- Serpukhov
Serpukhov ( _ru. Се́рпухов) is an old town in
Moscow Oblast ,Russia , which is situated at the confluence of the Oka and theNara River s. It is located 99 km (60 miles) south fromMoscow on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tula railway passes through the town. Population: 131,097 (2002 Census).History
The town of Serpukhov was established in 1339 to protect the Southern approaches to Moscow. Two years later it was made a seat of the powerful princedom ruled by a cousin and close associate of
Dmitry Donskoy ,Vladimir of Serpukhov . The princedom continued until 1456, when the last prince escaped toLithuania . The town frequently fell prey to the hordes ofToqtamysh ,Crimean Tatars , and other steppe conquerors. It was necessary to protect it with a stone citadel, orkremlin , which was completed by 1556 as part of theGreat Abatis Belt .Landmarks
The citadel commands a steep hill where the small Serpeyka river enters the
Nara River . However during the 19th century, parts of the citadel were demolished by the town's inhabitants, who used itslimestone for their private residences. Even now the vast majority of basements in nearby houses are built from this material. In the kremlin, the chief monument is the Trinity cathedral, built in 1696 inMoscow baroque style.The
Vysotsky Monastery features a cathedral andrefectory dating from the late 16th century, as well as the miracle-working iconInexhaustible Chalice . Another important cloister is called Vladychny, with the Presentation cathedral and a tent-like St. George's church, both erected duringBoris Godunov 's reign. The latter monastery is named after the honorary title of Russian bishops, as it was founded by the holy metropolitan Alexis in 1360.Modern town
In modern times, Serpukhov has become a local industrial center with textile, mechanical engineering, furniture and paper-producing industries. The
SeAZ factory produces theLada Oka microcar since the 1980s. ThePrioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve sprawls within 12 km from the city.ister cities
*flagicon|FIN
Forssa (Finland )
*flagicon|UKRIvano-Frankovsk (Ukraine )
*flagicon|BLRSlutsk (Belarus )
*flagicon|CHNZhanjiang (China )
*flagicon|MDACeadîr-Lunga (Moldova )
*flagicon|GERLindau (Germany )
*flagicon|FRABobigny (France )
*flagicon|USA Richmond (USA )
*flagicon|BULVratsa (Bulgaria )External links
* [http://www.travelgazette.ru/podmosk/serpuhov/serpuh.htm Serpukhov's history and sights]
* [http://dpravednik.narod.ru/Progylka.htm Walking in Serpukhov]
* [http://www.ci.richmond.in.us/sistercities/sistercities/serpukhov.htm Another brief introduction to Serpukhov]
* [http://www.pserpuhov.ru/ Orthodox Serpukhov]
* [http://serpuhov.regio.ru/ Serpukhov region]
* [http://oka-info.ru/ Serpukhov region newspaper]Template group
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