Lavrentiya

History

It is situated on Lavrentiya Bay, named by Captain James Cook who arrived in the bay on the feast day of Saint Lawrence in 1778. The village itself was founded in 1928 (although some sources suggest 1927). By 1928 a Kultbaza (a semi-permanent cultural base established by the Soviet Union in rural areas to ensure the ideological education of local indigenous inhabitants) had been established in the area and by 1930 the settlement was sufficient that it was appointed as the administrative centre of Chukotsky District. this appointment was later transferred to Uelen but administrative responsibilities returned to Lavrentiya in 1942.^,

Lavrentiya was founded as a village in 1928, when a Chukchi Kultbaza, a communist run cultural and political base, was established, which was connected the various administrative and economic institutions of the region, to promote the consolidation of Soviet power and a steamer with timber for the construction of houses and other buildings and workers to perform the construction entered the Gulf of Lawrence in August 1927. By the autumn of 1928 Kultbaza consisted of a series of buildings: a veterinary station, repair shop for motor vehicles and appliances, hospital, warehouse, homes, factories, boarding schools and three residential houses. Following the formation of the village, in December 1930 the Kultbaza in Lavrentiya became the administrative centre for the Chukotka National District (not to be confused with the current Chukotsky District), though in April 1932, this was switched to Anadyr. In December 1933, at a meeting of the District CPSU, the question was raised in Lavrentiya concerning the potential transfer of district institutions for what is now Chukotsky District to Lavrentiya from their current position in Uelen. Transfer ultimately took place but was slow. A final decision was not made until late in 1940, the first institutions did not actually move until 1942 and, because of World War 2, were not completed until 1946. With the shift in district administration to Lavrentiya, a new airfield was built and during World War 2 this was used for Lend-Lease flights.

In 1955, a regular air route was established between Lavrentiya and Uelen, and in 1958, a number of Yupik who lived at Naukan were relocated to the village following the closure of Naukan.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of municipal divisions, Lavrentiya is subordinated to Chukotsky Municipal District and incorporated as Lavrentiya Rural Settlement.

Culture

There is an annual Whale and Skin Boat Regatta held in the village every year.

The museum in the village, dedicated to indigenous history and culture, achieved national status in 1994 and contains exhibits from Uelen and Ekven, including a number of "winged objects", butterfly-shaped instruments carved from walrus tusk, which initially provoked confusion over their original purpose. Initial opinion was divided, with some thinking they were part of a staff, others that they had religious significance and others still thinking that they were purely aesthetic. However, investigation into the aerodynamics of the objects found that their shape had much in common with modern aircraft wings and it was proposed that these objects were in fact to assist in the flight of harpoons, thinking confirmed by the discovery of a harpoon with a "winged object" still attached to it. It is not clear why such a useful tool fell out of use amongst the indigenous peoples.

Historically, one of the most significant cultural exports from the village was the indigenous ensemble Yeti (Russian: Етти) which was led in 1976 by the Yupik woman M. S. Glukhikh, who now leads the national ensemble White Sail (Russian: Белый парус).

The village also contains the Church of the Archangel Michael.

Economy

Lavrentiya, as the administrative centre of the district contains the majority of the key district facilities including a branch of the district court and public prosecutor, hospital, post office, school, telecomms, pharmacy and is the regional headquarters for the airline Chukotavia.

Transportation

Lavrentiya is 650 km from Anadyr.

Air

The village is served by Lavrentiya Airport.

Roadways

The village of Lorino is linked to Lavrentiya by a 40 kilometers (25 mi) unpaved road. Other than this short road, Lavrentiya, despite being the administrative centre of the district is not linked to any other part of the world by road. There is however, a small number of roads within the settlement including:

Climate

Lavrentiya has a Tundra climate (ET) because the warmest month has an average temperature between 0 and +10 °C (32 and 50 °F).