Mologa () was a town in

Yaroslavl Oblast Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by the Tver Oblast, Tver, Moscow Oblast, Moscow, Ivanovo Oblast, Ivanovo, Vladimir Oblast, Vlad ...

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 ...

, formerly situated at the confluence of the rivers Mologa and

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 ...

, but now submerged under the waters of the

Rybinsk Reservoir Rybinsk Reservoir (, ), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir (water), reservoir on the Volga River and its tributary, tributaries the Sheksna River, Sheksna and Mologa River, Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, ...

Mologa existed at least since the 12th century. It was a part of the Principality of Rostov in the early 13th century. Later on, the town was annexed by the Principality of

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

. In 1321, it became the center of an independent principality. Soon after that, Ivan III annexed Mologa in favor of the

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina mosch ...

. Thereupon Mologa's rulers moved to

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 ...

, where they have been known as Princes Prozorovsky and Shakhovskoy. In the late 15th century, they relocated a

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

from Kholopiy Gorodok (a town 55 km north of Mologa) to Mologa. After that, Mologa turned into one of the most important Russian trade centers with the

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n countries. According to an account by

Sigismund von Herberstein Siegmund (Sigismund) Freiherr von Herberstein (or Baron Sigismund von Herberstein; 23 August 1486 – 28 March 1566) was a Carniolan diplomat, writer, historian and member of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Council. He was most noted for his exten ...

, there was a

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

in Mologa. Mologa

Following 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 ...

, Mologa thrived as a trade ''

sloboda A sloboda was a type of settlement in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for 'freedom' and may be loosely translated as 'free settlement'.

''. In the 19th - early 20th centuries, it was a big staging post on the Volga because the town had been located at the beginning of the Tikhvinskaya water system, connecting the Volga with 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 ...

. The flooding of Mologa was ordered in 1935 and following this order, during the construction of the

and Rybinsk hydroelectric plant, the town was subsequently evacuated and engulfed by water in the 1940s. Previously, Mologa could remain to be an existing city, but a necessity for an increased capacity of Rybinsk hydroelectric plant levered the level of

being constructed from 98 to 102m above the sea level making Mologa, standing 98m above the sea level, cease its existence. Around 130,000 people were forced to move from Mologa and the surrounding areas and settle in the nearest Slip, Yaroslavl and nearest settlements and regions, as well as Moscow and Leningrad. 294 locals refused to leave their homes and eventually drowned.Death of Mologa
''Argumenty Nedeli'' №19(19) 14 September 2006 A monument was erected in 2003 to commemorate those who refused the evacuation order. In 1992-1993 the level of the

decreased at 1.5m which permitted historians to organize the first expedition to a visible part of the former city. This resulted in collecting information for the future Mologa Museum and making a film. April 14 is remembered in Yaroslavl Oblast as the Day of Mologa. On this day, the boats with monks and priests sail to the spot where Mologa used to stand, and hold divine service in front of the upper parts of cross-crowned belfries which are still visible above the water of the artificial lake. Every second Saturday of August ordinary people visit Mologa's site on board of a ship. Mologa 2021-10-11 Sentinel

In August, 2014 the water-level became extremely low, which let the former inhabitants of Mologa see their previous homes and wish to visit them on board of a ship.

References

External links

Statistics and history of Mologa

History of Flooding of Mologa
{{in lang, ru Underwater ruins Geography of Yaroslavl Oblast Mologsky Uyezd Defunct towns in Russia Former populated places in Russia

See also

References

External links