes were formed on the basis of the Finno-Ugric linguistic community. But their settlements in the early Middle Ages were rare. Most of the territory was deserted and covered with virgin forests and swamps. The main occupations of the population were agriculture, domestic cattle breeding and hunting for fur-bearing animals. In the middle of the 7th century AD, the Bulgars, a Turkic-speaking people (who appeared on the territory of the steppes of the Northern Black Sea and -4 centuries, the Bulgars were still part of the Hunnic people (although it is officially believed that the Huns (Xiongnu) themselves were still a Mongol-speaking people in the 2nd century AD, but during the movement of this people to the east (from the territory of modern Mongolia to Europe), to them many other Turkic-speaking peoples joined in. By the time the Bulgars appeared in the lower reaches of the Kama and on the Middle Volga, the Bulgars were subordinate to a large state located in the lower reaches of the Volga - the Khazar Khaganate. By the middle of the 8th century, the Bulgars formed their own state - Bulgaria - in the lower reaches of the Kama and on the territory of the Middle Volga Volga-Kama.This state was a vassal of the Khazar Khaganate. Apparently the Bulgars in those days were actively influencing whether on the life of the population living in the territory of the Kirov region. The ancestors of the Udmurts (Russians called them Votyaks), who lived on the territory of the Kirov region, traded with Bulgaria, and perhaps some of them paid tribute to the Bulgars. Thus, the Votyaks were involved in international trade (Bulgaria traded with many countries of Europe and Asia). Among the Votyak tribes, property inequality appears (the leaders and elders of the tribes begin to grow rich). In the west of the Kirov region (west of Vyatka and Mologa) lived other Finnish-speaking tribes - the Cheremis. The Cheremis, like the Votyaks, also experienced significant influence from the Bulgars and the Bulgarian state. In 965, the Volga-Kama Bulgaria became an independent state (the Khazar Khaganate ceased to exist). Since that time, close relations began to occur between Bulgaria and Kievan Rus, which alternated between peaceful relations and mutual attacks. The Russians often made trips to Bulgaria, the Bulgars attacked the Russian lands (reached Murom). Even in the 11th century, the Novgorodians conquered (subjugated) the lands along the Sukhona River, creating the Dvina Land there (these lands had previously been inhabited by Finnish-speaking Chud tribes). Since that time, both Novgorodians (from the north) and Vladimirians (from the west and southwest) tried to penetrate the Vyatka Land and subdue it. The beginning of the campaign against Vyatka by the Novgorod squad and the founding of the city of Khlynov somehow coincides with the year of the assassination of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky (1174) and the weakening of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality for several years - the main enemy of Veliky Novgorod at that time. Thus, the first Russian settlers in the Vyatka Land were the Novgorodians, who came to the territory of the Kirov region from the north. Archaeological research makes it possible to determine the beginning of the Russian development of the basin of the middle reaches of the Vyatka River at the end of the 12th - the beginning of the 13th century. "By the way, an interesting point is that if before the Bolshevik revolution the year of foundation of Vyatka was considered 1181, then in Soviet times this date was the year 1374. And, thus , in 1974, the 600th anniversary of the city of Kirov was celebrated!.. And according to the old chronology, it turns out that the 850th anniversary of the city of Vyatka should be celebrated in 2031 In the second half of the 13th century the influx of Russians to Vyatka increased due to the Mongol-Tatar invasion. etc. The main part of the settlers went to Vyatka from the Novgorod, Ustyug, Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod lands. nd and versions about the origin of the word "Vyatka". In the second half of the 16th century, or rather in 1582, the Polish historian Matthew Stryikovsky in his "Chronicle" attributed the founding of the city of Khlynov, which later became Vyatka, and now Kirov, to the legendary prince Vyatko. This prince is a contemporary of the legendary princes Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv, ​​who founded the city of Kyiv, the "mother of Russian cities" and, according to the annals, founded the principality of the East Slavic tribe of the Polyans. This theory has few supporters and little evidence. There is another theory. In the 8th-9th centuries, a large Slavic tribe of the Vyatichi lived in the Oka River valley. The Vyatichi defended their independence from Kievan Rus for a long time. Only in 982 the Vyatichi were subordinated to Kievan Rus. Part of the Vyatichi, who did not want to live under the rule of Kyiv, went to the northeast, to the territory of the modern Kirov region, settled on the banks of this river, which dissolved among the ancient Udmurts (and for this reason the Udmurts from that time began to be called