Vyshny Volochyok ( rus, Вы́шний Волочёк, p=ˈvɨʂnʲɪj vəlɐˈtɕɵk) 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 ...

Tver Oblast Tver Oblast (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (). Population: Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much o ...

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 ...

. Population:

Geography and etymology

The town is located northwest of

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

, in the

Valdai Hills The Valdai Hills, sometimes shortened to Valdai, are an upland region in the north-west of central European Russia running north–south, about midway between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, spanning Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver, Pskov, and Smolensk ...

, between the Tvertsa and Tsna Rivers, on the watershed between the basins of the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

. Hence the town's name is translated from

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

as "Upper Portage".

Climate

History

The

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

between the Tsna and the Tvertsa rivers existed from medieval times as confirmed by archaeological artifacts found in the area. Vyshny Volochyok as a settlement was mentioned in chronicles in 1471. In 1703–1722,

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 canal constructed to link the two rivers (the Vyshny Volochyok Waterway). In the 1740, the road connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg was built. These two events gave a start to the fast economic development of Vyshny Volochyok, which later also became a major center of textile manufacture and glass production. In 1772, the first fair was held, and in the first half of the 19th century the road was rebuilt in stone. In 1851, railroad construction followed. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by

, Vyshny Volochyok was included into Ingermanlandia Governorate (since 1710 known as Saint Petersburg Governorate), and in 1727

Novgorod Governorate Novgorod Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1727 to 1776 and from 1796 to 1927. Its administrative cent ...

split off. On May 28, 1770, Vyshny Volochyok was granted town rights, and on April 2, 1772 Vyshnevolotsky Uyezd of Novgorod Governorate was established, with its seat in Vyshny Volochyok. In 1775, the Tver Viceroyalty was formed from the lands which previously belonged to the

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 ...

and Novgorod Governorates, and Vyshny Volochyok was transferred to the Tver Viceroyalty, which in 1796 was transformed into Tver Governorate. On July 12, 1929 the governorates and uyezds were abolished. Vyshnevolotsky District, with the administrative center in Vyshny Volochyok, was established within Tver Okrug of

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On January 29, 1935

Kalinin Oblast Tver Oblast (, ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was known as Kalinin Oblast (). Population: Tver Oblast is a region of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much of ...

was established, and Vyshny Volochyok was transferred to Kalinin Oblast. In 1990, Kalinin Oblast was renamed Tver Oblast.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Vyshny Volochyok 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 Vyshnevolotsky District, even though it is not a part of it.Law #34-ZO As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Vyshny Volochyok

Okrug An okrug is a type of administrative division in some Slavic-speaking states. The word ''okrug'' is a loanword in English, alternatively translated as area, district, county, or region. Etymologically, ''okrug'' literally means ' circuit', der ...

—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 ...

. As a municipal division, Vyshny Volochyok Okrug is incorporated as Vyshny Volochyok Urban Okrug.Law #4-ZO

Economy

Industry

The economy of Vyshny Volochyok is based on timber, glassmaking, and textile industries.

Transportation

The railroad connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg passes through Vyshny Volochyok. The M10 highway, which connects

and St. Petersburg, passes through the city as well. A road connecting to Maksatikha,

Bezhetsk Bezhetsk () 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: 20,618 (2024). It was pr ...

, and

Rybinsk Rybinsk (, ) is the second-largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia. It lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna rivers, north-north-east of Moscow. Population: It was previously known as '' ...

branches out east. There are local roads as well, with the bus traffic originating from Vyshny Volochyok. The Tvertsa and the Msta are connected by the Vyshny Volochyok Waterway, constructed in the 18th century to provide for a waterway connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg, in particular, the Neva and the Volga. Currently, there is no passenger navigation.

Culture and recreation

Vyshny Volochyok contains twenty-four cultural heritage monuments of federal significance and additionally forty-four objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federal monuments are the canals, dams, and embankments of the Vyshny Volochyok Waterway, the former Serdykov Estate related to the visits of Peter the Great to Vyshny Volochyok, as well as a number of buildings in the city center, including the trading arcades. Vyshny Volochyok hosts a local museum which was open in 1932 (formally, it is a division of the Tver State United Museum). There is also a theater.

In popular culture

In the episode Limerick of Cabin Pressure, Vyshny Volochyok is mentioned at the start and has a

limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

devoted to it near the end.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Tver Oblast Vyshnevolotsky Uyezd Portages