Uglich – is one of the remarkable cities of our country. It is interesting with it’s monuments of the past, it’s history, and present. The first items of information about Uglich carry a legendary character. According to the legend, it was founded in 937 by a certain Yan Pleskovich, who had come to this land following the command of Kievan the prince to collect tribute.
Authentic news about Uglich is met in Ipatyevskaya chronicle under 1148. The chronicle tells about a campaign of the Kievan, Smolensk, Novgorod princes against Rostovo-Suzdal princes Yuri Dolgoruky. Then Uglich represented a small settlement having mainly a trade importance because of it’s favorable site location. The trade importance of Uglich is confirmed by hoards of Arabian and other coins of the 7-9th centuries. Archeaelogical facts testify, that the places around Uglich were occupied in the epoch of the Late Stone Age.
Later Uglich has become a significant city, as it occupied the important strategic situation. Uglich the rule of prince Konstantin, the son of Dmitri Donskoy, even the own coin was minted there. The Tver prince fighting against Moscow, tried to gain a foothold in Uglich and threaten to Moscow, but these attempts failed.
In the second half of the XV century Andrei, nicknamed the Large, the son of the
Moscow prince Vacili, ruled almost 30 years in Uglich. It was the time of Uglich flourishing. The population of the town had increased. The crafts developed. The wooden strengthening of the Kremlin were given in the order, a large, richly decorated palace, consisting of the stone chambers and the wooden chorus, connected incorporated among themselves with (by) transitions was built in it. Near the palace on a place of a former wooden ramshackle cathedral a new stone one was built. There a treading was quarter, and further settlements ran, where the smiths, ceramists, armoires lived.
For the strengthening a defense near roads leading to the town, the monasteries were constructed: at the ferriage through over Volga — Voskresensky, on the Rostov road — Nikolo-Uleyminsky, on Yaroslavl — Alexeyevsky.
The last appendage prince of Uglich by command of Ivan Grozniy had become his son from his seventh wife — Dmitri. During a reign of Fyodor Ivanovich two-year old czarevich with his mother Mariya Nagayay and the other relatives was sent to Uglich under the supervision of Boris Godunov’s the people. They settled in the palace, in the former stone chambers of prince Andrei the Large, which later were called Chambers of czarevitch Dmitri. On May 15, 1591 in the Uglich Kremlin an alarm bell rang the gathered people were informed, that near the palace the czarevitch had been killed. There was a rumor in the town that it was Godunov’s people handwork. Following the order of the czarina’s relatives people rushed to beat the representatives of Godunov’s authority. Soon the Court of injury arrived to Uglich it announced, that czarevitch had killed himself, bell on a knife during an attack of the falling sickness and the killed by the orders of Nagayay were guiltless. The severe punishment followed. The czarina was made a run and cloistered. Many to Uglich citizens were imprisoned. Even the alarm bell was punished. It was dropped from the belfry, carved wish lashes, pulled out the language, chopped off the ear and sent to the town Tobolsk. On the beginning of the 17th century the interventionists invaded into Russia.
Since 1608 Uglich several some times appeared in hands of the foreign imaders. The town was especially strong destroyed in 1611. The chronicler indicates that so many peopled were killed in the palace that its cellars filled with blood.
The enceinte centre of Uglich was Kremlin situated located on the raised bank of the Volga River. It was enclosed with surrounded by a wooden wall with towers. Southern wall was lined with a deep moat filled with water. There was pass gate in the southern wall on the main road to Rostov, Moscow, Yaroslavl, in western wall there were Spasky Gate to Kalyazin, on northern side Rear — to Volga. Inside Kremlin there was Prince’s palace, the main cathedral, the court houses, official building, arms and food depots. Last time the Kremlin defensive constructions rebuilt in 1660 — 1662 and the century later were dissembled. In the beginning of the last century park. was planted there.
Not far from Voskrensky (Resurrection) monastery there is the church devoted to the birth of John the Baptist. It is a monument of architecture of the 17th century. The church was erected by a rich merchant Chepolosov in commemoration of his son who was killed. The walls of the church are lavishly decorated. Low side-chapels emphasize beautiful proportions of the building. So it is no wonder that painters Rerich, the Vasnetsov brothers used to draw this church when they were in Uglich. The stocky porch and side-chapels of the church emanate the spirit of hoary antiquity.
To the south of the Kremlin the buildings of Bogoyavlensky monastery are located. The oldest building of the monastery that exists now is Smolensky church built in 1700. The other church, Fyodorovskaya, was erected in 1818 in Russian classicism style. Several circular buildings that date back to the 18 th and 19th centuries are preserved in the town. Until 20th century Uglich practically did not develop. Since 1930s big industrial enterprises were built in the town. Uglich became a river port, its population increased, new residential areas appeared in the town. Now Uglich is not only a historic town but an important industrial centre.

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