Votyaks). And the Vyatka River got its name. This theory is more reasonable. But the most likely reason for the emergence of the name "Vyatka" is associated with the name of the ancient ancient Udmurt tribes - Votyaks. The lands of the Kirov region were called Ruchichi "Land of Votskaya", and later this name was transformed into "Land of Vyatka". The Vyatka River got its name for this reason too. Vyatka was first mentioned in the annals under 1374 in connection with the campaign of the Novgorod ushkuins against the Volga Bulgaria, which at that time was part of the Golden Horde. In the 70s. 14th century Vyatka land was part of the Nizhny Novgorod principality. In 1393 this principality was annexed to Moscow. The princes of Nizhny Novgorod, after a long struggle, were forced to submit and received Vyatka land as their inheritance. In 1411, the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes made a new attempt to regain their possessions, but were again defeated. The short-lived Vyatka principality was liquidated, the Vyatka land was transferred to the possession of Yuri Galitsky. Vyatchane actively participated in the Feudal War in the middle of the 15th century. on the side of his overlord Yuri Galitsky and his son Vasily Kosoy. The war ended with the victory of Vasily the Dark. Vyatchane were forced to recognize themselves as vassals of the Grand Duke of Moscow. In 1412, the famous battle between the Vyatchans and the Ustyugians (residents of Veliky Ustyug, subordinate to the Moscow principality) takes place. The battle took place at night, in a ravine, later called Razderikhinsky. According to one version, the Ustyugians came to the aid of the Vyatchans for defense against the Tatars, according to another, they, in alliance with the Moscow princes, wanted to capture the city. In Russia, Vyatka was the third free veche land after Novgorod and Pskov. This independence, according to the Tale, continued in the Vyatka land for 278 years - until 1459. In 1459, Vasily the Dark conquers Vyatka, Khlynov is subject to tribute and is brought to loyalty to Moscow. The hostile attitude of the Vyatchans towards Moscow is expressed in resistance, disobedience and campaigns against Moscow lands. The first mentions of the cities of Orlov and Kotelnich, which were founded earlier simultaneously with Khlynov downstream of the Vyatka, date back to 1457-1459. Later, the cities of Sloboda and Shestakov were founded, but already upstream. The exact date of the founding of the main city of the Vyatka land - the city of Khlynov is not in any historical source. According to the science of archeology, in the middle - the second half of the 13th century, it was already a large medieval city. And 1457 is the first mention of the city of Khlynov in chronicles. In the 60s - early 80s. 15th century Vyatchane, together with the entire Russian people, fought against the Tatar khanates. In 1468 they took part in the campaign of Ivan III's troops against the Kazan Khanate. In 1471, when the Golden Horde Khan Akhmat was preparing a big campaign against Moscow, and the troops of Ivan III were busy fighting the Novgorod Republic, the Vyatchans under the command of Kostya Yuryev made a bold campaign against the capital of the Golden Horde - the city of Saray. In 1478, the Vyatchans, with the help of the Ustyugians, repulsed the raid of Khan Ibrahim on Vyatka. During these years, the country was in the process of creating a single centralized state. In Vyatka, as in other lands, two groups formed. One, headed by K. Yuryev, supported the unifying activities of Moscow, the other advocated the preservation of the appanage-autonomist system. All R. 80s 15th century a fierce struggle unfolded between them, in which the anti-Moscow group won. In 1485, the Vyatka boyars refused to take part in the campaign against Kazan, conducted by Ivan III, concluding a separate peace with the Tatars. In response, the Moscow government sent a strong detachment to Vyatka under the command of the governor Yuri Shestak Kutuzov, but the Moscow army could not take Khlynov and returned back. The Vyatka boyars expelled the Grand Duke's governor and declared Vyatka independent. Supporters of Moscow, led by K. Yuryev, were forced to flee from Khlynov. In 1489, Ivan III sent a 64,000-strong army to Vyatka. In July, Moscow troops captured Kotelnich and Orlov, and in mid-August began the siege of Khlynov. The Vyatchanes were forced to capitulate, recognize the power of Ivan III and hand over their leaders. In 1490 Vyatka was "divorced". All the boyars, people, merchants were evicted to different places of the Muscovite state, residents of Ustyug and other cities were resettled in their place. The accession of the Vyatka land to a single Russian state had a progressive significance. Vyatka were considered lands along the middle course of the rivers Vyatka and Cheptsa, Arsk land; actually the territory of the future Vyatka district, part of Slobodsky (with the exception of Kai and its volosts), part of Glazovsky, an insignificant part of Nolinsky, as well as Orlovsky and Kotelnichsky counties. To the south of Kotelnich, as well as along the Suna and Voya rivers, the Meadow Mari lived. It contributed to the