The place was probably inhabited from ancient times, but was only granted official town status by the Provisional Government of Russia on June 16, 1917, when it was a part of Vologda Governorate. In 1918, the area was transferred to the newly formed Northern Dvina Governorate, and in 1924 the uyezds were abolished in favor of the new divisions, the districts. Kotlassky District was established on June 25, 1924. In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged into Northern Krai, which in 1936 was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Kotlassky District remained in Arkhangelsk Oblast ever since.
During the 1930s, Kotlas became a place to which kulaks were deported and made to work in the forestry industry. It was managed by the Kotlaslag division of Gulag. Later, it hosted all possible categories of people repressed during the Stalin era. A significant population of Poles existed in the area, with whole Polish villages resettled here in 1920s and 1930s. Labor camps existed within the territory of the city until 1953. Besides logging and the paper industry, inmates worked at plant, housing, bridge, and railroad construction. Most of camps were unguarded barrack settlements. In addition, Kotlas was a major transit point for deportees transferred further to the north and east, since it was a railroad terminus. There is a Kotlas branch of the Sovest organization, which seeks to preserve the memory of those times and seek compensation for victims.
Pechora railway
The further development of Kotlas was due to the construction of the Pechora Railway. Already from 1899 Kotlas was connected by a railway line with Vyatka, which was heavily used for the cargo transport of goods to and from the Northern Dvina River. In 1940, the construction of the railroad connecting Konosha to Vorkuta started. The railroad was needed to transport coal, timber, and later oil from the Komi Republic. The headquarters of this railroad were opened in Kotlas. In the same year, Kotlas became a separate administrative unit. In December 1941, the road was completed, and from 1942, the regular service started. Kotlas thus became an important transport hub. The headquarters of the Pechora Railway were located in Kotlas until 1959, when the railway was merged into the Northern Railway.
Kotlas is a center of timber industry and an important river port and a railroad center. The Northern Dvina and the Vychegda Rivers are navigable; there is regular passenger navigation on the Vychegda. Roads connect Kotlas with Veliky Ustyug to the South, Syktyvkar to the East, and Krasnoborsk to the North. There is regular passenger bus traffic originating in Kotlas. Kotlas is an important railway hub, where the railway to Kirov branches off south-east from the main railway, connecting Konosha and Vorkuta. Kotlas is served by the Kotlas Airport and is home to the Savatiya air base.
Culture and recreation
The Church of St. Stephan of Perm was built in 1788, and the adjacent bell-tower was built in 1825. Both are protected at the local level as architectural monuments, as is Narodny Dom, a wooden house built at the beginning of 20th century.
