Bezhetsk

Infobox Russian city
EnglishName=Bezhetsk
RussianName=Бежецк
LocalName1="Gorodetsk" prior to 1766
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LocalLangName1="Городецк"
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LatDeg=57
LatMin=47
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LonDeg=36
LonMin=42
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FederalSubject=Tver Oblast
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Charter=Since 1775
MunStatus=Town
LeaderType=Mayor
LeaderName="Molchanov"
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Population=28,643
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FoundationDate=1137
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PostalCode=171980
DialingCode=48231
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Website=http://www.bezhetsk.ru

Bezhetsk ( _ru. Бежецк) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Mologa River at its confluence with the Ostrechina River. Population: 28,643 (2002 Census); 29,000 (1967).

History

Bezhetsk was first mentioned as "Bezhichi" in 1137, when it was owned by Novgorod. Original name, interpreted as "refugees", suggests that early settlers were former Novgorodians. Historical Bezhichi were located 20 kilometers north from present-day town; the settlement was destroyed by raiders in 1272 and re-established on present site as "Gorodetsk" fortress.

In the early 15th century, the district of Bezhetsky Verkh was annexed by Muscovy. Bezhetsk is the birthplace of a writer Vyacheslav Shishkov, historian Nil Popov, and pathologist Alexei Polunin.

The oldest building in Bezhetsk is the white tent-like campanile of the Vvedenskaya church, which was built by Yaroslavl masters in 1680-82. The church itself was destroyed during the Soviet years. The Vozdvizhenskaya church goes back to the turn of the 18th century.

In late 20th century Bezhetsk, as a "reference small town" with well-preserved archives, became a subject of detailed academic studies of the 18th century Russian countryside. [Kamensky]

Economy

Bezhetsk is home to Dorokhovo, a major military air base.

References

ru icon А. B. Kamensky. "Povsednevnost russkikh gorodskih obyvatelei" (А. Б. Каменский. Повседневность русских городских обывателей. М., РГГУ, 2006) ISBN 5-7281-0807-5

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