development of productive forces, the growth of agriculture, industry and trade. Khlynov in the 17th century was the largest city in the north-east of Russia. After the final annexation to Moscow, Khlynov developed rapidly and in the 16th century became the largest city in the north-east of what was then Russia. Craft production grew in it, trade expanded. Trade routes to Pomorye, the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia ran through Khlynov. Economic ties were established with Moscow, Novgorod, Vologda, Ustyug, Arkhangelsk, Cherdyn, Solikamsk, Tobolsk, Kazan, Astrakhan and other Russian cities. In 1580 Abbot Tryphon founded the Assumption Monastery in Khlynov. A settlement soon formed around the monastery, which became part of the city. Until the middle of the 16th century, Khlynov was ruled by a governor appointed by the Moscow government and its tiuns. In 1557, a reform was carried out that established a zemstvo (elective) government. City dwellers elected a zemstvo headman and a city clerk. In Khlynov there was a governor - a representative of the central government, who controlled the entire Vyatka land. In the 17th century, Khlynov continued to grow as a large craft and trade center for that time. In the second half of the 17th century, manufactory appeared, that is, large-scale production based on manual labor and working for the market. Under 1658, a distillery owned by the merchant Averky Trapitsyn is mentioned in Khlynov. In the 1960s-1980s, there was a bell-casting plant founded by master F.P. Dushkin. Trade developed especially successfully. There was a concentration of several shops in the hands of large merchants. Khlynov's trade with many Russian cities expanded. Local merchants exported mainly bread, which they bought from peasants, beef lard, leather, wool, furs and other goods. Khlynov was increasingly drawn into the emerging all-Russian market. In 1607, the Semyonov fair was founded in the city, which lasted for several days. Trade people and buyers from all over the Vyatka land and from other regions of the country came to this fair. The growth of industry and trade increased social stratification among the urban population. The dominant position in Khlynov was occupied by service nobles, clerks (officials), merchants, usurers, churchmen. They were opposed by small artisans, working people, domestic servants, the poor peasants (beggars), who experienced cruel exploitation from the tops of the city. Class contradictions intensified, which led to popular unrest. A serious uprising broke out in 1635. The reason was illegal fees collected by local authorities. The population refused to pay them. About 1000 people participated in the uprising. The governor's assistant Matvey Ryabinin and the greedy and cruel tax farmer Danila Kalsin, most hated by the masses, were killed. The rebels returned the money collected from them. But a punitive detachment arrived from Moscow, which crushed the uprising. The rebels were punished, and the most active were exiled to Siberia. By 1646, there were already 4670 inhabitants in Khlynov, and in the second half of the century there were already over 5000 people. Posad grew mainly in the western direction. Its border reached the modern Karl Marx Street. The territory of the Kremlin also increased. In 1624, the Transfiguration Convent was built near its northern side. In 1663-1667, all city fortifications were overhauled. The need for a radical restructuring was caused by the rapid growth of the settlement and the inability of Khlynov's defense structures to the new conditions of military equipment in connection with the improvement of firearms. The growth of the peasant movement was also important, which soon led to powerful uprisings that boiled around the Vyatka land: Solovetsky in the north, Razinsky in the Volga region, Bashkir in the southeast. The Vyatka region found itself between three centers of the popular movement, the tsarist government was in a hurry to strengthen Khlynov as soon as possible in order to prevent these movements from merging through the Vyatka land. In 1710, Peter 1 divided the country into 7 large provinces. Vyatka Land was basically part of the Siberian province. According to the reform of 1719, the Siberian province was divided into 3 provinces - Vyatka, Solikamsk, Tobolsk. Vyatka province consisted of 7 counties - Khlynovsky, Slobodsky, Kotelnichsky, Orlovsky, Shestakovsky, Kaygorodsky, Kungursky. In 1727, the Vyatka province became part of the Kazan province. In 1780, the Vyatka governorate was formed from the Vyatka province and from the southern Vyatka districts of the Kazan province. At the same time, the city of Khlynov was renamed the city of Vyatka. In 1796, the Vyatka governorship was transformed into the Vyatka province. In 1920, part of the territory of the Vyatka province was transferred to the Perm province, the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Votskaya and Mari Autonomous Regions. In 1928, the Vyatka province was liquidated, its territory became part of the Nizhny Novgorod region of the RSFSR. In 1934, the city of Vyatka was renamed the city of Kirov, and the Kirov Territory was created. In 1936, the Kirov region was created.

