Torzhok
Encyclopedia
Torzhok is a town in Tver Oblast
, Russia
, famous for its folk craft of goldwork embroidery
. Population:
Torzhok has twenty-two large and medium-sized industrial enterprises. Two of them are especially significant. The "Pozhtekhnika" joint stock company and the OAO "Torzhok Plant Printing Inks", account for 70% of all industrial output.
along the federal highway Russian Route M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway
division of the Russian Railways
.
in 1139. The Mongols
burned it in 1238, but did not proceed northward to Novgorod. At that time the town commanded the only route whereby grain was delivered to Novgorod. Once Torzhok blocked the route, a great shortage of grain and famine in Novgorod would follow. Consequently, Torzhok was known as a key to Novgorod Republic
and frequently changed hands during feudal internecine wars.
The town was incorporated into Muscovy with the rest of Novgorod Republic
in 1478. The Polish
army frequently ravaged it during the Time of Troubles
. During the imperial period of Russian history, Torzhok was known as an important post station on the highway from Moscow
to St. Petersburg
. Alexander Pushkin, for instance, used to pass through Torzhok on a number of occasions, so there is a museum dedicated to him in the town. The natives of Torzhok include painter Alexej von Jawlensky
.
Architectural monuments of Torzhok include a number of parish churches, dating back to the late 17th or early 18th centuries. Under Catherine the Great, the old monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb
was redesigned in Neoclassical
style by a local landowner, Prince Lvov. The main city church is the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral, founded in 1374. The current edifice was consecrated in 1822. There is also Catherine the Great's diminutive travel palace.
Torzhok was granted town status in 1775.
There is an air base located near the town which has in residence the 344th Center for Helicopter Trials and Testing. The center consists of the 696 Helicopter Instructors' and trial Regiment. The center operates the "Golden Eagles" combat helicopter aerobatic team. The 696th Regiment tests all current models and modifications of the Russian military helicopters. Для обучения и боевого применения полк располагает Kamov Ka-50
, Мi-28Н, Мi-26, Mi-24, Мi-8 helicopters.
with: Savonlinna
, Finland
Slonim
, Belarus
Melle
, Germany
Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was named Kalinin Oblast after Mikhail Kalinin. Population: Tver Oblast is an area of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, famous for its folk craft of goldwork embroidery
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
. Population:
Torzhok has twenty-two large and medium-sized industrial enterprises. Two of them are especially significant. The "Pozhtekhnika" joint stock company and the OAO "Torzhok Plant Printing Inks", account for 70% of all industrial output.
Geography
The town is situated on the Tvertsa RiverTvertsa River
Tvertsa is a river in the Tver Oblast in Russia, a left tributary of the Volga River. The Starotveretsky Canal is considered Tvertsa's riverhead, which connects the river with the Vishnevolotskoye Reservoir. The latter drains up to 80% of its water from the Tsna River into the Tvertsa...
along the federal highway Russian Route M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway
Oktyabrskaya Railway
The broad gauge Oktyabrskaya Railway or October Railway , which forms part of RZD, is the oldest railway in Russia, located in the north-west of the country. It stretches from Moscow's Leningrad Terminal in the south to Murmansk beyond the Arctic Circle in the north. The total length of the lines...
division of the Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
.
History
Torzhok was first mentioned in a chronicleChronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
in 1139. The Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
burned it in 1238, but did not proceed northward to Novgorod. At that time the town commanded the only route whereby grain was delivered to Novgorod. Once Torzhok blocked the route, a great shortage of grain and famine in Novgorod would follow. Consequently, Torzhok was known as a key to Novgorod Republic
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
and frequently changed hands during feudal internecine wars.
The town was incorporated into Muscovy with the rest of Novgorod Republic
Novgorod Republic
The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...
in 1478. The Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
army frequently ravaged it during the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
. During the imperial period of Russian history, Torzhok was known as an important post station on the highway from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. Alexander Pushkin, for instance, used to pass through Torzhok on a number of occasions, so there is a museum dedicated to him in the town. The natives of Torzhok include painter Alexej von Jawlensky
Alexej von Jawlensky
Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky was a Russian expressionist painter active in Germany. He was a key member of the New Munich Artist's Association , Der Blaue Reiter group and later the Die Blaue Vier .-Life and work:Alexej von Jawlensky was born in Torzhok, a town in Tver...
.
Architectural monuments of Torzhok include a number of parish churches, dating back to the late 17th or early 18th centuries. Under Catherine the Great, the old monastery of Sts. Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb
Boris and Gleb , Christian names Roman and David, respectively, were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after the Christianization of the country....
was redesigned in Neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
style by a local landowner, Prince Lvov. The main city church is the Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral, founded in 1374. The current edifice was consecrated in 1822. There is also Catherine the Great's diminutive travel palace.
Torzhok was granted town status in 1775.
There is an air base located near the town which has in residence the 344th Center for Helicopter Trials and Testing. The center consists of the 696 Helicopter Instructors' and trial Regiment. The center operates the "Golden Eagles" combat helicopter aerobatic team. The 696th Regiment tests all current models and modifications of the Russian military helicopters. Для обучения и боевого применения полк располагает Kamov Ka-50
Kamov Ka-50
The Kamov Ka-50 "Black Shark" is a single-seat Russian attack helicopter with the distinctive coaxial rotor system of the Kamov design bureau. It was designed in the 1980s and adopted for service in the Russian army in 1995...
, Мi-28Н, Мi-26, Mi-24, Мi-8 helicopters.
International relations
Twin towns/sister cities
Torzhok is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Savonlinna is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "Newcastle".- History :...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Slonim
Slonim
Slonim is a city in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus, capital of the Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa rivers, 143 km southeast of Hrodna. The population in 2008 was 50,800.-Etymology and historical names:...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
Melle
Melle
-Places:Belgium* Melle, Belgium, a gemeente in East Flanders, FlandersFrance* Melle, Deux-Sèvres, a commune in Poitou-Charentes* Mellé, Ille-et-Vilaine, a commune in BrittanyGermany* Melle, Germany, a Stadt in Osnabrück Landkreis, Lower Saxony...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...