This article attempts to provide a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the socio-cultural aspects of the Solombala Admiralty Settlement’s existence before 1863, given that it existed autonomously — both administratively and in socio-cultural terms — from the corresponding spheres of not only Arkhangelsk but also Arkhangelsk Province as a whole. Equal in population to the provincial capital, the settlement represented a rare symbiosis of a naval base, an industrial site, and a socio-cultural center of the Russian North, encompassing an Orthodox parish with two churches, medical and other social institutions, including primary education, and various cultural organizations. At the time of its annexation to Arkhangelsk in 1863, Solombala was home to representatives of all estates and diverse social groups, making the study of various aspects of its socio-economic sphere crucial for understanding the corresponding processes in the region. The settlement’s example, in particular, could be used to analyze local living conditions, including those during the annual floods of the Northern Dvina River. Thus, the situation in the Solombala Admiralty Settlement is an important indicator of the socio-economic development of the entire Russian North.