The procedure for obtaining information about nationality during the 2010 All-Russian Population Census was carried out in full accordance with Article 26 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation - “Everyone has the right to determine and indicate their nationality. No one can be forced to define and indicate their nationality.” Therefore, the answers to this question were recorded according to the self-determination of the respondents.

At the time of the 2010 census, more than 100 different nationalities lived in the Kirov region. The vast majority of them are Russians - 1200 thousand people (91.9%). Compared with the 2002 census, their number decreased by 165.7 thousand people, or 12 percent, but the share of Russians in the total population increased by 0.9 percentage points. The second place in terms of number is occupied by the Tatars (36.5 thousand people), although their share in 2010 decreased by 0.1 percentage points and amounted to 2.8 percent. This is followed by Mari (29.6 thousand people), Udmurts (13.6 thousand people), Ukrainians (7.7 thousand people) and Azerbaijanis (2.2 thousand people).

In addition, 6 more nationalities live in the Kirov region, numbering more than a thousand people. These include Belarusians (1942 people), Armenians (1825 people), Gypsies (1417 people), Chuvashs (1399 people), Germans (1040 people) and Moldovans (1037 people). In the period 2002-2010. the Komi nationality dropped out of this group due to the reduction in its number from 1054 to 866 people. More than 60 nationalities of the Kirov region are small - from 1 to 10 people inclusive. These include Aguls, Vepsians, Italians, Itelmens, Mongols, Selkups, Shors and others. It should be noted that during the intercensal period, the share of such nationalities as Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Gypsies increased, while the share of Mari, Ukrainians, and Udmurts significantly decreased.

The population of the Kirov region is urbanized, 74 percent of citizens live in urban areas. A high proportion of citizens have such nationalities as Russians, Tatars, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Uzbeks, Georgians. The most rural nationality is the Mari, 71 percent of them live in the village and only 29 percent in the city. A significant excess of men over women is noted among Uzbeks (3.2 times), Moldovans (2.5 times), Azerbaijanis (2.2 times), Armenians (1.6 times) and Ukrainians (1.2 times).

The census provided data on language proficiency. Almost the entire multinational population of the region speaks Russian, it was indicated by 1311.2 thousand people (99.9% of the total population who indicated language proficiency) . The Vietnamese (92.5%) and the Chinese (34%) know Russian least of all. Among other languages, the most common are English (2.9%), Tatar (2.0%), Mari (1.1%), German (1.0) and Udmurt (0.5%).

The Russian language is considered native, except for Russians, by the majority of Jews, Germans, Khanty, Estonians, Poles, Karelians, Belarusians and Nenets (more than 80% of their population). The highest proportion of people who indicated their nationality as their native language is among Russians (99.9%), Chinese (92.5%), Vietnamese (90.9%), Yezidis (90.7%), Mongols (87 .5%), Ingush (86.5%), Chechens (82.2%).

