Tula Oblast

Lore & Background

The Tula Oblast area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, as shown by discoveries of burial mounds and old settlements. By the eighth century, the lands were occupied by the Vyatichi, an East Slavic tribe. The first mention of the city of Tula in 1146 appears in the Nikon Chronicle, referencing the campaign of Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich of Chernigov, when the lands belonged to the Ryazan Principality.

Reader's Guide

Tula Oblast is significant as a highly developed and urbanized region within Russia's Central Federal District, serving as a major industrial hub with metalworking, engineering, coalmining, and chemical industries. Its historical industries—firearm, samovar, and accordion manufacturing—remain culturally important. The oblast also has a developed agricultural sector, ranking 33rd in Russia. Culturally, it hosts over 100 museums, including the Tula State Arms Museum, Tula Kremlin, Tula Samovar Museum, and Leo Tolstoy's estate Yasnaya Polyana. The region's political structure includes a governor, an elected Oblast Duma, and local government bodies with village elders facilitating interaction between residents and authorities. The 'People's Budget' project, implemented since 2011, aims to involve residents in solving local problems. Religiously, 62% of the population adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, while 19% are spiritual but not religious, and 13% are atheists.

Did You Know?

• Tula Oblast contains more than 1,600 rivers and streams.
• The oblast is rich in iron ore, clay, limestone, and lignite coal deposits.
• Tula pryanik is the most famous dish from the oblast.
• The oblast has four professional theaters, a philharmonic orchestra, and a circus.