Veliky Ustyug has a great historical significance and was one of the major cities of the Russian North. It preserved some of the past urban structure and many of the architectural monuments. It has lost its former leading role and is nowadays mostly known for tourism.
Veliky Ustyug is close to theconfluence of theSukhona (flowing from the west) and theYug (from the south) rivers. Downstream from this confluence the rivers form a single waterway known as theNorthern Dvina, sometimes referred to as the Little Northern Dvina. The historical center of the town is on the left (high) bank of the Sukhona and, in contrast to many historical Russian towns, there is an embankment along the Sukhona.
Dymkovskaya Sloboda andTroitse-Gledensky Monastery are on the right bank of the Sukhona. New parts of the town, mostly industrial areas, face the Northern Dvina. The only bridge in Veliky Ustyug is across the Sukhona upstream of the town center.
Previously, Gleden was a fortress, and the left bank of the Sukhona was aposad—a territory outside the fortress populated by craftsmen. In the 15th century, the fortress was destroyed in an attack byVyatka army, and the new fortress was built in the formerposad area. The fortress was demolished when it became apparent than no military threat to Veliky Ustyug exists.
The first recorded settlement in the area was the monastic settlement atGleden (Гледен), founded near the confluence of the Yug and the Sukhona, where Troitsko-Gledensky Monastery is now. The nameUstyug means "the mouth of the Yug". By the late 15th century, the name changed to Veliky (Great) Ustyug.
St. Prokopy, the Ustyug icon from 1669, Velikoustyugsky Museum of History, Art, and Architecture
The town of Veliky Ustyug was first mentioned in achronicle in 1207.[3] In 1212,Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery was founded. It was a part of theVladimir-Suzdal Principality (in contrast to the neighboring lands, most notablyTotma, colonized byNovgorod). Thus Veliky Ustyug created the only obstacle to Novgorod's trade with the north, as the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina were the main waterways connecting Novgorod with the White Sea. Clashes between Novgorod and Ustyug became regular, especially throughout the whole 14th century.[10] In 1328, Ustyug was annexed by theGrand Duchy of Moscow.
The town was not immediately affected by theMongol invasion of Rus' in the 13th century; however, its rapid growth in the second half of the century was due to influx of refugees from Central Russia.[10]
In the 15th century, Veliky Ustyug became notable for the war betweenVasily II of Moscow and his cousinDmitry Shemyaka, which left northern Russia deserted. Shemyaka took Veliky Ustyug in 1450, drowned in the Sukhona those citizens who refused to accept him as a prince, and made the town his residence for two years, until he was driven off by the forces of Vasily.[10] In the 15th century, the town had a great military importance and became the base for the operations against theFinno-Ugric peoples.
In 1613, during theTime of Troubles, Veliky Ustyug was besieged by Polish troops but never taken.[10] At the junction of importanttrade routes, the town turned into a significant commercial and industrial center in the 16th and 17th centuries. Veliky Ustyug area was the birthplace of the explorersSemyon Dezhnyov,Yerofey Khabarov,Vladimir Atlasov, and of St. Stephen of Perm. Veliky Ustyug lost its key role as a river port with the diminishing importance of the Sukhona River route for trade between China and western Europe, which started with the foundation ofSaint-Petersburg in 1703, whereby the trade was diverted to theBaltic Sea.
The 16th and 17th centuries were the time of the highest rise of the culture in Veliky Ustyug, in which it acquired a national-wide significance. The town is known for its remarkablehandicrafts, such assilverfiligree,birch barkfretwork, decorativecopper binding, andniello. The town developed a distinct manner oficon painting —Ustyug icon painting. In the 17th century, Veliky Ustyug was a major producer oftiles, which are visible on many Ustyug churches and were sold to neighboring towns of the Russian North. On January 25, 1613, the town was unsuccessfully besieged by Polish-Lithuanian vagabonds (seeLisowczycy) led by Jakub Jacki.
In the course of theadministrative reform carried out in 1708 byPeter the Great, Veliky Ustyug was explicitly mentioned as one of the 20 towns included into theArchangelgorod Governorate. From 1719, it was the center ofUstyug Province, one of the four provinces of the Governorate. In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed intoVologda Viceroyalty. The latter was abolished in 1796, and Veliky Ustyug became the center ofVelikoustyugsky Uyezd ofVologda Governorate. In 1918, the town became the administrative center of the newly establishedNorthern Dvina Governorate. In 1924, the uyezds were abolished in favor of the new divisions, the districts (raions).
In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged intoNorthern Krai. The krai consisted of five okrugs, one of which,Northern Dvina Okrug, had its administrative center in Veliky Ustyug. In July 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to Northern Krai. In 1936, Northern Krai was transformed intoNorthern Oblast, and in 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Veliky Ustyug remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.
Veliky Ustyug, in contrast to the majority of historical Russian towns, managed to preserve almost all of its architectural and cultural monuments. This was in a great part due to the efforts of the local intellectuals grouped around the Regional Museum, and most notably ofNikolay Bekryashev, the museum director from 1924 to 1938. This group managed to convince the authorities that the churches and old buildings have a historical significance and must be handed in the museum rather than demolished.