Kirov region in ancient times

Vyatka land has a rich history. It began to be populated in ancient times, apparently already in the Upper Paleolithic period (50-15 thousand years ago). Archaeological monuments of the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age are known on the territory of the region. In the 7th century BC. The Iron Age began in the Vyatka basin. The Early Iron Age is represented here by the monuments of the Ananyino culture. Ananyinians belonged to the Finno-Ugric ethnic group. There is an assumption that they were called Tissagetes, which are mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who placed them to the northeast of the Scythians and Sarmatians. Monuments of this culture are known in large numbers on the lower and middle Vyatka and its tributaries: the Nagovitsyn settlement (Kirov), Pizhemskoye (near the city of Sovetsk), Krivoborskoye (near the village of Prosnitsa) and others.
In the second half of the 1st millennium AD. complex ethnic processes took place in the Vyatka basin. In the eastern part of the basin, the formation of the Udmurt tribes took place, in the western part the Mari tribes formed, in the north of the region - the Komi tribes. These tribes were formed on the basis of the Finno-Ugric linguistic community. But their settlements in the early Middle Ages were rare. Most of the territory was deserted and covered with virgin forests and swamps. The main occupations of the population were agriculture, domestic cattle breeding and hunting for fur-bearing animals.
At the end of the XII - beginning of the XIII centuries. Russians began to penetrate into the Vyatka basin, they settled on free lands among the Udmurts and Mari. In the second half of the XIII century. the influx of Russians to Vyatka increased in connection with the Mongol-Tatar invasion. The oldest Russian settlements are found in Vyatka between Kotelnich and Slobodskoy. Several Russian settlements arose here: Kotelnichskoye, Kovrovskoye, Orlovskoye, Nikulitskoye, Khlynovskoye, etc. The main part of the settlers went to Vyatka from Novgorod, Ustyug, Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod lands.

Vyatka (Kirov) in the XIV-XV centuries.

Vyatka was first mentioned in the annals under 1374 in connection with the campaign of the Novgorod ushkuins against the Volga Bulgaria, which at that time was part of the Golden Horde.
In the 70s. 14th century Vyatka land was part of the Nizhny Novgorod principality. In 1393 this principality was annexed to Moscow. The princes of Nizhny Novgorod, after a long struggle, were forced to submit and received Vyatka land as their inheritance. In 1411, the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod princes made a new attempt to regain their possessions, but were again defeated. The short-lived Vyatka principality was liquidated, the Vyatka land was transferred to the possession of Yuri Galitsky. Vyatchane actively participated in the Feudal War in the middle of the 15th century. on the side of his overlord Yuri Galitsky and his son Vasily Kosoy. The war ended with the victory of Vasily the Dark. Vyatchane were forced to recognize themselves as vassals of the Grand Duke of Moscow. In the 60s - early 80s. 15th century Vyatchane, together with the entire Russian people, fought against the Tatar khanates. In 1468 they took part in the campaign of Ivan III's troops against the Kazan Khanate. In 1471, when the Golden Horde Khan Akhmat was preparing a big campaign against Moscow, and the troops of Ivan III were busy fighting the Novgorod Republic, the Vyatchans under the command of Kostya Yuryev made a bold campaign against the capital of the Golden Horde - the city of Saray. In 1478, the Vyatchans, with the help of the Ustyugians, repulsed the raid of Khan Ibrahim on Vyatka. During these years, the country was in the process of creating a single centralized state.
In Vyatka, as in other lands, two groups formed. One, headed by K. Yuryev, supported the unifying activities of Moscow, the other advocated the preservation of the appanage-autonomist system. All R. 80s 15th century a fierce struggle unfolded between them, in which the anti-Moscow group won. In 1485, the Vyatka boyars refused to take part in the campaign against Kazan, conducted by Ivan III, concluding a separate peace with the Tatars. In response, the Moscow government sent a strong detachment to Vyatka under the command of the governor Yuri Shestak Kutuzov, but the Moscow army could not take Khlynov and returned back. The Vyatka boyars expelled the Grand Duke's governor and declared Vyatka independent. Supporters of Moscow, led by K. Yuryev, were forced to flee from Khlynov. In 1489, Ivan III sent a 64,000-strong army to Vyatka. In July, Moscow troops captured Kotelnich and Orlov, and in mid-August began the siege of Khlynov. The Vyatchanes were forced to capitulate, recognize the power of Ivan III and hand over their leaders. In 1490 Vyatka was "divorced". All the boyars, people, merchants were evicted to different places of the Muscovite state, residents of Ustyug and other cities were resettled in their place.

