Galich (russian: link=no, Галич) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

in Kostroma Oblast,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, located on the southern bank of

Lake Galichskoye Lake Galichskoye (russian: Галичское) is a freshwater lake in the northern part of Kostroma Oblast, Russia that takes its name from the old town of Galich sitting on its south bank. It is situated at the height of 100 meters above mean ...

. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 12,856.

History

It was first chronicled in 1234 as Grad Mersky (lit. ''the town of the Merya''). It gradually developed into one of the greatest

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...

-mining centers of Eastern Europe, eclipsing the southern town of Halych, from which it takes its name. In the 13th century, Galich was ruled by a younger brother of Alexander Nevsky and remained in his line until 1363, when the Muscovites seized the principality and ousted the ruling family to

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the o ...

. The 15th and 16th centuries are justly considered the golden age of Galich. At that time it controlled most of the Russian trade in salt and furs. Dmitry Shemyaka and other local princes pressed their claims to the Muscovite crown, and three of them actually took possession of the

Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (Ru ...

in the course of the Great Feudal War. The early medieval earthen

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

s were further fortified in the early 15th and 16th centuries and have since been known as ''Shemyaka Hills''. The Poles burnt it to the ground in 1612,

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

had a wooden

kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (Ru ...

demolished, and it further declined with the transfer of Russian foreign trade from Arkhangelsk to St. Petersburg. Town status was granted to Galich in 1778.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Galich serves as the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, L ...

of Galichsky District, even though it is not a part of it.Resolution #133-a As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as the town of oblast significance of Galich—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.Law #112-4-ZKO As a municipal division, the town of oblast significance of Galich is incorporated as Galich Urban Okrug.Law #237-ZKO

Economy

The Galich Mobile Crane Plant (russian: link=no, ОАО "Галичский автокрановый завод") manufactures some 20% of Russia's entire mobile crane production. Town's industries also manufacture steel barrels, shoes, and clothing. There is a timber mill in town as well. The town is also a minor railroad node of the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR; , , ) connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway line in the world. It runs from the city of Moscow in the west to the city of Vladivostok in the eas ...

. A tall guyed mast for FM and TV broadcasting can be seen in the town.

Culture

Historic monuments of Galich include various buildings from the imperial period of Russian history. Particularly noteworthy is the Paisiev Monastery, founded in the early 14th century and featuring a 16th-century five-domed

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

and a three-domed church from 1642. Since 2004, Galich hosts the annual short

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

"Russia's Family" (russian: link=no, Семья России, Semya Rossii), whose stated goals are "to aid spiritual and moral healing of Russian society and to promote traditional

family values Family values, sometimes referred to as familial values, are traditional or cultural values that pertain to the family's structure, function, roles, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals. In the social sciences and U.S. political discourse, the convent ...

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

*
Official website of Galich

Unofficial website of Galich

Another unofficial website of Galich

Galich directory of organizations
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Kostroma Oblast Galichsky Uyezd