According to the All-Russian Census, in 2020 there were 8,355 rural settlements in the Pskov region, where 174.6 thousand people lived. However, one-third of these settlements are “uninhabited.” Villages can be found on the map and the navigator can easily build a route to them, but in reality it is impossible to get there – the roads are simply dense forest. According to Rosstat, if in 2012 there were 1,919 “unpopulated” villages in the Pskov region, then by 2020 there were 2,771 villages. This is the largest number not only in the Northwest but almost all of Russia. The Pskov region is much inferior to the Tver region, where there are 2,798 “unpopulated” villages and towns. The most such settlements in 2020 were in Ostrovsky districts – 229, Porkhovsky – 227 and Bezhanitsky – 190. The number of cities and towns also decreased. Thus, according to Pskovstat, in the 10 years from 2010 to 2020, Sosnovy Bor villages, Idritsa villages and Plyussa villages each lost a thousand people. Settlements continue to lose population even now. In the last 5 years, they have decreased by about 150–300 people. Moreover, this trend applies to both tourist-attractive settlements (Pechory and Pushkinskie Gory) and large regional centers (Ostrov). Maxim Vasiliev, candidate of historical sciences, teacher of the preparatory course for the Unified Exams, explained to FederalPress that the reasons for the death of the village of Pskov Why the Pskov region is among the leaders in the number of ghost villages. Maxim Vasiliev noted: “Currently, the situation of disappeared or already disappeared villages (without population) in the Pskov region is almost catastrophic, which is confirmed by official statistics. The death of Pskov villages, and at this time it is this concept that should be used, is not a one-time process, and its reasons are hidden both in the past and in the present.” Experts name the following reasons: 1. Since the Middle Ages, the Pskov land has been distinguished by a large number of villages with a small number of people living in them. The settlements are located close to each other but only a few dozen people live in them. You will not find large villages with hundreds or thousands of people, as is common in the southern regions of our country, on the map of the Pskov province in the 17th or early 20th century. And the smaller the settlement, the more difficult it is to exist and function fully. According to statistics, at the beginning of the 20th century there were 17,330 settlements in the Pskov province, and these were mostly small villages. 2. Military, political and social upheavals in the 20th century caused heavy damage to Pskov villages. These were the difficult World War I with its mobilization to the front, and the bloody Civil War with its surplus appropriation and rural famine, as well as the collectivization of the 1930s with its dispossession and excesses of power. The historian emphasized: “The sense of mastery and land ownership was gradually eliminated from the consciousness of the peasantry, and the village became only a source of resources for large-scale projects of the Soviet state.” The Great Patriotic War caused special damage to the village of Pskov. So, during World War II, the Nazi occupiers destroyed 5,082 villages, of which every fifth village could not be revived. Pskov villages in the period from 1941 to 1944 were destroyed by Jagdkommandos (units created by the Wehrmacht or SS to fight partisans in occupied territories) and local Nazi police as part of punitive operations and the fight against partisans, as well as to intimidate local residents. Very often villages were destroyed along with all the people living there. Punitive operations against civilians reached their greatest scale in 1943, when a fundamental turning point in the war began. During the years of occupation, about 400 thousand civilians died in the Pskov region. The policy of genocide and “scorched earth” on the occupied territory of the Soviet Union was a traditional form of action of the fascist occupiers. We should not forget that in addition to physical revenge against the residents of the village of Pskov, the German occupation forces also actively carried out deportation of residents to the West for forced labor. As a result, more than 150 thousand people were deported to Germany, the Baltic States, Poland and other European countries. After the Soviet army liberated these territories, not all residents returned to their native Pskov villages. The Great Patriotic War dealt a terrible demographic and economic blow to the Russian countryside. 3. Introducing the collective farm system of economic organizations. “At the cost of labor feats and overexertion of the forces, agriculture was restored and Pskov villages were revived. However, the collective farm system of self-organization of the economy, with its practical coercion and lack of economic incentives to work, killed a lot of the enthusiasm of village residents,” the expert explains. He recalled that until July 1, 1966, the Soviet peasant collective had not received wages for their hard work; they were paid in rations. And in the future, the salary of a collective of farmers will always be lower than the labor cost of a worker in the city. It was also impossible to leave the collective farm without a passport, and mass issuance of passports in the village began only in August 1974. As soon as collective farmers received passports and, as a result, freedom of movement, mass migration of people from villages to cities began. And in 1976, according to statistics, the proportion of urban population in the Pskov region for the first time in the history of the region exceeded 50%. It is the youngest and most enthusiastic people who leave the village first, which inevitably leads to the village's potential being reduced and gradually becoming extinct. Current situation of the village: can tourism help? The final stage of the decline of the Pskov village occurred in the post-Soviet period, when all support from the state ended, normal economic relationships were destroyed, and the majority of farmers who replaced the collective farms could not endure the harsh conditions of market competition alone, historian Maxim Vasiliev notes. only in profitable projects. Unfortunately, farming is always associated with risks and does not bring quick income. This is difficult and time-consuming work,” he explains. At the same time, he notes that tourism performs other tasks and discusses other interests of the population. Agro-tourism can only be useful as an additional measure of support for the village of Pskov, which is already at the stage of revitalization and has something to show to tourists. “So far we have only been able to show abandoned fields and dilapidated houses where people once lived. It is a sad and sad picture”, the historian emphasizes. What is needed for the revival of Pskov villages To develop the village, a fundamentally different attitude towards the land itself and the people who will live and work on it is required. In order for a person to want to live in a village not as a summer resident but as a permanent resident, the following are necessary: – full infrastructure: roads, gas and Internet; – kindergartens, schools and shops It is important that children do not stand at the bus station in any weather waiting for school; – the possibility of working near the village must be created. The revitalized village will become a full-fledged agricultural village, following the example of neighboring Belarus; – support will be given to farmers who will have the opportunity to sell their products to local retail chains The amount is bought mainly from local producers and only in case of shortages – from suppliers from other regions or from abroad. This measure will support farmers and significantly reduce food prices. “These are just some of the measures that are extremely necessary for Pskov, and not only for the village of Pskov, if we want its revival and the achievement of food sovereignty of the country,” concludes the historian. FederalPress / Svetalana Vozmilova
