Lavrentiya (Russian: Лавре́нтия, Yupik: Ӄышы; Chukchi: Ӄытрын, Ḳytryn; Naukan: Qerre; Inupiaq: Kesrreq or Kisrriq) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on Lavrentiya Bay, close to the Bering Strait.

[3],[14] Lavrentiya was founded as a village in 1928, when a Chukchi Kultbaza, a communist run cultural and political base was established.

The Chukchi Kultbaza connected the various administrative and economic institutions of the region to promote the consolidation of Soviet power.

A steamer with timber for the construction of houses and other buildings entered the Gulf of Lawrence in August 1927 with workers on board.

[15][16] By the autumn of 1928 Kultbaza consisted of a series of buildings: a veterinary station, repair shop for motor vehicles and appliances, hospital, warehouse, homes, factories, boarding schools and three residential houses.

[13] The museum in the village, dedicated to indigenous history and culture, achieved national status in 1994 and contains exhibits from Uelen and Ekven,[3] including a number of "winged objects", butterfly-shaped instruments carved from walrus tusk, which initially provoked confusion over their original purpose.