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Coordinates: 59°55′N, 32°21′E

Volkhov (Russian: Во́лхов) is an industrial town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated 122 km east of St. Petersburg, on the Volkhov River. Population: 46,100 (2005 est.), 46,596 (2002 Census).

[edit] History

The town grew up during the industrialization in the first half of the 20th century. A settlement of Zvanka with a train depot was built here, as the railway connecting St. Petersburg and Vologda was constructed. A second rail line running north of the station towards Murmansk was constructed in 1916, making the station an important railway junction. In 1918, construction of the Volkhov hydroelectric plant (the first in the Soviet Union) started on this spot. In 1926 the power plant was opened, and in 1932 the first Soviet aluminium plant was launched nearby. On December 27, 1933 the settlements serving the station, the dam, and the aluminium plant were merged with several adjacent villages to form the town of Volkhovstroy. In 1940 the town was renamed to its present name.

Staraya Ladoga, sometimes referred to as the first capital of Russia, is located 6 km north of the town, along the Volkhov River.

[edit] Sister Cities

• Vefsn, Norway
• Järvenpää, Finland

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