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'''Uglich''' ({{lang-ru|У́глич}}, pronounced ''ooglitch'') is a historic town in ], ], on the ]. It is located at {{coor dm|57|31|N|38|20|E|region:RU_type:city(38,260)}}. Population: 38,260 (] ]); 37,100 (] est.). | ||
| A local tradition dates the town's origin back to ]. It was first documented in ] as ''Ugliche Pole'' (''Corner Field''). The town's name is thought to allude to the turn the Volga makes nearby. | |||
| ==Medieval origins== | |||
| The first written record of Tver is dated ]. Originally a minor settlement of ]ian traders, it passed to the Grand Prince of ] in ]. In ], ] granted it to his younger brother ] (d. ]), from whom a dynasty of local princes descended. Four of them were killed in the ] and were proclaimed saints by the ]. | |||
| Uglich had been the seat of a small princedom from ] until ] when the local princes sold their rights to the great prince of ]. As a border town of ], it was burnt several times by ], ] and the grand prince of ]. | |||
| Formerly a land of woods and bogs, the Tver ] was quickly transformed into one of the richest and most populous Russian states. As the area was hardly accessible for ] raids, there was a great influx of population from the recently devastated South. By the end of the century, it was ready to vie with ] for supremacy in Russia. Both Tver and Moscow were the young cities, so the outcome of their rivalry was far from being certain. | |||
| Grand Duke ] of ] gave the town to his younger brother ] in ]. During Andrei's reign the town was expanded and first stone buildings were constructed. Particularly notable were the cathedral (rebuilt in 1713), the ] Monastery (destroyed by the ]) and the red-brick palace of the prince (completed in ] and still standing). | |||
| ==Grand princedom== | |||
| ], slain by the Mongols, holding the town of Tver in his hands.]] | |||
| During the reign of ] the town passed to his only brother, Yuriy. Local inhabitants helped the tsar to capture ] by building a wooden ] which was transported by the Volga all the way to Kazan. Throughout the 16th century Uglich prospered both politically and economically, but thereafter its fortunes began to decline. | |||
| ] of ], who ascended the throne of ] in ], was one of the most beloved of medieval Russian rulers. His policy of open conflict with the ] led to his assassination there in ]. His son Dmitry "the Terrible Eyes" succeeded him, and, concluding an alliance with the mighty ], managed to raise Tver's prestige even higher. | |||
| After Ivan's death, his youngest son ] was banished to Uglich in 1584. The most famous event in the town's history took place on ]th, ] when the 7-year old boy was found dead with his throat cut in the palace courtyard. Suspicion immediately fell on the tsar's chief advisor, ]. Official investigators concluded however that Dimitriy's death was an accident. They cut a "tongue" from the cathedral bell that rung the news of Dimitriy's death and "exiled" it to ]. | |||
| Exasperated by Dmitry's influence, prince ] of ] engineered his murder by the Mongols in ]. On hearing the news of this crime, the city revolted against the Horde. The latter joined its forced with Muscovites and brutally repressed the ]. Many citizens were killed, enslaved, or deported. This was the fatal blow to Tver's pretensions for supremacy in Russia. | |||
| ] | |||
| As Dimitriy was the last scion of the ancient ], his death precipitated the dynastic and political crisis known as the ]. People readily believed that Dimitriy was alive and supported several False Dmitriys (''see ], ], ]'') who tried to grab the Muscovite throne. During the Time of Troubles, the ] besieged the Alexeievsky and Uleima monasteries and burned them down killing all the populace who had sought refuge inside. | |||
| In the second half of the ], Tver was further weakened by ] struggles between its princes. Two senior branches of the ruling house, those of ] and ]sky, asserted their claims to the grand ducal throne. The claimants were backed up by Moscow and eventually settled at the ] court. | |||
| The ] tsars made it their priority to canonize the martyred ] and to turn Uglich into a place of ]. On the spot where Dimitriy had been murdered the city in 1690 built the small but lovely Church of St Demetrios on the Blood, which appears on the horizon with its red walls and blue domes as one sails north on the Volga. The palace where the prince lived was turned into a museum. The image of tsarevich with a knife in his hand was adopted as the town's ]. | |||
