Khvalynsk

Khvalynsk^[a] is a river port town in Saratov Oblast, Russia, located by the Volga River. Population: 13,094 (2010 Census);^[2] 13,752 (2002 Census);^[8] 14,948 (1989 Soviet census);^[9] 16,000 (1974). It is located on the right bank of the Volga, at the foot of the Khvalynsk Mountains, 180 kilometers (110 mi) northeast of Saratov and 160 kilometers (99 mi) southwest of Samara.

Khvalynsk Хвалынск
Town[1]
View of the town from the Khvalynsk Hills
Coat of arms
Location of Khvalynsk
Khvalynsk Location of Khvalynsk Show map of Russia Khvalynsk Khvalynsk (Saratov Oblast) Show map of Saratov Oblast
Coordinates: 52°29′N 48°06′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Saratov Oblast[1]
Founded	1556
Town status since	1780
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[2]
• Total	13,094
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	Khvalynsk Town Under Oblast Jurisdiction
• Capital of	Khvalynsky District,[3] Khvalynsk Town Under Oblast Jurisdiction
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Khvalynsky Municipal District[4]
• Urban settlement	Khvalynsk Urban Settlement[4]
• Capital of	Khvalynsky Municipal District,[5] Khvalynsk Urban Settlement[4]
Time zone	UTC+4 (MSK+1 [6])
Postal code(s)[7]	412780–412787
Dialing code(s)	+7 84595
OKTMO ID	63649101001

The place name stems from the old Russian name of the Caspian Sea: Хвалынское море, or "Khvalyn Sea". The latter is derived from the name "Khwalis" for the inhabitants of Khwarezm. The town is the namesake of the Khvalynsk Hills and Khvalynsk culture.

History

An Orthodox church dedicated to the Feast of the Cross

It was founded in 1556 as a Russian outpost on the Sosnovy Island on the Volga.^{[citation needed]} In 1606, the whole settlement was relocated to the spot of today's Khvalynsk and came to be known as Sosnovy Ostrov (Сосновый Остров, lit. pine island).^{[citation needed]} In 1780, the settlement was granted uyezd town status and renamed Khvalynsk.^{[citation needed]}

In the 18th–19th centuries, Khvalynsk was known as a local center for trading bread and agricultural produce. It was also one of the centers of the Old Believers. Some scholars believe that Khvalynsk was used by Nikolai Gogol as a setting for his play The Government Inspector^{[citation needed]}.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Khvalynsk serves as the administrative center of Khvalynsky District,^[3] even though it is not a part of it.^[10] As an administrative division, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated separately as Khvalynsk Town Under Oblast Jurisdiction^[10]—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^{[citation needed]} As a municipal division, Khvalynsk Town Under Oblast Jurisdiction, together with two rural localities in Khvalynsky District, is incorporated within Khvalynsky Municipal District as Khvalynsk Urban Settlement.^[4]

Notable people and culture

Khvalynsk is the birthplace of the artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, whose museum was established in the town in 1995.