In 2004, at its own expense, the Stefanovo church erected a commemorative cross where the executions had taken place from 1918 to 1939 in the ravine behind its cemetery.[11]
There are timber industry enterprises in Veliky Ustyug, as well as a shipyard, food industry, and enterprises serving the tourist industry — in particular, the jewelry production plant.[13]
Tourism is an important branch of economy in Veliky Ustyug. It started in the 1960s and got a further boost in 1990s when Veliky Ustyug started to be marketed as the residence ofDed Moroz, also known as "Grandfather Frost".
Roads connect Veliky Ustyug with other towns. The road to the north runs toKrasavino and further toKotlas. The one to the south runs toNikolsk and further toManturovo, where it connects to the road toKostroma. The road to the southwest connects Veliky Ustyug withVologda viaTotma. It was built in the beginning of the 21st century; before this road was opened, the only way to get from Veliky Ustyug to Vologda was via Nikolsk and Totma. All these roads are paved.
An unpaved road, originating fromKuzino (which is connected with Veliky Ustyug by a ferry crossing) runs toLuza and continues toLalsk and further to theKomi Republic.
The railroad connects Veliky Ustyug withYadrikha railway station on the railroad connectingKonosha and Kotlas. The passenger service to Veliky Ustyug was discontinued in 2005.
The Sukhona, the Yug, and the Northern Dvina are all navigable in Veliky Ustyug, but there is no passenger navigation except for ferry crossings.
The population of Veliky Ustyug was steadily growing until the second half of 20th century, but in the recent years it has been on decline, as is the general trend in Russia.
Veliky Ustyug preserves much of its architectural heritage and has one of the best preserved architectural ensembles in Russia. The town contains 152 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by the Russian Federal law and 25 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance.[17] It is classified as a historical town by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, which implies certain restrictions on construction in the historical center.[18]
Most of the architectural monuments are on the left bank of the Sukhona, and many of these are the living houses. The exceptions are Troitsko-Gledensky Monastery and the Dymkovo Sloboda, on the right bank of the Sukhona. Troitsko-Gledensky Monastery is in the village ofMorozovitsa, in Velikoustyugsky District.
The principal architectural ensembles of Veliky Ustyg are
The monuments of civil architecture are mostly concentrated along the Sukkhona, along Sovetsky Avenue and Krasnaya Street.
Some of these buildings belong to theVelikoustyugsky Museum of History, Art, and Architecture.[19] The museum was open in 1909 in the premises of Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery. In 1918 it was transformed into the Museum of the Northern Dvina Culture. Between 1924 and 1938 the museum director wasNikolay Bekryashev, an artist, who devoted his energy to extending the museum to the old buildings, mostly churches, of the town, which thus were saved from destruction. In particular, a big collection oficons and objects of applied arts survived. Despite the efforts of Bekryashev and other museum employees, some of the buildings were destroyed by the authorities.[20] The museum currently serves as an umbrella institution that organizes permanent and temporary exhibits in the former church buildings.
The residence, which is a resort promoted as theVotchina ("estate") of Ded Moroz, is a major tourist attraction.[22]
It is 16 km from the town, on the premises ofVelikoustyugsky District. There is a dedicated post office there that answers children's mail to Ded Moroz.
^Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Национальный состав населения по регионам России [All Union Population Census of 1979. Ethnic composition of the population by regions of Russia](XLS).Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года [All-Union Population Census of 1979] (in Russian). 1979 – viaDemoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics.
^Deirdre, Holding (September 2014).Armenia with Nagorno Karabagh : the Bradt travel guide (Fourth ed.). Chalfont St. Peter. p. 96.ISBN9781841625553.OCLC883465141.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Великий Устюг - родина Деда Мороза (in Russian). Департамент международных, межрегиональных связей и туризма Вологодской области. Archived fromthe original on August 12, 2011. RetrievedSeptember 7, 2011.
Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №371-ОЗ от 4 июня 1999 г. «О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области», в ред. Закона №2916-ОЗ от 7 декабря 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон области "О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №124–125, 29 июля 1999 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #371-OZ of June 4, 1999On the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Law #2916-OZ of December 7, 2012On Amending the Oblast Law "On the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Правительство Вологодской области. Постановление №178 от 1 марта 2010 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц Вологодской области», в ред. Постановления №686 от 25 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в некоторые Постановления Правительства области». Вступил в силу 20 марта 2010 г. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №29, 20 марта 2010 г. (Government of Vologda Oblast. Resolution #178 of March 1, 2010On Adopting the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #686 of June 25, 2012On Amending Various Resolutions of the Oblast Government. Effective as of March 20, 2010.).
Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №1109-ОЗ от 6 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ Великоустюгского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав», в ред. Закона №3669-ОЗ от 1 июня 2015 г. «О преобразовании некоторых муниципальных образований Великоустюгского муниципального района Вологодской области и о внесении изменений в Закон области "Об установлении границ Великоустюгского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав"». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №242, 11 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #1109-OZ of December 6, 2004On Establishing the Borders of Velikoustyugsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations It Comprises, as amended by the Law #3669-OZ of June 1, 2015On the Transformation of Several Municipal Formations in Velikoustyugsky Municipal District of Vologda Oblast and on Amending the Law of Vologda Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of Velikoustyugsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations It Comprises". Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication.).
Gardner, N (2005) Article in hidden Europe magazine, 5 (Nov 2005), pp. 22–26. Full text available (html and pdf versions) athidden europe websiteArchived December 19, 2007, at theWayback Machine
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