Pechory was founded as aposad in the 16th century near thePskov-Caves Monastery established in 1473 by the Orthodox priest Jonah, who fledDorpat (nowTartu) for thePskov Republic.[11] Its name, Pechory, or earlier Pechery derives from the wordpeshchery(пещеры), Russian forcaves.[12][13] The site soon developed into an important trading post and border stronghold.[2] During the campaign ofoprichnina introduced byIvan the Terrible, Pechory remained withinzemschina, or regular municipal lands subject to the rule of the government.[14] It was besieged numerous times by Russia's enemies:Stephen Báthory's forces sacked the settlement during theSiege of Pskov in 1581–1582,[2] and theSwedes orPolish stormed Pechory in 1592, 1611, 1615, and 1630, and from 1655 to 1657.[citation needed] The fortification of Pechory was besieged by Swedes in the course of theGreat Northern War in 1701 and 1703.[2] In 1701, after an unsuccessful Swedish assault led by Shlippenbach,Boris Sheremetev began his campaign of advancing into Swedish Estonia from Pechory.[15] After the war the Russian border was shifted westwards so Pechory lost its military significance.[2]
In the course of theadministrative reform carried out in 1708 byPeter the Great, the area was included into the Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as theSaint Petersburg Governorate).[16] In 1727, the separateNovgorod Governorate was split off and in 1772, thePskov Governorate was established; it existed asPskov Viceroyalty between 1777 and 1796. In 1776, Pechory was granted town rights[2] and thePechorsky Uyezd was established. However, in 1797, theuyezd was abolished and the territory became a part o f thePskovsky Uyezd of the Pskov Governorate.[17] From then on, Pechory was formally considered as a suburb of Pskov, however retaining its former rights of self-administration.
Train station in 1889
In 1820 it had a population of 1,312, including 1,258 Russians and 27 Estonians, living in 228 predominantly wooden houses. By 1914 the population grew to 2,240,[18] residing along eleven streets and five squares. The streets were equipped with 31 kerosene street lights. In 1889, the Pskov-Riga railroad that went through the northern outskirts of Pechory was commissioned.[19] The Pechory railway station (now Pechory-Pskovskiye) was opened in 1899.[20] There were leather and malt factories in the town, a postal and telegraph station, four schools including one maintained by the monastery, and a hospital.[18][21] Pechory was known for its flax trade, that was further expanded during the consequent Estonian period of the town's history.[18]
From 25 February to 30 November 1918, Pechory was occupied by theGermans. During theEstonian War of Independence and, simultaneously, theRussian Civil War, the town was occupied by the Estonian army on March 29, 1919. The centre of the Governorate, Pskov, was occupied by the anti-Bolshevik RussianNorthwestern Army, that was later in August 1919 repelled back by theRed Army. Under the terms of the 1920Tartu Peace Treaty that stipulated the border[22] along the actual front line between the Red and Estonian Armies, so Pechory and the adjacent Western part ofSetomaa were ceded toEstonia.[2][23][24]
Monastery in the interbellum
In the interbellum, Petseri, as it was called at that time, was the centre ofPetseri County, one of the eleven counties that made up the Republic of Estonia. Under Estonian rule, the town's population more than doubled, predominantly due to the arrival of ethnic Estonians. Tuition at the municipal primary schools was conducted in both Russian and Estonian, with more bias toward the latter following the Schools Reform of 1934.[25][26] In May 1925, most of the land owned by the Pskov-Caves Monastery was confiscated by the Estonian government and provided to new settlers. St. Peter's Lutheran Church was built in 1926. In 1939, a huge fire broke out in the town, destroying 212 wooden buildings and killing many inhabitants.[27]
According to adecree ofUSSR Supreme Soviet dated 23 August 1944 and a decree dated January 16, 1945, Pechory and the eastern part of Petseri County were transferred to the Pskov Oblast of theRussian SFSR, and the Pechorsky District was established.[2][23][29] During the Soviet period, bilingual schooling continued, and in 1956,Pechory Secondary School No. 2 was opened for Estonian-speaking students.