Vyatka (Kirov) in the XVI-XIX centuries.

The accession of the Vyatka land to a single Russian state had a progressive significance. Vyatka were considered lands along the middle course of the rivers Vyatka and Cheptsa, Arsk land; actually the territory of the future Vyatka district, part of Slobodsky (with the exception of Kai and its volosts), part of Glazovsky, an insignificant part of Nolinsky, as well as Orlovsky and Kotelnichsky counties. To the south of Kotelnich, as well as along the Suna and Voya rivers, the Meadow Mari lived. It contributed to the development of productive forces, the growth of agriculture, industry and trade. Khlynov in the 17th century was the largest city in the north-east of Russia. The territory of the Vyatka land at that time was much smaller than the modern Kirov region. The southern regions were under the rule of the Kazan Khanate. The border position of the Vyatka region led to the fact that the Vyatchans had to take an active part in the fight against the Tatars.
After the final annexation to Moscow, Khlynov developed rapidly and in the 16th century became the largest city in the north-east of what was then Russia. Craft production grew in it, trade expanded. Trade routes to Pomorye, the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia ran through Khlynov. Economic ties were established with Moscow, Novgorod, Vologda, Ustyug, Arkhangelsk, Cherdyn, Solikamsk, Tobolsk, Kazan, Astrakhan and other Russian cities.
The population of the city grew to 2500 people. In Khlynov there were 30 craft workshops, there was a market located near the Kremlin walls, there were 14 shops, 6 stalls and several trade barns. The main goods on the market were bread, meat, fish, lard, honey, wax, candles, wool, furs, cloth, linen, canvas; metal, pottery, wooden products, etc.
Khlynovsky Kremlin was surrounded by 2 wooden walls with a total length of about 850 meters. The walls had 8 log towers, 4 of them with gates. There were 8 small wooden churches and about 60 houses in the Kremlin. Around it there was a posad (trade and craft part of the city), divided by streets, lanes, dead ends, built-up houses of merchants, artisans and the urban poor.
In 1580 Abbot Tryphon founded the Assumption Monastery in Khlynov. A settlement soon formed around the monastery, which became part of the city.
Until the middle of the 16th century, Khlynov was ruled by a governor appointed by the Moscow government and its tiuns. In 1557, a reform was carried out that established a zemstvo (elective) government. City dwellers elected a zemstvo headman and a city clerk. In Khlynov there was a governor - a representative of the central government, who controlled the entire Vyatka land.
In the 17th century, Khlynov continued to grow as a large craft and trade center for that time. In the second half of the 17th century, manufactory appeared, that is, large-scale production based on manual labor and working for the market. Under 1658, a distillery owned by the merchant Averky Trapitsyn is mentioned in Khlynov. In the 1960s-1980s, there was a bell-casting plant founded by master F.P. Dushkin.
Trade developed especially successfully. There was a concentration of several shops in the hands of large merchants. Khlynov's trade with many Russian cities expanded. Local merchants exported mainly bread, which they bought from peasants, beef lard, leather, wool, furs and other goods. Khlynov was increasingly drawn into the emerging all-Russian market. In 1607, the Semyonov fair was founded in the city, which lasted for several days. Trade people and buyers from all over the Vyatka land and from other regions of the country came to this fair.
The growth of industry and trade increased social stratification among the urban population. The dominant position in Khlynov was occupied by service nobles, clerks (officials), merchants, usurers, churchmen. They were opposed by small artisans, working people, domestic servants, the poor peasants (beggars), who experienced cruel exploitation from the tops of the city. Class contradictions intensified, which led to popular unrest. A serious uprising broke out in 1635. The reason was illegal fees collected by local authorities. The population refused to pay them. About 1000 people participated in the uprising. The governor's assistant Matvey Ryabinin and the greedy and cruel tax farmer Danila Kalsin, most hated by the masses, were killed. The rebels returned the money collected from them. But a punitive detachment arrived from Moscow, which crushed the uprising. The rebels were punished, and the most active were exiled to Siberia.
By 1646, there were already 4670 inhabitants in Khlynov, and in the second half of the century there were already over 5000 people. Posad grew mainly in the western direction. Its border reached the modern Karl Marx Street. The territory of the Kremlin also increased. In 1624, the Transfiguration Convent was built near its northern side. In 1663-1667, all city fortifications were overhauled. The need for a radical restructuring was caused by the rapid growth of the settlement and the inability of Khlynov's defense structures to the new conditions of military equipment in connection with the improvement of firearms. The growth of the peasant movement was also important, which soon led to powerful uprisings that boiled around the Vyatka land: Solovetsky in the north, Razinsky in the Volga region, Bashkir in the southeast. The Vyatka region found itself between three centers of the popular movement, the tsarist government was in a hurry to strengthen Khlynov as soon as possible in order to prevent these movements from merging through the Vyatka land.
Khlynov's fortifications were very powerful at that time, and the government expected that, if necessary, the city would withstand any siege. During the peasant war, under the leadership of Stepan Razin, the royal regiments were concentrated here, significant stocks of weapons and ammunition. But the rebels were defeated near Simbirsk, the uprising did not spread to the Vyatka land. Only a small detachment operating in the Vetluzhsky region tried to get through Vyatka to the Urals, but was intercepted by the tsarist governors.
In 1656, a church diocese was organized in Khlynov. It included the Vyatka land and the Great Perm. A bishop's house and church administration arose in Khlynov. In this regard, stone construction began in the city, primarily religious.

