Galich () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Kostroma and its population as of the Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census i ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located on the southern bank of Lake Galichskoye. 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 In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

-mining centers of Eastern Europe, eclipsing the southern town of

Halych Halych (, ; ; ; ; , ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; ) is a historic List of cities in Ukraine, city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the Principality of Halych, the historic province of Galicia (Eastern Europe), ...

, from which it takes its name. In the 13th century, Galich was ruled by a younger brother of

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (; ; monastic name: ''Aleksiy''; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) was Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1249–1263), and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–1263). ...

and remained in his line until 1363, when the Muscovites seized the principality and ousted the ruling family to

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

. 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

fur A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

Dmitry Shemyaka Dmitriy Yurievich Shemyaka () (died 1453) was the second son of Yury of Zvenigorod by Anastasia of Smolensk and grandson of Dmitri Donskoi. His hereditary patrimony was the rich northern town Galich-Mersky. When his uncle prince Vasily I of ...

and other local princes pressed their claims to the Muscovite crown, and three of them actually took possession of the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

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: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

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 (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

had a wooden

kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

demolished, and it further declined with the transfer of Russian foreign trade from

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

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 centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

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 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

.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 () manufactures some 20% of Russia's entire

mobile crane A mobile crane is a cable-controlled crane mounted on crawlers or rubber-tired carriers or a hydraulic-powered crane with a telescoping boom mounted on truck-type carriers or as self-propelled models. They are designed to easily transport t ...

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, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...

. 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 , founded in the early 14th century and featuring a 16th-century five-domed

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

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 movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

"Russia's Family" (, 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. Additionally, the concept of family values may be understood ...

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 Galich Urban Okrug Galichsky Uyezd