Soligalich () 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 ...

and 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 Soligalichsky District in

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 right bank of the Kostroma River. Population:

History

It originated as an important center of saltworks, which supplied with salt not only Russia but also much of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

. These saltworks were first mentioned in the testament of Ivan Kalita as Sol-Galitskaya (, lit. ''salt of Galich''). By the end of the 14th century, the saltworks passed to the family of Dmitry Shemyaka, providing him with income required to wage prolonged wars for control of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. It was in 1450 that both Galich and Soligalich were finally seized by Vasily II of the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

. In the 16th century, the saltworks were exploited by the

Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius () is a lavra and the most important Russian monastery, being the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Posad, about to the northeast from Moscow ...

and five other monasteries. The settlement was repeatedly ravaged by

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

and Udmurts. In 1609, Soligalich became a

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

's seat. It was sacked by one of Polish units roaming Russia during the

Time of Troubles The Time of Troubles (), also known as Smuta (), was a period of political crisis in Tsardom of Russia, Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Feodor I of Russia, Feodor I, the last of the Rurikids, House of Rurik, and ended in 1613 wit ...

. In 1649, the wooden town was destroyed by fire. Towards the end of the 17th century, half a dozen churches were rebuilt in brick, surviving to the present day. In 1708, Soligalich became a part of

Archangelgorod Governorate Archangelgorod Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, which existed from 1708 until 1780. Its seat was in Archangel (Arkhangelsk). The governorate was located in th ...

. Seven decades later, separate

Kostroma Governorate Kostroma Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 to 1929. Its administrative center was in the city of Kostroma. Administrative division Kostroma ...

was formed, with Soligalich as one of the uyezd centers.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Soligalich serves as the

of Soligalichsky District.Law #133-a As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Soligalichsky 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 Soligalich. As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Soligalich is incorporated within Soligalichsky Municipal District as Soligalich Urban Settlement.Law #237-ZKO

Tourism

The town is known as a minor spa, for it has

mineral spring Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage un ...

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension (chemistry), suspension with water. Silt usually ...

and

mud bath A mud bath is a therapeutic spa treatment that involves soaking in a bath of warm mud, often in a natural hot spring or geothermal pool. Mud baths have been used for centuries as a way to promote health and relaxation, and are still popular t ...

Gallery

Image:Soligalich Cathedral 0660.jpg, Soligalich Cathedral Soligalich ResurrectionMon 0765.jpg, Resurrection monastery Новые торговые ряды.jpg, Trade Arcades Soligalich View 011 1371.jpg, Kostroma River Soligalich Sovetskaya2 011 1878.jpg, Local History Museum

Notable people

Painter Grigory Ostrovsky was active in Soligalich; the only paintings known to be by his hand are currently held in the town's regional museum. There is a monument to

Gennady Nevelskoy Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy (; in Drakino, Soligalichsky Uyezd, Kostroma Governorate – in St. Petersburg) was a Russian navigator and naval officer. In 1829 he joined the Naval Cadet Corps and in 1846 was given the rank of ...

, who was born in the vicinity. Publisher Ivan Sytin was born in Soligalichsky District.

References

Notes

Sources

* *

External links

Unofficial website of Soligalich
*''Small Towns of Russia''

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Kostroma Oblast Soligalichsky District Soligalichsky Uyezd Spa towns in Russia