Kirov region during the Civil War 1917

The civil war and foreign intervention did not bypass the borders of the Vyatka province. Its territory was crossed by railway lines that opened the way to Moscow and Petrograd. The province had large stocks of grain. The Izhevsk Arms Plant, a number of metallurgical plants were located on its territory. Directly in the Vyatka region, hostilities began on August 8, 1918, when the Izhevsk and Stepanov uprisings broke out simultaneously in the south of the province, held under the slogan "For the Constituent Assembly." The rebels occupied Izhevsk, Votkinsk, Sarapul, Urzhum, Nolinsk, Yaransk, Sanchursk. But the Extraordinary Military Revolutionary Headquarters, created in Vyatka, which took full power in the province, and the Provincial Committee of the Bolsheviks quickly managed to organize response actions. Already on August 17, a battalion formed from the Bolsheviks, youth, workers and the rural poor defeated the Stepanovites near Lebyazhye, and on August 20 the Red Army occupied Urzhum. The Stepanovsky rebellion was liquidated. In September, the Special Vyatka Division and other units of the 2nd Army of the Eastern Front launched an offensive against Izhevsk. On November 7, Izhevsk was taken by troops under the command of V.M. Azin. By mid-November 1918, the forces of the White Guards in the territory of the province were eliminated. In the spring of 1919, the Civil War front again passed through the territory of the Vyatka region. Kolchak's armies occupied Votkinsk, Sarapul, Izhevsk, Yelabuga. But already in May, the Red Army went on the offensive and by June 20, 1919, the territory of the province was completely cleared of Kolchak. On July 3, martial law was lifted and on July 28 the province ceased to be front-line. In 1921-1922. famine gripped the province. By the end of 1922, a typhus epidemic broke out in the province. Mortality in the region has doubled in these years.
The post-war period was accompanied by the restructuring of the life of the province on the basis of the new economic policy. The NEP in the province took place in a peculiar way. Freedom of trade, entrepreneurship, stimulation of the private sector, and other foundations of the New Economic Policy were not widely developed either in agriculture, where only the middle peasantry took place, or in industry. Vyatka province, as before the revolution, remained a backward agrarian part of Russia.
In January 1923, the country's first branch of the International Organization for Assistance to the Fighters of the Revolution (MOPR) began its activities in Vyatka. Members of the Vyatka branch of the MOPR took patronage of political prisoners in three prisons: in Germany, Lithuania and Poland. As of January 1, 1926, the Vyatka branch of the MOPR already had over 60,000 members.
In 1929, an administrative-territorial reform took place, the division of the country into provinces, counties and volosts was eliminated. Instead of them, a regional, regional and district department was introduced. Vyatka province was liquidated, and its territory became part of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The city of Vyatka became first a district and then a regional center. In 1929, in the Nizhny Novgorod region and in the regions of the former Vyatka province that were part of it, complete collectivization began.
On December 7, 1934, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the renaming of the city of Vyatka into the city of Kirov and the formation of the Kirov Territory. It included the Udmurt Autonomous Region, 37 districts of the Gorky Region (formerly part of the Vyatka Governorate), as well as the Sarapulsky and Votkinsky Districts of the Sverdlovsk Region. In 1936, in connection with the adoption of the new Constitution, the Kirov Territory was transformed into the Kirov Region, and the Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic separated from it.

