Vadsky District is one of the oldest districts of Nizhny Novgorod Region.
Location of the District
Vadsky District borders Arzamassky District, Perevozsky District, Shatkovsky District, and D-Konstantinovsky Districts of Nizhny Novgorod Region. The total length of its borders is 167 kilometres. The greatest extent from south to north is 41 kilometres, and from west to east — 30 kilometres.
The distance from the district to the regional centre is 110 kilometres. Vadsky District is divided into 10 administrative units comprising 46 populated localities. The administrative centre of the district is the selo of Vad.
History of Founding
In ancient times, Vadsky District was inhabited by Mordva tribes. Many place names of villages and localities in the Mordva language have been preserved. The Mordva lived for a long time near Vad Lake.
Historically, the more credible account is that the name of the selo of Vad derives from the Mordva word "Vat'" meaning water. According to another legend, the name came from the boggy terrain along the banks of Vadok — land left flooded after the spring high water — described as a hellish, godforsaken place.
The colonisation of Mordva lands, full of dramatic events, began in the 12th century and continued for several hundred years. When Tatar-Mongol hordes invaded Rus in the 13th century, the Mordva — aggrieved by Russian princes — sided with the Tatars. With the development of capitalist relations, cottage industries and trades grew more successfully as supplementary occupations alongside the primary activity of farming. Thus, the rope-spinning trade in Vad arose 200–250 years ago. In the second half of the 19th century, hemp and flax cultivation expanded and this trade flourished, though by the end of the 19th century it fell into decline. In the northern forested part of the district, the main source of income for peasants was the burning of charcoal. Nail-making and blacksmithing spread across the Vadskaya, Ivashkinskaya, Elkhovskaya, and Borispol'skaya volosts. The entire male population was engaged in this production. Nails were sold in Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod.
One of the oldest trades was felt-making. Its centres were Boltino, Polyany, and the selo of Pokrovskoye. Felt boots, insoles, and hats were produced. For the needs of peasant households and for sale, milling was also practised. In addition, people pressed hemp oil, made rope, dressed sheepskins, carded wool, and wove coarse and fine linen cloth from flax yarn. Vadsky District was formed on 10 June 1929.
Sights
Vadsky District has 17 objects with the status of historical and cultural monuments. The most notable among them are: the Kazanskaya Church in the village of Zelenyye Gory (1797), church complexes in the village of Vorontsovo (17th–18th centuries) and in the village of Krutoy Maydan (early 18th century). Vadsky District also contains the Annenkovskoye hillfort (1st millennium BC) — an archaeological monument of federal significance.
The main attractions are Holy Springs, Vad Lake, and Dubrava, which draw tourists from across the country.
Industry
Vadsky District is an agricultural district whose lands are used for growing crop and livestock products, with considerable attention paid to their processing. Industrial enterprises are few; among them are JSC Selkhoztekhnika, MUE Poligrafist, and MUE Rassvet.