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Staritsa () 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
Staritsky District Staritsky District () is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Tver Oblast, thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and southern parts of the oblast and borders ...
in
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 ...
, located on the
Volga River 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 ...
, from
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 ...
, the administrative center of the
oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
. Population: It was previously known as ''Gorodok'' (until the 15th century).


History

The town was established in 1297 under the name of Gorodok (), lit. ''small town''). In 1365, it was moved from the more elevated right to the lower left bank of the
Volga River 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 ...
. Since the 15th century, the town has been called Staritsa (lit. ''former river-bed''). The name was misinterpreted by heraldists who represented on Staritsa's coat of arms an image of aged nun, which is another meaning of the Russian word "staritsa". In the 14th century, it belonged to the
Principality of Zubtsov A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...
, which was eventually merged back into the
Principality of Tver The Principality of Tver () was a Russian principality which existed between the 13th and the 15th centuries with its capital in Tver. The principality was located approximately in the area currently occupied by Tver Oblast and the eastern part of ...
. In 1485 it was formally annexed by 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 ...
. The
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
of the town began. Between 1519 and 1597 the
Principality of Staritsa A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...
, subordinate to Moscow, existed with the capital in Staritsa. The principality was ruled by Ivan III's son
Andrey Andrey (Андрей) is a masculine given name predominantly used in Slavic languages, including Belarusian, Bulgarian, and Russian. The name is derived from the ancient Greek Andreas (Ἀνδρέας), meaning "man" or "warrior". In Eastern ...
, and then by Andrey's son
Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...
. While
Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...
had no children, Vladimir was regarded by
boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...
s as his only heir. As the Tsar suspected Staritsa's ruler of plotting against him, Vladimir and his children were forced to take poison. The opulence of Staritsa during Vladimir's reign can be seen in the Dormition Monastery. Limestone (called ''Staritsa marble'') was mined in quarries near Staritsa starting from the 13th century. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by
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 ...
, the area 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. In 1775,
Tver Viceroyalty Tver Viceroyalty () was an administrative-territorial unit (''namestnichestvo'') of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1775 until 1796. Its seat was in Tver. In 1796, it was transformed to Tver Governorate. The area of the viceroyalty is cu ...
was formed from the lands which previously belonged 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 ...
and Novgorod Governorates, and the area was transferred to Tver Viceroyalty, which in 1796 was transformed to
Tver Governorate Tver Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Tver. The governorate was lo ...
. In 1775,
Staritsky Uyezd Staritsky Uyezd (''Старицкий уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Tver Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southcentral part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Staritsa. Demographics At the ti ...
was established, with the center in Staritsa. Much of the area of the district belonged to Staritsky Uyezd. The southern part of the District belonged to
Zubtsovsky Uyezd Zubtsovsky Uyezd () was one of the subdivisions of the Tver Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southern part of the governorate. Its administrative center was Zubtsov. Demographics At the time of the Russian Empire Census of ...
, also established in 1775. On 3 March 1924, Staritsky Uyezd was abolished and split between Novotorzhsky, Rzhevsky, and Tverskoy Uyezds. On 12 July 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Staritsky District with the administrative center in the town of Staritsa was established. It belonged to
Rzhev Okrug Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population: Hist ...
of
Western Oblast Western Oblast () was an administrative-territorial unit (''oblast'') of the Russian SFSR from 1929 to 1937. Its seat was in the city of Smolensk. The oblast was located in the west of European Russia, and its territory is currently divided b ...
. On August 1, 1930 the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were subordinated directly to the oblast. On 29 January 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 Staritsky District was transferred to Kalinin Oblast. During World War II, between 12 October 1941 and 1 January 1942, the town was occupied by the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
army. In 1990, Kalinin Oblast was renamed Tver Oblast.


Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Staritsa 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
Staritsky District Staritsky District () is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Tver Oblast, thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and southern parts of the oblast and borders ...
. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Staritsky District as Staritsa
Urban Settlement An urban settlement is a concentrated settlement that is part of an urban area. It is an area with high density of human-created structures. *Municipal urban settlement, a type of subdivision such as Cape Town in Western Cape *Urban settlement, a ...
.Law #34-ZO stipulates that the borders of the settlements (administrative-territorial divisions) are identical to the borders of the urban and rural settlements (municipal divisions), and that the borders of the administrative districts are identical to the borders of the municipal districts. Law #48-ZO, which describes the borders and the composition of the municipal formations in Staritsky Municipal District, lists the town of Staritsa as a part and the administrative center of Staritsa Urban Settlement of that district. As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban settlement status and is a part of Staritsky Municipal District.Law #48-ZO


Economy


Industry

Main industries in Staritsa are a clothes factory, a flax-manufacturing factory, as well as mechanical and vegetable food factories.


Transportation

A railway connecting
Torzhok Torzhok () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Tvertsa River along the federal highway M10 highway (Russia), M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the Russian Railways. The ...
and
Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population: Hist ...
has the Staritsa railway station, located about a dozen kilometers northeast of the town of Staritsa. A paved road connecting
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 ...
to Rzhev crosses the district and passes through Staritsa, where there is a bridge over the Volga. Another road connects Staritsa with Torzhok via Bernovo. There are also local roads with bus traffic originating from Staritsa. The Volga is navigable but there is no passenger navigation.


Architecture

The town is split by the river into two parts: the larger left and the smaller right. There are numerous old abandoned limestone quarries in the town's vicinity, explaining an abundance of old limestone buildings in the town. In the right part of a town a site of an old settlement can be clearly traced, with huge mounds and ground walls. On the opposing left bank of the river stands the Assumption Abbey, with a limestone cathedral from 1530 and a tented refectory from 1570. There are also several churches from the 18th and 19th centuries. The cathedral of Sts. 
Boris and Gleb Boris and Gleb (), respective Christian names Roman () and David (), were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after its Christianization. Their feast day is observed on July 24 (August 6 Gregorian calendar). History According to the tw ...
is a ponderous Neoclassical edifice erected from 1805 to 1820. It replaced a many-tented cathedral built in the 1560s by the same masters as worked on the famous St. Basil's Cathedral in
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 said that Moscow and Staritsa cathedrals were two sisters, just like the rulers of two towns, Ivan and Vladimir, were two brothers. Staritsa contains 37 cultural heritage monuments of federal significance and additionally 121 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federal monuments include, in particular, the ensemble of the center of Staritsa (with Dormition Monastery) The Staritsa District museum, open in the town, concentrates on the history of the area.


Caves

Staritsa is also noted among
speleologists Speleology () is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition, structure, physical properties, history, ecology, and the processes by which they form (speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorpholog ...
for its 18th–19th century
quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to manage their safet ...
. The quarries were created by local people, without any general plan, so they are sometimes very tangled and can be used as a smaller model for horizontal cave labyrinths. The longest quarries have a total length of passages of about . The passages are clean and dry, which is unusual for this region. A campaign is ongoing to try to have the quarries recognized as a local heritage site. In the meantime, they are gradually degrading due to lack of supervision.


References


Notes


Sources

* * *


External links

* Towns.ru
Staritsa
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Tver Oblast Populated places on the Volga Staritsky Uyezd