Starodub

:"For the eponymous town, see Starodub-on-the-Klyazma" Starodub ( _ru. Староду́б, lit. "old oak") is a town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Babinets River (the Dnieper basin), 169 km southwest of Bryansk. Population: 18,643 (2002 Census); 16,000 (1975).

History

Starodub is known since the 11th century, when it was a part of Severia. It was burnt to the ground by the Mongols in the 13th century. It became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century, and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1503–1618, Starodub was a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and then Poland until 1648. During the Khmelnytskyi Uprising it became a center of Starodub Cossack Regiment and enjoyed a large measure of autonomy between 1666 and 1686.

Starodub remained a part of autonomous Cossack Hetmanate until 1781 when it became a district town. In 1796, Starodub was incorporated into the Chernigov Guberniya. In 1917–1918, the town was occupied by the Germans. The Soviet authority was reinstated in November 1918.

During the Soviet period, Starodub was a part of the Homel province (1919–1926), Bryansk province (1926–1929), Western Oblast (1929–1938) and Oryol Oblast (1938–1944). The town was once again occupied by the Germans between August 1941 and September 22, 1943. Starodub finally became a part of the Bryansk Oblast in 1944.

Heritage

As a significant centre of the Cossack Hetmanate, Starodub is the only place in Russia where authentic examples of Ukrainian Baroque may be seen. The Nativity Cathedral, built in 1617 and overhauled after a conflagration in 1677, is a typical example of Cossack Baroque. The Epiphany Church goes back to 1789, while the Church of St. Nicholas was erected in the Neoclassical style in 1802.

External links

* [http://www.starodub.clan.su/ On-Line portal of the town of Starodub] ru icon
* [http://www.debryansk.ru/~mir17/index.htm Web-site of the town of Starodub] ru icon