It was established in the 14th century as a sloboda assigned to the Annunciation Monastery.[citation needed] The latter was established by Saint Sergius of Radonezh, who lived in the area between 1354 and 1358. For most of its history, the abbey remained heavily dependent upon the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, which lies 48 kilometers (30 mi) to the west. After the monastery was disbanded in 1764, the sloboda was granted municipal rights in 1778.[citation needed] Thereafter, Kirzhach, as many other towns in the vicinity, developed primarily as a textile center.
Annunciation Monastery in 20111781 coat of arms of Kirzhach
On October 12, 2004, the settlement of Krasny Oktyabr was merged with the town.
City's climate is moderately continental: a warm summer, a cold winter with a moderate spring and fall. Average temperature in January is −10.6 °C (12.9 °F) and +18.2 °C (64.8 °F) in July. Mean annual precipitation is 584 millimeters (23.0 in). It averages 151 days per year with temperatures above 0 °C (32 °F). A snow cover is present for four to five months; snow starts to fall usually at the end of November or at the beginning of December. Snow melts on sun-covered places in the middle of April and in forests at the end of April.
Kirzhach is famous for its great monastery—Blagoveschensky cathedral. The diminutive katholikon, erected during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, conforms to the early Muscovite type of cathedral church. It is commonly regarded as one of the last and loveliest specimens of this conservative strain. The monastery's open gallery connects the cathedral with the nearby Savior church, which has a square tower and a tent-like belfry. This church is a tomb of prominent Russian boyars-Miloslavskys.
The 16th-century church was demolished during the Soviet time, but people began to rebuild it in 1990s. Today the cathedral is a convent. Since 1997, the monastery possesses the relics of the Russian Saint, Roman Kirzhachsky, the student of another great Russian saint, Sergey Radonezhsky. Tourists can see two ancient St. Nikolay's churches—one was built in 1764, the other in 1846.
On the local art palace's facade is a plaque that commemorates the meeting of Yuri Gagarin, the world's first spaceman, with local people on 29 March 1963. On 27 March 1968, 18 km from Kirzhach (near the village of Novoselovo), Gagarin and flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin died in a plane crash. A large memorial, museum and visitors spot have been built on the crash site. Tourists can also see the buildings of shopping malls, built in the 1850s.
Администрация Владимирской области. Постановление №433 от 13 июня 2007 г. «О реестре административно-территориальных образований и единиц Владимирской области», в ред. Постановления №169 от 5 марта 2015 г. «О внесении изменения в Постановление Губернатора области от 13.06.2007 №433 "О реестре административно-территориальных образований и единиц Владимирской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Владимирские ведомости", №114, 20 июня 2007 г. (Administration of Vladimir Oblast. Resolution #433 of June 13, 2007 On the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations and Units of Vladimir Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #169 of March 5, 2015 On Amending Resolution #433 of the Oblast Governor of June 13, 2007 "On the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations and Units of Vladimir Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Законодательное Собрание Владимирской области. Закон №36-ОЗ от 27 апреля 2005 г. «О наделении Киржачского района и вновь образованных муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав, соответствующим статусом муниципальных образований и установлении их границ», в ред. Закона №113-ОЗ от 10 августа 2009 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Владимирской области "О наделении Киржачского района и вновь образованных муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав, соответствующим статусом муниципальных образований и установлении их границ"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования (29 апреля 2005 г.). Опубликован: "Владимирские ведомости", №140, 29 апреля 2005 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vladimir Oblast. Law #36-OZ of April 27, 2005 On Granting Kirzhachsky District and the Newly Established Municipal Formations Comprising It an Appropriate Status of the Municipal Formations and on Establishing Their Borders, as amended by the Law #113-OZ of August 10, 2009 On Amending the Law of Vladimir Oblast "On Granting Kirzhachsky District and the Newly Established Municipal Formations Comprising It an Appropriate Status of the Municipal Formations and on Establishing Their Borders". Effective as of the day of the official publication (April 29, 2005).).
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Kirzhach travel guide from Wikivoyage