Yelnya

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Coat of Arms of Yelnya

Yelnya (Russian: Ельня) is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna River 82 km from Smolensk. It is the administrative center of Yelninsky District. According to the 2002 Census, the population of the town was 10,798 people [1]. Geographical location: 54°34′N 33°10′E.

[edit] History

The name of the town probably related to the Russian 'yel' (fir tree) or yelan' (land cleared from forest).

The settlement was first mentioned in the historical documents in 1150 when according to the order of knyaz Rostislav of Smolensk the settlement was to pay tax of four grivnas and a fox skin.

The settlemennt shared the history of the Smolensk lands—it paid duty to the Golden Horde, then was captured by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The settlement was returned to Russia with the rest of the Smoleńsk Voivodeship at the close of the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667). In 1776, the settlement officially received town status and became a center of an uyezd.

In 1804, in the village of Novospasskoye of Yelnya uyezd the great Russian composer Mikhail Glinka was born. In 1982, the house was restored and became a museum of Glinka. The Glinka Festival is held annually in Yelninsky District.

In 1812, during the Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Yelnya became an important center of the partisan movement. Later during the counter-offensive there was the staff of Kutusov.

During the Great Patriotic War Yelnya became a place of the important battles:

In August 30, 1941, Yelnya became the place of the Yelnya Offensive, the first successful offensive operation of Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War.
In 1942, Yelninsky District became a part of the Dorogobuzh Partisan Krai. The German garrison in the town was not able to control the rural territory that were effectively under the partisan control. In March 1942, partisans even liberated the city, killing more than a thousand of German troops but in three days on March 18, 1942 they were forced to retreat back to the forests.
In August 1943, Yelnya became the key part to the Battle of Smolensk. On August 30, Germans were forced to abandon Yelnya, sustaining heavy casualties. This started a full-scale German retreat from the area. By September 3, Soviet forces reached the eastern shore of the Dnieper.