Ustyuzhna (russian: У́стюжна) 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
Ustyuzhensky District
Ustyuzhensky District (russian: У́стюженский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1126-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and b ...
in
Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast ( rus, Вологодская область, p=vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, r=Vologodskaya oblast, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. The Oblast has a population of 1,202,444 ...
,
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 on the
Mologa River
The Mologa (russian: Моло́га) is a river in Maksatikhinsky, Bezhetsky, Lesnoy, and Sandovsky Districts of Tver Oblast, Pestovsky District in Novgorod Oblast, and Ustyuzhensky and Cherepovetsky Districts in Vologda Oblast Russia. It is ...
, west of
Vologda
Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. ...
, the administrative center of the
oblast
An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...
. Population:
History
Considered to have been founded in the 11th century, it was first mentioned, as Zhelezny Ustyug (), in 1252, and in the following centuries was called variously Ustyuzhna Zheleznopolskaya,
Ustizhna, Ustizhnya, Ustyuzhnya, and Yustyzhnya. In the 16th–18th centuries it was known mostly as Ustyuzhna-Zheleznaya or Ustyuzhna-Zheleznopolskaya, but since 1808 it had mostly been referred to by its modern name. The origin of the name is unclear, though it may be related to that of
Ustyug.
[Е. М. Поспелов. "Географические названия мира", стр. 436]
In 1252, Ustyuzhna was a part of the
Principality of Uglich.
It was situated on the shortest route from
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 ol ...
to the
basin of the
Northern Dvina
, image = dvina.jpg
, image_size =
, image_caption = Northern Dvina starts as the confluence of Yug River (on left) and Sukhona River (on top) near Veliky Ustyug (photo 2001)
, source1 = Confluence of ...
, which caused an interest of the
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of m ...
. In the 14th century, Novgorod made several attempts to establish control over the town.
During the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
, the Polish Army laid a siege on Ustyuzhna, but did not manage to conquer the town.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the territory became one of the most important centers of metal production in Russia, second only to
Tula.
Between 1702 and 1714, Izhinsky iron-making plant, built by the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
, existed in Ustyuzhna, making it a major producer of arms.
In the course of the
administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
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 ...
, Ustyuzhna was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as
Saint Petersburg Governorate
Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...
) and named one of the towns constituting the governorate.
[Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов](_blank)
In 1727, separate
Novgorod Governorate
Novgorod Governorate (Pre-reformed rus, Новгоро́дская губе́рнія, r=Novgorodskaya guberniya, p=ˈnofɡərətskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə, t=Government of Novgorod), was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Ru ...
was split off, which included Ustyuzhna as a part of its
Belozersk Province
Belozersk (russian: Белозе́рск), known as Beloozero (russian: Белоозеро, label=none) until 1777, is a town and the administrative center of Belozersky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the southern bank of Lake Be ...
.
In 1738, Ustyuzhna was chartered and became the seat of
Ustyuzhensky Uyezd Ustyuzhensky Uyezd (''Устюженский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Novgorod Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Ustyuzhna.
Demograph ...
.
In 1776, the uyezd was transferred to
Novgorod Viceroyalty
Novgorod Viceroyalty (russian: Новгоро́дское наме́стничество) was an administrative division (a '' namestnichestvo'') of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1776–1796. The seat of the Viceroyalty was located in Novg ...
.
In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished and Ustyuzhensky Uyezd was transferred to Novgorod Governorate.
In June 1918, five uyezds of Novgorod Governorate, including Ustyuzhensky Uyezd, were split off to form
Cherepovets Governorate
Cherepovets Governorate (russian: Череповецкая губерния, ''Cherepovetskaya guberniya'') was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1918 to 1927. Its seat was in the city of Cher ...
, with the administrative center in
Cherepovets
Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲɛts) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...
.
On August 1, 1927, Cherepovets Governorate was abolished and its territory became
Cherepovets Okrug
Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲɛts) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...
of
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...
.
At the same time, uyezds were abolished and Ustyuzhensky District was established, with the administrative center in Ustyuzhna.
On September 23, 1937, Ustyuzhensky District was transferred to newly established Vologda Oblast and remained there ever since.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Ustyuzhna 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
Ustyuzhensky District
Ustyuzhensky District (russian: У́стюженский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1126-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and b ...
and of
Ustyuzhensky Selsoviet
Ustyuzhensky District (russian: У́стюженский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #371-OZ and municipalLaw #1126-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-six in Vologda Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and b ...
of that district, even though it is not a part of the latter.
[Resolution #178] As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Ustyuzhensky District as the
town of district significance
Town of district significance is an administrative division of a district in a federal subject of Russia. It is equal in status to a selsoviet or an urban-type settlement of district significance, but is organized around a town (as opposed to a ...
of Ustyuzhna.
[Law #371-OZ] As a
municipal division, the town of district significance of Ustyuzhna is incorporated within Ustyuzhensky Municipal District as Ustyuzhna Urban Settlement and serves as the administrative center of the municipal district, urban settlement, and of Ustyuzhenskoye Rural Settlement, even though it is not a part of the latter.
[Law #1126-OD]
Economy
Industry
The main industrial enterprise in Ustyuzhna is a cheese production factory.
Transportation
A114 Highway, connecting
Vologda
Vologda ( rus, Вологда, p=ˈvoləɡdə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. ...
to
Cherepovets
Cherepovets ( rus, Череповец, p=tɕɪrʲɪpɐˈvʲɛts) is a city in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located in the west of the oblast on the banks of the Sheksna River (a tributary of the Volga River) and on the shores of the Rybinsk Reservoir. ...
and
St. Petersburg, passes north of Ustyuzhna. There is a road connecting Ustyuzhna with the highway. Ustyuzhna is also connected by roads with
Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
via
Vesyegonsk, with
Bezhetsk
Bezhetsk (russian: Бе́жецк) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Bezhetsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Mologa River at its confluence with the Ostrechina. Population: 29 ...
via
Sandovo, and with
Borovichi
Borovichi (russian: Боровичи́) is the second largest town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Msta River in the northern spurs of the Valdai Hills, east of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...
via
Pestovo. There are also local roads.
The closest railway station is located in Sandovo.
Culture and recreation
Ustyuzhna contains thirty-nine objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by Russian federal law and additionally ninety-seven objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance. Ustyuzhna is a historical town with the well-preserved center from the 19th century.
The Ustyuzhensky District Museum is located in Ustyuzhna.
It is believed that the plot of ''
The Government Inspector
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...
'', a comedy by Russian playwright
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
, is based on the real story which took place in Ustyuzhna in the beginning of the 19th century.
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Ustiuzhna: Vologda's Western Treasure
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Vologda Oblast
Ustyuzhensky Uyezd