| During the ] in ], Tver once again rised to prominence and concluded defensive ]s with Lithuania, Novgorod, ], and the Golden Horde. Grand Prince Boris of Tver sent one of his men, ], to search gold and diamonds as far as ]. ], describing his journey from ] to ], is probably the first ever first-hand account of India by an European. A monument to Nikitin was opened on the ] embankment in ]. | |||
| In the first third of the 18th century the ] ] and its remarkable bell-tower were demolished and rebuilt. Other 18th-century landmarks include the Smolenskaya, Korsunskaya, Kazanskaya and Bogoyavlenskaya churches. The most important edifice of the 19th century is the ponderous cathedral of the Epiphany convent, consecrated in 1853. | |||
| ==Later history== | |||
| ] | |||
| At last, on ], ], the forces of ] seized the city. The principality was given as an appanage to Ivan's grandson, only to be abolished several decades later. Last scions of the ruling dynasty were executed by ] during the ]. At that turbulent time, Tver was ruled by ], a former khan of ]. The only remnant of his ephemeral reign is a graceful ] in the ], 28 km north-east of Tver. | |||
| The modern town has a watch manufacturing plant, a railway station, and a hydroelectric power station. Actually, Stalin's decision to create the Uglich ] led to severe ] of the town's outskirts. Apart from the kremlin, the city centre features other nice samples of old Russian architecture. Particularly notable are the Alexeievsky and Resurrection monasteries. | |||
| ], the city was rebuilt in Neoclassical style.]] | |||
| The Assumption three-] (1628) of the Alexeievsky monastery is considered a true gem of Russian medieval architecture. "Marvelous" is an epithet that common people gave to their church and which became a part of its official name. Located nearby is the more conventional Church of ] (1681). | |||
| The city's decline was not irrevocable, however. With the foundation of ], Tver gained importance as a principal station on the highway (and later railway) from Moscow to St. Petersburg. It was much visited by Russian ] and nobility travelling from the old capital to the new one and back. | |||
| Closer to the bank of the Volga one may see the Resurrection Monastery with its huge cathedral, ], ] and summer church. All these buildings stand in a row and date back to 1674-77. Opposite the monastery is the graceful Church of Nativity of St John the Baptist. It was built in 1689-90 by a local merchant to commemorate the spot where his son had drowned. | |||
| Under ], the downtown was thoroughly reconstructed. Crumbling medieval edifices were razed and replaced with imposing ] structures. The most important of these are the Travel Palace of the Empress (designed by the celebrated ]), and the Ascension church (designed by Prince Lvov and consecrated in ]). | |||
| More old architecture may be seen in the vicinity of Uglich, including the 17th-century Uleima Monastery and a fine church in Divnogorie. | |||
| In ], the city was renamed Kalinin, after a notable Soviet leader ]. A last vestige of pre-Petrine epoch, the Saviour Cathedral, was blown up in ]. In ] the NKVD executed more than 6,200 Polish policemen and prisoners of war from ] camp. The ] occupied Kalinin for two months in ], leaving the city in ashes. A large-scale resistance movement in the city and the region resulted in over 30,000 Nazi soldiers and officers eliminated during the occupation of the city. Notably, Kalinin was the first major city in ] to be liberated from the Wehrmacht. The historic name of Tver was restored in 1990. | |||
| ⚫ | ==External links== | ||
| Apart from the suburban White Trinity Church (]), there are no ancient monuments left in Tver. The downtown is graced with Catharinian and Soviet edifices, bridges and embankments. Tver's most notable industries are a ]s plant, opened in ], an excavation-machine factory. | |||
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| {{Cities and towns in Yaroslavl Oblast}} | |||
| ==Education== | |||
| Tver is home to ], the most highly rated university of the region. It is also home to a technical university, medical, military, and agricultural academies and more than 20 colleges and lyceums, branch campuses of some Moscow higher educational institutions and more than 50 high schools. | |||
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Revision as of 20:57, 3 July 2006
Uglich (Template:Lang-ru, pronounced ooglitch) is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, on the Volga River. It is located at 57°31′N 38°20′E / 57.517°N 38.333°E / 57.517; 38.333. Population: 38,260 (2002 Census); 37,100 (2001 est.).
