The city was first documented in 1148 as Ugliche Pole (Corner Field). The town's name is thought to allude to the nearby turn in the Volga River, and is derived from the Russian word ugol (a corner, a nook).[11]
From 1218 until 1328, Uglich was the seat of a small princedom. At that time, the local princes sold their rights to the great prince of Moscow. Uglich was a border town of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and it was burned several times in conflicts by Lithuanians, Tatars, and the grand prince of Tver.[citation needed]
Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow gave the town in 1462 to his younger brother Andrey Bolshoy (Andrey the Great). During Andrey's reign, the town was expanded and the first stone buildings were constructed. Particularly notable were the cathedral (rebuilt in 1713), the Intercession Monastery (destroyed by the Bolsheviks in the early 20th century as part of the Uglich water reservoir), and the red-brick palace of the prince (completed in 1481 and still standing).[citation needed]
After Ivan's death, his youngest son Dmitry Ivanovich was banished to Uglich in 1584. The most well-known event in the town's history took place on May 15, 1591, when the 10-year-old boy was found dead with his throat cut in the palace courtyard. Suspicion immediately fell on the tsar's chief advisor, Boris Godunov. Official investigators concluded, however, that Dimitriy's death was an accident. They cut a "tongue" from the cathedral bell that rang the news of Dimitriy's death and "exiled" it to Siberia.
Exiled bells of Uglich in Tobolsk, 1885[12]The Monastery of St. Alexis (1620s)
As Dimitry was the last scion of the ancient Rurik Dynasty, his death precipitated the dynastic and political crisis known as the Time of Troubles. People readily believed that Dmitry was alive and supported several False Dmitrys (see False Dmitry I, False Dmitry II, False Dmitry III), who each tried to grab the Muscovite throne. During the Time of Troubles, Poles besieged the Alexeievsky and Uleima monasteries and burned them down, killing all the populace who had sought refuge inside.[citation needed]
The Romanov Tsars quickly arranged to canonize the martyred Tsesarevich and to designate Uglich as a place of pilgrimage. On the spot where Dimitry was thought to have been murdered, the city in 1690 built a small Church of St. Demetrios on the Blood. Its red walls and blue domes are visible as travelers go north on the Volga. The palace where the prince lived was turned into a museum. The image of Tsesarevich with a knife in his hand was adopted as the town's coat of arms.[citation needed]
In the first third of the 18th century, the kremlincathedral and its remarkable bell tower were demolished and rebuilt. Other 18th-century landmarks include the Smolenskaya, Korsunskaya, Kazanskaya and Bogoyavlenskaya churches. The most important edifice of the 19th century is the cathedral of the TheophanyConvent, consecrated in 1853.[citation needed]
Church of Tsarevich Dmitry on the Blood (1692)
Infrastructure improvements included a railway station, connecting residents to transportation via other routes than the river. A watch manufacturing plant operated in the 20th-century town, making Chaika watches; this has since closed. A hydroelectric power station was built under Stalin's reign to generate power from the Volga. But development of the dam and Uglich Reservoir resulted in severe flooding of the town's outskirts. In November 2008 the Nexans cable mill opened.[citation needed]
Apart from the kremlin, the city center features other examples of historic Russian architecture. Particularly notable are the Alexeievsky and Resurrection monasteries. The Assumption three-tented church (1628) of the Alexeyevsky Monastery is considered a gem of Russian medieval architecture. The common people said this church was "Marvelous", and that qualifier became part of its official name. Located nearby is the more conventional Church of St. John the Baptist (1681).
Closer to the bank of the Volga is the Resurrection Monastery with a huge cathedral, refectory, belfry, and summer church. All these buildings stand in a row and date to 1674–77. Opposite the monastery is the graceful Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. It was built in 1689-90 by a local merchant to commemorate the spot where his son had drowned.
More historic architecture may be seen in the vicinity of Uglich, including the 17th-century Uleima Monastery and a fine church in Divnogorye.
Государственная Дума Ярославской области. Закон №12-з от 7 февраля 2002 г «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Ярославской области и порядке его изменения», в ред. Закона №67-з от 21 декабря 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Ярославской области и признании утратившими силу отдельных законодательных актов (положений законодательных актов) Ярославской области». Вступил в силу через шесть месяцев со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Губернские вести", №11, 15 февраля 2002 г. (State Duma of Yaroslavl Oblast. Law #12-z of February 7, 2002 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Yaroslavl Oblast and on the Procedures of Its Change, as amended by the Law #67-z of December 21, 2012 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of Yaroslavl Oblast and on Abrogation of Various Legislative Acts (Clauses of Legislative Acts) of Yaroslavl Oblast. Effective as of the day six months from the day of the official publication.).
Государственная Дума Ярославской области. Закон №65-з от 21 декабря 2004 г. «О наименованиях, границах и статусе муниципальных образований Ярославской области», в ред. Закона №59-з от 28 декабря 2011 г «Об изменении статуса рабочего посёлка Песочное Рыбинского района и о внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Ярославской области». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Губернские вести", №70, 23 декабря 2004 г. (State Duma of Yaroslavl Oblast. Law #65-z of December 21, 2004 On the Names, Borders, and Status of the Municipal Formations of Yaroslavl Oblast, as amended by the Law #59-z of December 28, 2011 On Changing the Status of the Work Settlement of Pesochnoye of Rybinsky District and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of Yaroslavl Oblast. Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication.).
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