Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population:

Climate

Dorogobuzh has a warm-summer humid continental climate (''Dfb'' in the Köppen climate classification).

History

First mentioned in 1150, it was established as a fortress defending eastern approaches to Smolensk. It was located in the Principality of Smolensk, which in 1404 became part of

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. It passed to the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...

after the Battle of Vedrosha in 1500. In 1508, Vasily III sent Italian masters to build a wooden fort there. During the Time of Troubles, Dorogobuzh passed between Lithuania and various Muscovite factions several times, and was ravaged, with its population reduced to ten people in 1614. It was captured by Russia in 1613, and then re-captured by Polish Prince Władysław IV Vasa in 1617. Within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was part of the Smolensk Voivodeship. During the Smolensk War, in 1632, it was besieged and captured by Russia, however, it was restored to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Treaty of Polyanovka in 1634. In 1667, it passed to Russia. During the Napoleonic Wars, it was captured by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

troops in August 1812, and re-captured by Russia in October 1812. In the late 19th century, the town held an annual

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

for grain, horses and cattle. Dorogobuzh was occupied by the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

during World War II first from October 5, 1941 to February 15, 1942 (when it was liberated by three partisan detachments and some Soviet troops), then again from June 7, 1942 to September 1, 1943. In 1942, the Germans established a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

camp in the town.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Dorogobuzh serves as the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District.Resolution #261 As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Dorogobuzhsky District as Dorogobuzhskoye

Urban Settlement An Urban settlement is a concentrated settlement that is part of an urban area. It is an area with high density of human-created structures. *Municipal urban settlement, a type of subdivision such as Cape town in Western Cape *Urban settlement, a ...

. As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban settlement status and is a part of Dorogobuzhsky Municipal District.Law #107-z

References

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

*
Official website of Dorogobuzh

Dorogobuzh Business Directory
*Mojgorod.ru

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Smolensk Oblast Smolensk Voivodeship Dorogobuzhsky Uyezd Populated places on the Dnieper in Russia