A local tradition dates the town's origin back to 937. It was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole (Corner Field). The town's name is thought to allude to the turn the Volga makes nearby.
Uglich had been the seat of a small princedom from 1218 until 1328 when the local princes sold their rights to the great prince of Moscow. As a border town of Muscovy, it was burnt several times by Lithuanians, Tatars and the grand prince of Tver.
Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow gave the town to his younger brother Andrei Bolshoi in 1462. During Andrei's reign the town was expanded and first stone buildings were constructed. Particularly notable were the cathedral (rebuilt in 1713), the Intercession Monastery (destroyed by the Bolsheviks) and the red-brick palace of the prince (completed in 1481 and still standing).
During the reign of Ivan the Terrible the town passed to his only brother, Yuriy. Local inhabitants helped the tsar to capture Kazan by building a wooden fortress which was transported by the Volga all the way to Kazan. Throughout the 16th century Uglich prospered both politically and economically, but thereafter its fortunes began to decline.
After Ivan's death, his youngest son Dmitry Ivanovich was banished to Uglich in 1584. The most famous event in the town's history took place on May 15th, 1591 when the 7-year old boy was found dead with his throat cut in the palace courtyard. Suspicion immediately fell on the tsar's chief advisor, Boris Godunov. Official investigators concluded however that Dimitriy's death was an accident. They cut a "tongue" from the cathedral bell that rung the news of Dimitriy's death and "exiled" it to Siberia.
As Dimitriy was the last scion of the ancient Rurik dynasty, his death precipitated the dynastic and political crisis known as the Time of Troubles. People readily believed that Dimitriy was alive and supported several False Dmitriys (see False Dmitriy I, False Dmitriy II, False Dmitriy III) who tried to grab the Muscovite throne. During the Time of Troubles, the Poles besieged the Alexeievsky and Uleima monasteries and burned them down killing all the populace who had sought refuge inside.
The Romanov tsars made it their priority to canonize the martyred tsarevich and to turn Uglich into a place of pilgrimage. On the spot where Dimitriy had been murdered the city in 1690 built the small but lovely Church of St Demetrios on the Blood, which appears on the horizon with its red walls and blue domes as one sails north on the Volga. The palace where the prince lived was turned into a museum. The image of tsarevich with a knife in his hand was adopted as the town's emblem.
In the first third of the 18th century the kremlin cathedral and its remarkable bell-tower were demolished and rebuilt. Other 18th-century landmarks include the Smolenskaya, Korsunskaya, Kazanskaya and Bogoyavlenskaya churches. The most important edifice of the 19th century is the ponderous cathedral of the Epiphany convent, consecrated in 1853.
The modern town has a watch manufacturing plant, a railway station, and a hydroelectric power station. Actually, Stalin's decision to create the Uglich reservoir led to severe flooding of the town's outskirts. Apart from the kremlin, the city centre features other nice samples of old Russian architecture. Particularly notable are the Alexeievsky and Resurrection monasteries.
The Assumption three-tented church (1628) of the Alexeievsky monastery is considered a true gem of Russian medieval architecture. "Marvelous" is an epithet that common people gave to their church and which became a part of its official name. Located nearby is the more conventional Church of St. John the Baptist (1681).
Closer to the bank of the Volga one may see the Resurrection Monastery with its huge cathedral, refectory, belfry and summer church. All these buildings stand in a row and date back to 1674-77. Opposite the monastery is the graceful Church of Nativity of St John the Baptist. It was built in 1689-90 by a local merchant to commemorate the spot where his son had drowned.
More old architecture may be seen in the vicinity of Uglich, including the 17th-century Uleima Monastery and a fine church in Divnogorie.
External links
- Template:Ru icon Landmarks of Uglich (click next to a number to see a picture)
- Template:Ru icon More landmarks of Uglich (click next to a number to see a picture)
| Administrative divisions of Yaroslavl Oblast | |
|---|---|
| Administrative center: Yaroslavl • Rural localities | |
| Districts | |
| Cities and towns | |
| Urban-type settlements | |