Kirov region during the Great Patriotic War

In the pre-war troubled years, many Kirov residents participated in the defeat of the Japanese invaders at Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin-Gol River and the White Finns. Participants in the battles in the Khalkhin-Gol area, pilot N.V. Grinev, major N.F. Grukhin became the first Kirovites to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. During these years, the activities of defensive public organizations intensified. In 1940, over 5,000 primary organizations of the societies for the Promotion of Aviation and Chemistry, the Red Cross, united about 200,000 members. They trained hundreds of shooting sports instructors, thousands of Voroshilov shooters and sanitary troopers. The Kirov flying club trained parachutists, glider pilots and accountants. Sports societies were actively working - Dynamo (established in the 1920s), Spartak and Lokomotiv (created in the mid-1930s). On June 23, 1941, a city-wide rally was held on Revolution Square in Kirov, in which 40,000 people took part. Mobilization into the ranks of the Red Army took place in the region. At the beginning of the war, the 311th and 355th rifle divisions, the 109th rifle brigade and other formations were formed on the territory of the region. The Vyatka region gave many talented military leaders. Among them - marshals K.A. Vershinin, L.A. Govorov, I.S. Konev; Generals I.P. Alferov, N.D. Zakhvataev, P.T. Mikhalitsyn, A.I. Ratov, V.S. Glebov, D.K. Malkov, N.A. Naumov. All of them were awarded the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union". In total, over 200 Kirov residents were awarded this title during the war years, about 30 people became cavaliers of the Order of Glory of all three degrees.
The population of the Kirov region not only heroically worked in industry and agriculture, doing everything for a speedy victory, but also provided all kinds of assistance to the front. The population sent gifts and warm clothes to the veterans. At their own expense, the working people of the region purchased and sent to the front tens of thousands of sheepskin coats, pairs of felt boots, and fur mittens. With the money collected by the people of Kirov, several tank columns and squadrons of combat aircraft were built. During the war years, the defense fund received more than 150 million rubles. Kirov residents ardently cared for the wounded, as well as for the children and families of front-line soldiers evacuated to the region from Leningrad and other regions of the country. During the war, the people of Kirov rendered great assistance to the regions liberated from enemy occupation. Especially significant was the assistance of the Kirovites in the restoration of Stalingrad, Donbass, Gomel, in rendering assistance to the rural areas of the Kyiv, Smolensk, Leningrad regions, and the Byelorussian SSR. On May 9, 1945, a 50,000-strong rally on the occasion of Victory Day took place on Theater Square. During the war years, more than 600 thousand Kirov residents were in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 257.9 thousand gave their lives in the fight against enemies.

Kirov region in the post-war years

In the post-war years, the labor successes of the Kirovites were repeatedly highly noted by the government of the country. On December 25, 1959, for success in the development of public animal husbandry, the fulfillment of socialist obligations for the production and sale of meat to the state in 1959, the Kirov Region was awarded the Order of Lenin. For the successes achieved by the people of Kirov in economic and cultural construction, and in connection with the 600th anniversary of its foundation, the city of Kirov was awarded on June 25, 1974 with the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. At the same time, the growing negative trends in the socio-economic development in the country affected the life in the region. This was especially noticeable in the increased outflow of people from the village. For 1970-1985 the rural population decreased from 784 to 524 thousand people. Negative phenomena were growing in the cities as well. The supply of food to the population was unsatisfactory. It was impossible to overcome these difficulties while maintaining the existing command-administrative management system. In April 1985, perestroika began. But the ongoing reforms have led to an even greater deterioration of the socio-economic situation in the region. Simultaneously with economic reforms in the country and the region there were political transformations. After the events of October 1993, the socialist system of power was finally liquidated. Governors, mayors, Dumas began to get out. Elections to the first regional Duma were held on March 20, 1994.