Vyshny Volochek is a small town in the Tver region. The settlement is located on the banks of the river Tsna and the Vyshnevolotsk reservoir, the Tvertsa River originates here. About 48 thousand people live in it, there is a railway station, and 119 kilometers to Tver.
History reference
The first mention of the village is in the letters of 1437. In that year, a delegation of the Orthodox Church proceeded through the city to the Florence Cathedral. Historian Tatishchev V.N. has a different opinion, he believes that he was first mentioned in 1135. There are entries in the Moscow Annals of 1196, which refers to dragging. The whole problem with the exact dating of the founding of the city boils down to the fact that in ancient times it is very often mentioned in the annals about dragging, but which one is not clear.
In any case, the official date of foundation today is considered to be 1471. The settlement was founded as a land transshipment point on the watershed of two seas: the Caspian and Baltic. Then it grew into a large craft settlement, but in troubled times it was captured by the Poles and almost completely destroyed.
Under the reign of Peter I, the first artificial waterway appeared in the whole state. The canals were constantly equipped and developed; as a result, the Vyshnevolotsk water system turned out.
Vyshny Volochek became a city on the water, where the local population was rich in trade, later industrial enterprises began to appear. However, the status of an urban settlement was assigned to him only in 1770.
After the revolution, as in the whole country, there was an acute shortage of food in the city. Soviet power nationalized industrial enterprises. In 1919, a large anti-Bolshevik movement began in the Vyshnevolotsky district, everyone was indignant - from peasants to workers. To suppress the riot, regular troops were sent to the county from Moscow and Tver.
During the Second World War there was a front line, so the Germans raids were regular. 21 hospitals were located in the city, and 1727 Red Army soldiers found their last refuge in the cemetery.
Today, despite its small size, the city is of interest to tourists.
Water system
It would seem that you need to look at the Vyshny Volochek, first of all, the canal system, which was built under Peter I. During the heyday of the waterway, 6, 000 vessels were navigating. Then a trade route passed through the city: Moscow - Novgorod.
In the city channels you can see the reflection of the whole city, the golden domes of churches and the houses of merchants. A lot of pedestrian bridges run through the canals, through which you can walk endlessly.
The Tvertsky Canal stretches along the perimeter of the city for 3 kilometers, the average width is 15 meters. But due to the fact that the Dutch were engaged in the construction, many features of the relief and climate were not taken into account, as a result, the construction soon fell into decay. Local self-taught in 4 years corrected the situation, and the system worked. At the same time, a reservoir is being built. You can fully see the canals in the district of the city, in it there is only the Obvodny canal.
Today, the Vyshnevolotsk water system is a monument of Russian engineering, connecting St. Petersburg with the center of the state. More information about the history can be found in the museum.
Museum of Local Lore
Another attraction of the Vyshny Volochok where you can find out almost everything about the city and the construction of the canal system. Opened it in 1932. After a long reconstruction (1982), the renovated museum opened its doors in 2005.
Numerous exhibits will tell about the flora and fauna of the region, the history and development of the village, an art department works. In total, more than 40, 000 exhibits can be seen on an area of 1.2 thousand square meters.
Kazan Convent
The next attraction of the Vyshny Volochek, which is recommended to visit is a convent.
The construction of this architectural monument began in 1872. Initially founded the female Orthodox community. As the community grew, new structures appeared.
In the post-revolutionary years harsh times came for the monastery, instead of the nuns, the military “dominated” here, and the military unit was located in the complex. The domes were removed and many relics disappeared without a trace.
The monastery was returned to believers only in 1993.
Entrance to the territory of the complex for lay people is allowed only on Sundays and on Christian holidays when services are held. Parish nuns lead a skitic lifestyle. But you can even enjoy the beauty of the exterior decoration of buildings from afar.
Epiphany Cathedral
Another very interesting attraction of the Vyshny Volochek is the Epiphany Cathedral. It was built on Otmoynoy Island, on the ring between the Obvodny Canal and the Tsna River. Construction work lasted from 1810 to 1814.
At the same place in 1771 a wooden church flaunted, but it fell into a dilapidated state for some 4 years. Initially, it was planned to generally only transfer the throne to the Kazan Cathedral, but according to preliminary estimates, it became clear that the church could not accommodate all parishioners, and therefore they built a new one on the island.
To make the building stand longer, it was covered with iron. The interior of the cathedral is made in the Empire style, which at that time was an innovation.
In the period from 1864 to 1866, the cathedral was thoroughly rebuilt. As a result of reconstruction, the temple gets a completely new look, made in the pseudo-Russian style.
In 1931 the cathedral was closed, it was not used for a long time, later warehouses are located here. The opening for believers takes place in 1945.
A not very pleasant story is connected with the temple. In 1984, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God disappears from the cathedral, and it was not possible to find it. Despite this, the Epiphany Cathedral is still one of the main attractions of the Vyshny Volochok. There are many icons dating from the XVII-XVIII centuries. And one of the most important shrines is the miraculous list of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
The cathedral holds daily worship services, always accompanied by a choir.
Theatre of Drama
What to see in the Vyshny Volochek? An attraction that cannot be ignored is the drama theater. Externally, the building resembles a merchant's house or an ancient tower. On the facade are multiple curls. The building itself was built in the best traditions of Central Russian architecture.
The building was built at the turn of the century XIX-XX and was conceived as a place for public meetings. In parallel with the construction, a theater group worked in the city, which eventually moved to the theater building and became a real troupe.
The work of the creative team did not stop even in the most difficult periods for the country. And today you can enjoy productions based on the works of the best playwrights.
The theater even hosts two festivals:
- "Theatrical meetings."
- Festival of theaters of small towns.
There are no guided tours in the theater building; you can see the interior only before the performance.
Museum "Russian boots"
A visit to this attraction of Vyshny Volochek city is necessarily included in any excursion program.
The museum is located at a factory that produces felt boots by manual felting. By the way, this is the only such enterprise in Russia.
Museum visitors will find out what special tools are for felting, as they did in earlier times. There are paintings and even sculptures.
The pride of the museum is a two-meter boots. If desired, shoes can be ordered for manufacture according to an individual drawing. Here you can see a cat-bench, a groom and a bride, Peter I, an airplane and other unique exhibits, most importantly - made using manual felting techniques.
Museum of glass of the factory “Red May”
As a rule, a review of the sights of Vyshny Volochek is not complete without a visit to this museum. The plant itself has been known since 1880, then it was called Bolotinsky, now it does not work. But the company's employees managed to create the richest collection of glass. The exhibits are made of technical and artistic colored glass.
The museum is located in a two-story building, on the first is the Pyaterochka store, on the second there are exhibits of glass craftsmanship. The building is located on Muslim Magomayev street, 17.
Train Station
All the attractions of the Vyshny Volochok are long to list, but the first thing a traveler who arrives by train sees is the building of the railway station. The existing building was erected before the revolution, the former has not been preserved.
The modern station has an overpass for passengers. In pre-revolutionary times, this was almost the only structure of this type in all of Russia. And the cast-iron construction inside the building is nothing but a staircase support. And on the second platform, a separate pavilion for the stairs was erected.
