Tosno Estonians

Introduction. The subject of the study is to analyze the life of Estonians, who came from Estland and Lifland provinces to the eastern direction, namely to Tosno and its surroundings. The aim of the study is to analyze the life of the local Lutheran parish, to describe the creation and activities of local Estonian collective farms, cultural and educational institutions. The author gives the list of places of compact residence of the Tosno Estonians in the late XIX - early XX century. The practical significance lies in the fact that the study disclosed the features of cultural life of the local Estonian community in the Tosno district of the Leningrad Region, tells about the traditions of their cultural life, as well as lists the famous Estonians, who were born in Tosno district and their contribution into the development of the this district, Estonia and Russia. Materials and Methods. The main methods used in the study are the generalization method, the system approach, the historical-descriptive method, the document analysis, and the method of empirical description. Numerous articles and notes from Estonian newspapers, as well as materials from Estonian archives, were used to reconstruct the features of the life of the Tosno Estonians. Results and Discussion. The author traced the dynamics of the change in the Estonian population of Tosno district, which shows an increase in the number of Estonian population after the Stolypin reform of 1906 and in the first half of the 1930s (due to the policy of nativization) and the decrease starting from the second half of the 1930s (due to the Stalinist repressions of 1937-1938, losses during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and post-war assimilation). Due to the continuing natural assimilation, the Tosno Estonians are represented rather insignificantly in the district at the present time. Conclusion. Tosno Estonians made the great contribution to the history and culture of the multinational Tosno district, where they have lived in addition to Estonians, Russians, Ingrian Finns, Tatars and the representatives of other nationalities lived for a long time. The phenomenon of Tosno Estonians is unique and interesting for study.