In 1976, the town's boundaries were further expanded to encompass the railway station and a few adjacent villages, including Kunichina Gora,[30] which now hosts a border crossing point.[31]
After Estonian independence was re-established in 1991, the town and the territory around it were claimed by Estonia because of the terms of the Tartu Peace Treaty, in which the Soviet Union had relinquished further claims to Estonian territory.[32] Estonia was reported to have dropped this claim in November 1995.[33] A new Estonian-Russian Border Treaty was signed by Estonia on May 18, 2005, reflecting the laterborder changes,[34] but was rejected and cancelled by Russia on June 27, 2005, because references to "Soviet occupation" were added by the Estonians.[35][36] A series of inter-governmental consultations took place in the decade that followed, and on February 18, 2014, the new version of the Border Treaty was signed by both countries.[37] The latest version leaves the agreed border intact with a few minor exemptions not affecting the town of Pechory. Its parliamentary ratification by both sides is pending.[38][39]
^abcdLaw #833-oz stipulates that the borders of the administrative districts are identical to the borders of the municipal districts. The Law #420-oz, which describes the borders and the composition of the municipal districts, lists the town of Pechory as a part of Pechorsky District.
^abcdefghijЭнциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 354.ISBN5-7107-7399-9.
^Федеральная служба государственной статистики. Федеральное агентство по технологическому регулированию и метрологии. №ОК 033-2013 1 января 2014 г. «Общероссийский классификатор территорий муниципальных образований. Код 58 640». (Federal State Statistics Service. Federal Agency on Technological Regulation and Metrology. #OK 033-2013 January 1, 2014Russian Classification of Territories of Municipal Formations. Code 58 640. ).
^"Об исчислении времени".Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2019.
^Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post).Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search)(in Russian)
^Pospelov, Yevgenij (2008).Географические названия России: Топонимический словарь (Geographic names of Russia: a toponymic dictionary). Moscow: АСТ.ISBN9785170549665.
^Trusman, Yuri (1897).Этимология местных названий Псковского уезда (Etymology of the local names of the Pskov uyezd). Reval. p. 53.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^РГИА, ф. 446, оп. 28, д. 23. «Об окончании строительства Риго-Псковской железной дороги и об открытии движения по ней». Доклад № 116. 14 июля 1889 г.
^РГИА, ф. 446, оп. 31, д. 20. «О переименовании Петербургско-Варшавской, Балтийской и Псково-Рижской ж. д. в Северо-Западные ж. д.» Доклад № 145. 14 июля 1906 г.
^abR. Ruutsoo. Vene rahvusvahemuste ja tema identiteedi kujunemine Eesti Vabariigis 1920–1940. – Eesti Teaduste Akadeemia Toimetised. Humanitaar- ja Sotsiaalteadused, 45, 1996.Nr. 2. Lk. 203–204
Псковское областное Собрание депутатов. Закон №833-оз от 5 февраля 2009 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Псковской области». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Псковская правда", №20, 10 февраля 2009 г. (Pskov Oblast Council of Deputies. Law #833-oz of February 5, 2009On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Pskov Oblast. Effective as of the official publication date.).
Псковское областное Собрание депутатов. Закон №420-оз от 28 февраля 2005 г. «Об установлении границ и статусе вновь образуемых муниципальных образований на территории Псковской области», в ред. Закона №1542-ОЗ от 5 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Псковской области "Об установлении границ и статусе вновь образуемых муниципальных образований на территории Псковской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Псковская правда", №41–43, №44–46, №49–51, 4 марта 2005 г., 5 марта 2005 г., 11 марта 2005 г. (Pskov Oblast Council of Deputies. Law #420-oz of February 28, 2005On Establishing the Borders and the Status of the Newly Formed Municipal Formations on the Territory of Pskov Oblast, as amended by the Law #1542-OZ of June 5, 2015On Amending the Law of Pskov Oblast "On Establishing the Borders and the Status of the Newly Formed Municipal Formations on the Territory of Pskov Oblast". Effective as of the official publication date.).
Архивный отдел Псковского облисполкома. Государственный архив Псковской области. "Административно-территориальное деление Псковской области (1917–1988 гг.). Справочник". (Administrative-Territorial Structure of Pskov Oblast (1917–1988). Reference.) Книга I. Лениздат, 1988