Babushkinsky District

This area of Vologda Oblast is fairly considered one of the ecologically happy. The basic components of this characteristic are few industrial enterprises and healthy taiga territories. And consequently it is quite natural, that in the all-Russian rating the Babushkinsky district is among those where there’s a great number of long-livers (per 10 thousand). The territory of the district is by the right considered to be a balneological resort. From time immemorial salt-mines were developed here, and during the last decades the most valuable mineral sources have also been opened.

The center of the district is the village of Babushkin. Neighboring woods are rich in various wild animals and fowl. Local lakes and river are also rich in fish. In the territory of the district some hunting bases are located.

The legend says, that the salty underground seas concealed in bowels of the grounds on the river Ledenga, opened to people in the XV century. Since then for four centuries work on salt-mines has become the main occupation of local residents. Later here appeared whole dynasties of old russian "engineers" (so getters of salt were respectfully named by historians). The known revolutionary Ivan Babushkin was a descendant to such a local engineering family and in 1917 the ancient village Ledengskoe was renamed after him.

Ilya Petrovich Tchaikovsky the father of a great composer was once attracted to Ledengskoe by its salt riches. Being the chief of the Onega Salt board, he took care of the village and tried to improve hard working conditions on crafts. His name is connected to the opening of the first school for salt workers’ children. Tchaikovsky established in Ledengskoe an orchestra of wind instruments, invited artists and musicians for training children. Also thanks to I.P. Tchaikovsky the first plan of the village construction was developed.

In the XX century the name of Pavel Belyaev (who was a resident of the village Chelishchevo) became world-wide known. On March, 10, 1965 he and Alexey Leonov flew to space on the ship "Voskhod - 2". In the center of Vologda the monument to P.Belyaev was later opened, and every year on the Day of Cosmonautics his friends from the first "Gagarin’s" group of pioneers of extraterrestrial space visit the city.