Mozhaysk
[Alternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''.] ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and 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
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Mozhaysky District
Mozhaysky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia:
* Mozhaysky District, Moscow, a district in Western Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow
*Mozhaysky District, Moscow Oblast
Mozhaysky Dis ...
in
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, located to the west of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, on the historic road leading to
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
and then to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. Population:
History
First mentioned in 1231 as an
appanage
An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...
of
Chernigov
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...
; A theory says Mozhaysk took its name from the Mozhay (Mozhaya) River, whose name could be of Baltic origin (compare Lithuanian ''mažoji'' "small" - in contrast to the larger
Moskva River
The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centra ...
nearby). Later Mozhaysk became an important stronghold of the
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
dynasty, in the 13th century ruled by Duke (later Saint)
Theodore the Black
Duke Theodore Rostislavich nicknamed Theodore the Black (c. 1230s – 1298), Феодор Ростиславич Чёрный (Чёрмный) or Fyodor the Black in Russian ( Fyodor or Fedor being the Russian version of Theodore), is a saint ...
.
Muscovites seized Mozhaysk in 1303, but in the course of the following century had serious troubles defending it against
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...
(
Grand Duke of Lithuania
The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power—House ...
from 1345 to 1377). A younger brother of the ruling Grand Duke of Moscow usually held the Principality of Mozhaysk - until the practice was dropped in 1493. In 1562 Denmark and Russia signed the
Treaty of Mozhaysk
The Treaty of Mozhaysk (also Moshaisk or other transliterations of Можайск) was a Danish-Russian treaty concluded on 7 August 1562, during the Livonian War. While not an actual alliance, the treaty confirmed the amicable Dano-Russian relat ...
there during the
Livonian War
The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pre ...
of 1558–1583. In 1708 the administration of
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 ...
granted town status to Mozhaysk.
Mozhaysk played a role in defending the Western approaches to Moscow in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
in 1812 the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
took place from the town. In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the German
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
took Mozhaysk on October 16, 1941; the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
re-captured it on January 20, 1942.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Mozhaysk 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
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Mozhaysky District
Mozhaysky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia:
* Mozhaysky District, Moscow, a district in Western Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow
*Mozhaysky District, Moscow Oblast
Mozhaysky Dis ...
.
[Resolution #123-PG] As an administrative division, it is, together with twenty-one
rural localities, incorporated within Mozhaysky District as the
Town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of Mozhaysk.
As a
municipal division, the Town of Mozhaysk is incorporated within Mozhaysky Municipal District as Mozhaysk Urban Settlement.
[Law #95/2005-OZ]
Architecture
![Nikolka Mozh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Nikolka_Mozh.jpg)
The first stone cathedral was built in 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, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
in the early 14th century and named Nikolskiy (then
Staro-Nikolsky) Cathedral. It very much resembled the Dormition Cathedral in
Zvenigorod
Zvenigorod (russian: Звени́город) is an old town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population:
History
The town's name is based either on a personal name (cf. Zvenislav, Zvenimir) or on a hydronym (cf. the Zvinech, Zvinyaka, Zveniga Rivers) ...
. At that time the wooden statue of
Saint Nicholas of Mozhaysk
Saint Nicholas of Mozhaysk, or Nikola of Mozhaysk (russian: Никола Можайский), is a Russian variation of the Saint Nikolaus traditions. According to the legend, during the 14th-century siege of Mozhaysk city by Mongols, the residen ...
was carved by an unknown master and placed into the cathedral. Later the statue was moved to the Church Over-the-gates.
The first fortified
Detinets existed in the Mozhaysk as early as in the 12th century. After the great fire of 1541 it was completely rebuilt by an order of
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
. Only in the early 17th century the stone fortress was constructed, replaced with the Kremlin made of bricks in 1624-1626.
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas in the
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style, designed by Aleksei Bakarev (
Matvei Kazakov's student), started in 1802, but the building was ransacked by the retreating French troops in 1812. Only in 1814 the cathedral was completed and consecrated. The church of St. Joachim and Anna preserves some parts from the early 15th century. Another important landmark is the
Luzhetsky Monastery
Luzhetsky Monastery , whose complete name is the Nativity of the Theotokos and St.Therapont Luzhetsky Monastery (russian: Богородице-Рождественский Ферапонтов Лужецкий монастырь), is a medieval for ...
, founded in 1408 by
St. Ferapont and rebuilt in brick in the 16th century. The monastery cathedral, erected during the reign of
Vasily III, was formerly known for its frescoes, ascribed to
Dionisius
Dionisius (russian: Диони́сий, variously transliterated as ''Dionisy'' or ''Dionysiy''; also Dionisius the Wise; c. 1440 – 1502) was acknowledged as a head of the Moscow school of icon painters at the turn of the 15th and 16th ...
' circle.
Trivia
Mozhaysk was frequently the last major obstacle on the way to the capital and it gave birth to the expression "to push beyond Mozhay" (, ''zagnat' za Mozhay''), which literally means "to push (the enemy) beyond Mozhay". In modern usage it means to "completely crush the enemy and push them away at a great distance". The phrase originated during the
Polish Muscovite War when the Polish Army retreated to Mozhaysk following the
Battle of Moscow (1612)
The Battle of Moscow was a series of two battles, which took place in Moscow, on September 1 and 3, 1612, during the Polish–Muscovite War (1605–18), and Time of Troubles. Forces of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were commanded by F ...
.
Transport
Bus line 457 goes from the Mozhaysk autobus station to
Park Pobedy in Moscow. Several bus and
marshrutka
''Marshrutka''[Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...](_blank)
.
Railway transport is also available. Suburban regular and
express trains run between
Mozhaysk railway station and Moscow. The minor railway platform Km. 109 of the
Belorussky suburban railway line, located on the outskirts of the city, serves the adjacement settlement of
Stroitel. Mozhaysk is also linked by train to
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...
, with both short-distance services between the town and
Vyazma
Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Throu ...
and long-distance Lastochka trains on the Moscow-Smolensk route stopping at Mozhaysk.
Twin towns and sister cities
Mozhaysk is
twinned with:
*
Château-du-Loir
Château-du-Loir (; literally 'Château of the Loir') is a former commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. On 1 October 2016, it was merged into the new commune Montval-sur-Loir. ,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
*
Drochtersen
Drochtersen is a municipality in the district Stade, in Lower Saxony (Germany). It is located 45 km Northwest of Hamburg.
It belonged to the Archdiocese of Bremen, Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transform ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
*
Etropole
Etropole ( bg, Етрополе, ) is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located close to the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in the valley of the Iskar River, from Sofia.
History
The area was first settled by th ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
*
Lohja
Lohja (; sv, Lojo) is a city and municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland. The city has a population of 47,518 (2017), and it covers an area of of which , or 8.3 percent, is water. The population density of Lohja is . The municipality is ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
*
Pereiaslav
Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (Oblast, province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta River, Alta ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
*
Ujazd
Ujazd (german: Ujest) is a town in Strzelce County in the Opole Voivodeship in southern Poland. Population 1,647.
The town lies on bank of the river Kłodnica. Tourist attractions in the town include the Ujazd Castle (formerly used by bishops ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
*
Vileyka
Vileyka ( officially transliterated as Viliejka, be, Віле́йка , also ''Вялейка''; russian: Вилейка; lt, Vileika; pl, Wilejka) is a city in Belarus and the administrative center of the Vileyka District of Minsk Region. It i ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
External links
Official website of MozhayskUnofficial website of Mozhaysk
{{Use mdy dates, date=July 2012
Cities and towns in Moscow Oblast
Mozhaysky Uyezd